thegreenhowards

Quite a while since I posted on here, but I’ve not been idle. Here we have BR Standard 5MT 73157. This is a DJH kit bought off eBay ready built but, as normal with secondhand kits, it has needed quite some work to make it ready for my layout, Gresley Jn. It was built to a fairly good basic standard and fitted with a DJH GB1 motor gearbox, so for £100 it was good value. However, it was missing some finishing details and had only been static displayed so needed a lot of work to make it run reliably. On the cosmetics, I’ve renumbered it from ‘Maid of Astolat’ to 73157, one of the trio which spent a year at King’s Cross in 57/58. I also added things like crew, coal, lamp irons (staples in my case as I prefer robustness over finesse) and the delightful cast plates on the rear of the tender which are from Modelmaster. It was fitted with three coal division plates which I’m pretty sure is wrong. I removed the middle one and have left in the foreword one which seems to be correct for a BR1B tender, but I’m not sure what should be in the gap between the forward and rear division plates as prototype photos from above are rare. Can anyone help? The photos show that it still need some paint touched up. The mechanics were more of an issue as is often the case with second hand kits. The first thing which happened was the worm gear popping off the motor in the DJH gearbox. This is a common problem which I’ve had twice before, so I just used one of the stock of spares which DJH sent me the first time it happened. Apart from that the pick ups were useless and I’ve had to add tender pickups and the valve gear has disintegrated on several occasions. I keep think I’m finally getting it there, then fitting a DCC chip and finding it still doesn’t work reliably enough to run smoothly. So, for now it’s staying analogue while I run it in a bit more.

Today we feature the up afternoon Talisman headed by 60108, Gay Crusader. This is a DJH kit bought off eBay and tidied by me - see my workbench thread if you’re interested. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/135510-coulsdon-works/&do=findComment&comment=3856937 It’s a good runner and will pull well although it’s slightly hesitant over insulator crossings so will need some further tuning. 60108 got it’s smoke deflectors in November 1961 and the Talisman retained this basic formation with the twin ex Coronation FO through to at least 1961 (I don’t have CWN for ‘62) although strictly it should have an extra coach by this stage. So this train is representative of late ‘61 or maybe ‘62. Here’s the video showing the whole formation.

Just three bits of plasticard. One for the back bit carved to shape and two small thinner ones for the steps. The steps do have a habit of falling off which is a pain. Not the most finescale of methods, but better than nothing.

Today’s train features another of my recent bargain purchases, K3, 61912 hauling the 1730 from New Clee fish train. This is a Bachmann model, but I have renumbered, weathered and added front footsteps (which weren’t even in the detailing pack - is that usual?). It’s now 2150 at Gresley Jn so you will have to suspend disbelief at the amount of daylight! Here is the video.

Indeed they were. 69814 in 59/60 and I think a couple of others earlier - I have seen a photo of 69824 on a suburban set but I can’t find the allocation on ‘BR database’. I think they were brought in to try to handle the ECS from sleeper trains which other locos struggled with on the flyover at Wood Green. I did think about adding in the A5s, but decided to limit my list to non LNER engines as I thought that expanding it to the ‘home’ fleet would open the flood gates.

Gilbert, You’re right in that they changed. The problem is finding a photo and even then that I find it quite difficult to tell which smoke box door it is unless the photo is from a side angle. I need to put aside some time for concentrated research starting with re-reading the green book - should be plenty of time for that now! Andy

Not the most exciting train today I’m afraid, but they all have to be shown. Here we have the 2121 King’s Cross-Royston. This was a standard Mark 1 non corridor outer suburban set. I had hoped to put a new B1 on the front and I bought 61032 from Kernow last week with that in mind. But I’ve been thwarted both by Modelmaster not delivering the renumbering transfers and by an issue raised by Tony Wright in that my chosen B1 (Hitchin based 61097) had a ‘Bulbous’ smokebox door whereas the Hornby one doesn’t. So I either need to source the correct smokebox door or choose another example for the renumbering. In the meantime you’ll have to put up with 34A’s 61394 which you’ve seen already. Here’s the video.

I’ll have a look on ‘BR Database’ and see if I can find the numbers.

There were a few non-LNER interlopers around KX during the fifties apart from the obvious 9Fs and WDs. I'm aware of: The two 2-6-4T Fowlers as mentioned (42328 being the other one); Black 5 44911 which did just over a year at King's Cross (56/57) on AWS trials; Standard 5s, 73071 which did AWS trails at the same time as the Black 5; and 73157/8/9 which were at King's Cross from late '57 to late '58; and There were mutterings on the Peterborough North thread that a standard 2-6-4 tank was at King's Cross for a while but I've never seen a picture. Does anyone know of any others? Andy

I’d always understood that all PO mineral wagons were in black by the time of nationalisation. Is that correct? Andy

It’s been a while since I posted anything on here. I’ve not been struck down by Covid 19...it’s more that’s I’ve been very busy with three rail tours, a model railway exhibition and a double bill of Harry Potter at the Theatre. In between that I’ve been trying to get some out of the box locos ready for service on Gresley Jn which always takes longer than you expect. Anyway, here is the first of the locos I got from Kernow about 10 days ago arriving at Gresley Jn on the 2054 from King's Cross. What is an ex LMS engine doing at Gresley Jn I hear you ask? Well two Fowler 2-6-4Ts worked out of Hitchin for a couple of years in the mid ‘50s. 42374 was one of them and I’ve based this train on a photo on p90 of East Coast from King’s Cross by Eric Neve. Here is the video showing her crossing the throat of the station.

