copleyhill007

Just to wish Tony and Mo a very happy and healthy new year. Thanks again for us having a great day with you on the 22nd. Even the sight of the Midland Pullman on Little Bytham didn't phase Tony.

Hoping 2024 will be as wonderful as 2023 in this part of the world.

Thanks to Tony and Mo for our visit on Saturday. We had a brilliant day.

Tony's keen eye and photography have now added a B1 to the workshop for smokebox repair, and A2/3 to have its coupling hook and coupling restored!

I also enclose a couple of photos taken during the day.

and a third and final video

Video from Saturday 9th April visit:

And the second one:

Many thanks to Tony and Mo for our visit on Saturday. It was a brilliant day thoroughly enjoyed by Jack and myself. It seems to get better every visit!

Hopefully linked will be video using a miniature camera. Soon!

That's I not O.

O had two J50s both Keyser kits with scratch built chassis. They were J50/4 so had white metal hopper bunkers from the manufacturers of the LNER Q1 tank. Millholme I think. They both ran superbly, but in 2014 the motors on both gave up the ghost. I built them in 1974. When the Hornby models came out in 2015 I was delighted. They have been modified to look more realistic including bunker handrails. They run very slowly and sweetly.

ABsolutely riveting video. Brilliantly produced. Thanks Tony. It will spur me on to doing another b1 chassis.

Will find photos tomorrow.

Whoops. K's bodies.

I made a pair of K's  J50 bodies on scratch built chassis. 1973 I think. They ran really well until the motors became unreliable. Since replaced by two Hornby examples which will have three bunker handrails added shortly (68984 and 68988). The Hornby models run beautifully.

Robert ... Simply superb. Masterpieces.

A2/3 Sun Castle arrived this morning. It looks good and certainly runs well straight out of the box.

Brake rigging to fit, crew and real coal followed by weathering. Pity about the steamroller wheel in the Cartazzi truck!! I've no doubt I'll butcher that to put in a flanged wheel that has enough movement to negotiate my layout.

YouTube has been a blessing during lockdown by allowing us to watch real and model trains ... Sometimes without getting out of bed!!

Blue Peter, Bittern and the N7 owned by Fred Youell were all in Neville Hill for quite some time. I did get in to see them after three attempts but without a camera.

The footbridge on Retford does look magnificent. Is it scratchbuilt?

I meant Clem's!

Absolutely beautiful carriage and weathered to perfection. Superb.

Excellent news regarding Retford.

I'm lucky, I suppose. Have got my loco spotting notebooks and the combined volume I used at the time. I do look at them from time to time - certainly brings back great memories of places and people and being completely oblivious to responsibility of any sort!!!

Photos of LB have been out of this world!!

64277 had toolbox at Copley hill in 1962. They are smaller than the lrm ones supplied with the kit.

Just thought I'd show two locos just off the work bench.

The first is the London Road Models J6 which Tony W bought me as a retirement present back in 2008. It has been a massive learning curve for me despite having built scratch chassis back in 1974 and a DJH A1 when the first came out about 40 years ago.

It represents 64277 in 1962 shortly before withdrawal. Still more to do (missing steps).

The second is a Bachmann V2 bought years ago, quite cheaply. But I've never managed to get it going.

Having now got it moving have tried to make it look more realistic despite its design and dimensional problems. So white metal cartazzi sides added, cinder guards, lifting holes in the front frames, AWS bang plate, firebox support bracket, cylinder drain cocks and electric wire warnings and renumbering. Still to do cab bases and seats and crew.

Again its been useful working through the list to make a more realistic model, with weathering modelled from a photo when it was working on the Great Central lines.

B1 tenders - the tenders without angle iron are from class C9 (B1 no. 61038 and 61039). 61039's tender was transferred to 61013 in 1964 and ran with it until scrapping in 1966. The tender then went to 61024 which was sent for scrap soon after. Info from Yeadon's Register.

The buildings are so much a natural part of the railway landscape. They are truly awe inspiring.

Remembering times past on Doncaster station during the quiet time looking at the detail of the station buildings, the plant and the lner footbridge across the tracks.

I also looked carefully at my Lyons apple pie from the refreshment room before the inevitable shouts of "streak"!