rowanj

This brace of Thompson's is more possible, though the B16/3 will have almost certainly be a cop. They did get to Newcastle reasonably often, though rarely further north. The PDK kit was, I think, the second etched kit I built, and I suppose it shows. 61014 is renamed/numbered original Bachmann, split chassis and all. It was a regular around Tyneside, and I have a couple of photos of it at Little Benton. I gave it an overspray of Railmatch Weather Black, and I seem to have left a mark on the boiler-or is it an oil spill? I like Railmatch cans, but they must have the worst nozzles ever invented - always blocking.

I have virtually run out of available appropriate kits, so the Industrials are the limit of my recent loco activity. The Hardy Hobbies Hudswell is now complete. I found a couple of colour photos of No 28, and realised it was unlined, so altered that. The RSH No 40 was scratchbuilt by a friend. He wanted one for his own layout, and realised no kit existed, so started to build one. we exchange emails, having never met in person, and I jokingly/laughingly/cheekily said I would have one too. He agreed at once, only for us to discover quite a few obvious differences between his version and mine, Nevertheless, here is his gift, RSH No 40. This was one of a pair built in 1954 to haul the miners' passenger shuttle at Ashington Colliery, and has been preserved. It also undertook more traditional duties. All I really added to my friend's work was a cab interior, some lamp irons, then paint, glazing, coal etc. The transfers are Railtec, from a custom sheet, and the NCB Blue is Halfords Vauxhall Royal Blue. The works plate, in distinctive Red, are fictitious etches from Modelmasters. Anyone who can read them doesnt need to go to Specsavers.

These are a couple of highly unlikely visitors. 92178 is from 34E, and is a GBL ex-Evening Star on a Hornby Railroad chassis. The tender body was from the GBL 76xxx, if I remember correctly. The loco must have somehow got to Millerhill, and is returning on a fully-fitted freight. The D10 is even more unlikely. It started as a GBL D11, and runs on a GEM chassis, I suppose it must be on an enthusiasts' special, though I can't explain the non-vestibule stock. I like to dig out little-used locos from time to time to check they still go, hence the appearance of this pair.

Summer saw a couple of SO "holiday" trains from Scotland, including one to Scarborough and another to Whitley Bay. The Whitley Bay train from Glasgow, and its' return working is shown in the 1956 WTT as a 10-coach rake consisting BSK (3 compt), 2xCK, 6xSK BSK (3 compt). No catering is listed. I can represent one BSK and the CK's, but after that, my train is fiction. I have a couple of SO's, and a 4-compartment BSK, but currently have resorted to an Full Kitchen and FO, which at least gives the passengers something to eat. The interesting thing for me is that the rake, having dropped off its' holidaymakers, then was shunted to Little Benton where it was parked for the week. Two rakes were used, and I assume that they wold be older Gresley, rather than Mk1 stock at that time. Can you imagine the accountants faces if that was proposed today. I have no photos of the real thing in this period, but assume it was a 64B turn, so I have supplied an A3, albeit a bit out of time, as it is my Wills/Comet/Dave Alexander (tender) model with double chimney and late crest. But it completes the scene in that all the coaches are either Kirk or re-sided Hornby, so "all my own work". At Newcastle, I suspect the A3 would come off and a V1/3 then take the train to Whitley. I spent many Saturday afternoons near Wallsend on the North Tyneside route and they were the only classes of steam I ever saw on passenger trains, normally en-route to Tyne Commission Quay and the ferries to Bergen and Oslo. I've attached a further picture of my LRM N8 on a pick-up goods. I assume Darlington lined the freight-only loco to make life awkward for ham-fisted modellers.

That's an entirely sensible and pragmatic approach, Gilbert. However you really should grit your teeth and bite the bullet when it comes to 113.

60016 heads for Newcastle on an unidentified express, Silver King seemed to be fairly elusive and was the only A4 I never saw, despite it being a local one. Here, it's testing another addition to my rebuilt Kirks rake. I have discovered an interesting working to use these coaches on, but more of that later... I still have a couple of Kirk CK's and an FK to work on. The CK's I think, are Dia 111. I have a book of drawings which these, but they are a bit confusing to my feeble brain, in that it looks like the sides of the CK are identical to an SK built at the same time. I need to check this out, but if anyone knows...

