rowanj

I was sufficiently amused by this photo to post it here, where real photographers live. It was taken for my layout thread to illustrate a re-numbered B16/1 61410, a Heaton loco. The light bounce looks not dissimilar to smoke surrounding the leading coach as it passes under Scottie Bridge on a Newcastle-Berwick stopper. Wish I could remember how I did it! John

I had more or less finished going to Little Benton by 1964 when other interests started raising their heads. But one of my last memories is a Saturday evening when steam was pretty rare other than on coal traffic. A V2 headed south, running light. I can't recall the number, At the time, I assumed it was returning to Tyneside but now suspect it was Scottish loco headed for Darlington Works. The photo/memory is York's double-chimney 60963, my usual Bachmann/Triang meld. Sometimes photos produce results fit only for the Recycle Bin, but the re-numbered Heaton B16/1 61410 has a not too bad impression of smoke from under Scottie Bridge blanketing the leading coach as it heads a Berwick stopper.

Though this might seem a less than interesting photo, it is pretty typical of what I saw in the 1960-63 period when I did most of my spotting at Little Benton. Many Edinburgh-London trains were diesel-hauled, and Deltics, Class 40, 45/6 and 24's were as common as steam. KOYLI is a GBL body on a Bachmann chassis, and will be weathered once it has completed its' journey south. Though the loco is pretty much "out the box" at the moment, the 9-coach rake has a variety of Gresley etched-sides on Hornby donors alongside Bachmann Mk1's. Included is the 3 coach RFO, Kitchen and RSO trio.

I never buy completed kits from auction sites, and the reason is this A5/1, which I assume is from Craftsman. It was cheap enough, came without a chassis, but was poorly built. I did buy some Gibson frames, and with a DJH gearbox, is a lovely runner. This week, I had a go at its' worse faults, but the silk purse is still a sows' ear. I wouldn't have bothered, but 69811 was the only GC - built loco in the NE in the early 50's, at Saltburn. Believe it or not, it is fully lined beneath the crud, I think a 52F Models A5/2 awaits. The leading coaches are from Kirk, as the loco draws out of the relief sidings and heads for Newcastle. This is my "orphan". I cant remember the provenance, but suspect it was a Bachmann V2 cab, Triang A3 boiler and Graeme King resin parts. 60507 was apparently well-liked at Haymarket, and was often used on trips to Tyneside. It has the tender previously attached to the A4 destroyed by the Luftwaffe at York, and is taking a very mixed freight back to Edinburgh. I doubt the freight is prototypical. I need to do more research. Would insulated meat and fish ever be seen in the same train?

That looks nice, Brian. If you can get a modern gearbox into a whitemetal chassis, and it all runs, then I don't see a problem with using it. Fitting brakes, etc, is a bit more difficult but not much. If the axles are bushed, there is no reason why it shouldn't go for miles-though I know there's not much chance of that on our layouts. Best wishes John

I'll give SEF a try, as I also have an A2/3 which was on a Hornby chassis which gave up the ghost. When that arrives, I should be able to compare it with the A2 and A2/3 bodies, so what sort of conversion is necessary, and see what Dave Ellis can provide to get the Gibson chassis up and running. in the meantime, here's one I built much earlier - a very early version of Dave Alexander's J21. I stripped it right back, re-assembled it with solder, and painted it in late condition when it was often on railtour duty. In between times, it worked from South Blyth and here is returning empty cattle wagons to Morpeth. Speaking of Dave, I had a quick call with him today. He has literally added insult to injury - he fell a couple of weeks ago and broke his wrist. I'm popping in to see him soon. John

This V2 will be going into the shops for some tidying up around the cab, and straightening of that handrail. The loco is a real "cut and shut". The cab and footplate was from GBL. basically a Bachmann clone with all the issues that had with the boiler shape. Yet Triang got it right in the 60's with their A3. So this one has a shortened boiler from an original Triang loco drive grafted to the GBL/Bachmann cab and footplate. The chassis is the Bachmann split chassis, and, perversely, is a good runner, at least for now. The J21 is a Dave Alexander original, which is in ex-works, or ex-special, but is now on more mundane work taking an empty cattle train back tp Morpeth, a routine task while it was based at South Blyth. I hope you are enjoying spotting at Little Benton with me. John

