AJCT

Are you thinking of the 16xx Panniers (1646 and 1649) which worked the Dornoch branch from about 1957 until it closed in June 1960 ? Alasdair

The really obvious difference is that the 27s were built with roof-mounted 4-character headcode boxes, whereas the 26s had headcode discs. Although the latter were removed after the display of headcodes was discontinued (circa 1976?) the 27s could still be identified by the headcode boxes with "domino" markers. See examples in http://www.martinbray-ukloco.com/locopicturegallery.htm. Less obvious is the difference in power unit - 26s were 1160bhp and 27s were 1250bhp - in much the same way as the 24s and 25s. HTH. Alasdair

Wonderful tributes from Mark and everyone. Richard was some-one whom I've always regarded as one of the "elder statesmen" of railway modelling. I learned so much from him about Permanent Way, and I feel privileged to have been accepted as one of the regular operators of the Castle Rackrent Empire, and to have taken part in what turned out to be the final session a week past Friday. Alasdair

This is a new viewpoint for me - https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=59883 - lots of fabulous details here. However, I'm not convinced it's the Up "Waverley" as there only appear to be a van and 4 corridor coaches - look like a BR GUV followed by the "standard" WR rake of BSK/CK/SK/BSK. Was there a winter working (note the trees) which connected into a G&SW/Midland working at Carlisle ? Definitely late 1962 or later as the Peak looks to have a yellow panel. Other points of interest - the 350 in the yard to the left, what looks like a steam loco (B1 or V2?) above the afore-mentioned GUV, and something else smoking away near the south end of the Up Main platform - a PW steam crane rather than a loco? Are those minerals a set of empties ready to be worked back to the Lothian coalfield? Lots to ponder over ! Alasdair

Very fine indeed. Perhaps I missed it somewhere, but... what shade of grey paint did you use ? Alasdair

What's also interesting - and not flagged up by the caption - is that D9010 is as yet un-named, the larger version of the BR crest appearing in the space subsequently occupied by the nameplate. One for a sub-topic of "un-named Deltics working over the Waverley", maybe.... Alasdair

What's the origin of your bull-head/concrete-sleeper track ? Really looks the part. Alasdair

Agree – you’ve managed to capture that “massive” look which was so characteristic of the J37s: I always felt the boiler in the NB Models kit (see pic at post 305 above) looked a bit under-nourished especially at the cab end. So on my 2 kits I’ve done some rather crude jiggery-pokery to fatten the boiler by flattening the 2 halves slightly and then gluing it together with the insertion of 60thou packing between the halves. There then followed a lot of filling, filing and rubbing-down, especially with the 2nd kit which had a lot of casting flash. The results seem to have made the effort worthwhile and I’ll post some pics IDC. What chimney and dome did you use? I thought the ones from the NB Models kit looked a little too tall, which also served to emphasise the slimness of the boiler. Alasdair

I don't think anyone else has said how much weight to use (apart from the 3x2p!) - a good piece of advice I got many years ago was to use an ounce (or 25g in new money) per axle, which gives 2oz. or about 50-55g for the average 4-wheel wagon. It's also important to maintain some consistency of weight throughout your fleet - marshalling light vehicles between heavy ones (and vice versa) can lead to trouble - and did so on the real thing, I'm told. Long wheelbase vehicles (eg NPCS like PMVs or CCTs) need a little more - mine are usually about 90-105g. HTH... happy modelling ! Alasdair

Somewhere I may have a B&W detail photo I took of the stock in the very early days of the Class 27 P&P sets in May 1971, but it may take me a while to locate it ! Alasdair

Hi Eric - What's the origin of the Thompson matchboard full brake behind 60509 in image 2 of your pictorial post #462? Alasdair

I know the feeling.... Alasdair

Well, here's my latest - - a J37 under construction, on a test run up the 1 in 70 northwards from "Newton Duns". Loco and tender bodies are from the NB Models kit, and the P4 chassis is from the former Eastfield Models kit - now available from NBR 4mm Developments. Wheels are Gibson's, the motor is a Mashima 1420 mounted vertically in the firebox and the gearbox is a High Level 60:1 Loadhauler driving the rear axle. Now that test runs have proved very satisfactory, it's time to get on and add all the outstanding details. Alasdair

My extract from the LNER document was posted on another thread - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/40259-peaks-on-the-waverley/page-5 post #111, but this is probably the more logical place for it and anyway Bill's version here is rather tidier than mine... and the photo that started it off is at: https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=56484 Alasdair