A mere bagatelle compared to the snapper and The Green Howard

I'm not clear which school in Newcastle Tony is referring to - I don't believe there was ever an institution called "Newcastle School" before 2005. I'm speculating that the reference should be Newcastle's Royal Grammar. If so, declining the offer of a name is strange, as it had, and possibly still has, an active Railway Society and a Model Railway Club. Royal Grammar School Newcastle would have made a perfectly acceptable name, as long as the loco was shedded at Heaton, rather than Gateshead, as the former did clean their locos. John

There is a current discussion ongoing on Tony Wright's thread about the merits of the latest Bachmann V2, and this prompted me to post the attached photos of my "home-made " version. I thought I may as well put the photos on my own thread. I built this V2 several years ago, as an old fashioned cut-and -shut. If I recall correctly, it was based on a suggestion made by Graeme King when he was developing his resin version. The boiler is a shortened Triang A3, I think the smokebox is from the same source, but can't quite remember, The cab is a Hornby tender-drive A4, and the footplate is either Bachmann or GBL. I added a few wiggly pipes a la TW, and paired it with a Bachmann stepped GS tender .For variety, I lined the firebox band, as Darlington did when they started servicing the class after Doncaster ceased. It runs on an original split chassis, and runs well.

I built this V2 several years ago, as an old fashioned cut-and -shut. If I recall correctly, it was based on a suggestion made by Graeme King when he was developing his resin version. The boiler is a shortened Triang A3, I think the smokebox is from the same source, but can't quite remember, The cab is a Hornby tender-drive A4, and the footplate is either Bachmann or GBL. I added a few wiggly pipes a la TW, and paired it with a Bachmann stepped GS tender .For variety, I lined the firebox band, as Darlington did when they started servicing the class after Doncaster ceased. It runs on an original split chassis, and runs well.

Then there is this one, Brian. I tend to think the colour is more natural/realistic in this shot, with the photo less effected by age. the loco looks ex-works, or near enough.

That's a great picture, Brian. I know old colour prints can be the devil, but that doesnt look much like LNER Green- some shade darker, like Olive Green may be more like it. The model itself is coming on well.

A few more trains at Little Benton. This collection are RTR bodies, modified to a greater or lesser extent. The J39 is renumbered and paired with an earlier GS tender - the only one Heaton had in this combination. Otherwise it is standard Bachmann. A1/1 is a cut and shut Hornby with some resin parts from Graeme King, and runs on a modified Comet A3 chassis. The Peak is just re-numbered Bachmann, as is Bronzino, with the extra addition of a double chimney. Finally comes my Brit, originally a Hornby tender-drive, modified as suggested by Tony Wright on a Comet chassis, and used as a weathering project.

Super stuff, Eric. I need to get on with a "Scottish Cab" K2, having a great photo of one on a freight passing Little Benton Sidings. Cheers John

it's a Summer Saturday, so anything might happen. Even so, this train was a bit of a mystery to the lads on the fence. Royal Scot's from the Midlands and North West were occasional visitors on excursions and reliefs. The consensus was that this is an excursion to Whitley Bay, which may well be true as the signals at LB North show the train signalled to take the North-East curve to join the North Tyne Loop and come into Whitley from the clockwise direction. The combination of an LMS loco and LNER coaches, however, makes identification of the origin of the train problematic. 46162 did get to Newcastle, and I have the photographic evidence. I also have great photo of a Whitley excursion from Workington behind an un-named Patriot, so "strangers" did get there. Whether they passed Little Benton using the ECML is unknown, as an alternative route along the North Tyneside loop would get them to Newcastle, travelling either via Wallsend or Longbenton. More prosaically, the coaches are actually part of my on-going repairs to some coaches, and the Scot has been dug out to give it an occasional run.

A few more trains passing by, This is all that normally happened at Little Benton in real life by the time we went there- no shunting, little or nothing held at signals. Some of what's here... Dave Alexander Q7 with Parkside 24T hoppers from Burradon Colliery to Stella South Power Class 104 (110 conversion) Alnwiick-Newcastle EE Type 4 Blue Spot Fish Aberdeen -York Brush 2 on empty cattle wagons to Morpeth/Alnmouth V3 Blyth- Newcastle Central RSH No 40 on fictitious Ashington Colliery "miners' Pullman" Brush 4 Kings X-Glasgow Deltic on Elizabethan (x 2) North Eastern Kits J77 on ECS (testing coach running) Brush 2 Berwick - Newcastle

There is no such official class as a "Peak" as far as I know. "Peak" is a nickname of sorts, The loco a Class 44, where the term "Peak" stretched into Classes 45 and 46, incorrectly in a purist sense. Pre-Tops, as an example a Class 44 should be referred to as a Sulzer Class 4. So referring to D9 in 1958 BR Green as a 44 is as inaccurate as referring to a C2 in GNR livery as a C12. That's all I was saying. As if it really matters

I have a drawer of Kirk coaches, built at least 20 years ago, and they are, therefore, in a condition appropriate to the quality of my building at the time (i.e awful) and the relative crudeness (not intended as a criticism of the kits themselves- they were great for their day). I thought I would play with a few more, having upgraded a few non-vestibules and a FB during lockdown, with a modicum of success. The first tackled is the Dia 167 Buffet. New bogies are the main imperative, but I also added additional underframe details from MJT/ABS/Dart Castings and here is what may be a rake on test. The O3 is Bachmann- a really early version, and the J77 is a North Eastern Models kit.

