coline33

Yes, I too would like to have an update to see what a year since of lockdowns has done to this part of the W&U. I need a break from electric trams so an update might tempt me to get my W&U back out on the table top! Keep safe, Colin.

Time flies but progress is being made. The view is of white metal parts altered and an addition to a plastic part. The theme is bulkheads and I will explain row by row from the top. Items on the left are one side and on the other the reverse view, 1st row is of immediate importance. It is the bulkhead from BEC kit 11 with the right-angled dash piece removed with the top and side edges straightened to fit the Tower plastic E/1 lower saloon sides. They are painted and glazed for LTE condition but I have not added the changeover switch. The 2nd row is the bulkhead from BEC kit 12 with the right-angled stair panel & dash removed. The sides have been straightened and its purpose is to length the Varney E/3 lower saloon to the correct length. This will be put aside for a further exercise. The 3rd row is the Tower E/1 bulkhead showing the use of fine plastic rod to create the three bars protecting the side window. Just an idea for yourselves. In the 4th row are the BEC kit 12 LPTB standard windscreen/dash pieces with the removed stair panel & dash pieces affixed now that it appears that it can be cast as one piece in the same manner as that for the Varney E/3. The 5th and 6th rows are parts from the Varney E/3 for the platform and beneath. Hopefully the separate collision fender can be moulded in with the platform piece as one. The moveable step has been retained as seen in the left and right sections. This too is of immediate importance and if the items in rows 1, 5 & 6 can be reproduced OK then we could have the basis of an accessory kit to replace the poor Tower platform and give some extra weight for traction purposes. So keep your fingers crossed that the next stage of assembly goes OK and I can show an ex-Croydon E/1 with the correct windscreens. Now in the research of the bulkhead side windows I find that the existing bulkheads in rows 1 & 2 with their window frames are better than expected. Whether these are on Classes E, E/1, E/3, HR/1, HR/2 or M, the modeller can easily add a card piece of the correct depth from the top to suit the actual car being modelled. Also the saloon door window in row 1 is correct for some E and E/1 cars but the majority had the style seen in row 2.

Well done, Philip. How about adding the headlamps to the ends??? This was a major extra to the order sheet required by PLA not just because of dark mornings and evenings on London's two-shift days but at Tilbury Docks had been a 24/7 railway service to handle traffic to and from the daily Cockerill Line service to Antwerp which was the first regular service the dock had from opening in 1884. It ended in 1969 from the Tidal Basin berths as the first of the cross-channel containership services started from the then new 43 berth. The number 201 was chosen not only because its actual plate in full colour survived but it was one of the five Janus locos that had worked both at Tilbury and then Royal Docks. Stephen has done a good job with the etch despite the PLA's full title being crammed into such a small space! Please if anyone wants a bargain just to renumber as I did, then order now as the final stock should not be available for too long. PS. I was only involved in getting the livery and number correct!

Steve, I meant Part 2 not 1!!! Now found my PLA collection and can confirm that the plates were carried on 200-203 but as 204 is said to have remained at Tilbury and sold from there then 204 probably did not. So you are OK with the printed as is 201. Colin.

Now found my PLA collection!!! Plates do appear on ex-Tilbury 203 at Royal docks and here is the photo of the actual PLA plate for 201 that Narrow Planet used for the etch. Confusion resolved!!!

Steve, I am coming to the conclusion that the Tilbury five 200-204 never received their numbers on plates so recommend any renumbering using the Narrow Planet plates be 205-209 which definitely got plates at Royals. Alas Dave M is not able at present to delve further into his records for us. Colin.

Thanks, Stovepipe. Yes, certainly the painted numbers were still in evidence there in 1961. Alas I cannot find proof that plates were fitted after this date to the ex-Tilbury four before the Railway Department was disbanded in 1965 when no further such changes would have been made. So maybe plates were never made for Nos.200-205. Interestingly when I was transferred in April 1969 to Tilbury Docks I do not recall seeing the fifth Janus received direct to Tilbury being in the line of remaining stock. I never enquired further then as I had thought al five had been transferred to Royals earlier. Colin.

What is interesting about the history of the Silvertown Tramway is that the track bed was owned by the original enclosed dock company being inherited by the PLA in 1909 but always worked by a mainline company. Dave Marden gives a good account in his Part 1 of "London's Dock Railways". Yes Steve, why not add the Janus to work with the Class 08 you already have. Any 'historical' complainant can continue until they are blue in the face!!! Colin.

Steve, now is the time to purchase a second PLA one from GV at about half the original RRP including p&p. I understand that Narrow Planet has ceased to take further orders because of the second lockdown. NP had to do this over the first lockdown as I too had to patiently await delivery of nameplates for my 009 East Quay locos. The NP plate covers the printed plate spot-on hence you thought that I had removed it first! I am again looking to do a single board layout to run my PLA Peckett, Austerities and Janus's (or should it be Janii?), Keep well and safe, Colin.

The PLA Janus locos were numbered 200 to 209 using these plates. Although 200 and 201 arrived at Tilbury Docks with P.L.A. and the number painted in white on the cabs, all had received the plates by the time all ten were together at Royal Docks. If anyone has a photo of a Janus with these plates at Tilbury, I would be most grateful to see please?

I am back to PLA railways momentarily as I could not refuse Golden Valley's attractive price including postage offer on the PLA Janus 201. I just had to have a second one. Stephen of Narrow Planet had reproduced the PLA plate (see website) and on ordering can easy add the chosen number, 200 to 209. Ordered on Ebay on Thursday the loco arrived Saturday. In that time I had given the PLA plate etch its red background and cleaned the paint off the top surfaces. So here it is as 200 and now ready for service with 201! Not forgetting the Hornby steamer PLA 74!

