Dorkingian

Not the Night Mail Some old negatives recently came my way, courtesy of Julian, which look like photos from sixty years ago of the overnight mail trains that ran in both directions between Paddington and Penzance. Presumably these are summer photos, taken when the train could be seen in daylight. The trains had originally been known as the Great Western Up and Down TPOs and that continued after nationalisation. The Travelling Post Office vehicles are in the striking Post Office red livery used for the new Mk 1 mail train stock (1959 onwards) until their repainting into blue and grey livery from 1970. It's not clear whether these photos are of the Up or the Down train. Several vehicles are fitted with mailbag exchange apparatus which would be on the nearside of the train, but they are marshalled with apparatus on both sides so that the stock would not need to be turned at final destination. As well as the TPO coaches, there are several ex-GWR Siphon G vehicles coupled at the rear which by this time were in parcels use and would be dropped off at various points on the Down service and reattached on the Up. Peter Johnson's book Mail by Rail gives a general introduction to this traffic. A computer generated colour rendition(!) to show the Post Office red livery, with a view of the mailbag exchange apparatus: And the same treatment for the first photo above:

Strange Cargo at Northdown Junction This curious object was recently seen on a Lowmac. Is it perhaps a prototype Korean deep diving bathysphere? Nope! It was of course Josh's 360 degree camera ready to record full details of the DGR circuit. On the following video you can swivel the field of view by tilting your device or using the mouse. Quite fun to give it a try:

Belmond British Pullman in the Surrey Hills In normal times this luxury day excursion train is usually hauled by Merchant Navy class "Clan Line", lovingly polished into gleaming condition. During periods of high fire risk, most of the tractive effort is provided by a Class 67 diesel running as the train engine, with the Bulleid sauntering along as pilot doing minimal work. These photos were taken near Dorking on one such trip; no-one had attached the headboard that day. Northdown Junction Drifting along the North Downs line Passing a typical Surrey Hills residence (a.k.a.Palmer's Farm, the home of Anne Arden, William Shakespeare's mother) Heading back to London Victoria with passengers well wined and dined.

Virgin Trains When Virgin Trains used Pendolino electric units for their West Coast Main Line franchise they also had a full rake of MK3 coaches including DVT as a standby set (known as WB64). In 2011 Virgin Trains started hauling this set with Class 90 locomotives hired in from Freightliner, and this arrangement lasted until the operations ceased in late 2014. More details here: http://www.class90electriclocogroup.co.uk/virgin_trains.html This is what it looked like (but you have to imagine the OHL equipment):

South West Trains These Siemens Desiro Class 450 units have been a mainstay of medium distance suburban services on the third rail electrified routes out of Waterloo since 2003 and are familiar to thousands of people who in days gone by were commuters. The livery started to change after SWT lost the operating franchise in 2017. This one is on an Up Waterloo service: Rear view on Foxdale Bank Rural Hampshire perhaps Still heading for Waterloo

Modern railways Been a bit quiet for over a month, so it was good that Geoff and Josh came over yesterday for a suitably distanced running session and brought lots of exciting rolling stock to add new liveries to the normal DGR diet of steam age British Railways. The photos will be posted in installments, starting with "Lady Penelope". Lady P. is number 57307, re-engined from a Class 47 and, at the time shown, owned by Virgin Trains primarily as a rescue engine for Pendolino electric units and other trains in trouble, such rescue locos commonly being known as thunderbirds. First we see her setting out from Throstlebeck inland port with her intermodal train: Crossing the Northern Viaduct On across Foxdale Bank and then, later the same day on a different working, passing below Black Ghyll Grasshopper watching the trains

Saw them with an electric jig saw. Then the offcuts are cut into long wedges and bashed into the ground to fix the straight sections of trackbed to. Now all about 8 years old.

