thegreenhowards

Today we feature the 1925 King’s Cross- Peterborough. This is an unusual train in that it was formed of a standard Cambridge line corridor 6 set with a couple of non corridor strengtheners and a BG on the back. In addition on Tuesdays it had a vanfit from St Albans to Doncaster added at Hatfield and I have chosen to model that being attached at Gresley Jn. As it’s 1959, the baby Deltics have arrived and are still trusted with longer distance trains, so here is D5905 arriving at Gresley Jn with the train before the vanfit is added. Today’s video shows the attachment of the vanfit and departure of the service. Hence it is longer then usual, so you may want to skip it if you can’t afford a couple of minutes. I’ve assumed the train loco comes off and picks up the van rather than a pilot adding it at the back. Any comments on which is more likely would be welcome.

Not with the Met Camms that I can remember. I do get that sort of problem from time to time but it’s normally with a Hornby coach where the coupling has drooped or a Bachmann older style which should have the cranked couplings and has been fitted with ordinary couplings - the latter is easily rectified! I think mine are helped by using corridor connectors which seems to steady the whole train. I use the ones from Fair Price Models which are good value. If I do get the problem, I normally replace with a Bachmann ‘pipes’ connector in the NEM pocket or use a ‘Wright’ style hook and goal post arrangement. Andy

Today we feature the down Master Cutler, 1920 King’s Cross-Sheffield which started running on this route in Sep 1958, but the train featured below is rather later being formed mainly of the Met Camm Pullmans which were introduced in c.1961 and headed by DP2 which worked this train mainly in 1964. This is a bit late for my time period, but DP2 is an important part of the Deltic story and they are my favourites, so I had to feature it. Since the last run of this train, I’ve managed to fit the end name board to the brake coach. You may also note the new wall around the industrial area which I finished off this morning. This uses the Scale Model Scenery industrial walls kit. Now I need to consider what to fill that corner with as the current structures are definitely space fillers. I’m probably thinking of the Scalescenes factory , but I think that will have to wait until I’ve made more progress on the station side. Here is the video of the Master Cutler.

I look forward to the ‘proper’ D16/3 - they look much more distinctive with the valance. Is there any way of telling which locos had valances and which didn’t in BR days other than finding a photo? Yeadon doesn’t seem to provide a list. Andy

Tony, I’ve been meaning to respond to this since Friday, but I’ve been away and time/ WiFi have not been available simultaneously to manage one. The thread has moved on since then, but I hope you’ll forgive me pulling it back. Your ‘RTR’ train certainly looks good, but it got me thinking about post war liveries so I did a bit of research. I’m surprised by the choice of engine. My understanding is that only the two royal D16s were painted green after the war and indeed in 62618’s case, Yeadon states that it was in wartime black until Oct 1949, by which time it would have presumably not have had ‘LNER’ on the tender. I know Yeadon is not perfect, but he normally gets this sort of thing right. Also as one of the Royal engines, I would have thought it was an unlikely loco for a local train on the M&GN. You might be better off with one of Hornby’s excellent black version, but even then I suspect you’d need to add tablet catching apparatus for the M&GN. With regard to the Hornby Gresleys, I’ve always taken the view that their ‘tubbiness’ is made up for by all the other detail and the finish which is better than I could achieve. I’d rather spend my effort in producing models of the 100+ diagrams which Hornby don’t produce (especially catering and end vestibule stock) rather than the six which they do. This is especially true in teak and yours look good - the weathering certainly makes them look less like toy trains. However, again I have a question about the livery. My understanding is that the use of ‘3’s on doors and (most) lining ended pre (or during?) the war. If I’m right, then while you could get away with ‘LNER’ on the sides up until the early ‘50s, the doors need some attention and the lining needs weathering away. Personally I prefer to use the limited editions of British Railways liveried teak Gresleys which Hornby did a few years ago with no ‘LNER’ and ‘E’ numbers as seen here on my layout. Gresley Jn. These were available initially as part of train packs (Kingfisher and Olympics) and they then did the FK,RB and SLF separately. They are available second hand from time to time. I know that I need lamps for the loco (this has since been rectified) and having seen yours, the coaches and loco will now enter the weathering shop. I send this email in the spirit of learning and I’ll be genuinely interested in the responses as I have a few vehicles with ‘3’s on the doors which I don’t run while waiting attention. Andy PS I love the D&S stock. I’m really hoping that Danny will reintroduce some of his NE carriages as several came south.

Well the weather improved slightly and we managed to do some walking on Sunday and Monday. It felt rather arctic on the summits with 50mph winds driving ice particles into our faces, but that gives the walk a real sense of achievement. More so because my friend managed to complete his second round of all the Munros (Scottish mountains over 3,000ft of which there are 282) becoming only the 331st person to manage this feat (according to the Scottish Mountaineering Council records). The hotel WiFi however was not so cooperative. It worked on my phone, bit not on the iPad - hence no Gresley Jn updates. I’m home now having caught the sleeper from Dundee last night, so we can return to Gresley Jn in the 1950s and watch N2, 69574 arriving with the 1854 from King’s Cross. This is on my quad art set which has been seen several times before. The loco seems to be a very old scratch built example. I picked it up at an exhibition and replaced the wheels and motor and repainted into BR livery. It now runs nicely and is different to the Hornby model in having the later group standard buffers. Here is the video.