Now is the chance to have a second PLA Janus from Golden Valley at an attractive postage included price. Just the excuse I wanted to have a second one! Ordered through Ebay on Thursday it arrived Saturday and was soon renumbered from 201 to 200. Stephen of Narrow Planet had reproduced the PLA plate so that on ordering the chosen number, 200 to 209, could be easily added. I had my etch ready, painted with red background, and soon affixed as in the view. So with lockdown coming order the loco straightaway while there is still some stock. Get an order to Narrow Planet asap and you may be lucky to miss any lockdown delay.

School half-term in Croydon, so 1998 British Steel rolled grooved track being replaced in Cairo New Road. So we see above the track bed for rail that will have to be replaced in 25 years time.

An update. The alterations to the BEC and Varney parts to permit interchangeability has produced the need to have more replacement parts as opposed to easy modification to existing Varney parts. So the commercial aspect has come into play with the financial assessment of what has to be done. For the moment the project is paused for further thought on cost reduction. However, that does not mean that I have stopped!!! There are a number of parts that are suitable to give weight to the Tower E/1 kit by changing the incorrect bulkheads and improving the platform, collision fenders and life guards. Thus that is where I am continuing so will revert in due course with results.

Further to my mentioning the ULR and future prospects for the Birmingham area, I read that the world's first biomethane rail/tram car has run at Motorail's Long Marston site and will go to Dudley when the ULR/VLR facility there is ready next year. I look forward to seeing it on the Stourbridge Town line sometime. Now how is the work on the Wednesbury - Brierley Hill line going, please?

Are you getting glasses or just stronger ones? Despite putting on the years and having three St.Petersburg Felthams I have refrained from going up a notch. If I went down a notch I would never get the detailing done!!!

Sorry, there has been nothing further for a month. However, my modelling time has been taken up with solving part dimensions and shape discrepancies as the restoration of the ABS tram kit collection continues.

Now that we have COVID-19 conditions prevailing for some time aiding a general increase in cycling which may continue to grow, to what extent has provision been made for cyclists? Maybe they have a priority route parallel. Had the virus been seen coming or happened in the planning stage then I suspect provision would have been made. From learning to ride a bike on the cobbled roads of Dunkerque with their tramlines and dock railways, and then later in Dutch and German cities, felt much safer cycling in the presence of trams than I did in a tramless Croydon. At least cyclists were taken into account when aligning the present Croydon tramlines to road traffic. Another impact of the virus is the reduction in the use of public transport which may never peak as before. Here I see the advance of the Ultra Light Rail Vehicle with Coventry likely to be the vanguard and in the Birmingham region its manufacture. From experience of 'circulator lines' as in some US cities and Doha, the concept could well spread in the UK beyond Coventry - especially in university towns. HMG's £6m. investment in this could make the UK the world's leading manufacturer of ULR if we play our cards right. With it goes a new concept of track construction and maybe a review of funding methods and legislation. One US circulator has free travel for three years paid from sponsorship! The world is changing fast so this just food for thought!!!

Many thanks for more splendid photos. Good traffic calming using the old adage of the tram being the 'sleeping policeman'!!!

Superb photos, thank you very much. The finish looks superb and I note the method used in the underpass whereby as the road traffic wheels will be either side of the rails the road wear should not be on the tram rails which look to be in better troughs than ours in Croydon. Thus the road surface can be restored without disturbing the rails. I only hope that no one gets a phone call as I did early one Friday morning in 1999 from the depot "If you know anyone with a heart monitor warn them not to go into the town centre today!". On Monday the central section had been first energised and immediately there were signalling problems at East Croydon station and it took to Thursday to discover that the track drains had not been insulated from the rails on construction! The Birmingham engineers I expect have learned a lot from others' malfunctions!!!

Thank you both for the update.

Interesting comment about installation of OHLE but I was under the impression that catenary-free was the operation on the west side. With battery/capacitor operation already in being in the centre where westwards would the pantograph have to rise, please?

No, the CCB Yahoo Group did not go elsewhere. With Nick emulating Tom Sawbridge abroad and I having problems being recognised by Yahoo as a member, the Group site just elapsed into the ether.

Yes, Stan recalled other incidents like being caught in a blast in Stockwell Road, I found his diversionary trip via Clapham Junction most interesting - going places no Feltham had ever gone before!!! His daughter was one of my clients in 1990s looking to buy her last property so we had a good rapport. I have found that of the 100 production Felthams, 32 were damaged during WW2. Nine were hit twice and one 2142 thrice. Damage ranged from broken glass to complete write-off (2109 and 2113). In the 24.8.1944 incident 2109 was with ex-Walthamstows 2044 and 2051. It took some days before the Metropolitan Stage Carriage plate for 2109 was found and surrendered but the plates for the other two were never surrendered because they just could not be found (both cars scrapped 10.1944). The lack of a plate surrender meant correspondence and delay in getting a refund for the unexpired time of the licence. The annual cost of a licence was 12 shillings! During the war, the licences were automatically renewed without police inspection of the car. 2109's licence was automatically renewed on 25.8.1944 and its plate surrendered on 30.8.1944 - so hope LPTB got a full refund!!!

I loved watching the operation of "Wheal Elizabeth" at shows and also for its flexibility of era. "Minion" looks great for the steam era so how about having a "Denise" for the diesel era? Or maybe you have already built that!