Piling on the coal again Here's the BR Standard 4MT waiting at Throstlebeck for departure with a coal train, alongside one of the recently donated and very elegant ground signals which really improve the general appearance. and later caught (from a drone) passing Black Ghyll:

66104 and 66025 on P.W. relaying near Dorking Deepdene, 4 February 2011

And a 1.5 minute video of the King:

Black 5 with a goods train on the Dorking Garden Railway (I can take no credit for the scenery):

Great Western delight What a pleasure to have the first visiting locos of the year, especially Julian's finely wrought models. And some visiting lower quadrant signals too. King William IV enjoying the sunshine: Earl of Mount Edgcumbe pauses near a shunting signal: Details of the Earl's cab and tender: A small Prairie drifts down Bamboo Curtain Straight: and Resolven Grange heads home with a coal train with a glimpse of the driver, eager for supper: The tail end:

Just a few pics from today's 1950s running session Nothing too unusual in the locomotive department: this Black 5 on Foxdale Bank and here on Bamboo Curtain Straight And a couple of shots at Throstlebeck of the 9F on a coal train

The video from yesterday's run:

Only one train today, and no sunshine to brighten up the photos. At first I thought it might be the Thames-Clyde Express, but research shows it can't be, as that had a restaurant car in the 1950s. So this is just an anonymous express with no refreshment facilities, pulled by a very clean Jubilee. Here it's seen passing Black Ghyll cavern, and then beyond. There seems to have been a lineside fire on Foxdale Bank, presumbly caused by the proverbial stray spark from a locomotive.

Here's a 4 minute video of my last running session, beginning with the Hornby Dublo 8F rushing along: https://youtu.be/yJMtLYKqNw0 A slower pace would certainly look better.

Another video I decided to compile a 'video of the day' for that last operating session. Here's the result. Everything is running too fast, which isn't obvious at the time but becomes only too clear when the video is reviewed afterwards. https://youtu.be/yJMtLYKqNw0

I'd be interested to know what model of motor was used please, and whether the replacement was a major job. That operation would seem to allow for lowering the gearing, which would be a great improvement.

Another running day Yesterday saw a BR Standard 4-6-0 heading a cross country train back in the 1950s (no on-board refreshment provision in those days): At Throstlebeck Sidings, a goods train was waiting for the road: and was later seen crossing Foxdale Bank: and passing Foxdale Carr Hall

Nothing there I can take credit for. The track has been laid for about 8 years, and the timber base is gradually warping and in places rotting, so the running is increasingly unreliable, so the woodwork will certainly need some real attention before long. Benign neglect has at least allowed the vegetation to flourish, which I think contributes to the ambience.

8F outing with mineral wagons Yesterday's sunshine was an opportunity to give the Hornby Dublo 8F a breath of fresh air, and a train of mostly Hornby mineral wagons seemed appropriate (they're the ones with the solid brake gear!). But the wagons don't look too bad in most respects: Anyone for rivet counting? It's a shame about the cab full of motor. The full story of the Dorking Garden Railway can be found here: https://www.oogardenrailway.co.uk/index.php?/topic/354-the-dorking-garden-railway/

Back at Throstlebeck Sidings this week, the lucky photographer caught two trains passing: and then saw the same two workings, coal and parcels, at a slightly different spot, presumably on another day: After that, there were a couple of drone light aircraft shots of Black Gyll and then Foxdale Bank: Astonishingly, the lineside photographer captured the Standard Class 4MT with its coal train at almost the same moment as the cameraman in the plane:

A low-tech high utility modification Definitely recommended. Two small holes, one cable tie and a few cup hooks around the layout make life so much easier:

Black Ghyll A new feature has emerged on the layout. Black Ghyll is a large cavern, much visited by serious potholers because of the extensive cave system to which it provides an entrance. It's very close to Sycamore Manor, but was previously obscured by vegetation, now cut back. No doubt the local residents always knew it was there, but probably didn't want to encourage inexperienced cavers who often get into difficulty, particularly when unanticipated rainfall swells the underground rivers. A close look shows what may be ropes left behind by potholers ascending to the lip before going down into the cavern.

Yesterday's goods