LNER4479

FWIW it gets a mention here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crank_(mechanism) Nothing about Crabs or 9Fs though...

To answer the OP - all (35) of them! (or at least access to them). They were all to be seen together at Barrow Hill last year as part of the A4 event there (No.8, 4489, 4464) and they all ran at least once on the layout during the weekend. Was featured in Model Rail 202. Not an exercise to be repeated in a hurry! (if you can't count to 35 that's cos there were several on the layout at any one time) Also fortunate to have access to two of the three streamliner trains: Come and see us on the road in 2016 - but we won't have all the 35 A4s with us! (Dare I mention the 79 Gresley A1/A3s...?)

I think Jonathan's on to something there. Gill can confirm that Joseph Cockshoot & co was a large car manufacturer and dealer in the Manchester area. (latterly absorbed by Lex Motors) http://95.129.105.39/media/33871030/josephcockshootandco.pdf This info from MOSI 'nails' it: 'It acquired new premises on the corner of Great Ducie Street and New Bridge Street in 1906'. That's the correct orientation for what you're looking at in the background of the photo.

Well of course there is Strangeways prison(!) to the North of the Exchange-Victoria complex - but I think that's more to the east than the background to that photo seems to indicate. Nearest brewery around there is Boddingtons.

See Post #11 on previous page!

Thanks Paul - however my station approach is also 'single track' whereas on the real thing two road vehicles can pass relatively easily. That's the compromise bit! In other news, a third board was delivered to Ormesby last night for ground cover work in the Up Goods Yard, seeing as how the winter scenic work is cracking on apace. I'll try and remember to take some pictures next week!

Thanks Dr G-F! It (the station road scene) will be even better when it's finished - just come in from working on it further in the chapel model railway room to thaw out. 9oC in there at the moment

You might like this then, Ducky. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF2Jgg1LpzU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF2Jgg1LpzU (There's a better bit of footage of this on youtube but can't find it at the moment)

Broadsword calling Danny Boy. Broadsword calling Dan.. ny.......... Phwoooaaar!!

Nothing earth-shattering but a little bit of progress nonetheless Bit of work on Station Approach, which is also to be 'wired up' for the road vehicles. Here the guide wire has been added so that the road surface can be stuck down. Next, I'm adding the base for the pavement. I'm only putting this on one side as t'other side will never be seen and a slightly narrower road allows more depth to the buildings and intended half-relief backscene arrangement. And with some paving top surface added, I thought I'd set this shot up. As always, more to do but looks quite promising?

No worries - will be put to far better use encouraging hesitant new chassis builders on your demo stand... Congrats on p.300 (have to get that in quick before we get to p.301!)

How about this for a return to the big stuff? On sale in the 2nd hand section of our local shop

Flour, eggs and milk in a bowl and give it a vigorous mix up

36" - and not an inch shorter! Mind you, I do have the space - I reckon you could go steeper (2'6" say?) out of sight and it'd be OK if it won you another foot of scenic length. PM (already) sent re your curves...

Apologies if this is motherhood and apple pie but, re tunnel lining... If the straight length of track is 600mm, the tunnel lining will need to curve before that due to the overhang of the vehicles starting to take effect as the front half of the vehicle enters the curve. Watch out for the overhang on the outside of the curve as well as the inside... Ask yourself how do I know all this...?(!) (Clue - 61'6" Gresleys are banned from the Nottingham line on my layout)

Did you used to run a sweepstake Mike for the time of rerailment?

Look forward to Tony's answer - but if I may be permitted to provide an equivalent response on a different route...? When I researched the train workings for my previous project (the ex-Midland Railway routes out of Manchester in the 1950s) I determined the ratio to be 5 freight trains for every one passenger working (ie express and ordinary combined). I figured that to be a little too unbalanced (even though I was trying to be prototypical) - so I compromised at 3 freight trains for every passenger working... I suspect the ECML through Little Bytham will be more generous towards passenger workings than that as a lot of the slow moving stuff (in particular the coal traffic) went via the GE&GN joint to Peterborough (from where they [the coal trains] were formed up into the massive trains down to Ferme Park).

You know? - I'm actually enjoying the hum-drum-ness (is that a word?) of the ordinary locos! (although some might regard the O2 as vaguely erotic exotic). So much more believable in terms of telling the overall story of a day at PN.

I've got the original in VHS format somewhere! (I guess we'll have to explain to younger members what one of them is...)

Hi Steve, Good to be able to say 'hi' at Warley. Inspirational work indeed

Oi - don't try running it like that on the layout. We do have standards you know (in this case 58mm max height gauge)

Oh yeah! Force of habit - duly corrected!

OK Tony, I guess a deal's a deal! You know how you're always exhorting people to 'have a go'? Well, I thought I'd risk total humiliation (at least so far as the first picture goes) to show how I got started (in terms of building locos) OK, OK if you've finished rolling around on the floor I'll explain. This is the first recognisable locomotive I ever made. I would have been about 16-17 at the time. The basis of it is actually two Airfix 'Harrow' locomotive kits (brief pause to allow for more fits of laughter). This was purely on the basis of the main driving wheel diameters being 'roughly' that of a Duchess. In actual fact, only the chassis parts were from the kits - all the superstructure ended up being built from card! Hopelessly overly-optimistically, I did plan to make it 'go' by putting a motor in the tender and having it push the loco. After a few brief attempts, it became all too clear that this was an impossible task so I just contented myself with it as it was. Flushed with that 'success'(!) I decided that it was time to try building a loco properly... For Xmas 1983 (I think it was), my Dad bought me a Millholme Models kit for a LMS 2P. At about the same time, I bought a K's body kit for what I thought was a LMS Jinty; it turned out to be the earlier Midland Johnson variety!! Anyhow, both projects were progressed at the same time. A model railway friend of my Dad's lent me the Guy Williams 4mm loco building book so, having inwardly digested the content, I decided to build my own chassis for the 'Jinty'. So far as its body was concerned, I set about 'converting' the K's parts to look like a Jinty (another purchase at that time was the F J Roche book of loco drawings). In the end, I only used the footplate and tanks and made the rest myself. Neither loco has ever worked successfully! But I've kept them (and the Duchess) to remind and encourage myself to get better at it. And then I built this: Almost out of nowhere, I somehow managed to harness the experience gained from the above failures and channel it into No.46208. I built it as a surprise 50th birthday present for my Dad (and boy was he surprised!) and - 28 years later - it is still putting in sterling service on his layout. It was in reading the Railway Modeller article last night that Tony's 60103 struck a chord. He must have built it at the same time I was building the 'Lizzie'; only thing is, I suspect he built the A3 in about three weeks flat; 46208 took me about two years on and off (1985-1987)! The 'secret' was to build it largely out of Nickel Silver (10 thou and 15 thou sheets) - yes, it is scratchbuilt. I found the stuff SO much easier to work with than brass (I hadn't 'discovered' flux at that point). I haven't ever really looked back after that. I guess the point of this diatribe is that you have to allow for one or two failures along the way (unless you're really gifted!) but otherwise 'have a go, Joe'. You never know where you might end up.... Hope to fix up a visit to bring 46208 (and one or two others) to Little Bytham next summer. Thanks to Tony and Mo for their hospitality; it was - as ever - a most enjoyable visit.

Did I say it was to do with you?(!) Now you've shown me the error of my ways we can add it to your 'to do' list

In that case, the clerestory IS the buffer stop