I think the coach looks better and if this was a fictitious layout, I’d go for that. But this is PN. You’ve invested heavily in creating a superb model of a real location. So I think you have to try to do the best you can to replicate what was there I.e. Nene sidings. It won’t be perfect, backscenes never are, but it will be PN. Sorry to create more work! Andy

I’m sitting in my room at The Glen Clova Hotel watching the rain stream down, so no hill walking today. I’ve made some progress with some MSE signals this morning and will post more when they’re looking respectable. But in the meantime, we have the 1233 Grimsby Town to King’s Cross which was formed of a standard steel 5 set with a BG for flowers from Spalding and a BZ for loco spares from Peterborough. As you may remember my steel set is only half built so one of the artics has been replaced by a pair of Gresley teaks. Please excuse the ‘dead’ person on the platform. As I’m away, I can’t go and retake the photo! Here is the video.

I’m sitting on an Azuma on my way to Dundee supposedly for a weekend’s hill walking but Storm Denis might put paid to that. I’ve got some MSE components for Gresley Jns signals in my bag in case we’re hotel bound! I managed to take some photos amidst packing yesterday, so today we have the up Queen of Scots pullman headed by 60130, Kestrel. This rake is not quite as developed as my Yorkshire Pullman rake as it has been living in a cardboard box for a couple of years. It’s the correct 10 car formation, but still needs roof painting, some back dating of Pullman emblems, corridor connectors and roof boards and a couple of cars need renaming to common ECML versions. The back three cars are older style Hornby QoS ones with precision labels names and repainted roofs and scrub up ok I think. I did manage to fit the head and tail boards yesterday, and have pannned the video to show this off.

Thanks for the comments on the station building. I agree that it’s rather ornate but I envisage Gresley Jn being a cut above Hatfield despite sharing the timetable. But yes the cupola can go and the bay is plenty long enough. I intend to experiment with an overall roof as well - just to see if I can do it. If you’re allowed one at Peterborough.....

Thanks, I hope this one will last a while as it seems to be unused. I bought it second hand about a year ago. The detailing pack was still sealed (although sadly that is not unusual!) and the wheels show no sign of use. As you can see from the video it’s pretty smooth and quiet. The slight slowing down and speeding up again was caused by operator error. I.e. me trying to operate the video and loco at the same time.

I’ve mentioned before that, in running through this sequence, I’ve discovered that I’m short of the more mundane locos and B1s in particular. So I spent this morning chipping a split chassis B1 which I’ve had in its box since I bought it thinking it had the more modern chassis. This is the first split chassis loco that I’ve converted to DCC and I was expecting it to be difficult, but it was actually very easy. So here we have 61008, Kudu on the 1849 King’s Cross Royston. According to the carriage workings, this is a standard outer suburban corridor six set with a Thompson BS(5), S(8) added for peak strengthening. Kudu was a King’s Cross engine briefly in 1956, but I think I’ll be renaming her in due course - probably to Hitchin regular 61027, Madoqua. You will see my new station building behind Kudu. I’ve had to put it the wrong way round for now as the tower and cupola foul the sloping ceiling. I’m debating what to do with it, but I’m currently thinking I’ll have to move it to the right taking up some of the bay platform and lose the cupola (which is a shame having struggled to build it - serves me right for not measuring properly! Does anyone have any other ideas for me? Kudu is pretty smooth for a split chassis engine as I hope this video shows.

Many Thanks Tony, coming from you that means a lot. I do try to eliminate problems as they occur in the way that you advocate, but still more seem to pop out every time I have a visitor! There are a couple of places where my woodwork means that I have a slight ‘summit’ at the baseboard join which occasionally causes derailments and I don’t know how to fix that without major surgery. As for smooth running, that is easy with modern RTR and tender pick ups. I have some issues on an insulfrog diamond crossing (the one above with 60048 on it) with shorter wheelbase locos and particularly kits without tender pick ups. I tend to solve this by adding tender pick ups if possible, or a DCC stay alive unit if not. I know you don’t approve of such black magic, but it does the trick in this case. Andy

Indeed! I don’t think we’ve had any ‘snap’ moments on the loco front yet though. As you seem to post twice a day and probably have less trains to run (having lost all the KX suburban/ Cambridge trains), I imagine you‘ll soon be well ahead of me.

Today we have a train which I haven’t attempted to run before, the 1640 Doncaster-King’s Cross. From the timetable this seems to be a relief for the White Rose, and on Mon-Thu was a fairly uninspiring rake of mainly Mark 1s with no catering. On Fridays, in 1958 at least, it was a string of (mainly open) Gresleys which formed a Skeggy service on summer Saturdays. But I don’t have that many open Gresleys, so I had to settle for the Mon-Thu formation. As a secondary service I added a couple of Thompsons instead of Mark 1s as well as the booked Gresley BSK. To make up for the uninspiring rake, we have a new A3; appropriately enough for this train it’s 60048, Doncaster (a renumbered Hornby Minoru). ...and here’s the video.

