Nick Holliday

This may be true for the E&WR, but, as my article in the LBSCR Modellers' Digest demonstrated, apart from one or two errors, the numbers chosen by Hattons, in the first release of information at least, for the LBSC liveries, were applicable to a near-equivalent prototype. Provided, of course, you can accept any differences in length or roof profile etc.

My response to the similar thread:- There is an excellent article by E McKenna in Issue 34 of the much-missed Railway Archive, covering the wider issue of Private Traders' Wagons in Scotland. Thirling was introduced by the NBR in 1887, partly with a 'political' intent, as the agreements usually included a clause that the trader would oppose, or at least not support, any proposal by the other company for any new scheme in the area. Eventually the NBR had 7,662 thirled wagons, and the Caledonian 4,770, for eight coal masters. In 1892 the warring parties agreed to stop the practice, and the CR, with shorter contracts, ran theirs until around 1911, whereas the NBR, with 25 year contracts, lasted longer. Some where extended, as with Nimmo and Baird, because the contracts were sometimes open ended, based upon the lifetime of the coal lease, and it is believed the Baird arrangement only finished in 1938, with the formation of Bairds and Scottish Steel Ltd. The article contains a bit more information about the idea, but the above is a reasonable synopsis for the moment.

There is an excellent article by E McKenna in Issue 34 of the much-missed Railway Archive, covering the wider issue of Private Traders' Wagons in Scotland. Thirling was introduced by the NBR in 1887, partly with a 'political' intent, as the agreements usually included a clause that the trader would oppose, or at least not support, any proposal by the other company for any new scheme in the area. Eventually the NBR had 7,662 thirled wagons, and the Caledonian 4,770, for eight coal masters. In 1892 the warring parties agreed to stop the practice, and the CR, with shorter contracts, ran theirs until around 1911, whereas the NBR, with 25 year contracts, lasted longer. Some where extended, as with Nimmo and Baird, because the contracts were sometimes open ended, based upon the lifetime of the coal lease, and it is believed the Baird arrangement only finished in 1938, with the formation of Bairds and Scottish Steel Ltd.

Nice work on the wheels, but, just for the record:- "The first issue is the wheels. As built they had 4’ 6” 10 spoke T section wheels. Later rebuilds had plain spokes, but that's after my time period. Nobody makes them, nearest offering is Gibson 11 plain spoke, so I’m going to have a go at converting them." Phoenix-Paints are listing Jubilee Pug wheels from the Sharman range as currently in stock. https://www.phoenix-paints.co.uk/products/sharman-wheels/4mm-steam-locomotive-driving-wheels/4-6-4-8/sw-m152

Bradley (RCTS) merely states that three Singles were sent to Italy from Deptford Wharf in August 1907, sold as scrap metal, not as working locos. Apparently there was a brisk trade in scrap metals to both Italy and Japan. It is possible that other scrapped Singles ended up being shipped abroad. Unlikely to be any identifiable photos taken in Italy, and I cannot recall any views of them on board or being loaded.

The Stroudley Singles didn't end up on single line branches in their later days. As per the photo, Stephenson was regularly rostered to take the Victoria to Eastbourne Pullman, which normally ran with two vans and four older Pullmans, well within the loco's capacity. Other survivors worked along the coast lines, and the Tunbridge Wells based ones ran often to Brighton via Uckfield and, on occasions, to Victoria. Legend has it that it was Abergavenny slipping in torrential rain near Lewes that precipitated Marsh into scrapping the final examples earlier than perhaps necessary. Stephenson spent its last year or so running around the system with a gauging train, to see where the recently redundant first class coaches from the South London electrics could safely be run, being longer and wider than other Brighton stock.

Not like this, then, in Deptford

The drawing and photo show what initially looks like a ladder at the rear. Closer inspection shows it to be three vertical rails with no apparent rungs. My best guess is that they are guard-/guiderails for raising and lowering heavy luggage to and from the roof without damaging the sides. Unless anyone knows better? Anyway, I fitted them using more brass wire. The drawings show fairly substantial rollers at the top of the rails, which would seem to confirm that they are intended for lifting and lowering the baggage, rather like the end of a conveyor belt.

Or this one, mainly for the Southern enthusiast, but also similar ones were sold on to the Alexandra Docks etc. so could be said to be GWR. Photo courtesy of the Dave Searle collection Four similar locos were built by the LBSCR in the 1860's, and three ended up in South Wales.