Thanks, Clive,- with another 6 boxes still to do. Clive and I exchanged a nice pair of e.mails about oil/petroleum traffic, and he quite rightly pointed out that, until the 1960's, a lot was carried in mixed freights rather than block trains. This prompted a bit of research. I have a picture of a K1 with a block train, with 2 mineral wagons forming a barrier, passing Darlington in 1959, and a video of a J27 with Esso Type B's, just like the Airfix model, going through Central. That is undated, but is presumably early 60's. I have changed the block train I have to all Shell-BP, and dotted the remaining tank wagons into my mixed freights, so it's a bit more prototypical. Here is the block train passing Little Benton North, showing virtually the full length of the scenic section. Locos "in the works", i.e still in their boxes, include a J27 and N10 (Dave Alexander), K3 (SEF), N8 (LRM),and N10 (North Eastern Kits) In addition, I'm trying to repair a Craftsman A5, having discovered a photo of a GC version at Saltburn in the early-mid '50's, A J50 will be re-numbered to a Darlington based loco, and I have a Mainly Trains J72 chassis and a few old Mainline bodies to convert to a short-bunker version. I also need to convert a Hornby O1 to a Tyne Dock loco. That should keep me going.... John

I shall now retire, bloodied but unbowed. This is exactly the sort of post I enjoy - great modelling, great photography. More seriously, I am more and more convinced that "lurking" is my more normal habitat, and so I shall return to that. Regards John

Mine, of course....

A couple of final observations then I promise I'll finish... I don't read the magazines enough these days to know how relevant the content is to their overall readership, but it's clear most posters here don't find it so. Given their knowledge, experience and,I suspect, age, that's hardly surprising. However, BRM via the Kit building part of the site DOES offer the opportunity for people to post, in as much detail, over as long a period as they like, with as much in the way of text and photos as they want, how they went about building their model or models. I would have thought using the Web was more likely to attract younger modellers than a magazine. There are lots of good articles on there, and Jol,for instance,should be mentioned in despatches. One problem I found,after a while, was that I was just repeating myself when I described a loco build. At the end of the day, most modern kits are constructed the same way, so the techniques to build them are also similar. That is why I stopped posting, short of coming across a new problem. I enjoyed the J6 build,but it didn't teach me anything new. Just to prove I too can join the "hypocrite club", having just got a SEF K3 without instructions, I wish Tony had posted a blow by blow account of his recent chassis build for the K3 he constructed recently. Never mind..Brexit awaits...not the boring one but my modelling-free 3 months in Provence. No soldering or glue in the caravan allowed. John

This O4/8 was converted from the Bachmann model with Replica B1 parts and some Graeme King resin etches.. I did it years ago when I was less fussy about geographic fidelity, and it looked likely to stay in the “dead line” - I wouldn't sell it, as I had built it and try to keep my builds for sentimental reasons. However, as it happens, Darlington began to repair them after Gorton Works closed, and they were used on running in turns, So mine has brought an oil train from Teesside and will head for Port of Blyth to deposit them. I’m really only posting this to try to influence what was once my favourite thread to spend more time on actual modelling and less on the philosophy of modern society, its’ youth and the downfall of modern education, be it in English or Engineering. Sometimes, I feel like I’m reading a script from “Last of the Summer Wine”, (which was once very funny).

This O4/8 was converted from the Bachmann model with Replica B1 parts and some Graeme King resin etches.. I did it years ago when I was less fussy about geographic fidelity, and looked to park it in the "dead line" - I wouldn't sell it, as I had built it and try to keep my builds for sentimental reasons. However, as it happens, Darlington began to repair them after Gorton Works closed, and they were used on running in turns, So mine has brought an oil train from Teesside and will head for Port of Blyth to deposit them.

