Floreat Industria

I was interested in the Baldwins used on the Snailbeach District Railways and found that there is an excellent book published in hardback last year and then in paperback, which is still available from the publishers post free at £20 here:- https://www.twelveheads.com/t901.htm My copy arrived today and it is excellent. Lots of photos, drawings and maps, giving ideas for a little layout using the Bachmann Baldwins.

I've just got a copy of the 1953 Stockton loco workings document and duty S.5 P (North Stockton Sidings, South End and Local Works) states "Vacuum fitted engine - preparing trains, collecting and delivering traffic at local works and sidings", so that solves why Stockton needed a vacuum fitted loco.

TMC are showing June 2020 as a release date on their site. I'll be 75 then so I hope I last long enough to get one!

The date predictions continue! Antics has now altered to "soon" whilst Olivia's are stating May.

Hattons are showing all versions as October to December.

There's a good review on pages 8 and 9 of "Railway Magazine Modelling":- http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&pubid=cf11729d-7cbc-45f7-b0ab-c9e28fb5a6b5

I see that the new Bachmann site is now showing April or June 2019 as the release dates.

For what it's worth, Antics are showing 29 March for Peggy.

I've just been looking up BR allocations to see which one to order. This may be of interest:- 67281 Guisborough to 10.54, Stockton to 4.55, South Blyth to 12.58 (only this shed suitable for late crest) 67250 Darlington to 3.48, Selby to 9.57 67263 Durham to 4.56, South Blyth to 7.57, Hull Botanic Gardens to 10.58 67342 Darlington to 7.51, West Hartlepool to 2.52, West Auckland to 10.52, Northallerton to 11.55, Sunderland to 2.58, Malton to 12.58 67327 Kittybrewster to 8.52, Keith to 7.54, Kittybrewster to 2.55 67322 Stratford to 7.51, Cambridge to 11.56

This looks like the one they are going to issue pretending it is in NER green, as it has no safety valve cover and what looks like a smokebox door wheel. I would love one in NER green but will have to wait until such time as the short bunker early version may be released. The works grey photographs mislead many people into thinking they actually went into service painted like that. They went to a lot of trouble for the photos and then presumably just painted black over it all, which must have been rather depressing for the paint shop. The grey frames always give the game away. There are the old models of green 581 which again was based on a works grey photo. If anyone could find a photo of any of the works grey locos actually in service in green I would be extremely pleased, but I don't know of any. I will have to wait for 68723 or 68736 to be made for a green one if they are just making the long bunker. I loved watching them at York and Newcastle - two of my regular teenage trips from Darlington. I often visited a relative who had a flat overlooking Darlington scrapyard and was very sad when the J72s started rolling in in numbers.

It's not often Easter day and April fools fall on the same day. An unfortunate coincidence - it doesn't seem right!

Bachmann's release of 12 January says the locos should be released about Easter. That's 1 April, so it shouldn't be too long to wait now. I have a little layout waiting.

I'm really looking forward to it now. I see it has nice destination board holders. Will we get a couple of destination boards?

One little item I have noticed that I particularly like is that the shedplate on the BR models is in relief. Nearly always these are printed on while in reality the shedplate is nearly as thick as the numberplate. I have ordered one of the SECR livery models but I'm going to have to have a BR one as well!

Hello. Yes - 1720 was special and did indeed have NER lined green livery and became LNER 8680 and BR 68680, carrying LNER and BR green then BR lined and finally plain black liveries, and was much modelled. It would be a better candidate for the NER livery model.

Yes - it was at West Auckland until it had its heating/vacuum brake and an ex J71 boiler fitted at Gateshead in mid-1955. As Bachmann are doing the fitted version I thought it wasn't worth mentioning. I used to peer in West Auckland in the good old days and later on had a girlfriend who lived just down the road!

The newly-announced locos have the same numbers as the originally-announced 8680, 69001 and 69028 so it looks as if they have replaced them. I hope they know what they are doing with the announced models as the details are a minefield. 31-060 LNER 2313 (later 68720) Lined black with heating and vacuum brake from 1937 for use as Newcastle station pilot. By 1940 it had lost its lining and gained a Ramsbottom-type safety valve cover so it only had a 3-year spell as advertised. 31-061 68733 (formerly LNER 2326) A Scottish loco from 1939. A photo at Kipps in 1959 shows the number on the bunker and possibly an improvised safety valve cover, Scottish style. 31-062 68696 (formerly LNER 2179) steam heating and vacuum brake fitted 1955 but only allocated to Stockton then Thornaby when it opened for its few years left. Pilot work at Stockton envisaged? 31-063 NER 2173 (later 68690) supposedly NER lined green but the widely-known photo is in photographic grey and as it went to West Hartlepool it was probably painted the by-then usual black with just NER letters and the big brass number plate before leaving works. I think it will have to be 68696 for me as it was a Darlington build and I had a friend who had the Stockton stationmaster as a relative. He took us over the tracks to see loose shunting close up, with the shunter running alongside pushing down the wagon brake handle with his shunting pole. Looking back it now strikes me as rather dangerous, and I am completely cavalier, but it didn't at the time. It was probably a J72 doing the shunting.

I spent half yesterday getting my PC going again after being "blue screened" after installing the latest security update. I got it going again from System Recovery then System Restore, tried it all again and then the same thing happened. I now find that the update does that to some older computers. I won't try it again! Now waiting for 12.00!

There's an excellent book on the subject here:- https://narrowgaugeandindustrial.co.uk/products/wdlr-album

I've had e-mails from Kernow today that my 10201 and the one SECR livery birdcage that's in stock have been sent by DPD and will arrive tomorrow. That's excellent service.

I was just looking at the CADs again and realised that the BR locos are missing the sandboxes behind the cab steps that 69001-28 were fitted with - the great postwar improvement! 69001 didn't get vacuum brakes but 69028 did. This photo which I have found is quite amazing. The J71 (NER 494 of 1887) didn't get its BR number until 1952 and 69001 just needs its front sandboxes painting and the large brass builders plates fitting:- http://www.time-capsules.co.uk/picture/show/2928/Brand-new-steam-locomotive I was a 4-year-old living just up North Road, Darlington, at the time. When I was at the grammar school 10 years later the works crossing sometimes made me late as there could be prolonged shunting backwards and forwards with the gates closed, the J94 driver usually reading the paper. At least it was good for trainspotting!

I've just bought "King James I" from Kernow at £69.99. I didn't need it but thought I couldn't afford not to buy it at that price. It can keep my "King Edward V" company somewhere in an imaginary mid-1930s GWR.

I've just received an excellent but now rare book on 10201-3. It is "10201-3 on the Southern" Southern Way Special No. 1 by Kevin Robertson, 2007. It has lots of photos of building and in use on the Southern to 1955, some in colour. At the back there is a lot of technical data, which says max speed 10201-2 110 mph, as modified 85 mph and 10203 90 mph. I can thoroughly recommend the book. Now, where is my model of 10201? Hopefully on the way soon. I've just bought a Hornby King from Kernow for £69.99 and it's winging its way to me straight away.

Well, it's here at last! Three tugs are working at docking it as I write. I'm sure you don't want to know which ones. I can now forget ships, although I suppose they could enliven a lazy seaside holiday. With a bit of luck the first locos may be with us within a couple of weeks, if the gate stock is anything to go by. At least it will be one item here in time for Christmas.

Having been at anchor off the Isle of Wight for over a day the Tihama is now under way again towards Southampton. It is a massive ship, just built last year, covered with piles of containers. Which one, and what portion of a container, and who takes it where next? I suppose it's all worked out by computer.