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'Tis the Barrowby Stream, sir - or 'twas in 1965 when this was published:

Mind to shut the van doors and hide that box, else people travelling behind you could panic, thinking they've run out of shopping days...

Robert - you might find this recently discovered nugget of interest: http://returntograntham.wordpress.com/loco-department-staff/driver-charles-parker/ Isn't it kind of appropriate that the home of mini-No.4479 is a former chapel !?

A really lovely job Robert. Hopefully the gear noise will attenuate after a little use (or with a bit more of your clever 'mechanicking'). I expect you know that the 'table was vacuum operated (if the loco being turned was so equipped, of course) by the late 1940s - presumably a retrofit if it was moved only by muscle power in your period?

Smoke at Grantham? Bring it on! (Photo by Peter Wilkinson, cleaner and fireman, c.1949)

Happy New Year to you Robert, also to family and modelling associates. The first shot is at Bellingham (Northumberland, not Lewisham). They've a Heritage Centre there. Was it open? From the feel of the weather it looks like a warming cuppa would have been welcome. Don't recognise the second spot though.

Not a clear picture at all Robert, but this signal's in the 1937 'going away' shot of The Coronation on the Grantham Looks Back DVD (at 29:01). It's too indistinct in detail, against the bright sky, to be certain whether the arms facing up traffic are upper quadrant or somersault. However, there does appear to be an upper quadrant arm facing down traffic at a lower level, below the bracket, which is 'off' in the film, . Would this be a down main distant arm for Barrowby Road? (edit - on second thoughts probably not, as those distants are under the platform end starter arms; an advance starter maybe?) ...and would it have been a somersault arm a little earlier in time? Interesting perhaps, but not intended to influence the modelling - the signal looks superb and 'right' just as it is. Looking again at this film today there's also a reasonably detailed shot of the entire west side and south end of Grantham North box (pre-relay room) at 28:39. Again from the film, are the two upper, co-acting, arms of the down main starting signal longer than the arms at low level??

I don't mind at all Robert - it's good to see the pictures being useful as reference points for your model of Grantham North box. The Inspector standing behind signalman Albert Eldridge is Phil Craft. Following the recent festival featuring No.4468 at Grantham Phil's son got in touch, recalling a period when he enjoyed the benefits of having a Station Inspector as a father: "It takes me back to many Sunday afternoons spent pulling the levers in North Box, and being privileged enough to be able to go on the footplate of most of the iconic engines, including Mallard, when they were in the loco. I even remember a trip to Boston sat on the open back of a goods guards van." ...and who's that on the left in school cap and short trousers with long socks - hitched to the proper height I'm glad to see? My first - and perhaps only - appearance in the hallowed pages of RMweb!

Robert - when the Yard Box is finished take a break, pull up a chair by the stove, make yourself a pot of tea and enjoy a nice sandwich before the next job - oh, I see signalman Jock Drummond's beaten you to it! http://www.lner.info/forums/download/file.php?id=3491 (16th April 1964) John

Robert, I've just uploaded a couple of photos recently borrowed that you may find of interest, especially in the light of 4479's recent upgrade in appearance. Once back at the shed I'm sure these guys will make sure she's kept in good shape. http://returntograntham.wordpress.com/loco-department-staff/footplatemens-photographs/ John

See what you mean ...praps the SR hastily and secretly modified one of their Bullieds the better to tackle the ascent of Stoke Bank (OVSB himself having tipped them off?). All ER men's attention being on the spamcan casing, no one noticed the crafty deception.

Hello Robert, Very nice to see that the 'South Box' has appeared on the layout. And the Bulleid? 1948 loco exchanges I expect (though it looks lie a WC/BB rather than MN Belgian Marine, which I think had an LMR tender with a scoop). Peter Wilkinson, who was at our event on 24/7, remembers this: http://returntograntham.wordpress.com/loco-department-staff/peter-wilkinson/ (near the end). I enjoyed your Movietone / British Pathe filming from the air too. Did airships ever overfly Grantham in the '30s? You could do something quite special with all that airspace!!

