CKPR

Getting rather distracted by the other lines in north Cumberland, especially after a trip to Hay-on-Wye that yielded two more 'missing' volumes for my reference library (the Port Carlisle book came from The Bookcase in Keswick). That London Road Models have the NBR class R / J82 in their range was welcome and tempting news to me ! Obviously even I'm not daft enough to attempt an animatronic horse in 4mm,but I was wondering if anyone has attempted this for Trainz, etc [ @Annie ?] Oh, and I discovered from the Essery & Jenkinson book that Caledonian 4-4-0T No.7 retained her pre-group livery until 1928 !

Just a thought but was it actually a rear bogie on the prototype ? Looking at the photograph, I would be thinking that the coach might have supported on an a 4w sub-chassis, possibly using some of radial axle arrangements. Whatever the prototype arrangement, there's no need to use Jidenco / Falcons bogie arrangement if you can come up with a simpler and more effective method of mounting the rear wheels. My suggestion for the latter would be a variant of the 'free bogie' arrangement usually used for tenders. In the case of the bug, I would fix the rear wheels and use a pony truck arrangement for the inner set with with the fixing point for the pivot for the latter being towards the fixed rear wheels. I don't know if this would work in practice but I've found from practical experience that 'free bogie' systems whilst appearing to be alarmingly sloppy work very well in practice.

Many of us will remember the first Airfix model railway catalogue in 1975--76 that had photographs resembling those in RM or MRC, whilst Hornby and Palitoy still used 'toy train' layouts that certainly didn't do the latter's products justice.

Exactly and given that part of the Mealsgate line was retained as a long siding into the mid-1970s (complete with its own TOPS code !), it's possible that a Cl.25 might have at least ventured on the line at the Aspatria end.

Power restored to all sections of 'Mealsgate', including the relaid Bolton Loop and the carriage & goods shed sidings and all of the point motors are wired up and operational. The layout hack, a Bachmann Cl.25/3 (!), has traversed all lines and only derailed itself a couple of times on the relaid sidings due to now corrected track faults. Next step is to paint / touch up the track and ballast and then start on the basic scenics. That said, I haven't got round to narrowing the baseboards and moving the controls to the otherside - I think I need to run some trains first ! Rumour has it that M&CR No.29 (or is it No. 30 ? ), one of the big 'Yorkshiremen', will soon be seen on the line, an event that escaped the notice of photographers in the early 1920s...

Definitely easier in EM and they are suprisingly free running given that the axles are held in resin lugs but I will need to add some blackened brass washers behind each wheel to stop too much lateral movement from occurring.

I was primarily thinking of the reconstituted GCR and the building of the 'London Extension' and the impact of the latter.

Another factor to consider are the commercial rivalries and outright antagonisms that existed alongside more friendly relationships and formal partnerships (L&Y/LNWR, MR/GSWR, MR/LBSC, LNWR/Caledonian, etc) in the pre-grouping era. These had an impact in terms of the routing of traffic with companies prioritising their own or 'friendly' lines over shorter and possibily cheaper rivals. This also explains some of the seemingly superfluous or duplicate lines that were often early causalties in the grouping era. The Settle & Carlisle is probably the best example of this albeit that it is still open. Regarding the original question, the GCR was of course the johnny-come-lately of the English lines and was a direct competitor to the MR, LNWR, L&Y and the GNR. In addition, there was a management link with the SECR and an operational partnership with the GWR. Therefore, even without access to WTTs, etc, some general traffic flows can be presumed. For example, through traffic from the SECR might be more likely to be worked to the midlands and the north via the GCR. Conversely, the MR, GNR and LNWR would not be consigning through traffic to one of their rivals and traffic from L&Y would go south on the LNWR. The need for the RCH was very obvious back then !

Still nowt new but I thought I would get out the wagons specifically built for the coal traffic originating at 'Mealsgate', namely the scratchbuilt Allerdale Colliery Co. side door hoppers and the Smallbrook Studios ex-NER P1 chaldrons working out of Allhallows Colliery to Maryport docks. Now, if anyone would like to do some lettering for the ACC wagons [see Hudson "PO Wagons vol.1" plate 49]... The lower picture illustrates more of the idiosyncrasies of the track layout at 'Mealsgate' - from left to right, there is the Bolton Loop line (closed in 1921, making Mealsgate into a branch terminal from Aspatria), the run round loop /goods line, which needs a buffer stop, and the line going off to Allhallows colliery.

Happy New Year from 'Mealsgate', where it's 1908...again (could be worse as if I ever build the M&CR mainline, it'll be a recurring 1973 !).

