thegreenhowards

Hi Gilbert, Yes I did mean C1. Although in my defence they were GNR C2s so it’s easy to get confused! I should have read more of the green book before posting. It seems that 62885 also got a 6xxxx number although no smoke box door plate, so ignore what I said earlier. Anyway it looks like none of the Southern engines got ‘British Railways’ on the tender, so I will have to change mine to LNER. I’m inclined to go for 2881, which both Yeadon and BRDatabase show as Kings Cross through to withdrawal in April 1949. I see that green book says that only two were left in the south in 1949, but maybe it didn’t mean very early 1949! Anyway, I’ve got a good picture of it on a rake of artics in 1948 (p83 of East Coast from Kings Cross by Eric Neve) and I think I’ll try to replicate that. Andy

Yesterday I had a visit to the stunning S4 layout, Southwark Bridge. Based on a planned extension from Waterloo towards the city, set in 1912 and fully populated with scale length LSWR train sets this is a truly stunning example of railway modelling with all of the stock kit or scratch built, a working lever frame and requiring a minimum of 10 operators to work it. Today it’s back to planning for Christmas and time for another update on Gresley Junction. This time we have C2, 62822 on an up outer suburban train formed mainly of Gresley artics. I think the formation of this train is fairly typical of the pre Mark 1 era, but I don’t have any carriage workings, so it’s based on photos and none of them quite match this formation. The carriages themselves are work in progress with the leading pair being based on a Hornby pair and not very accurate while the trailing pair (in teak) are Kirk based on which the under frame needs some work. I’ve seen pictures of Ivatt Atlantics on this type of train in ‘48/49, but this particular one was Grantham based so needs renumbering. I know this was the only example which got a 6xxxx number, but I’m not sure whether any of the other received ‘British Railways’ on the tender; the pictures I’ve seen all have ‘LNER’. Can anyone help me with this? I see this train as standing in while I produce something more accurate, but I’m still rather fond of it as it shrieks ‘Great Northern’. and here's the video:

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Gilbert, That picture of #10 with the sea of semaphores is superb.

As promised we have another Pullman today. This time it’s the Yorkshire Pullman beaded by A1, 60156, Great Central. This is a Bachmann model with modifications to represent the roller bearing examples. With one exception, the train is formed of Hornby super detailed Pullman Cars. These started with quite a mix of roof colours and have all been weathered with Railmatch roof dirt which has brought the train together. I’ve left the front car with its (off-) white roof and used some powders to give a ‘few days out of works’ look. I’m not sure that this works, so I’d be grateful for your thoughts. I have made the train from a mix of 6 all-steel 1928 type Pullmans and 5 wooden bodied versions as was typical. I’ve also added corridor connectors, roof boards and a tailboard. I have a headboard somewhere but have temporarily mislaid it! The one exception to standard Hornby is the penultimate car, which is kitchen second, car 107. This had a different window arrangement from the standard Hornby offering, so I set about a Railroad Pullman to cut and shut the side. If you’re interested I’ve written this up on my workbench thread here. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/135510-coulsdon-works/&do=findComment&comment=3748097 For those interested the complete formation I’ve decided on is: Car 79 Cynthia Agatha Car69 Car167 Ursula Car74 Loraine Iolanthe Car107 Car63 Several have been renamed using transfers or the excellent Precision labels printed replacement lower body panels. This formation would have been typical of the mid to late 50s when the wooden cars were changing over from being matchboard sided to plated aluminium. I have 2 and 3 respectively, although car 167 was never plated. Here is your daily video. Andy

I’ve now completed the Pullman Car 107. I’m quite please with the way it’s come out and I think it blends in quite well with the later super detailed cars. The main issues are the lack of working table lamps which is quite evident when running and the slightly higher ride height. Has anyone noticed this ride height difference and tackled it? There were (at least) three cars like this - 105/6/7, all ECML stalwarts. I’m going to have a go at another one, but this time using a super detailed car. Watch this space. You can see the carriage in action on my layout thread here: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/149386-gresley-junction/&do=findComment&comment=3771140 Andy

It changed over the years, but I've chosen to model the summer '58 formation which was: BSO CK BCK TSO BSO RSP RF FO TSO (Bradford) TSO (Halifax) BCK (Halifax) All Mark 1 except the RSP/RF pair which I think were Thompsons. The BCK and BSO in the middle seem to be because it split for Hull and Halifax on the return journey (1820 from KGX)

The first of a couple of Pullman days. This is the up Tyne Tees Pullman as it was in the early ‘60s immediately after the introduction of the Met Cam cars, but still with all steel 1928 brake cars. As you can see I haven’t managed to match Bachmann and Hornby Pullman colours. Does anyone have a good trick for this? most of the train is fairly standard Hornby and Bachmann stock, but the leading car is a conversion of one of the earlier Hornby cars to represent car 81 after its conversion to a brake vehicle. This involved removing the docket and fitting Gresley bogies (one of only two ECML Pullman cars AFAIK to receive Gresley bogies). Here’s the vid.