A great bit of filming. Hope you had an Inspector with you in the North box! Robert - I don't think I've drawn attention before to this newsreel clip (apologies if I have), which records (00:42 to 00:49) the demise of said canopy: http://www.movietone.com/N_POPUP_Player.cfm?action=playVideo&assetno=83124 T'was the winter of 1947: 'The weather deteriorated badly on Monday, February 3, and that evening ‘blizzard’ conditions developed throughout the northern half of the Southern Area, and in parts of the North Eastern Area. The following day, the heavy snow accompanied by winds of gale force drifted to depths of several feet in many places, causing great interruption to signalling and telephone communication. In the Manchester district, conditions were particularly bad and all services had to be suspended as the main line between the city and Sheffield, and the Oldham, Glossop and Macclesfield branches were completely blocked. Blockages of lines and interruption of communications were frequent also in Leeds, Doncaster, Nottingham and Lincoln districts. The East Coast Main Line was kept clear almost continuously but on February 4, the weight of snow caused a platform awning at Grantham Station to collapse and both the up and down lines were blocked for nearly five hours.' reported the LNER Magazine.

Well that's a cracking piece of film too - a 'talkie' in full technicolor! Another thing it might be possible/interesting to re-create on your layout given the space you have is filming as from an aircraft keeping pace with a train. The possibilities could be endless... One thing I meant to say re. the full 30sec clip is that in the shot showing the starting signals being lowered there seems not to be a loco at the head of the train in the Nottingham platform (5), though the 'suspected milk tank wagon' is there. There is, though, what appears to be a tank loco with a van, or a brake van, moving slowly forward on one of the adjacent lines. At first I thought that it might be preparing to reverse onto the train in platfrom 5, but the loco seen there as No.4491 passes appears to be a tender engine. Hard to say though. I have a larger copy of the '4491 at Barrowby Road' image which its contributor kindly sent me. I've 'enhanced' the sky area with photoshop and can find barely any trace of exhaust, so your theory carries some weight.

I've heard again from the Lincs Film Archive. There's no date in their records associated with the film clip other than the year, 1937, but they do think that it's likely to be the first day of the service. They have a shot of the Silver Jubilee, also made in 1937, but it isn't out on any of their DVDs because, they say, the Coronation shots are much better pictorially. Thanks very much for the details of the log - it's good to hang on to such things. I'm not sure that there's a complete reference collection of The Railway Gazette in the NRM library, or anywhere else that's publically accessible, so you could have a real archive treasure there! If departure from King's Cross was on time (as surely it would have been) then Grantham was passed just after 5:25. In the film the hands of the clock in the 'box show 5:32, so I expect the signal box interior shots were made just after the passing of the train was safely captured on film - though they've been placed before it in the edit. Have you seen this photo? http://historypassage.com/html/ostphotomax7.html ? No.4491 is seen approaching Barrowby Road 'box in the down direction, again in gleaming 'fresh out of the box' condition - just look at the carefully sculpted burnishing of the buffer heads. I'm wondering now whether it's yet another candidate for being taken on 5/7/1937?

Well, the Grantham Looks Back DVD has arrived, with 30 seconds of ECML footage from 1937 (along with 49.5 mins of other mainly non-railway content between 1908 and 1971 - which is, nevertheless, not without appeal). We see external views of Grantham North box, then the signalman and his assistant ('telegraph lad'?) at work, including a glimpse of the clock - showing a couple of minutes after 5:30. Then a shot through the station from the 'box, when the down main somersault starting signal is pulled 'off' (now there's a challenge for you Robert - can you get the movement of the arms exactly as prototype, including the transitional 'overswing'??). Next, No.4491 approaches and passes with the Coronation, and finally the observation car recedes around the curve. Wonderful stuff! But, before all this appears, there's a three second view north from the Great North Road bridge (without moving trains) which you may find helps with (e.g.) track layout detail, the signalling, and the disposition of the smaller buildings and structures in the area betwen the South Box and the bridge including, on far right, the siding descending towards the Spittlegate Iron Works. Nothing of the Silver Jubilee train passing though, so I've ask the film archive about that. Now as to when the film may have been made. The Coronation service commenced on Monday 5th July 1937 - hauled in the down direction by No. 4491. The LNER Magazine reports, in December 1937, that No. 4491 hauled the southbound Coronation on 48 of the first 51 trips. This makes another appearance on the down train very unlikely until September. If we look to the autumn of 1937, from Sunday 17th October an electric colour-light signal replaced the down starter somersaults. There's no evidence in the film coverage of works connected with that installation (which involved the construction of a brick-built relay room immediately adjacent to the south end of Grantham North box) being in hand. In any event, as you suggest, the light in September and October at 5:30pm would scarcely be good enough for filming; and, in the film, the sun does appear to be fairly high. All this infers, I believe, that the film is very likely to feature the inaugural run of the Coronation on 5th July. Whatever, it gives some dependable reference views for the 1937 date of your layout.