Lovely model. I must do something with a similar kit stashed away somewhere. Just a thought though, highlighted by the excellent close-up photos; most pictures of similar vehicles seem to show a polished metal (brass?) circular cover plate in the centre of the hub, which I think would set your model off a treat.

Don't want to be picky, but aren't the brakes the wrong way round? Seems like we are looking at the lifting link on this side, which reverses the action.

In the area served by the London Brighton & South Coast Railway there were around 90 gasworks, large and small. Of these 67 had NO connection to a railway line, despite some, such as at Sutton and Mitcham, being large sites. Most of their coal was moved by horse and cart from the railhead to the works, and 13 others had access to waterways. BTW, technically a gasometer is not a structure, it is the piece of equipment used to measure the amount of gas passing through (hence the use of the suffix -meter) often housed in a small building within the works . The large structures should be referred to as gasholders, because that is what they were. Sadly the word has been misused, even by the OS in Victorian times, and now appears interchangeable with the correct terminology.

There are still 330 Jet Petrol Stations in the UK!

Wallington Station in Surrey had a turnback siding between the mainlines. The headshunt for it can be seem in this picture, courtesy of Geograph. Occasional trains from London Bridge and Victoria, via West Croydon, would terminate at Wallington. When the siding was removed, the mainline tracks were left as they were, so the down line makes a chassé side step to this day.

The West Croydon to Wimbledon branch was worked almost exclusively by 2 car units, the branch platform at West Croydon only taking that length. The first units after electrification were converted from the initial LBSCR South London Line AC stock.

Regarding the passing stations, Cullingworth, like most of the stations I've looked at on the line, had a very traditional layout, found on most stations on double track lines, whereby access to the yard was achieved by backing the train into the yard, from either direction. For trains travelling to the left, there is a trailing point on the running line, and, probably, a single slip providing access to the yard loop. The slip thus forms a trailing crossover to allow the loco to run round, using the main line. Trains travelling to the right would back through the point beside the goods shed to get into the yard. This way the goods train is rapidly removed from the running lines, although, subject to the frequency of the service, there is still the possibility of leaving part of the train on the running lines if convenient, and safe to do so. Once in the yard any running around required will depend on the work to be carried out. At Cullingworth there are several additional loops in the yard, so use of the main line during shunting might be unnecessary, although other stations along the line have simpler arrangements that would not have been so flexible. I'm not sure what the purpose of the siding behind the signal box is, but, although it would be most easily served by a left-bound train, it would be a straightforward shunting move for the loco off a right-bound train, in a gap in the passenger service.

According to Mabbott's listing, the fourth and fifth locos MW produced, in 1859, were of the Old I class 0-6-0ST, and produced up at least to 1875. A well-photographed survivor, from 1861, was Siddlesham on the Selsey Tramway, or Lady Portsmouth and Jumbo on the LSWR, dating from 1862. The first K Class 0-6-0ST appeared around 1863/4. These were really industrial locos, and not originally intended for passenger service, although later some were used as such, such as on Colonel Stephens'' lines. Other manufacturers were making similar saddle tanks, such as the ones built by Hunslet in 1866, used on the Great Central main line construction, and well documented on-line, as well as a nice little book, Contractors Locomotives G.C. R. published by Leicestershire Museums ISBN 0 0500435 6 7, if you can get hold of it! Another interesting source book, if you can find it, is Part Ten of the RCTS GWR Locomotives series, Absorbed Engines. (Also Part Nine - covering 1854-1921) The early locos of a number of lines, primarily Welsh, are documented and illustrated with a wide variety of pre-1870 makers, and styles of tank, including well and side tank, and a few outside cylinder variants too. Many of these lines started off in dire financial straits and procured the cheapest locos then available to tide them over. Some, such as the Cambrian Railways, eventually prospered, whilst others continued as minor lines, occupying small niches in railway history. If you want something really unusual, but prototypical, you could try a standard gauge Fairlie loco. The Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley Railway had a couple, one arrived in 1870 and survived until 1891. The Neath & Brecon Railway also had a couple, but they were even less successful, and only ran for a couple of years, although one was hired to the Brecon & Merthyr Railway for a few months in 1870 before slipping into obscurity. Perhaps an interesting purchase for your line at an opportune moment?

