David Bigcheeseplant

Thanks Mike recived ok, just noticed it looks like a GWR concertia coach in the train

Hi Mike is there any chance you could send me a highg res scan of the Cookham photo, as you might know the Wycombe line is a pet subject. my email address is bigcheeseplant@googlemail.com If you have any any other photos that may be on the line in your new collection can you post them please regards David

The houses in the background match Cookham on Google earth and the footbridge seems to be the same

The large prairie one may be Cookham

Blackgill will be making a return vist to Stoke Mandeville Stadium on May 24-25 May see http://www.railex.org.uk/

Just found a photo of 6413 at Aylesbury in 1959 in lined green according to the pannier papers it was at Aberdare from 1940 then Laira from 1957 so I have no idea how or why it got to Aylesbury, it seems all the 64XX that got to Aylesbury were from the earlier batch with curved bunker, so good news for me.

I keep looking at more books and photos trying to figure out when the change from Chocolate to white windows was made, by the 1930s white sashes seem almost universal white the period up to 1910-1919 the chocolate seems to be the applied colour, so the change must be between 1920 and 1930ish.

I would go for whitewashed walls, chocolate or dark stone for windows or doors but leaning towards chocolate, The crane in the Newbury photos looks darker but not too sure where the grey reference came from. David

If you get the Masokits Hawksworth gangway connectors these come with the pullman adaptors.

Rob any progress on the Metropolitain A & B class yet?

Aylesbury High Street the classic model my Geoff Williams, I took this photo last year.

Another photo of my contractors wagons with a feel of the photos taken by SWA Newton on the building of the Great Central

Another one

A5 on shed at Aylesbury

How about this one

What's wrong with a bit of modelmaking to get the sqared bunker if its not right for you! a bigger chalange would be to remove the top feed and piping plus bunker steps if you want to do a early version. When I spoke to Bachman at Ally Pally they said they were going to do the 54XX anyway just replace the masak footplate and spashers and have larger wheels.

I have been working on a set of five tipper wagons, as these are designed for OO the dumb buffers/through frames are set too close together, As I am modelling P4 I cut the chassis unit lenghways inserted a 2mm wide Evergreen strip to bring the width out to what they should be, it's quite easy once you have done one! I will post some pics when I have got them painted David

Looks green in both photos to me.

Opps gave the wrong name should have been Graham Hubbard, I was knackered when I got in last night brain not fully in gear. Anyway they have been to Didcot to look at 231 and I think are also going to Butterly to look at the one there. David

I had a word with Denis Lowett at Ally Pally, and he did confirm they would be doing a 54XX as they just need to change the die cast footplate. I picked up the new Irwell Press book on the class and was a bit disapointed as I have been with the other books in the series, the mistakes in this issue stating that all the 64XX had curved bunkers while the 74XX were square.!! David

"When did it become WR? I do not have too much info on that area but the snippets to hand suggest Neasdon was ER. Aylesbury ceased to be WR and a subshed of Southall 81B on 18/6/50 becoming a subshed of Neasden reclassified 34E. On 1/2/58 Neasden became LMR reclssified as 14D. 5409 & 1473 both receiving the new 14D shed plates. Mike Wiltshire2 The western 14XX and 54XX never ever got any where close to Neasden they were Banbury engines that were subsheded at Aylesbury which itself was a subshed of Neasden hence the shedplates. The only GWR locos to get sheded at Neasden were large praries 6129 & 6166 which worked into Marylebone when it did go to Western Region breifly in 1949 The Great Central men didn't like them and they got based at Aylesbury

The 54XX is sort of a pannier tank version of a 14XX with an 0-6-0 wheelbase the boiler having a drumhead smokebox with a narrow dome and parallel chimney, the 64XX & 74XX are just smaller wheeled versions, I really could do with a 54XX and hope that the Bachman 64XX is convertable to the 54XX

Uploaded with ImageShack.us Is this what is to come? Hawksworth Autocoach Thush and 64XX one of the early batch with curved bunker 6403 maybe

Here is a photo of 6403 at Aylesbury black tanks green splashers and a lined green cab! Looks like it had a top feed here