Mike 84C

Thanks for that info; steve W I shall do a little trawling, see if I can find that kit for 'Miner' I found the Cornish Memory website a while ago. Some 'interesting'! stuff on it. Totally agree Mark, just wish I was a lot more computer literate.

Thanks for the info; Brian I didn't know that. Looks like the recently thinned book collection will start to grow again. Mick

Hi 2996 Victor , you are quite right Redruth and Chasewater. Thanks for the information and now a long shot. Would you know what edition the article was in and have you a copy that I could beg or borrow to copy? I have found lots of photos on a historic Cornwall site and a bit more info at the British Library at Kew. And I have the small book published by D.B,Barton in 1960. This has a loco drawing with no scale but it could be 4mm , no wagon drawings. I suppose a little conjecture, pencil, paper and what I know would produce a reasonable plan. This is all for the future for the projects file. Best Regards Mick

Banger Blue, I lived at Bloxham when the North Oxon boreholes were sunk one each side of the village, the Banbury Guardian made much of it and I seem to remember local retired "colonel blips" and many other high falutin folk getting very wound up about coal tips despoiling the countryside! Many years later when I was living in North Wales I met a guy who had been on those very drilling rigs at Bloxham and he said the seams were very deep underground but very thick seams and good quality. I have no way of proving what I was told and hope others can shed light on the topic. Be nice to have a fresh traffic flow for your GWR branch or main line. Wythicombe Barn Colliery or Ells fm Pit have a nice feel to them. Regards Mick

Hi Kirley, pm me if you like and we can have a chat about any problem areas. I am not an expert!!!

I missed that one in auction! Your build is looking good, please keep posting. I am sure a Bandon Tank will be along soon.

For those of you who remember Finisters of Coventry model shop that was on Humber road, Peter the guy who was always in the shop, never knew if he managed it or was the owner? He had lived in North Wales for a long time ,had suffered with very poor health and gave up the struggle last week. I shall miss him, rest in peace.

Photo taken at Sheringham 12 May 18. Very friendly lococrew on 90775, Lewis,Fozzie and Ralph. Invited me onto their footplate brought back happy memories and a very long time since I was last on any kind of Austerity.

Gaffer tape was an essential part of a footplate mans kit. And the heaters were only turned off in hot/warm weather, remember it well!

Dublin Harcourt Street used a turntable for engine release, one platform face and two storage roads plus a run round. Nice and compact.

Thanks for posting with all the photos and the various Kaydee numbers you have used on what. Given me a few ideas for converting some of my wagons, I need to get mine closer together and now I see its very possible. Keep postin! Mick

Interestingly the OO works round top firebox version of the GSR J15 got booked up very quickly. Maybe even sold out by now, It looks very similar to LNWR 0-6-0 tender engines and the model is selling into a much smaller market. So maybe there is the demand in the UK market for a Special goods/ Cauliflower/ Coal engine.

No, and I will keep quiet till I gauge the interest but he does do a lot of off the wall prototypes.

Hello guys, I'm trying to see if there is interest in an etched kit for one of these somewhat esoteric locos , it would be in 4mm to run on 16.5 and 21 mm gauge. I do have a well known , high quality etched kit producer interested if there is demand. Regards Mick

David, I thought Arigna was par excelance but you have raised the bar with Clogher. Totally agree with NoelG.

Hi Kieran, I thought about that conversion and you beat me to it!! Loco looks rather good.

Nice piece of modelling Noel. you have captured the prototype to a T.

Was at the Nottingham Show on Sunday and very good it was but got talking to Michael Edge of Judith Edge kits who had a sample of his Harlandic 0-6-0 diesel. Very good it looks, crisp etchings, nice wheels not sure of the make but if he had had them for sale I would have bought one. Mike said release should be later this year.

No 3 is Banbury in its 2D period probably 1965/66 I worked there. I agree No 5 Basingstoke.

Like the little unloading montage but get your forklift man to put another pallet on the front of the artic trailer. 90 deg; like your outfit is in, is a very dodgy position for unloading or loading! just me being a smart a--e. Don't ask me how I know!!

I also visited E.A.E at Wood Green today and saw a Super D hauled coal empties banked by a 4F on the Summit,was I lucky? and must agree with most of your comments. While I was watching Sidmouth there was little movement but a beautiful rendition of the station area and the sound on the French shed scene was too loud and unrealistic for my taste.I have seen Fenchurch St Peter several times and it never fails to please, love it!

The B/W picture of 60501 on Stoke Summit is brilliant, reminds me so much of the 50's/60's but that's what realistic models in a realistic setting are meant to do. Without wishing to stir up the Thomson did this to that arguments, I'm more interested in why the A2/ whatever seems to have been such a good fast freight engine, even better than a 9F, several references have been made to bulk cement trains on this thread. Just interested. My experience of firing on the Hoo Jct to Handsworth cement from Banbury to OOC and back was that trains of cemflows fully fitted were very, very hard work. Driver shuts off, train stops! which is odd, you would expect lots momentum but not really. The DA brake valves on the cemflows were almost a liability being far to aggressive in operation but the real bummer for me was shovelling half a tender of coal from the back to the front then pulling more forward before you got relief! Happy days! maybe!

When you realize how old the Airfix models are now they have very good detail, even by today's standards. I liked the 61's as a loco, shovelled a few tons of coal into their fireboxes in my youth. Stepdad will be really chuffed! pun intended!

Thats looking good Kieran. And very brave! I hope the track machine came at a very good price. I bought a Bachmann J11 two yrs ago but it was new and toooo nice to attack with a saw!

Thanks guys for the interest, its a sort of long term thing that would make a good Rice type layout. From what I can find about the wagons some had a flat floor and sides others had a longtitudal Vee type hopper floor plus sides and were called 'deeps'. I rather like the idea of 4ft narrow gauge, only 3 loco's all different.And one with a Gooch firebox.