rowanj

Only in the first year, if at all. York would have still had gallons of the paint. I understand none of these coaches went into maroon or crimson, but the paintwork of surviving examples was touched up if the overall condition of the coach was good enough to keep it in service. I assume (because it suits my purpose to do so), that the BR style of numbering was applied at this point. Here is one of a series of coaches built by Jonathan Weallans which I used as a template. I'll take it down if he objects, but his thread is a great resource for LNER modellers.

John Photos of these coaches in BR days are pretty well non existant, though they lasted until the early 50,s. I think you are right about NE and i,'ll sort that. As for number style and location, my understanding is that those coaches which got some sort of paint job after grouping also got the BR style. So that's what I will go with, as I want to stretch the date of their disposal as far into BR days as possible. Of course, if anyone knows different ????

It's Headstock's fault that I'm being dragged into this coach-building malarkey, as he insisted that I need some ex-NER Suburban stock. Here is where am I to date with a pair of D&S builds. They had almost all gone by 1951 so it'd debatable about what condition they were in at the end. The photo also shows the difference between the LNER Brown which went onto most pre-grouping secondary stock and Lner Teak, and also the difference between the 2 recommendations I was given to represent it. I quite like contrast, and don't think either shade is "right" or "wrong". Thanks, Andrew.

The ex-NER Coaches posed together. The composite roof needs a touch adjusting and a touch -up here and there , but you get the idea . I know that the coach was downgraded to all-3rd by the end of the day, and I have no idea whether they survived long enough to get the BR number, but if information arrives which shows what they looked like by 1950, it's easily changed. I also don't know if a 1 was applied to the first class compartment doors before the downgrade. It's easier to add them than take them off if evidence is found. The composite, unlike the brake, is still gas-lit, and the solebars are brown, rather than black. I have, however, omitted the running board between the bogies, as I'm confident that they would have been removed by the LNER, The photo illustrates the 2 suggestions I received for the plainer LNER Brown. The Composite is Precision Track Dirt, and the Brake is Humbrol Brown with a touch of added black. I'm quite pleased with the contrast, even before any weathering. I don't think either shade is "right" or "wrong"

Yes, but only by Contactless. Say safe, everyone,

Hi Mark. I probably have enough torpedo vents, and can probably get enough gas lamps from my "electrified" D&S Brake build. I suspect the underframe detail from Dart/MJT will suffice. What I don't have and presume I'll need to source, is a casting or etch for the guards lookout. Of course, I'm also faced with the dilemma of knowing where everything should go on the roof and underframe, a cursory search not having yet produced any details. it will, in theory, be a little while before I begin this coach- though I suspect we wont be doing very much other than modelling, reading and T.V. for a while yet. I've dug out a very old NUCast G5 kit and will have a stab at that. My initial thought was to build it, as Mikemeg did, as the one-of with extended tanks, but, looking at the kit parts, that looks too difficult (for me). I would also want to fit the push-pull gear which the loco carried, but no-one seems to produce them now Dave Alexander has retired. So if I do build one, I'll go down the LRM route as Mike did. Finally, the D&S Composite is almost finished, and the Precision Track Dirt looks very nice. It sits as a good comparison with the Brake painted in darkened Humbrol ( Matt 29 is an almost perfect match for the Precision ( Forgotten the Number), Incidentally, I discovered that Humbrol Matt 29 is an almost perfect match for the Precision colour.. I'll take photos when the light is better.

I'll be interested too, Jon. I'm still at the lower end of a steep learning curve. ...

Folks might be interested to see the etched parts you get for the Worsley Works Ex-NER Clerestory Dia 46 4 compt Brake 3rd. These kits are described as "scratch aids" but , body wise, are mainly missing vents and gas lamps as far as I can tell The parts cover roof, floor, sides and ends. The brass is a bit thicker than on the D&S kits - more akin to PDK. The service even in these trying times was excellent. micklner was seeking some clerestory roof parts, and I don't know if Worsley will supply the roof etch as a spare, or if it will meet what was needed, but the photos may give a clue.

