Mike 84C

I am so glad 6911has gone to a good home, I agonised for too long, shall I shan't I, hearing that siren song, the shriek of a Western whistle and youthful memories of 84C back in the day! 🥲

6911 a Banbury engine and a good one too! Wish I had a £ for every shovel of coal I put into its firebox and cleaned it! I thought it had a welded tender in the '60's as I do not remember cleaning around rivets. I expect to be proved wrong! It was 60yrs ago! It was one of a little group of Halls at Banbury kept fairly clean for the Bournmouth's 6906,6911,6951,6952 and 7912 were the ones I recall. The improved draughting ones always seemed a bit better steaming than the earlier Halls.

Check out KMCE on Irish Railway Modeler site. he has built one and has posted picture of the finished build. If you pm,ed him he would probably answer any problems you brought up. He is a very helpful sort of guy. Hope this helps Regards Mick

Ah! Lincolnshire, that turgid backwater where little happens and its much easier to say no. Sent from North Kesteven where we are good at recycling or so they tell us.

I am staggered that he survived that carnage. 56mph, we all know that limiters are/can be doctored and have been for years. Yes, it is a little biased to blame JIT but I come from a retired driver and Transport managers viewpoint. Booking times for loading and tippping , heavy traffic and resultant delays, accidents etc; all put pressure on drivers and all those variables can severely affect a drivers income. But I agree, in this instance it would have made no difference, he was on the phone.

Was the Romanian driver in the curtain sided vehicle or the tipper truck which lost its cab? If he was in that vehicle how did he survive? and that truck seems to have been traveling very quickly. This sort of thing will keep happening as long as distribution is based around HGV's and just in time principles. So so tragic the loss of life, 9yrs hardly seems a long enough sentance.

Jesse ,for me she looks really good as a clean loco maybe a shed pet? The long side rods flicking up and down behind the piston rod is fascinating movement. But rule 1 applies! Is that Heavy Harry in the picture behind the signal box?

In our rural Lincolnshire village we have been pushing for a 30 mph limit on the very fast B road at the top of the village and 20 mph in the actual village. Far too expensive say the parish council and Lincs CC, it seems somebody has to be killed to get any sort of action. Very interesting that 20mph seemed to be the default in smaller towns and villages, be quite easy to collect a few fines and points if you live south of Hadrians Wall.

Just to return to tractors in houses; here in rural Lincolnshire nr 40mph is quite the norm and see how long the queue behind can get, pullover to let faster traffic by, rarely, and just to put the topping on it be on your mobile phone, that's essential. Try driving on the A17 at any time of year known in our house as "tractor alley". I also used the A1M south from Durham on a trip back from the Borders and concur with the HGV's that just pull out in front as you are overtaking, all nationalities are guilty but the Irish, Poles and Bulgarians are I think the worst. When we were going to Scotland across the A66 heading towards Stainmore so up one of the banks. I'm doing 60 mph, medium sized caravan on the back of my 2.5 ltr diesel Hyundai Tuscon and a 6 axle Irish Scania came past at probably 70/75mph, all axels down so he was running at 40/44t gross. Its funny that when they are in Ireland the speed limit is the limit but as soon as they are off the boat in the UK pedal to the metal! And I speak as a retired HGV driver, standards today are very poor.

Not tonight, way past my bedtime! had micoco!

As an ex operator of 9f's back in the day. They were the canine gonads.

Should have said don't forget the operating lever that ran under the tub to hold closed or open the door.

just a thought about the coal stage. I don't think there would have been a large pile of coal in the corner, that would have meant handling it twice. At Banbury we had a lot of tubs that were mostly kept full and when a fresh wagon of coal was opened four tubs would be put under the door and the catches knocked up. Most coal went into the tubs! after 1/2 tubs would be filled at a time. The tilting ramp should be high enough to clear the highest parts of large locos and were often seized in the down position. Coalers and fire droppers were usually very wiry little men or had arms like shot putters. I have helped on both jobs back in the day and very glad I did'nt do it all the time!

The phrase "light touch regulation" springs to mind and get the worst of outcomes.

Regarding duplication of routes, a real eye opener for me was reading The Railways of Great Britain a Historical Atlas by Col, M.H.Cobb pub by Ian Allen. In Victorian industrial Britain duplication and even triplication of routes. For those with an interest in locomotive builders The Baldwin Locomotive Works 1831-1915 by J.K.Brown pub,by John Hopkins Uni, Press is an interesting read and illustrates the very different commercial attitudes across the Atlantic in those times. The Pennsylvania I1 was not, nick named Hippo for no reason! In my younger days I had a pen friend whose father was an engineer on the Pennsy and he told tales of I1's waddling along! It could pull a house down though! The hands off attitude of Edwardian govt; in this country in some areas held back development/improvements eg, continious brakes and automatic couplings both of which would have helped the railways fend off competition and made them safer.

Being pedantic, Cranwell, Barkston Heath ,Scampton, Coningsby or Waddington not normally known for accepting civilian flights, but for Jesse who knows! 😎

East Midlands or Rodin Hood at Doncaster! 😎

Lochgorm Models did/do a nice one and I believe the Highland Rly soc have one available. I have bought both and to my disgust cannot put my hands on them.

Sorry to hear you have the dreaded Covid. Two of us got gifted it at Stamford and promptly passed it to our respective wives! Two weeks later we are all coming out of the symptoms together but energy to do much is sadly lacking. I do hope Mo does some fancy footwork and misses its embrace, maybe a bell to ring when you are approaching?! Get well soon and best regards Mick

Has anyone got a set of instructions/diagram for the SEF etched Scot chassis? One to build and the best starting point would be a good idea! Please feel free to pm me. Thank you in advance and hope!. Mick

Has anyone got any instructions or diagram for an etched SEF Scot chassis? One to build and it would be good to know the best starting point. Thank you in advance and feel free to pm me. Mick

We are all concentrating on fuel and valve gear. One link in the chain is the regulator, the GW type was not just streets in front it was light years in front. Sensitive, light to use and pretty much instant in response. Why it was not adopted for use on BR stds beats me. Is my memory playing tricks but I seem to remember that the Stevenson valve gear was set to admit to lead steam with a longer port opening which made the loco "sit down" on the drivers, hence the lack of slipping and the GW bark. I do have experience of all the locos mentioned in Johnsters post

Looking at the signpost in front of the chapel it points to New Invention, wonder what the new invention was? It rather appealed as an address. Wonder if Castle Steamer was what we were drinking all those years ago?

Very distinctive model and prototype, excellent.

Was the Three Tuns in BC the one at the top of the hill that brewed its own beer? If so I can remember some of the night 'cos a gang of us thought a good plan would be to hire a minibus and drive down from Festiniog have some beers at the "brew" pub. A very moreish beer that whacked you around the head! I am talking the late 70's Next thing we are in Welshpool having currys & fish & chips. After that I woke up going down Oakley Drive. The rashness of youth!! Nice little caravan site, Hurst Mill Fm going from Craven Arms, been twice and may still do cottages to rent . No connection only a happy customer. Clun a lovely little village one I could live in if I could afford it! Clun Castle 7029 the best one I ever fired, on the last steam hauled TRPS special from Salop to Banbury. Happy days! 10/- each for me and the driver from Pat Whitehouse.