steveNCB7754

Hi Paul, Happy days - yes, I've been there, done that (well, the tramway bit at any rate). Stayed there overnight, back in July, for 'Two Gentlemen of Verona' at the RSC - beautiful weather but a tad crowded for my liking (the town, not the RSC). Steve N

We usually go on the Sunday - its quieter (travelling and inside the venue), but there is always the risk that some of those 'bargins' have already gone.

Hi Paul, Am sure you will enjoy it and as you say, end up buying more than you currently have on your list! Was going myself (have been the last three years), but the two friends I normally car-share with have both cried off this time, leaving me questioning the cost (diesel) without the support of their wallets. Not so many layouts I'm desparate to see this time, but did want to visit a few traders stands and there were a couple of demonstations I was interested in. There is still time though and I have not ruled out going just yet, but may have to give it a miss this time round. Steve N

Hi Paul, Looking good. Which means it can't be too long before a brand new RTR Deans Goods is announced! Not that I need one now, as you know ;-) Seriously though, will you be retaining the moulded-on handrails/knobs, or replacing them? Steve N

Hi Focalplane, Good choice! This location was to have been my first foray into railway modelling many years ago. I was born in Shipston (1957) but we had to move 'down South' in 1966, so left our house in Station Road (right opposite the old gasworks) for (mostly) sunny Dorset. Jump forward to 1980 and I began, what turned out to be, a long period of research into the line which evolved into a desire to model it. To cut a long story short, it was almost 20 years later before I had all the buildings scratch-built and then found that the only space I had available for the layout was too small (I'd allowed for some longitudinal compression, but wanted to include the Gasworks and it was too tight laterally for my liking). The other issue (a 'fatal flaw'), was that I had spent so long doing the research (and my railway interests had evolved as well), that I guess I also just lost interest in actually bothering to model it at all. So I now have a set of buildings for Shipston that I haven

Wow! Another gem. That is an incredible location, that I have never seen pictures of before. If I went to a show and saw a model layout looking just ike that, I would have assumed it was a somewhat unrealistic freelance effort (that double archway through the embankment is a 'doozy', as our American cousins say). Would need some pretty deep boards to do all that justice though. Thanks again for yet more amazing images. Regards Steve N

Yes, that picture confirms it, they were definitely painted Pale Lilac! (Valspar IMHO) Steve N

EddieB, on 28 Mar 2014 - 18:52, said: ... it is well-known that fluorescent lighting can cause greenish casts on colour film - so any photos taken in the shed under such condition may appear greenish. Hi EddieB, You raise a good point about the environmental effects on photography. My other passion is aviation and I know from forums on that subject, the passionate debate raised about the colour of paint or hue thereof, evidenced by some wartime colour photo. There (as in the locos above), you are up against many contributing factors: how faithful was the film used, in rendering the true paint colour anyway? Was the film originally developed correctly (and any prints for that matter)? How have the film (or prints) degraded in the intervening years? Under what environmental lighting conditions were the photos taken (including natural light or flash)? On the latter point, a classic example is a wartime photo of a Bristol Beaufighter, flying above the Mediteranean - much conjecture about the shade of blue used on the underside of the aircraft, but pointless to debate this in a way, because any photo taken in that environment, will have a blue cast due to the sky above and sea below. So unless someone at the time, stood next to the object with a Munsell or BSI Chart in hand for comparison, photographs are, by definition, always going to be second best as evidence. Steve N

Hi again PGH, Just a thought (about paints and weathering). Not sure where (or when) I heard this, but I think I'm right in saying that black is not really a 'colour' in the accepted sense and that in reality, it is just a really, really dark version of a 'true' colour, say blue or green. You can often see this effect with clothing dyes - the thing starts out ostensibly 'black', but after a lot of wear, washing and UV exposure, you begin to see a very subtle (or not so subtle) hint of green for example. My point, is that these two locos could have been painted 'black' originally, but after the weathering over time you describe, they took on a green hue which later visitors saw and assumed was the original colour. As I say, just a thought. Regards Steve N

Hi again, Another great set of photographs and all the more so, for featuring subjects that many simply did not bother to record. Those final Blodwell Quarry images, would be a fantastic source for anyone contemplating a small industrial layout, ala' Chris Nevard. Thanks again for these postings. Steve N

First of all - thanks for yet more excellent and evocative photographs (especially the mid-Wales ones). Until recently, I had not really noticed these target boards or discs, but since the recent excellent article by D.K. Jones ('Abercynon Locomotive Depot and its Duties'; Jan 2014 Steam Days magazine), I have been keeping an eye out for them. From Jones' article, Abercynon workings were 'J' prefixes, but checking through Derek Huntriss' 'The Heyday of Steam in South Wales', there is a photo of a pannier at Quaker Yard Low Level in 1964 on a down mineral with 'C13' on the disc, attributed to Cardiff Cathays. In an earlier photo, another pannier leaves Nantgarw Colliery with 'H25' on its disc and this is attributed to Cardiff Canton. Perhaps someone, somewhere, has compiled a list of all these reporting discs? Regards, Steve

Have just seen this post today and can only echo the many positive comments - what a great thread! My interest is in mid and south Wales railways and seeing the Moat Lane image, I wondered whether you ever travelled/photographed the Mid-wales line from there to Buith Wells via Llanidloes, Rhayader, etc (an area I know very well)? Regards Steve N