No new modelling but the box containing the signal boxes also contained a couple of other M&CR buildings, namely Dearham Bridge station building and a yard building from Bullgill. These have done stand in duty on 'Mealsgate' but were built for my long scrapped layout, ' Linefoot Junction'. This was only ever seen by the Manchester group of the EMGS and some of you might recall our stand (and my older M&CR and Furness models) at the MMRS exhibitions at the CWS New Century Hall.

If it's the plastic sleepered 36" radius version, I would leave the SMP 'kit' well alone. The PECO track will be the very old school code 95 flat bottom rail and fibre (cardboard) sleepers variety that was variously superceded in the 1960s by PECO Streamline and by copperclad & code 75 bullhead trackwork.

Just use an EM back-to-back gauge and reset OO gauge wheels, making sure that the wheels are perpendicular to the axle.

I do like St. Tabitha's (formerly St. Tabitha's & St. Samantha's), although I always presumed that Castle Aching contained the parish of St. Trinians.

Happy Christmas to one and all from a miniature Edwardian north west Cumberland (said he typing this near Ludlow in the 21st century) - no more modelling for now until next year.

More progress, if only of re-uniting the various parts of Mealsgate. I had previously made a start on both Mealsgate and Allhallows signal boxes [for more on the restoration of the latter, go to the "Lost Railways of Cumbria" website]. For the first time, these can be placed on their correct positions with Mealsgate SB at the end of the platform adjacent to the station building, of which more anon, and Allhallows SB on the other side of the road bridge on the approach to the station. Mealsgate is, of course, the 'wrong' way round at the moment but the controls were originally put on this side for the Workington exhibition. Therefore, I need to move the controls to the other side before I can properly re-orientate the whole layout i.e. so that the line comes in from the left-hand side. For anyone confused by the previous references to the "Bolton Loop", (a) this is Bolton in west Cumberland and (b) the line was two branches, one from Aspatria and the other from Aikbank Jct near Wigton, both of which terminated at Mealsgate.

Speaking as a Cumbrian of soi-distant Flemish-Scottish ancestory who identifies with pre-Roman Britain...oh alright, I'll admit it, my parents were from Yorkshire !

Roads ? Tick. Wheeled transportation ? Tick. Towns ? Tick.Two storey buildings ? Tick. Trade ? Tick. Coinage ? Tick. Leaders accountable to the people ? Tick. Women as leaders ? Tick. A thriving culture of brewing and communal boozing ? Hic. What we didn't have was a regular army of well-trained & well-disciplined professional soldiers...

Linking to our discussion of model shops in and near Carlisle on the M&CR branchlines thread, there is plenty of evidence that indicates that Romano-Britain continued to function after the Roman withdrawal. In particular, Carlisle [Luguvallium] continued as a centre of trade and political power much longer than other Romano-British cities, probably due to geography. Needless to say, some of us Cumbrians and yes, Kemi Badenoch, we do exist (now there's an example of someone who peaked at being head girl or captain of the school debating society) hold that the Arthurian myths are a distant echo of the survival of civilisation in Carlisle into the very early Dark Ages.

Hi Nigel Good to hear from another member of the August Order of Nelsonians ! I got on board a bit later with 'Sound on sound' and 'Quit dreaming and get on the beam' , just in time to start getting the marvellous Cocteau Collectors LPs as they were released. I'll confess that I didn't immediately make the link with BeBop Deluxe but that was a treat in store. I last saw him live performing with Ian Nelson when they toured with The Lost Satellites. Definitely one of the most under-appreciated musicians as I'm sure you'd agree.

Ah yes, the M&CR and it's reserve lists. At one point, there were at least four engines on the reserve list, being renumbered R1, R2, etc. Photographic evidence suggests that these engines were mostly used on the Derwent branch and possibly on the Bolton Loop as well (currently away from my library so can't check my back issues of the CRA journal) along with the older 6w and 4w carriages.

Well worth a visit - as well as model railways, they stock a good selection of wargaming supplies and practically a wall of Tamiya military kits just like model shops from the 1970s & 80s. You can also visit Carlisle and go to the ever excellent C&M Models as well. Both shops are within easy walking distance of stations on the M&CR - what more could you want ?!

I took my mum to an O/P appointment at Wigton Hospital today and whilst she was being seen, I went into the town to find Jacksons model shop. This turned out to be a most excellent proper model shop and I've stocked up various scenic materials to supplement the DAS and textured paint already in stock.

I found myself in Wigton today and went to visit Jacksons in New Street for the first time. Wow ! What an excellent model shop with the emphasis on model railways but lots of plastic kits and diecasts as well together with a wide range of tools, paints, materials. This is a bit of a hidden treasure, a proper old-school model shop in the 21st century. And they are just up the road from the former M&CR station on the Cumbrian Coast line (2nd station out from Carlisle).

What about having a hidden loop or sidings inside Corkickle tunnel ?