Thanks Manna, The C12 benefits from two helping hands. A RTR chassis for the drivers and pickups in the leading coach which are through wired to the loco. This is possible because it’s a push pull set and permanently coupled. I can provide pictures if anyone’s interested. Andy

Today we can see the push pull set leaving platform one with C12, 67374. This train is based on that which ran on the Ally Pally branch in the early ‘50s. I imagine Gresley Jn having two branches. One entering from the south and one from the North. This is the northern one and the duties are shared between this And a Class 105 DMU which will appear in due course (Clive don’t get too excited!). The loco is SE fine cast running on a butchered Bachmann LYR 2-4-2 chassis. The coaches are Hornby and Kirk. Sorry about the depth of field and leaning lamppost which has now been corrected. My iPhone seems to struggle on these low level shots. The video is a bit better.

Has anyone heard a demo of the sound fitted version?

Today we have the up morning Talisman headed by A3, 60039, Sandwich. This set worked a round trip in a day when the Morning Talisman was first introduced in 1957. By 1938 it had been extended back to Perth and renamed ‘The Fair Maid’, and was then formed of a separate set. I’ve chosen to model it in its 1957 formation - mainly to economise on rolling stock! The train has some notable catering cars: A twin FO From the pre war streamlined ‘Coronation’ made from a Mailcoach kit, and a Thompson TF/SO pair made from Comet/Southern Pride sides on Bachmann donors. Here is a video. I tried a different angle for this but it shows the fiddle yard and part of the station area in the background, so I’m not sure that it works. What do others think?

That’s an idea if you can match the Bachman cream paint. However if you’re thinking of the super detailed Hornsby 1928 cars then you have a problem with the plastic ridges that they have moulded in on the lower body side panel which would need to be scraped off before you could put a Precision label over the top.

Some progress with the D.16 RKB to report. I’ve done as much as I can in smoothing the sides out having applied 3 or 4 coats of filler primer and sanding back. I was starting to lose the crispness of the beading, so decided that I had to accept it as it is. The result is not perfect, but I think will be OK as a layout coach. It will clearly add some variety to the other catering coaches on my layout.

Today it’s one of my favourite moves on the layout when the down oil tanks cross from the down slow into the loop in the station across a line of slips. Today it’s headed by J6, 64223. and here’s the video.

Gilbert, With regard to train formations, I suspect that the main named trains stuck fairly closely to the booked formations and photos seem to bear this out. They may have the odd coach that was different to that booked (e.g. the Gresley RF which featured in the Elizabethan one year which 'Sir' often reminds us about), but they were mostly as booked, sometimes with a strengthener. I've generally chosen to model mine as booked and without strengthening (as I don't have the room for extra carriages). For the second tier trains - i.e. the main expresses which were not named, there seem to be photographs which show slightly different formations. Things like a Thompson or Gresley substituting for a Mark 1. I've chosen to model some of my trains like this. e.g. my Cleethorpes rake has a Thompson SK and a Gresley BSK(4) vice Mark1s. This was from observation of photographs, although admittedly most photos had either/ or rather than both substitutions - I just like an excuse to mix it up! Finally we have the reliefs/ Summer extras. In this case, the CWN often says something like 'King's Cross to secure'. In this case, I suspect that anything goes. The number of seats will need to be (roughly) matched, but the resemblance to the theoretical CWN formation will be approximate. For example the photo of a B1 approaching Peterborough from the south in 1958 which was discussed on 'Wright Writes' last weekend. I think the trick here is to try to replicate photographs, but all we can do is give a flavour of the type of train which ran. I wasn't there, so much of this is guesswork from photos and a bit of logic. However, I quite expect to be proved wrong in some respects. Regards Andy