I can only spot 7 vehicles in the formation - looks like BSK/FK/?CK/Restaurant/.... in place of the more usual 8 (winter formation anyway). No date given, but perhaps 1965/66 as the stock all appears to be in maroon, and there's a pile of rubble suggesting that Kelso Jn box has only recently been demolished ! Alasdair

The London Rd Jn / Easter Road Jn link was being removed in June 1989, if that helps - otherwise there's still the Niddrie North/West/South triangle or Haymarket Central/West/Gorgie Jn ! Alasdair

Quite so... can anyone identify the 2nd coach? For "The Waverley" it ought to be a CK but the windows are wrong for a BR Mk.1 and it appears to be all-first - at least at the visible end. And what was the reason for the lowered section of stone wall topped by the wooden fence - some sort of access point achieved by temporary removal of said fence ? Alasdair

Here's what I found in the 1947 LNER Sectional Appendix. The entry in the 1960 BR edition is essentially the same: I had read this many years ago and hadn't fully understood how it was supposed to work, but with the SB diagram all is explained... quite a lot of engine mileage involved, effectively running from Galashiels out to Kilnknowe Jn and back twice. Alasdair

My information is that 1S22 was the northbound overnight sleeper rather than the daytime train from St.Pancras (which was 1S64) and this does look like an early frosty morning shot - perhaps taken during the last autumn of operation. If that's so, the train might have been running late as it was due in Gala around 6.25am. Interesting to see that as well as the 1S22 headcode the loco also carries "Class 1" lamps - no longer necessary, but clearly old habits died hard. As you say, very interesting trackwork - handworked catch point in close proximity to trailing siding connection presumably worked by ground frame released from Gala signalbox, and that looks like a facing point lock protecting-ramp in the four foot. I must look up my Sectional Appendix, but meantime I wonder if the PW/S&T experts on here can tell us more ? Alasdair

Thanks, Bill - being a member of the NBRSG I should have that Journal but I must have missed that little item, as my suggestion was worked out using basic logic ! Alasdair

This pic was published in a wee booklet entitled "Scotland's Lost Railways - 1. The Borders" (edited by the late Iain R.Smith, Moorfoot Publishing, Edinburgh 1982 - ISBN 0 906606 05 5) and the caption states: "Unusual visitors to the line in the early 1930s were two LMS Compound 4-4-0s, Nos 920 and 1125, double-heading the Edinburgh (Princes St) 'Mid-day Scot' to London (Euston), when the former Caledonian main line to Carlisle was blocked by a derailment at Carstairs." It's interesting to speculate how the train might have got from Princes St. to the Waverley Route, given the non-existence of the Craiglockhart or Duff St connections between the CR and the NB in Edinburgh back then. Taking it down the CR Granton branch and onto the NB via the link across Granton Square seems a bit unlikely, so my money is on a pilot engine taking the train out the Wester Dalry branch to Haymarket West Junction, where the train engines would be attached to what had been the rear of the train before proceeding eastwards through Haymarket and Waverley stations.... Alasdair

I would say the first 3 mins show St.Rollox - hence the wall-to-wall Black 5s - and it's Haymarket from Clan 72009 onwards. Alasdair

These may be the ones you mention - https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=27942 and https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=25189 Is there a note of the numbers of the 350s anywhere? Alasdair

Yes, lots of fascinating stuff here. I reckon 25 Sept 1966 was a Sunday and wondered if the train filmed at Galashiels was specially staged, as there’s nothing obviously suitable in my 1966 timetable – the Kinghorn pic confirms that, and explains why the film doesn’t actually show the train arriving ! Don’t suppose anyone’s got the relevant Special Traffic Notice from back then? The train arriving at Melrose could however have been filmed at any time and might be the 09.20 from Carlisle (note the tail traffic). It looked to have the standard WR 4-coach diesel-era BSK/SK/CK/BSK formation, although the SK appeared to be an ex-LMS one. It might have been September but clearly the steam heating was working. At Gala, the carriage roof-board on the BR Mk.1 SK saying "London - Leeds - Edinburgh" (more visible in the film footage) looked like a clever piece of attention to detail by the film-makers, to convey the idea that the lad was travelling from way down south…. Alasdair

I'm sure some-one more expert than me can confirm, but IIRC laminating thick and thin plastic sheet can result in the wall (or whatever) bowing, with the thinner sheet on the inside of the curve. Many years ago an early attempt of mine to create a diesel loco body by laminating 20 thou for the bodysides over strips of 60 thou as strengthening came to grief just that way ! Your thread is a fine inspiration to progress at least some of those unfinished projects which litter what passes for my workbench.... Alasdair