What annoys me even more is when, having overtaken, they actually slow down to a speed several mph lower than the rate I was travelling at before, so I either have to bow to their greater intellect, or have to decide to overtake them. I've known this farce to repeat itself several times, although I have always kept to the same speed throughout, thanks to cruise control, except when actually making the overtake. My other bugbear is when having steadily overhauled a car travelling at, say 60 mph, and pulling out to overtake, I suddenly find I am not making any progress relative to the slower car, as the driver puts his foot down, and accelerates to 70. As my internal speed camera won't allow me to exceed the limit, I am often forced to concede defeat, and pull in, only to find that the driver in front slows down too. I can understand how lorry drivers can get into their "racing" if this happens to them. Perhaps I should adopt certain German car manufacturers' driving habits, and not use any indicators, and catch these people unawares!

Brassmasters http://brassmasters.co.uk/images/Track details/fplateetch.JPG and Masokits also do etched fishplates.

This may have been true at the end of steam on the Southern, when the loco depots were cleared of their allocations, but Eastleigh Works scrapped hundreds of locos in its lifetime as this photo from the Verrall collections suggests. Bradley (RCTS books) notes that the majority of the stylish LBSC K Class 2-6-0's met their untimely end at Eastleigh in 1963, after bulk withdrawal of the class at the end of 1962, for accountancy reasons, along with many other classes, including Bulleid Q1 locos https://www.whatreallyhappenedtosteam.co.uk/pdf/WRHTS-Railway-Magazine-article-November-2009.pdf

Admittedly this is during wartime, 1918, but regular timetabled goods services on the LBSCR included: Willesden to Redhill and back - The L.N.W.R Co.'s Engine and Men will work the train throughout. (No time within working timetable to exchange vans) Willesden to Norwood Junction and back, Willesden to Norwood Junction and back and Willesden to Three Bridges and back - all noted as "Worked by London and North Western Company's Engines, Enginemen and Guards." Also Old Oak Common (GWR) to Three Bridges and back - "Worked by the G. W. Co's Enginemen and Guard" Great Northern Company's goods trains to Norwood Junction via Tulse Hill or Streatham - "Worked between Ferme Park and Tulse Hill/Streatham by G.N. Co.'s Engines and Men" (Interestingly maximum loadings are given for F. Class Engine (23 wagons) and M. Class engine (19 wagons) SECR Redhill Junction to Willesden and back "The S. E. & C. R. Co.'s Engine and Men will work the train throughout" but it does pause at Shepherds Bush on the way north for around 30 minutes, but not on the way back!

Had an interesting experience about 45 years ago on the M4. It must have been a Bank Holiday as there was little traffic, and, as my car had an annoying habit of rattling at around 70, to keep my wife happy we were poodling along at around 65 in the inside lane, with a sparkling lorry tractor just in front, with an array of lights and horns on the cab roof that was truly impressive. Our little convoy was rapidly overhauling a Ford Corsair (remember them?) stuck in the middle lane of an otherwise empty motorway, and despite a few gentle suggestions, it showed no signs of moving over. The lorry driver then decided to take action, moved into position close behind the Ford and then blasted it with everything he had - lights and horns. Instead of merely pulling over, the Ford driver decided, at last, that he must be travelling slower than he thought, and decided to accelerate away. Unfortunately, in those days, Ford gear ratios meant that there was less torque in top gear, or something like that, and the usual response in this situation was to slam it into third and accelerate off. Sadly, when you are travelling at the maximum speed of your car, this policy does not work too well, and instead of accelerating away, the Ford effectively slammed its brakes on. Fortunately the lorry driver was alert to this, and, with no load, his braking was as impressive as his lighting rig, but he did bounce around a bit, whilst we watched from the inside lane. Once everyone had settled down, we all drove the next twenty miles at a steady 60 in the inside lane, until all the adrenalin had dispersed!

I know what you mean, but, technically….. Even the Met Office agrees.

A trio of Long Tailed Tits paid a visit to our garden yesterday. One of my favourite birds - always bring a smile to my face just by being there. One did something I've never seen before - it transferred the sunflower seed heart to its foot, and managed to hold it whilst it carefully ate the whole kernel, unlike the gold finches in the video above, who consign most of the seed to the ground, for the pigeons to feed upon at their leisure. Sadly there wasn't time to get my camera to record the event.

If you are right about the railmotor, then it is fortuitous that London Road Models have just produced an etched brass kit for it in 4mm. The earlier kit was from Jidenco/Falcon Brass, I don't think D&S ever did any railmotor, sadly, and their only loco kit was a W&U Tram loco.