I was posting a few pictures on my layout thread but, in view of the recent posts on coach sides, I thought I would put the photo of 60060 "The Tetrach" on an Edinburgh- Newcastle relief. It is an old Wills kit on a Comet chassis. The leading pair of coaches are Comet overlays on original Bachmann donors. The roofs are reprofiled as per Tony's work on the DVD, with corrected ventilator fittings, but very little done below the chassis. "Layout coaches" in the extreme, but a big improvement on the original Bachmann's.

A bit more trainspotting at Little Benton. "Honeyway" was my first pacific kit. I keep going back to it, and it is a lovely runner. I'm unsure about the red nameplates, and the cab numbers are too small. I also need to fit draincocks, which I think sets off a loco. Here it sets off back to Niddrie with a parcels from Tyneside. The K2 finally runs properly, but needs , in my world, to get to Cowlairs for some tweaking. Heaton has used it on a short freight rather than waste a light-engine path. This old Nu-Cast kit was a pig to build, - there is almost no clearance around the cylinders, so they are wider than I would like, but at least the loco works. The chassis is the original much-maligned whitemetal lump, which has been filed out between the frames to take a High-level gearbox and Mashima motor, brakes fitted, and it now runs well. Given how little of a chassis is actually visible, as long as the whitemetal one is square and runs, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. Of course, a modern etched brass chassis is a better bet, all things being equal. Finally, my latest pacific build, but still an old Wills kit on a Comet chassis. It has an Edinburgh- Newcastle relief, The leading pair of coaches are Comet sides on Bachmann Thompson donors - the original ones. "The Tetrach" was a virtually everyday sight on Tyneside, and is entirely appropriate for Little Benton. In fact, from todays shots, only the K2 would have excited us.

A bit of advice, please. Now I'm such an accomplished loco-builder (LOL}. I'm looking to re-visit a DJH A2 whose chassis I totally messed up back in the day. and which has now vanished. It will be a longish-term project but I have a pair of Gibson frames which will work after a bit of fettling. Can anyone suggest a source of an appropriate cylinder block? I thought of SEF, but am unsure as I seem to recall the old Wills effort consisted of 2 pieces each of which screwed to the chassis. DJH, of course, don't supply spares. Any help gratefully received.

It was certainly being taught at Wallsend Grammar in 1966, when I sat the compulsory "O" Level. What was interesting , thinking back, was how many otherwise highly intelligent students struggled to follow the grammatical rules, particularly use of punctuation and conjugation. They found it as mystifying as I was finding Physics, Chemistry (and Art). Whether it helped me with railway modelling is quite another matter.

The time-scale has expanded a little beyond my comfort zone as D1100 didn't get to York , indeed wasn't even built, until 1966. But the model is special as a swap/gift from a friend. It has a York- Edinburgh semi-fast and will come back on the Heart of Midlothian later that afternoon. I started the barrow crossing - next-stop point rodding at both ends of the scenic section.

Researching which locos, with a bit of re-numbering, can be prototypically correct for a location turns up some oddities and surprises, even for someone who grew up "spotting" there. I never saw a J94 until I ventured to Darlington, but it turns out Heaton had 68014 through the 50's.... it left for Darlington to join its' class-mates. . Why it was there amongst all the J71/2/77's, I don't know. I have a picture of it on-shed in 1951 with express lamps. Was it the shed pilot? I had an ancient Airfix model, a good runner but missing a middle step, and with the raised bunker plate. The first was easily fabricated and the latter just snaps off. I think I should have added a further window to the bunker rear, in the centre, but satisfied myself with adding coal and re -numbering with an early crest. I gave it a coat of Railmatch Weather Black to replace the original gloss plastic finish. Just to make the scene more typical, a J27 takes hoppers north. If I had a £1 for every train I saw like that....In the works is another, again from Dave Alexander. The next re-numbering is an Ivatt 4MT which was at Heaton for most of its' life and a 2MT which spent a year there in 1960. That only leaves a J50 from Darlington, and Heaton-based 04 and 08 to complete the work.

