Mike 84C

The blocks arrived at depots in steel drums with a plastic bag type liner and a clip on lid Nafloc printed on the drum. I'm certain it worked well, not at all naff, judging by the sludge that came from the blowdown valve. Corbs that is a very interesting photo, the PBA must have been a very enlightened operator.

Adam, it was the Redruth and Chasewater , don't know why I made that little blunder! Without wishing to sound pedantic I think the water treatment was called Nafloc. When I worked on BR we also used it, Banbury 84 C was a hard water area, it looked like brown cup sized blocks that used too get tipped into a special meshed holder,where they slowly dissolved, that held 20/30 lbs of them. We only put them in 9f tenders. 9f's seemed very prone to priming when the boiler got dirty the Nafloc put the solids into suspension so the water looked creamy in the gauge glass. When the boiler was blown down into the pit several wheelbarrow fulls of creamy white sludge was ejected. Always done with a very full boiler and the engine blowing its brains out!! Funnily enough right outside the shedmasters office for preference. I shall keep an eye out for progress on Miner! Ok if I mention the Baldwins now and again!!? I'm sure its a Corbs sort of model having followed him for quite a while.

Adam, that looks really good and the tutorial shows just how easy it is to build. I hope they fly off the shelves! You should be very proud. You mention the Redruth and Cambourn 4ft gauge , funny, I looked at an Ian Rice type small layout using it as a basis I was very surprised at how much info is out there about it. Lots of photos on the Cornish memory website and Robert Tivendale did several articles on it in Practical Model railways in the 1980's. I thought about using the Hornby/Ibertren 0-6-0t as a basis for Miner. Hope thats of interest. I realise that Irish Baldwin is a bit esoteric but it would be nice if you got around to it some day and maybe the Railway Mania Store would introduce it and The delights of Irish railways to a wider audience? Kind Regards Mick ps. any pictures of your Miner?

HI John, I would have one definaetly .

Thank you Headstock and Tony for the explanation of " blood spitters" you both painted a beautiful mental picture. Funnily enough it was a Woodford man that told the tale!

The B16, a very appealing loco, long boiler, commodious cab and I like the look of the motion and connecting rod driving on the first axle. Avery attractive machine which I never saw! But I am sure I read somewhere they had the nickname of "blood spitters" is it true and if so why?

Very impressive, your method of printing gives a very clean body and any striations are very hard to see from the photos. Can I be a bit cheeky and email you a drawing ? Its of a very ,I think, interesting prototype that ran in Ireland in the early 1900's. If you saw it then a use for the Bachmann James becomes obvious! No offence will be taken if you think "oh no"! Mic

I realise this thread has moved on but I love the photos of an afternoons shunting. The last but one is fabulous, J50 heading into the tunnel with a raft of vans and the light catching the mill buildings above, I looked thrice, that picture should be in BRM or whatever! West Yorkshire in a nutshell! please post more like that.

6911 at the Vic, must be after 84C Banbury was transfered into the Midland region because its got a 2D shedplate so 64/5 is right. Cleaned and fired it lots of times a pretty good engine. But getting rather worn out by the time I got on it.

RHM Agriculture was bought BY Dalgety here's a few of our fleet from the Banbury/ Finmere depots

Funny thing, the Foden was a single drive as was the AEC! At our depot only the eight wheeled Fodens plus that Mickey Mouse cab six wheeler were double drive and six of the seven AEC's were single drive. Not well specced considering where we had to get! I had a very strong chain at all times!. 37114 me too, pity rust got the better of them so quickly. Giles, I was admiring your R/C trucks, very cool! I was waiting for the Atki to do a reversing demo!

Nobody has posted on here for such a long time so thought I'd put few up of trucks I have driven. No guesses who I worked for!

Thats the first picture of a Vs without smoke deflectors I can remember seeing. A much better looking loco.

Yes it is a CNJ 4-6-0 Camelback, Bay Head yd; was a PRR/CNJ facility. A balloon loop with a number of holding roads for complete trains. Its still there. No shed or coal facilities just water, steam and diesel came off at South Amboy and trains ran into Penn Sta under the wires. I think the CNJ ran to the ferry terminal at Nth Elizabeth, cant remember the sta; name.

My penfriends dad, the late, great Charlie Hess engineer on the New York & Long Branch of the Penn Central. The in cab picture I took in the cab of an E9 on a commuter run to NY we also rode a GG1 but I didn't take any pictures of that ! Muppet! The steam loco he is stood in front of is a K4 pacific at the Bay Head terminus yard in the early 50's A really great guy I miss him.

What I have done in lockdown. Just to be different, a few things from over the Irish sea. The camera is a cruel device the locos look better at layout viewing distance and horror of horrors they are 16.5 mm narrow gauge! I claim the not enough lifetime card.

How about a Bachmann James? Chassis overall length 83 mm, wheelbase axle centre to centre 42.5 mm, wheel dia; 18 mm tread to tread so plus tyres is about 19/19.5 mm. Following this thread with interest, its very good so far. Mic

But Johnster you wuz a railwayman and I bet you do your shunting in as few a moves as possible? Lets get back in the cabin its snap time.

I am puzzled so will offer no opinion. Try posting on the Irish section of RM web or IRM lots of clever boyos on there who will know. Nice photos I hope the rest are as good.

For me, Mike has got the chimney beautifully proportioned on his V 2. Probably the best looking Gresley chimney I have seen. Was the V2 the most useful or even best loco Gresley designed? Certainly the Woodford crews I knew thought " them Green Arraas" were outstanding locos.

That is brilliant! up there with the best of 3d printed loco's i have seen.

Wow! that's impressive, like building Tower Bridge from matchsticks. I have used coffee stirrers for small buildings. have you looked at scalescenes.com ? pay once and then unlimited prints and MetcalfeModels.com ?both do brick and slate roofing papers. I have not used either but they are very popular. If you have found this site there is a thread devoted to card modelling which could help you. Good luck and enjoy the hobby. Mick

I assemble mine with Everbuild ca from our local £ shop and u/c with a Halfords grey primer from a rattle can but degrease with Viakal or Cif srubbed with an old tooth brush. If you break a piece off, maybe a roof corner or have hole to fill mix some c/a with almost any very fine powder. I use baby powder but have used baking powder. Just build it up leave to go hard and shape or file to suit. Works a treat.

Looks excellent never seen one of those modelled before. Whose chimney casting did you use? Looks just right for Oirish loco's.

The WD 2-10-0 at the North Norfolk makes all the right noises, could be louder but its a WD and well looked after. Unlike 99% of those BR owned.