Next up in the sequence is a train I haven’t run before, but which the new fiddle yard has enabled me to put together from loose stock, the 1000 Leeds- King's Cross which had portions from Bradford and Halifax. This is one of those GN trains with lots of brakes caused by the portions and by its subsequent workings, in this case 4 in an 11 coach train. Normally I mix blood and custard with maroon stock, but following Robert Stokes’ comments I thought I’d see if I could create it entirely from maroon stock. I just about managed it but had to replace one BSO with a BSK - I guess this might have happened on occasion although the reduced seating would have created problems. Here it is headed by A1, 60123, HA Ivatt. Many of the coaches are also in the York/Hull train that I’ve already shown. They have York/ Hull Roof boards on one side and Leeds/ Bradford roof boards on the other. The last two coaches are from Halifax and I can’t find roof boards for them -does anyone know of a source? The mark ones are all Hornby / Bachmann RTR, but the two catering cars are more interesting. A Thompson RSP and RF made from Comet sides on Bachmann donors. Here is the video.

Having recovered from an all nighter for the election, I can post the final pictures from this visit to the viaduct. Here we have a train from the very beginning of my time period, A1, 60117 as yet unnamed on the down West Riding. It was painted blue in July 1950, so I imagine this being shortly before then. The coaches are interesting as the first two and coaches 4&5 are streamlined stock off the pre war equivalent train. This pair was made from Mailcoach sides with the rest cobbled together from my spares box (written up here for those interested: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/135510-coulsdon-works/&do=findComment&comment=3357918). while this pair came from the Gamston Bank layout owned by John Houldon. It was also booked a twin streamlined FO in between the two pairs but this was sometimes substituted by a Thompson FO and this is what I’ve chosen to model - made from Southern Pride sides on a Bachmann donor. The rest of the train is mainly Thompson stock (Bachmann) with a couple of Gresley end door vehicles as per the 1951 carriage notice. The BCK is made from Mousa sides on a Hornby donor while the SK is a Kirk kit. And here is the video.

Some progress on the Pullman Car conversion. I decided to paint all of the coach in the Humbrol Pullman cream colour which was made easy as the Precision Lanels meant there was no need for masking. So I went from this to this in about 10 minutes! The under frame was not too bad apart from a lack of angle iron which I added using Kirk left overs and I’ve painted the interior. All it needs now is some minor touching up of the umber around the windows and some SE Finecast flush glazing. I must do another of these! Andy

Still at the viaduct, but this time a down train, the 1421 King’s Cross- Cambridge formed of a standard Cambridge line Corridor 6 set hauled by a baby Deltic. This has two Gresley brakes(Kirk), three Mark 1s and a Thompson FK. These sets were used on the slower Cambridge trains as opposed to the famous beer trains which were faster and had a Gresley buffet car. and a video

Well he’s been a bit quiet recently and I do love an old tank. Don’t tell Neil but I actually prefer the C12!

Good to see the N5 again.

Some good progress with the d.16 today. I decided that the long panelled section was too short so added in a longer section. Also the corridor side went together easily with only three pieces, so much neater. The panelling was uneven after adding in the longer section, so I had to remove it all and replace with micro strip. Took the opportunity to do same horizontal bearing which didn’t quite line up as well. The left end looks a bit wonky but overall I think it’s coming together. Andy

Still featuring the viaduct today. This is an up mixed goods headed by J17 65580 (Becs kit). J17s were rare on the GN, but I have seen a photo of one on a train similar to this - of course I can’t find the photo now! Star of the show in this train, at least for me, is the ex GCR bogies fish van (8th vehicle). Some of you will have seen this on my workbench thread, Coulsdon Works, or on Write Writes. It’s just finished from a very old WSM etched brass kit and I think it looks rather imposing. Here is the video. Andy

Hi Roja, Thanks for that advice. I don't really get on with razor saws, so I score the sides with a knife and snap them apart. The Kirk sides come apart easily like that. I don't think that should create any wastage. If anything a little extra goes in because of the poly cement when gluing back together. Anyway, on this side, it's more than one coach side used to donate the bits, so it's more a question of my diligence in following the diagram when gluing it all together. I often cheat a little and accept a mm or two discrepancy, if that means that I can use one part rather than two. But obviously in doing that, one needs to avoid repeating the discrepancies otherwise errors build up. Anyway, I've made some progress with the side, so should have a further report later or tomorrow. Andy