Hi Grahame. It was electrified as part of the North Tyneside loop, and used mainly to get stock to and from South Gosforth Sheds. I believe there were occasional rush-hour expresses to get businessmen to and from the Coast stations into Newcastle a little quicker. Dave Alexander had a North Tyneside Artic set on his "to-do" list before he retired, and did produce a parcels van . I have that kit and it trundles up and down from time to time. In all my years of spotting at Little Benton, I never saw it used by an electric train. the electrified portion of the ECML ran from Heaton Junction to Benton Quarry Junction -about 5 miles,

Talking of The Elizabethan, here is the real thing passing Little Benton South cabin, on which my layout is based. There was no date or other information on the web source where I found the photo, but I think the loco is 60033 Seagull, from what I can see from the blurred smokebox number plate, the short nameplate and what looks like the cut-down rear to the tender. Most o the stock still seem to be Thompson PV's.

That's an interesting photo, Andrew, I assume it's an SO transferred to the Midland Region, and has maroon ends and electrification flashes. The M must be a waterslide transfer, as I am sure I can see carrier film - Modelmaster?

Gateshead's Class 25/1 D5180 takes an empty rake of BP wagons into the storage sidings, clearing the way for Haymarket's "Hornets Beauty" to race through before slowing for the approaches to Central. The valve gear was easier to fix than I'd expected -thought I may have to dismantle one side, but managed to squeeze the soldering iron in. I seem to have lost a front step, however. Anyway, 64B was happy enough to roster it on an Edinburgh- Newcastle relief. The leading pair of coaches are Bachmann with Comet sides and roof altered a la mode de Tony Wright. A good friend on RMWeb today posted some photos of signals around his layouts location, Water Orton , which is somewhere in the Midlands! in all seriousness, his thread is well worth a visit. Coincidentally, I came across a couple of photos of Little Benton which appear to show a short signal post on what I had always believed was a simple home/distant, and which I built as such. I only have 1 photo I can post which seems to show this, and I'd be interested to know what it protects,

Brian. i'll be interested to see what you get as a response. On the top photo, the train is obviously being held at the home/distant. The 2 LH clear home signals- do these indicate a clear path into a LH junction a few yards beyond? On the lower photo, the 4F is going to turn right, having been cleared by the RH (as the driver looks" splitting distant. The 2 lower signals aren't clear to me - they look like home signals but I cant see which direction they protect -up or down. Do they protect that 3-way point and act a stop signal for either a LH or RH turn? So they are currently showing a clear road to go straight ahead? Just guessing, really, but it keeps the little grey cells ticking over. Ironically, I was looking at some photos of my layout location, and noticed that what I thought was a standard home /distant signal ,which I built. actually had a small shunting arm at mid mast, Something else to put right at some stage. I have no idea what it's function was.

Some time spent on the layout produced mixed results. An A2 "failed" when the con rod retaining pin came out, which means a trip to Works and a fairly fiddly repair. However the lads on the fence probably couldn't believe their luck when a 34E 9F came through on a rake of cattle wagons. I never saw a 9F at Little Benton, though there are occasional reports in Railway Observer of visits up the ECML to Waverley, usually on Parcels. But it does no harm to run the occasional stranger. The loco is a GBL ex-Evening Star, with the tender body from a GBL 76xxx, on a Hornby loco-drive chassis. The wagons are a mix of Bachmann RTR, Parkside LNER and Coopercraft GWR, so are, therefore, pretty hopeless as far as authenticity goes. Even the LNER ones were all gone by BR days, One of these days, I'll do something about it. But from a distance, I think they look OK.

Thanks for the pointer to using Isinglass bogies. Funnily enough, I've just bought a pair of Gresley ones from him, via Ebay, to go under another bashed up Kirk. The casting is very good, so I'll certainly give them a go. John

Here is where I am up to with a D&S ex-NER Composite. It has all the basic components in place, but everything is just perched for the sake of the photo. It will be gas-lit with steam brakes, just for variety, Incidentally, I contacted Worsley Works yesterday to try to get their parts for an ex-NER all 3rd Clerestory. This wasn't in stock, though I did get a Brake 3rd. I mention this because Allen at Worsley said that his etchers were closing down and any kits not in stock would be subject to an indefinite delay during the current crisis. So even mail order for parts is likely to be a problem, Finally, does anyone know of a source for ex-NER coach bogies to go under the Worsley coach? All the best to everyone during all this,,,