,One of the potential issues with a prototype location is that many of the locos accumulated over the years were never, or at least hardly ever, seen there. I have recently disposed of a number of these. Others, I have to re-number and I've started the process. The Bachmann Standard 5 was destined for Ebay, but, in fact, there were a couple on Tyneside in 1957. 73160/61 were sent new to work Newcastle-Carlisle services, but were too long for the turntable at Carlisle Canal, so went to Gateshead, So I now can legitimately run mine, suitably re-numbered. I also replaced the tender crest with the early version This should be right for the period, but the loco is so dirty on the photo I have, it may as well not have a tender transfer. These locos worked the Newcastle-Colchester as far as York, where a March B17 took over. What a great sight for the spotters. 61969 K3 is the only Heaton loco I could find with the GS flared tender, which it got in 1959. Most of the GS tenders of this type were on early build locos on the GN. Putting the 5MT and K3 together stretches the timescale, but at least they were both Tyneside locos. The first 2 coaches in the rake are ancient Kirk kits. I know there is a tendency for those who can to think everyone else can and should, too. I don't wholly subscribe to this, but, unless you are going for a full weathering and/or re-paint, I would have thought basic renumbering was within most folks skill-set.

One of the potential issues with a prototype location is that many of the locos accumulated over the years were never, or at least hardly ever, seen there. I have recently disposed of a number of these. Others, I have to re-number and I've started the process. The Bachmann Standard 5 was destined for Ebay, but, in fact, there were a couple on Tyneside in 1957. 73160/61 were sent new to work Newcastle-Carlisle services, but were too long for the turntable at Carlisle Canal, so went to Gateshead, So I now can legitimately run mine, suitably re-numbered. I also replaced the tender crest with the early version This should be right for the period, but the loco is so dirty on the photo I have, it may as well not have a tender transfer. These locos worked the Newcastle-Colchester as far as York, where a March B17 took over. What a great sight for the spotters. 61969 K3 is the only Heaton loco I could find with the GS flared tender, which it got in 1959. Most of the GS tenders of this type were on early build locos on the GN. Putting the 5MT and K3 together stretches the timescale, but at least they were both Tyneside locos. The first 2 coaches in the rake are ancient Kirk kits. I have also begun to fit a barrow crossing at Little Benton North. It's not as per the prototype, but will give an impression of what was there. Once set and painted. I'll add some point-rodding to flesh out the scene.

The sidings are almost empty. This is how I largely remember them by 1960, though there were often rakes of open wagons parked up. I suspect there was sufficient storage at Heaton by then to cope with the reduced traffic flow, and less need for trains to wait to allow passenger trains to pass. I only ever saw one train enter the sidings, a freight hauled, incongruously, by 60001, I think it was 1963. But the phots give a sense of what I am trying to re-capture from those days, though the G5;s had been largely displaced by DMU's by he time I started visiting regularly in 1959.

I took this picture for my layout thread, but am posting it here to show what I'm trying to achieve by building locos. This is a decent replica of what I used to see in my spotting days at Little Benton Sidings, though the G5's had been more or less replaced by what became Class 101's and Derby Lightweights. But it serves as a memory from almost 60 years ago.h

I do have a couple of K3's and here they are. They are, at present, not really likely visitors to Little Benton other than on the way to or from Cowlairs, Both are GBL bodies, based on Bachmann, running on the (dreaded) spilt-chassis from a V1/3. The nearer one will be re-numbered to a Heaton loco, and will probably need a flush-sided tender. The further, on a down fish, is based on a TW article, and has a SEF etched cab and Graeme King GNR tender, and is RH drive. Actually, K3's on fish were unusual in BR NER days - B1,V2 or Pacifics a more normal fare. Finally, that Thompson chap couldn't leave well enough alone, and rebuilt one to a K5. Again GBL body ,Replica B1 bits, and V1/3 chassis. Definitely out of place on Tyneside.

That's very generous of you, Andrew. I'm just worried that I'll just be repeating the same old posts, albeit with a different loco. There are lots of really gifted modellers building kits on this forum. What I was hoping to show was that,even if I would never reach that level, kits can be built to completion which run well and add a missing dimension to a loco roster. I don't think that,for example,illustrating the build of a Dave Alexander J27 adds much,unless,I suppose,I came across a problem which either required some head scratching or if I needed help. But the response has been gratifying, and I'll think about it. B16/4 ...you naughty boy... John