Clive, I love the look of that CCT(E). I’d always fancied building some but with no kit and no drawing it seemed a bit of a stretch! I might have known that you’d have given it a go. I run my car carrier with the 4 wheel CCTs instead. Your pile of half completed projects must be a sight to behold! Andy

Thanks Tony, The joys of engine picking! I have a Nucast O2 kit lurking somewhere so could raid that. But off to the Basingstoke show today, so will look there as well (Thanks for the tips Mick). My layout is far more flexibly timed than PN. I allow 1948-1962, although I try to ensure any particular train is correct for a date within that range. This loco will be ‘early emblem’ so will make sure it’s an early ‘50s train. Andy

Tony, Thanks for your comments and photos. Most of the photos I’ve seen of the Cleethorpes trains seem to have at least one ex LNER coach standing in for a mark 1 (as well as the catering which was booked Gresley). I have a Gresley BSK(4) in my rake. As for 61032/ 61097, I struggle to spot the difference between the smoke box doors unless the angle is just right, but here is a picture of the Hornby model (only real coal added so far - I’ve been concentrating on my other purchases). I think you’re right that this is the flatter door. The photo of 61097 which really inspired me is in the middle of ‘The Power of the B1s’ (no page numbers) emerging from Potters Bar tunnel in 1957, so rather earlier than your photo. It’s difficult to be sure from the front 3/4 view but I think this is the flatter door. I know they changed over the years. Is there a definitive list or is it just a case of looking at photos? Also is there a source for a replacement bulbous door? Andy

I’ve had a few like that. Removing the gearbox and soaking it in meths overnight, then a light re-oiling has freed mine up nicely.

That’s a shame. For a moment you had me thinking I had an excuse for a K2!

Love the K2. Would that have gone through to KX East Goods?

We really need Tony’s forthcoming book to get the details right. I’m going for Hitchin based 61097 as it seems to crop up frequently in photos. Luckily Hornby have left the nameplates off for the user to attach, so I don;t have to worry about removing them carefully.

Love the coach views - thanks for that. I wouldn’t worry about the coach roof board. Several of mine are wrong when I run out of stock and nobody has complained so far. I think it’s better to have something there as the train doesn’’t look finished if there aren’t at least a few roof boards.

Which goes to show that you need a lot of B1s to run a convincing sequence on an ECML based layout...as I'm finding out on Gresley Jn. You seem to have a good selection, but sadly I seem to be deficient in the B1 department. Luckily Kernow are selling Hornby B1, 61032, for £100 at the moment, so I've just stocked up on another one. That was a Stockton one so it will need renumbering, but might be worth going for if your locoholics anonymous class will let you!

Today we feature the final of the sequence of four up trains which I mentioned a couple of days ago. And as trailed on Peterborough North, it is 60021, Wild Swan, on the 1705 Newcastle - Kings Cross. However, unlike PN, I feature the Mon-Thu version of the train which had a portion from Bradford via Leeds (the back 3 coaches). It gives a second run out for for Kirk triplet set as seen in the video.

I'll PM you as I don't want to take over Gilbert's thread with DCC woes!

Having seen your bookshelves, I can't believe that I've found a book that you haven't got! It's got some great photos but they're all black and white and spread around London. There are only about 18 pages on the GN, but they include some real gems including the Plant Centenarian railtour, a D16 on the Cambridge Buffet Express and several clear photos of other trains. I got mine for a couple of quid second hand and it was well worth that. I'm not sure I'd pay full price for it though.

You’re not wrong there...on both counts. Are all your loco allocations based on diagrams? I base mine on photos where available, but for these secondary trains it’s quite difficult as most captions state ‘an up express’ or something similarly useless! I figured a returning KX pacific, but chose Wild Swan which those who follow can look forward to on Gresley Jn, hopefully later today. In another coincidence, I’m working on commissioning 73157 for her debut on Gresley Jn. She’s a DJH kit which I bought on eBay as ‘Maid of Astolat’ (yet another coincidence for Olddudders’ conquest!). As often is the case with white metal kits, I’m struggling with the decoder. If only it was a case of ‘just four wires’. So far I’ve blown up one decoder with a short circuit, and the second one has just stopped working at which point I gave up. I’ll have another go tomorrow. I think the Standard 5’s mainly worked on the Cambridge line. I’m basing 73157 on a wonderful photo in ‘Steam Around London, The Postwar Years’ by Brian Morrison (p131) on a 9 coach Buffet Express. The other photos I have seen also feature Cambridge line trains. I think I read somewhere that they were tried out on the Grimsby fish as well, but I haven’t seen a photo and can’t remember where I read it. If you dig out that book, there’s a nice photo of the double headed 1752 two pages earlier with 61095 and 61627. Andy

This is the third of the procession of late up trains; the 1145 from Dundee. I don’t really understand this train as it seems to be a relief formed of Gresley stock, but I’m not really sure what it’s relieving - maybe the Heart if Midlothian and the last up Newcastle which will feature shortly. It seems to have been Summer only and of the carriage workings that I have, only features in the 1958 summer one. The formation is listed as BSK, FK, 6xSK, BSK with catering (RF, SO, BSK) added at Edinburgh on Monday’s and Fridays. I’ve chosen to model the full train with catering but had to substitute a couple of Thompsons as I don’t have enough end vestibule Gresley stock - particularly missing a FK which I will build soon. It’s headed by A2, 60533, Happy Knight. I’ve no idea whether this is accurate but it seemed reasonable for a secondary service. This loco is owned by my daughter, Ellen, and she won’t let me weather it, so that’s my excuse for its pristine appearance. Here’s the video which shows the full train - enjoy those end vestibule Gresleys!