Glad to help - but I hope it doesn't mean that some carefully crafted canopy construction has to be consigned to the bin. I'd suggest that the trailing connection appears to be a remnant of the kind of connection provided at many stations during the Victorian period to enable a loaded carriage truck to be attached speedily to the rear of an up train to convey a pasenger's horsedrawn vehicle (the passenger station's road/rail interface being behind platform 1). You could be right about the milk tank on the Nottingham/Derby train too. The gas lamps on the up side are the same type as appear in Rev Parley's Edwardian photos. Now for some good news - there appears to be a little more film of Grantham in 1937! Having looked at the programme's credits and made enquiries, I've found that the clip comes from the Lincolnshire Film Archive. It turns out that it wasn't filmed by the LNER or one of the newsreel film companies but by a local man, hence why it may not have been picked up before. The archivist replied to my enquiry as follows: On our website http://www.lincsfilm.co.uk you will find details of the film of trains at Grantham Station in 1937 under Accession Number 199. In fact, however, this item is an extract from Acc No 188, Grantham Review of 1937, filmed by the late Walter Lee, a well known Grantham photographer. We have no other film of railways at Grantham. You may like to know that our DVD compilation Grantham Looks Back includes a much fuller version of the Grantham Station item than was used in the broadcast. It is less than the 1.75 minutes listed in the catalogue, but this is because Walter Lee used to include numerous very wordy intertitles. The version in the DVD omits these but includes all the good pictorial material. You can find details of how to order our DVDs by following this link to Primetime Video Productions: {C}http://www.primetimedvds.co.uk/advanced ... c_subcat=1{C} I've ordered a copy of the DVD, so we'll see what else there is - according to the description on the website: Scenes in the signal box as the line is cleared in readiness, and the ‘Coronation’ hurtles through on its daily run. A reverse-angle shot shows the "beaver tail" observation car. The 'Silver Jubilee' is also seen passing.

This programme has 6 seconds of footage showing the north end of Grantham station before the platforms were lengthened: 07:05 to 07:11. No.4491 gets the starring role - now she's what I call a real iron lady! http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01s4f88/Margaret_Thatcher_Prime_Minister/ If you pause it during the clip there's lots of detail to observe, and you can do a 'PrtScn' to save a still image.

Browsing the NRM's online photo archive this evening (you can tell that I don't have a layout to build!) I came across the following photo. I don't think I've seen another picture which shows the east side of the wooden building at the south end of the main range of buildings of the down platform: http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/photo?group=Doncaster&objid=1997-7396_DON_49_169 I expect it could have produced an excellent crop of tomatoes. They must have had a good window cleaner at Grantham station with all those smutty steam locos continually passing by. John

Lovely photos again Andy (I can see the walls of the old chapel being adorned with images such as these). Meantime here's another seam of potentially helpful photographic evidence (unless you've already got to it): Glimpse of (I think) the east side of the 'new shed', though as rebuilt/reclad postwar (May 1961): http://railwayanamichael.com/product_info.php?products_id=334 View towards station from coaling plant, including some remaining 'old shed' workshops etc. (Oct 1964): http://railwayanamichael.com/product_info.php?cPath=271_1_24_188&products_id=151 Site of turning triangle from colaing plant (Oct 1964) - not the right period for the model but relevant to recent discussion: http://railwayanamichael.com/product_info.php?cPath=271_1_24_188&products_id=150 The images aren't large enough to reveal very much useful detail - I think the site owner is looking to make some money from selling prints!

Funny you should mention that, because I was just about to draw attention to a recently-posted photo on the LNER Forum which shows most of the south end of the station layout from the lofty viewpoint of the Yard Box down home signal. http://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8262 OK it's late 1950s or early '60s, but if you up the magnification you can see the two arms of the elusive platform 5 up starter and maybe other items of interest. I think that's the water tower (previously discussed) on the right, its tank visible over the top of the goods shed's canopy.