I find the Bachmann Pannier chassis very good. I’ve used it under a J52 (for which it’s spot on in wheelbase and diameter), a J50 (for which the wheelbase is 3mm short, but otherwise spot on) and a J3 ( for which the wheelbase is correct but the wheels are marginally too small). And what better use for a GWR engine?! Andy

Well what’s a cartezi truck and a large firebox between friends?! Now I’ve got to work out how to change titles on YouTube which doesn’t seem to be easy.

Today we have an up engineer’s train. I’m fond of this train as it’s 100% kit built being formed of: Sturgeon (Cambrian) Dolphin (A1 model - tricky brass kit) Several Grampus (Parkside) Dogfish (Cambrian) Shark brake van (Cambrian) The J3 is an old K’s kit I built 40ish years ago but have finally made it work recently by putting it on a Bachmann Pannier chassis. ..and here’s the video.

Today we have an up fitted freight headed by a V2. This is a Nucast model bought off eBay and fitted with a nice brass chassis and (quiet) Portescap. I’verenumbered it to King’s Cross stalwart, 60814. The freight is headed by four bogie brick wagons. I’ve never seen a picture of this, but I know they worked from Peterborough to London and while some went on the front of coal trains to provide extra brake force, I suspect others must have worked in fitted freights. If anyone knows any more info, please share. I’ve tried a new viewpoint for the video. Any comments on whether it works are welcome.

The second Cambridge train was a buffet car express (aka beer train). Again we go back to the immediate post nationalisation period, this time with an all teak rake of Gresleys. I know Hornby Gresleys attract a fair bit of criticism, but I rather like them - they are exceptionally well detailed and apart from the lack of tumblehome seem pretty accurate to me. This rake has been put together from the various issues of BR numbered teak coaches that Hornby have produced and matches quite well to some photos of these trains in the Late ‘40s. I have based this loosely on the formation shown in the frontispiece to ‘The Power of the B1s’ which shows an apple green B1 61333 on an all teak rake of mainly all door stock in 1949. In this case we have sister B1, 61334. ...and a slightly different angle for the video.

John, Being a GN area modeller, I have a very limited knowledge on this subject, but do have some information on the use of ex NER stock on the GN. I know that some of the NER Lavatory third stock was cascaded to the GN for use on King’s Cross outer suburban workings (amongst others?). There is a good picture in ‘Power of the B1s’ of 61121 heading a six coach train in 1949 of which the leading two coaches are ex NER - a BTL and a TL of diagrams NE.113 and NE.111 respectively. This information comes from a Steve Banks article in Model Rail Oct 2005 in which he shows several pictures but mainly pre-nationalisation. I also believe that a NER non corridor third was used in the Ally Pally push pull set into the ‘50s, but I can’t find the reference material for that, so I can’t be 100% sure. Sadly Isinglass don’t list these diagrams, so I guess I have to wait for the D&S kit to be re-released! I’d be very interested in the answers to your question and I’m sure Tony would welcome that sort of discussion, so please keep any responses on the forum. Andy

We’re now moving back to the early post nationalisation period with a couple of Cambridge - King’s Cross trains in close succession. These left Cambridge an hour apart but the first is a stopping service and only arrived at KX 5 minutes before the second. I don’t have details of the formations of suburban trains in this era, but from photos they seem to be a mixture of Gresley twin-arts and Thompson non corridor stock with the odd other coach thrown in. So here is my take on the stopping Cambridge service with three Hornby Thompsons and a Kirk twin-art. I have seen several pictures of D16s on these trains up until the early ‘50s, although this one was a Yarmouth engine, so will need renumbering when I get roundtuit.

Today I have been to the East Lancs Railway diesel gala which was very good. Star of the show was this beastie which may yet feature on Gresley Jn - so watch this space! I’m now on the Pendolino back home and onto my second G&T courtesy of Avanti West Coast so I think it’s time to write up the next move on Gresley Jn before I’m incapable of typing! Today we feature the 1845 King’s Cross-Cleethorpes headed by B1, 61138. I’m afraid that you’ve seen this loco before, but while I have plenty of glamour locos (aka Pacifics!), I seem to be short of the more mundane types - is this a common problem?! This train features my newly completed rebuilt D.16 RKB which was patched together from bits of Kirk sides (see my Coulsdon Works thread for details) and is the first time I’ve been able to put together the formation accurately. Here is a close up. ...and here’s the video. Andy

I believe that the Coronation spare was also used for the Silver Jubilee even though the interior layout was very different..

Next up we have the 1820 King’s Cross-Baldock which was another train strengthened for the peak, formed of a standard non corridor 6 set (SLO,BS,CL,SLO,CL,BS) with an added SLO. I don’t have a spare SLO, so I’ve had to use an ‘S’, but hopefully it gives the flavour of the train. And here’s the video.