R Marshall

David, Here's a few pictures of my 1st foray into coach kits - this is an Etched Pixels Thompson CL. I'll do what you did earlier and try to show the progress I (hopefully) make. My pictures won't be up to your standard, but here goes. The first pictures show the 3D-printed bodyshell with underframe details, etched ends, buffers, bogies and couplings added. The 3D-printed roof is also shown with the torpedo ventilators added - these were very fiddly to fit. I tried the assembly with the recommended short NEM couplers on some settrack 3rd and 4th radius curves, to ensure it would couple up to other carriage stock without buffer lock. Coupling was a bit hit and miss, but I don't plan to use curves as tight as this anyway and I can always substitute longer NEMs (say 1 in 2?) if there are still problems. The assembly is very light at this point, so I'm wondering whether I'll need to add some weight. When I've finished this to my satisfaction (don't hold your breath) I plan to add 2 brake 3rds to form a typical NE Region "Link B" set. Regards, Roy

Les, Sea coal hawkers (don't know why we called them that) - we had them down in Hartlepool too - some of them took lorries on to the beach! Regards, Roy PS pictures with this level of resolution are very unforgiving, but we don't see anything like that with the naked eye.

Les, Like the pictures. Have you done some work on the A4 chimney too? Early pictures of the Dapol A4s showed a pronounced lip at the base, which they never had in life (also the noticeable on the Dapol A3s). This put me off a purchase, because I didn't think it would be within my capability to fix. I'd be tempted now, I think, to give it a try. Presumably the lip (if there is a lip still on current models) means it's a separate part? I was looking at Gladiateur in Peter's Spares today and I didn't notice anything around the double chimney, but I wasn't looking intently, being there only for bits and bobs. Good work anyeway. Regards, Roy

My pictures from the cavalcade were of very poor quality - I'm hoping there's more where these came from. Regards, Roy

David, Glad you're still going with this - I'm just starting out with an Etched Pixels Thompson CL and your earlier posts have been very informative and helpful - especially regarding paints and glue. Like you, I'm waiting for warmer weather to prime and paint the underframe and ends. Did you try to keep the underframe clear of paint where it's inset to take the sides, or will the impact adhesive lock on to the paint anyway? I'm worried a lighter strip might show through. In the meantime I need to drill for grab handles before rolling some curve into the sides - this is the bit I dread most! Regards, Roy

Jamie, Not a dumb question. 1960 was a transitional year - this is when the new Metro-Cammell "Mk 1" Pullman cars were built - they were intoduced from January 1961 - certainly on the Tees-Tyne Pullman from my reading and probably on the Yorkshire Pullman too, at about this time. The 1928 vehicles, as announced by Hornby, were used prior to this by the LNER and the ER of BR. After this only the brake vehicles were used on these trains, I think, as no new brakes were built. However, if you're bothered about Pullman names and car numbers, it's worth a bit more research, because some vehicles of this type ended up in other regions of BR. If you google "Pullman Cars", you may be able to find train consists for the Yorkshire Pullman, or the Queen of Scots - I certainly have for the TTP. Try "Pullman Car Services" and "Coupe News" - it's a while since I got the TTP information. The TTP sets in the early 1950s seem to have included a mix of 1928 built vehicles and some from the 1923-25 period. I don't think this is a reliable guide, however, for the dates you want. Photo evidence is vital, if you are concerned about accuracy. Try the Colour Rail website - you can search and it will return thumbnails, which you can look at to confirm relevance before you buy any image. Paul Bartlett's site may also have something, though I haven't looked for Pullmans on there myself. Regards, Roy

Many thanks - great news - I'll add one to my intended parcels train Regards, Roy

Dave, Great pictures - does anyone know anything about the bogie van behind the Class 47 in J922. Is this related to the SR van 374-631 that Farish plans to produce? Were they common in NE England any earlier than this - say 1950s? By the way, an earlier post - way back - showed an SR pill box brake van on a cement train. Up till then I had no idea these vans could be seen in NE England, but since then I've seen a grey van with a Q6 at Blyth in a DVD - Marsden Rail No. 34. Regards, Roy Marshall

Les, There's more on RMWeb too - see http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/44494-early-british-railways-headlamp-codes-er-express-freights/ Don't know if this is the right way to cross reference another thread - if it doesn't work, just search on headlamp codes. Regards, Roy

Les, I've also had a look at my Dad's old copy of the BR North Eastern Region "Sectional Appendix to the Working Timetable........", which covers all the lines near us - published 1960 (so could have changed thereafter) - the only local headlamp codes it shows are for: - Pilots between Newcastle and Gateshead yards; - NCB Cramlington and Seaton Delaval; -Tyneside electrified Lines; - Freight between Thornaby and Skinninggrove. Unfortunately, I don't have the General Appendix, which might have more to say. Regards, Roy