Hello Andy, Top photo - the Station Road side of the main range of buildings. The door to 'Station House' would be about level with the car behind the mini - in the central block, just beyond the slightly projecting gable end of the north wing. I suspect the rooms of Station House would likely have been on the the first floor of the two-storey section of the buildings, i.e. 'over the shop' as it were. Second photo - No. 8 Station Road, 'The Poplars' - the Station Master's residence. Third photo - Nos. 6 & 7 Station Road, with No. 8 in the right background. Fourth photo - Nos. 2, 3, 4 & 5 Station Road (the subject of Robert and Mrs Robert's model), with No. 6 in the right background. Some additional info from the Old Maps website: Nos. 2, 3, 4 & 5 and 6 & 7 appear on a map dated 1887 (as does the since demolished No.1); No.8 had not been built then, though it appears on a map dated 1904. Looking at the photos you can see that the earlier houses have multi-paned windows while No.8 has a single pane of glass per sash on the front elevation, new glass manufacturing techniques having made larger sheets of window glass more widely available and cheaper by the late 19th/early 20th century. I find these little architectural 'clues' to different build dates quite fascinating, especially as they remain evident today on these houses.

That's a very nice job! Well, this focus on railway homes on Station Road may have resolved something that's been puzzling me for a few years. I have a photo, taken at Grantham station, of a panelled wooden external door with two women in front of it (or, I should say, of two women in front of a door because I'm sure they were the subjects of the picture!). On the door is a painted sign 'Station House'. I had thought that the door was that of the Station Master's house, i.e. No.8 Station Road, but I was never really sure. Closer inspection this morning reveals that it isn't the front door of No.8 because the detailing of the brickwork bears no resemblance. It's a door on the Station Road frontage of the main passenger station building - I've confirmed this because it's visible on streetview (though unfortunately, with a van parked in front of it, you only get a glimpse). In the 1911 census, 'Station House' is recorded as an 8-room dwelling wherein lived eight mainly young women (ages range from 19 to 27) - all GNR staff who worked in the Refreshment Room. Perhaps it had originally been the Station Master's residence but was 'cascaded' to accommodate refreshment room staff when the detached house at No.8 Station Road was built. In terms of the properties on Station Road, the 1911 census gives 8 rooms for No.8 and 7 rooms for No.9. I can't see that one building having 15 rooms (counting the chimney pots there appear to be eight). So the whereabouts of No.9 Station Road remains a bit of a mystery at present.

Hello Robert, Pleased to be of help again. I was thinking 'railway infrastructure', not appeciating that you would be modelling - or representing - some of the landscape adjacent to the railway. By the way, the houses on Station Road that you can see in the photo were all railway-owned. In the 1911 census you can see who lived at each of 9 addresses on Station Road. No.1 (Station Inspector) appears to be detached, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Goods Checker, Goods Checker, Passenger Guard & Foreman Porter) are a terrace while 6&7 (Shed Foreman & P. Way Inspector) are semi-detached. The Station Master lived at 8 (which had a name - 'The Poplars'). No. 8 appears to be detached but, if it is, No.9 (Platform Inspector) must be further up the road somewhere. Possibly 8&9 are part of the same building (semis or flats?). Google streetview shows us today that No.1 has been demolished (presumably for road 'improvements' at the junction) but the others - with the possible exception of 9, if it was detached from 8 - are still there. I mention this because you might wish to consider featuring these houses in '3-D', as railway property, rather than in 2-D with the factories on the backscene. John

I can't help at all with the as built or 1930s appearance of the 'new shed'. In trawling the web, though, I've just come across the Britain from Above website. If you already know it please ignore the following. Britain from Above is based on the Aerofilms archive of aerial photos. There isn't much of Grantham on the site at present and, frustratingly, the only photo which shows the railway barely shows anything of it at all. It's http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw016188?search=Grantham&ref=1 It was taken in July 1926 and shows Grantham North signal box (roof only) and a small section of the railway nearby. If you register on the site you can zoom in on the pictures, read people's comments and leave your own. This is next to no use at all for your project of course, but what they have on the site at present appears to be only a fraction of the collection. I haven't tried, but maybe by contacting them you may be able to find out if there are any more images of the station/shed area and urge them to bring them forward for scanning and uploading? Could be worth a try. Congratulations on the new 'Christmas Challenge' section - it's made a big difference to the 'feel' of the layout. John