Golden Fleece 30

It's only been like that for about 35 years, I think BR have lost its records so it just keeps plodding on. I tried the reversing a few times with these and the Blood and Custard ones without any issues but thought that with the 4 and 6 wheel vans this looked better. Just hope BR does not reverse it's trains as fast. I did find another parcels van afterwards as well as I was hoping to put all the maroon ones on.

Here we have the Red Bank Parcels train calling at York on its way from Newcastle to Manchester. There are at least 4 different Exley parcels coaches in the train with a 4 wheeler, 2 x 6 wheelers and at least 2 different bogie vehicles, possibly 3. Also seen is another Wrenn Spam Can on standard SR duty although it has all the Golden Arrow regalia on her. No doubt Dover shed staff will be in bother letting her out like this. This one does not have any "flange squeal" like the other.

The valve gear seems very loose and flimsy so as Tony says it could lock up quite easy. Mine so far has not but I am wary of catching it by accident.

The Garratt was a good model IF you got a good'un out of the box Ian.

I guess a lot of people will not know of the problems associated with this loco Tony and will look at the option of getting their hands on one. I have read recently about some problems with Heljans 02 but cannot remember if it was a problem now or looking at a problem later due to the Garratt. I have a feeling there was something about Flimsy valve gear (sound familiar?) and the loco derailing being front or rear heavy. I can say I will not be looking at a Heljan loco again. Garry

As I am an A4 man through and through and seeing all 34 A4's during my childhood, my ambition is to have them all. Here are all 34 in BR livery with 60001 bottom right and 60034 top left. Silver King, Mallard and Golden Fleece are as bought. Andrew K Mckosh, Sir Nigel Gresley and Walter K. Whigham are Tony Winzar repaints all the rest are mine. Some tenders are from different sources for variation but the locos are Dublo with the exception of 60034 which is Wrenn. I know there was a 35 but this was destroyed in the war (at York too) but as it never made BR days it does not count. I do have a valanced Dublo A4 body somewhere so one day I may do the 35th.

Because I 3-railed mine it was hot wired from the start, its not run often, too many locos, but is still the same as it was. It is in fact stronger than the new Dublo special Garratt, that slips with what the Heljan one takes in its stride easily.

Hi Tony, I think it is most likely to be the pressure as others are fine and it is not consistent with each lap. The faster it goes the less it happens, if ever. Garry

Hi Tony, I could try some graphite but it is such a small area being the bottom of a dish/dome it might come of easily. I thought about the material but lots of these do not give an issue. The problem with coach height is some earlier ones I tried various ways to fit bogies to existing castings and split pins etc before I had my own etches made so at some time I will have to look at redoing those. I do have a magnatiser but somehow managed to lose in the house/shed/garage which is why I have not done it yet. If I get time today I will look at doing the Golden Arrow Spam Can as well, those two I am keeping from the 5 definitely with one other maybe. Garry

Hi Tony, it is not bad but for some reason you do hear the odd squeak from the home made pick-ups. Usually they are okay but I have about 3 that fo it. I think this loco needs it magnet remagnatised as it is quite weak but the loco still runs well and is very quiet. Did you see my Dorchester with 18 on? That was strong loco.

Here is the rake of repainted Exleys I have hauled by a Blue Spam Can. For comparison I added the genuine ones to the train for the last shot.

Thanks Tony, the first 3 were like new, the second 3 have odd little chips in both colours close up but not all over and not really that bad. The brake does have quite a narrow repair paint job on the roof though but I can live with it. The Bachmann bogies certainly run well keeping them well balanced. I did actually reverse this lot from the main into the platform before filming and they run just as well being pushed although later that will be a minimum into the coach sidings as I an always wary of pushing. Garry

Here are the Blood and Custards having their first run on the layout. Pity it was not a blue Duchess or A1 pulling them but the Duchess is on the cards to do now.

Having just recently acquired another set of 3 Blood and Custard coaches (not quite in as good a condition as last weeks but still respectable), I was surprised to find them different to the first 3. All 3 are the later design with tinplate base and plastic underframes but still a one piece shell including the roof, the first 3 being the wooden floor style. The original brake has the guards ducket whereas this later one is from the BR period style without the ducket. Also the new brake does not have any rear windows either side of the tail gangway. The ends themselves do not have any fixing method with the roof like some of this style had pins pushed through the roof into the end, all these have is the screw through the tin base. They all still have glass for windows though. The interiors are different in as much as these are the same style as a wooden floor coach but glued onto a piece of card which is glued to the tin base, no separate channel and rubber seats. I was told that there were only 2 different coaches made as in the first set of 3 but that is not correct as the original two non brakes were both full corridor these two are both full open, one is a 1st and the other 2nd or 3rd. I have noticed that the door handles are also a different colour, these latter ones being more gold and darker colour as opposed to yellow. The 12 wheeler does actually have 12 wheels but the centre ones are out until I cut down the mounting screw to allow the axle to fit in.