I'm happy to post my efforts, such as they are. By doing so, I've been given some really helpful tips from better and more experienced modellers, and the occasional "trollish" comment I take with a pinch of salt. I think it's important that those of more limited ability are encouraged to have a go, rather than being put off in trying to reach the standards of excellence of the most proficient.,, while at the same time, looking to improve their own work. So here is where I am up to with a D&S ex-NER Composite. It has all the basic components in place, but everything.. is just perched for the sake of the photo. Incidentally, I contacted Worsley Works yesterday to try to get their parts for an ex-NER all 3rd Clerestory. This wasn't in stock, though I did get a Brake 3rd. I mention this because Allen said that his etchers were closing down and any kits not in stock would be subject to an indefinite delay during the current crisis. So even mail order for parts is likely to be a problem, Finally, does anyone know of a source for ex-NER coach bogies to go under the Worsley coach? All the best to everyone during all this,,,

Not impossible. Though you would need to change clan allegiance, there is a picture of 72002 on just such an Up freight in Booklaw Vol 77 heading from Tyneside at Little Benton South.

While in "lockdown" I've done my first etch coach-building and some attempt to improve Kirk kits built many years ago. I was never happy with how I built the latter, and ditched then when the brilliant Hornby Suburbans arrived. Having built a D&S ex-NER coach, and with another in the pipeline, I decided to see what could be done with the Kirk's, rather than have just one more rake of generic RTR. So here, on test , is an original Dave Alexander J25, built more than 30 years ago, I think, with a standard Hornby Gresley, a Kirk 2nd Class with new roof, bogies and underframe details from MJT, and the D&S Brake 3rd.

I built a few Kirk Suburbans years ago, but was never happy with them. When Hornby introduced their excellent coaches, most of the kits were consigned to a drawer. I intend to replace the gubbins on a few of the better -built coaches with MJT parts and this is the test-running of the first one, All new underframe fittings and bogies, new aluminium roof and vents, new buffers, and a modest touch-up of the paintwork on the body. This model had no interior, so I've made a representation of the basic compartment and seating arrangement. There is an 1st Class on the next-to-do list, which will be changed to represent the downgrade which BR implemented to either 2nd or Composite in the 50's. The loco is an early version of a Dave Alexander J21, one of the first kits I built after returning to the hobby 30 or so years ago. It is supposedly taking an ECL back to Newcastle, the stock having been used on a Morpeth stopper in the evening rush hour.

Test running the Kirk 3rd on its MJT underframe attachments. The first coach is a standard Hornby, and the loco is an early version of a Dave Alexander J21. I have a few more Kirk "C. ups" to play with but not enough replacement bogie parts, unless they turn up in some box in the loft.

The loft may be amongst the safest place in Britain at the moment, so I played trains this afternoon. 60020 is in typically scruffy condition, as it passes LB South on an Edinburgh-Newcastle parcels. The J39 has been shunted into the sidings to let it pass, Both locos are GBL bodies on RTR chassis. I must do something with the Parcels stock- other than a Parkside CCT and an ancient, but much loved Wrenn van, re-painted 40 years or more ago, the rest is all RTR out of the box, I would like something more authentic and will try to source some appropriate kit to occupy the next 12 weeks.. Progress can also be seen on the next ex-NER coach to be built. It is attached to a Kirk Gresley, which I'm trying to upgrade using MJT parts, but it will never be a silk purse.

As we begin entering "lockdown", I have started the D&S ex-NER Dia 63 Composite. These were downgraded to all-3rd;s by the end, and this is how I'll replicate mine. I have a pair of the kits, so I'll build 1 as gas-lit, just for variety, and may fit the lower footboards. I doubt this would be prototypical for how they finished up in service, but as I'm stretching credibility to run them anyway, what the heck... The basic body carcase, underframe and bogies have been soldered up, and the photo shows the first running test, coupled to the brake 3rd and also a Kirk Gresley LNER which I'm in the process of renovating, using MJT parts,,

Withdrawn from Rhyl 17/05/52

Lovely little loco. Well done, Brian. The only picture I have shows it at Crewe Works paintshop in 1952. Surely by then , they would have fitted the early crest transfer. This is the link - it may be the same photo as the one you have, of course.