Like it or not, I suggest most folk would refer to that class as a C12 and LRM advertise the kit as LNER C12 (GNR C2). To follow your logic, should we now stop referring to diesels modelled pre-TOPS as Classes 45.55, 25, 17, etc?

So, to lower the tone of the discussion on wagon details, here is a wagon I have been working on. I think it was a Parkside BR Open wagon. I built it years ago, when most of my kits just fell off the track (some still do), and so I fitted the body to a Wrenn chassis. A few days ago I came across it, and dug out my pile of leftover sprues from more recent builds and had enough parts to assemble an underframe. I have no idea if it is authentic, and frankly don't particularly care. I had also watched a video using paper towels to build basic tarpaulins, so had a go at that too. All in all, the most fun I've had in a while. It runs well, and, in this rake, is no more inaccurate than most of the other stuff, though I accept that will not satisfy other folk. ( My friend Andrew will hate this post). Finally, I come neither to praise nor bury Tony (W), but simply to wonder who else has encouraged as many folk over the last few years to have a go, and enjoy the hobby in the process, without the fear of failure as a deterrent.

A right old mixture at Little Benton South. The locos are 60046, 60512 and RSH no 40. The A2/3 is bog-standard Hornby, which I got along with 60501 on release. I replaced the nameplates on both, though, as the locos are fine for Little Benton, I didnt need to renumber them. I thought the printed plate on 512 particularly lacked sufficient relief, though, looking at the photo, I may need to revisit my fixing. Something seems off. 60046 is a Wills/Comet concoction, heavily weathered after transfer to 64B. I'm having a bit of a fight to get this to run well, and tonight I think I have spotted a flaming insulated wheel, where too much flux has damaged the paper washer. This may be one to put away and revisit after it has staggered back to Edinburgh on the freight turn to which it has been relegated Finally, No 40 has been stabled waiting for a path back to Ashington after a visit to works. It just needs a works plate fitted to be complete. I dont always bother with them, but photos of even scruffy NCB locos in Northumberland show a very prominent Dark Red plate, usually on the bunker side, and its' absence on this model is a bit of a sore point - typical modellers' pickiness on some things while prepared to ignore others.

This RSH is one of a pair built in 1954 for use at Ashington, in particular for the miner's passenger service on the system, though it was also used in "regular" colliery traffic. There isn't a kit available as far as I know but a great pal wanted something similar for his own layout and kindly agreed to build me one too. To my great embarrassment, I found a few very visible detail differences between the two, but he pushed on regardless. For every idiot in this hobby, there are a thousand stars. No 40 is presently being restored on the Weardale Railway. All I added to the body I was given was some cab interior. I removed the vacuum pipes carried in preservation. NCB Blue comes from Halfords Vauxhall Royal Blue. Some transfers and a builders plate are still to be added. I'll coal and glaze it once all the transfers are applied.. The chassis is Electrotren, and as a result the wheels are 2mm underscale. The best I could do for coaching stock was my rake of ex-NER from Worsley and D&S.

And here in its' livery at NCB Ashington. Remaining transfers on order from Railtec.

Ex-works G5 has a Morpeth-Newcastle all-stations to Central SO. The passengers who got on the first couple of stops and were used to plenty of empty seats will have been frustrated at Killingworth, as there was a race meeting at Gosforth Park and the train will now be full of punters boasting of winnings and bemoaning losses, no doubt helped by a modest intake of alcohol. On busy race days, extras were provided to the additional terminus platforms at Killingworth, and these trains justify some of my locos which were based rather further afield. In this case however, the punters just took a train which happened to arrive as they were waiting,

Thanks for the post, tlm. It was nice to see first hand memories of the area in the timescale I model. Most of the locos you mention are in my roster. I was interested in noting that you saw WD's and 9F's. I run them, but confess I have no photographic evidence of them beyond Newcastle or Heaton. Similarly, I have resisted getting a J26, lacking evidence of any around Tyneside. I'm not such a purist as all that, however. A T1 appears, as does a Q7 and O1 from Tyne Dock. An N5 from Sunderland and A5 and A8, which never seemed to cross the "Transpontyne" are run on extras of various dubious authenticity, and I have several wholly improbable visitors including a W1,N15,K1/1 and K4, C12 and O2 and O4's which never saw anything north of York, never mind Newcastle. Building a model of my childhood spotting point has opened me up to all sorts of interesting research, which has been almost as good as the actual modelling, especially during these "interesting" times. Thanks again for the post, and please keep in touch. John