Thanks Tony. They are stripped now and there is only two very small paint blemish's. Both on the brake, one under the guards ducket and another near the font door window. all other "black" marks as such have washed off. Soon be able to run them. Garry

These 3 coaches arrived today and I am extremely pleased with them. These look very well but after seeing the photos I will need to strip them I think to clean the glass. One obviously does need stripping as one of the glasses has dropped and a couple of seats are floating around inside. It is interesting that the two full corridors have different numbers. The brake coach has had its bogies changed but it is of no concern as they will all be getting fitted with Bachmann ones very soon. For some reason some of the corridor connectors have been glued but that is a minor point. What is good is the very fine door handle painting. Hopefully a video will appear in the not too distant future of these along with the 12 wheel dining car in the same livery, all pulled by a Blue steam loco which is to me the perfect combination. Please note the "yellow" is actually a nice cream shade but the software has turned more into proper custard as the name implies but it is cream like the 12 wheeler on page 1 or 2.

Hi D51, The article in the Hornby magazine was regarding my layout, York Central. 32A, as D51 has said it is all Peco track and I used C and L code 83 flat bottom rail with associated chairs. The bullhead rail was to fiddly to insert all the chairs on easily. The flat bottom one looks fine as it is still smaller than the running rails so not as over powering as using the code 100. I did try the screw in the board method but if a rail expanded and distorted I could not de-solder anything as that heat would prevent a straight line, plus chairs on the sleepers looks neater. Attached is the double junction from the main lines to the station, scissors junction along with some track. Also a link to a drivers eye view around the layout. 5050, I only run Exleys on my layout and they are as free running as todays models (most better) and so they should be as they are fitted with modern Bachmann bogies. A handful of Exleys had a very good bogie style for a short period and these have been kept. David, I am led to believe that this loco may be a repaint and if it is it is a very good one. If that is the case then one day I may consider putting a BR emblem on the tender.

That is one of the few things I cannot remember 100% from my life on the railway but like you I have a feeling they were painted the body colour. All new stock was fitted with chrome handles and repair with brass but in my time we never had suburban coaches in the works. I may try to over paint one in gold (brass) and see how it looks. Garry

Hi Tony, I think that is what was probably meant in the description "quite a few paint chips to the sides". Hopefully I can get a reasonable colour sometime and at least do the proper touch ups. Looking at the handles I may, very carefully with fingers crossed, paint out the over paint on the pressings to thin the lines down. Most likely I will paint the hinge tops too that should remove some of the issues. I have to say the other all 1st has come up even better that the first one with only the end edges to do, and, if I can "remove" the hinges it could look quite presentable. Garry

I have seen these advertised in catalogues but never seen any advertised for sale before, these being the BR version of the suburbans. The 3 all came in the same state and the bottom one (also photographed on its own) has been cleaned up. This one had a clip on roof whereas the other two have the riveted version. There is a little touching up to be done sometime when I get a close maroon colour. The shade does seem different to others but in real life they were (and Exleys had different variations of LMS maroon anyway). One thing that does annoy me is the amount of silver Exley used on the sides for hinges, door handles etc as they do look like more paint chips and in my opinion not put on as carefully as they used to be. Also the clean one has had its glazing replaced but I think I will look at getting real glass for these if they touch up well, you cannot beat glass for the windows. Obviously the clean one has had its bogies replaced to test out.

You have a similar thought to me David but I have only seen two (at the same time) and could not remember if they were Clerestory's or not. Yes but we will never know (I doubt). In the record books the A4 has won hands down. Can you tell I am an A4 fan?

Hi Tony, I am not an expert either but 99.9999999% certain it is Exley. It has the standard Exley underframe although soldered to a tin base that fits inside the solebars, probably due to the plastic ends. This false base is identical to the ones used in the 6 and 4 wheelers where it is clipped in at the ends with small corner tabs. The bogies and mounting plate are 100% Exley and the paint finish and lining match all my other Exley GWR main line coaches. I originally thought it was the LMS one I have but repainted in this livery but it isn't, mine is back a few pages on here. The body is different with the lower half as the old wooden floor design but the upper is like the later type with flat false roof. I guess this is because it has a Clerestory roof hence the smaller height plastic ends. These look like Exley made ones and certainly have Exley buffers and couplings. The bogies are certainly 100% Exley and they are the type I like, a folded steel frame with plastic frames and wheels with metal tyres and thin axles. A while ago I saw a couple of the LNWR and LSWR ones and this could have been the same shell but painted in GWR livery? Garry

At the moment I have classed this as a special as I cannot see any reference to it in either Tony's or my catalogues. The only Clerestories I can work out are Midland bogie vehicles or GWR short 34', 6 wheel ones. This as seen is a bogie version and is of different construction to all my others. This has a shell with folded solebars, but, plastic ends with a separate roof. It is not the same as my LMS version that has this similar but not identical window formation. No doubt someone will now say it was common at one time, or, I have somehow mis-read the catalogues. It is a little dirty around the windows but at the moment will stay that way.

Cheers Ray I have heard of similar but never tried it. Most Exleys have real glass in them so it is easy to wash if I strip them down. The later ones with perspex have all washed fine too (so far), these do not seem to go cloudy just dirty. One thing I have done is put Dublo plastic diesel windows in a mild bleach solution over night which takes a fair bit of the "yellow" out and cleans them. Garry

Hi Tony, I noticed the table top, and I think a seat is loose in another coach, but due to the conditions of these I do not really want to strip them if I can help it. As you say they will not be too noticeable at 126mph (or 114mph if a Duchess pulls them). I have a few to put on Bachmann bogies at the moment now and a handful that are on the Exley bogies I do like that need the wheels cleaning but I am waiting for some more brass wire wheels. Garry