Les, I always thought left hand lamp iron was common for unfitted goods and for fitted - middle and left irons (though there were variations over some local branches, I believe - Q6s with 21t hoppers on Hesleden bank with middle and smokebox top and a WD at Newburn with the same code, ditto a Q6 on Covhops at Ferryhill - lots more like this too. 90344 at Billingham is odd with top centre and bottom left and a Q6 at Middlesbrough has the same on loaded coal hoppers). Tender first codes are a puzzle too - I'm led to believe that the LHS and RHS of a loco are not affected by direction of travel, but does this apply to lamp codes? In some pictures it seems to. Also I suspect that the crews may have got it wrong on occasion. Would like to see the South Durham wagons, when you get a moment - or did I miss them above? Regards, Roy

Les, Well, since you mention it - this doesn't look clean - from the same source: Regards, Roy

Les, Here you go: Regards, Roy

Les, Just discovered I've got a picture of your WD 90014, dated 13.05.66 at Eaglescliffe. It's taken from the front, so there's not much of the side on show, but it's well-weathered on the front. Let me know if you want to see it - it's from Time Capsules, so no copyright infringement to worry about. Regards, Roy

Overdone, unless it was allocated to Gateshead!

I think you're right - those bogies look like the LNER pattern - difficult to be sure. Regards, Roy Marshall

I love that 66 in EWS livery. And I don't do modern image! Regards, Roy Marshall

If other sources don't give you what you need, the North Eastern Railway Association (NERA) has started to publish inexpensive booklets of line diagrams. I've got the booklet for the Durham Coast line and I've seen the Stainmore route version. The booklets are good for details of structures, signalling, mileposts and gradients, but don't attempt to reflect track geometry, or curvature.

I've a number of pictures of the Tees-Tyne Pullman with the metro-cammell stock (Colour Rail, so copyright, unfortunately) hauled by BR green A4s. All consist of 6 of these cars (sometimes the Hadrian Bar is identifiable) with 2 of the 1928 brakes. No Gresley bogies under any of these. Like one of the earlier posts, I'd love to see these in N Gauge - a pair of brakes to go with the Farish metro-cammells would be great. Or a full rake of 1928 stock behind 60147? Eight vehicles seems to be usual in all-1928 rake stock too, if pictures of 60009 on the Royal Border Bridge, 60081 at Arthington, 60126 at Grantshouse and 60139 at York are typical.

Les, That's probably a Bob Jones kit from the Fence Houses Model Foundry - worth a look at his list of bits and bobs (got some nice parts for a NER buffer stop in 2mm and last I heard he was working on etched signal parts. He supplied the coal rails for my Union Mills locos too, having specially expanded them to suit from his Q6 kit. Regards, Roy

Les, The signal is at Hawthorn Junction, according to the caption on the photo, which seems correct, because on page 16 of the NERA Line Diagram booklet there's a signal in the same shape beside Hawthorn Quarry, slightly to the South of the line from the Quarry. Regards, Roy

Les, Fair enough - I'm happy with any version for mine - there were even D type tenders at 51C - and certainly minimising the tooling requirements was driving my thoughts anyway. I guess we all just want DJM to have best possible chance of success (with this loco in particular). Some 35-40 years ago I remember seeing someone running a scratchbuilt N gauge Q6 on a layout at Newcastle MRE - in the days when it was held in the Guildhall, I think. Wanted one ever since. Regards, Roy

Les, Thanks, but the question really is - is the debate over on details and does DJM want more input? Regards, Roy

Les, Sorry - I wasn't looking for a response on the locos chosen, as such - simply following up a conversation I had with Dave at a meeting he addressed in Bournmoor. And, sorry to disagree - your maths are right, but, for some reason, the difference between A and B is very visible to me - for A, the top of the coal rails is level with the top of the cab side windows, whereas for B the top of the coal rails is level with the bottom of the cab roof - that's the sort of compromise I have to accept with other manufacturers, but I had the impression that it wouldn't do for DJM. I'll add a couple of cropped pics to show what I mean. Note too that whilst I have a pre-order for a N Gauge model, I intend my comments for any scale - this difference will be very apparent in OO. I have no particular tender preference, apart from an aversion to type D with the abrupt end to the rails, and lots of locos to choose from at 51C. The tender produced in greatest numbers was type E (70 of 120 of class Q6), but, because of swapping, many of these ended with Class C7, D49 and J39 - wonder if DJM might fancy an Atlantic? I'm trying to give DJM the information to inform tooling decisions, which will give the widest possible appeal to the enthusiast - if he should want, in future, to produce an authentic NER-liveried T2 (aka Q6), the the type B tender won't do. I'd planned to go on and give this treatment to loco details. I thought I'd seen this sort of discussion around the CAD drawings for the J94 too? Regards, Roy PS I'm a member of NELPG and I'm trying to find whether there's a maker's plate on the tender at Grosmont. PPS with so much of development to come, I'd thought that discussion would be helpful - if this is already "bolted down", I'll say no more.

Les, The Covhops are lovely - I got 10 from Durham Trains. I hadn't seriously thought about sound, though I've got a number of digital recordings of steam - now I'll have to consider. On the signal front, I wonder what you'll make of this photo from the Time Capsules website - free to download, so I don't think I'm breaking any copyright, plus it's a Chris Davies picture and it was Chris (now much missed, sadly) who directed me to the site in the first place as a source of free digital images. I don't remember this signal, though I must have passed it many times. Regards, Roy