Duncan.

Next Shirebrook Running Day. Hi, I am planning the next Shirebrook running day. I am based in Keighley, West Yorkshire. I have two possible dates, Saturday 20th November and Saturday 27th November. Numbers are limited please let me know by PM dates that you are able to attend. Only one of these dates will be the next running day. Your early replies will help me to plan which of these dates to use. As is usual in these times fully covid 19 vaccinated attendees only (unless you are exempt). We will provide snacks and drinks throughout the day. Please give an estimated time of arrival. Why not combine your visit with a trip on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway? (only available 20.11.21) Below: Low evening sunlight streams across the depot apron Cheers Duncan

Hi, Mercig are gradually introducing roof grilles and fans for many loco types. I can spply you etched footsteps and the deeper cab window frames found on scottish class 20s. I have designed the window frames so they can be finished open or closed. Cheers Duncan

Hi Simon, Lots of nice work well done. I too have a 4F, and like you I don't like the moulded coal load it's horrid. What did you get from N brass to improve your tender? Cheers Duncan

Hi, It struck me as we were putting the layout away just how much wiring there is on Shirebrook. Here is the simplest layout board. It is the centre section of the hidden sidings-just 16 straight tracks... and a few isolating and auto stop sections... and the wiring underneath... umn... Cheers Duncan

My apologies... it's an age thing. I think I should have mentioned Graham Hedges too, as you know he makes great N scale buildings too. I am correct in thinking you come from Brighton... I started off in Hastings. Cheers Duncan

I think the closest the layout will be to you is Fareham. With all the continuing postponements I'm not sure when we are due to attend... otherwise you'll have to come to Pickering next August or Wigan next October... Cheers Duncan

It did Simon, check the tread for some photos. Cheers Duncan

Hi, Here are some more photos from our running day. It was only the second time in 18 months we have had the pleasure of operating the layout, we very much enjoyed it. Sorry I feeling lazy so please make up your own captions for the photos below. You can post them on this thread, sorry no prizes for the best ones! This is a shot of the Dapol HST-P flashing past the depot! Mark brought this along for a test and running in session. I have to agree with him ,it is a fine looking model. Cheers Duncan

Hi, My favourite photograph from yesterday. I have to post by itself due to the file size. 44010 Tryfan passes Shirebrook with a rake of Class B tanks on a cold afternoon in late November under a tumbling sky threatening heavy weather.. Yeah I know it is slightly out of period with the 56's in the back ground, but It sort of feels OK for the location. Cheers Duncan PS More photos to follow

A little Saturday night teaser... Old meets new, well 1920 meets 1985 I purchased a MR 4F to pull my rake of Mathieson 7 plank wagons. I am very fond of these wagons so much better than the Farish or Peco offerings. They have a correct wb of 9ft and very thin sides and ends.

Shirebrook Running Day 25.09.21 Hi, Here are some photos from today's operating session. Our limited numbers were further reduced by the 'fuel crisis' which prevented some of our guests attending. The nights are drawing in now.... an evening view of Shirebrook depot. Locos are beginning to return from their day's work before the night shift begins with fresh crews. Earlier in the afternoon 56047 heads a Sherwood colliery to West Burton MGR service under Wood Lane overbridge Mark and Norman were kept busy during the operating session. Thanks gents for your help. There will be many more photos to follow- some may surprise you but for now I have the layout to pack away!

Hi Simon, I really like the work worn condition of the 4F Cheers Duncan

Hi Ian, I have 3 more class 20's to convert 20120, 20032 and would you believe 20028. I modelled 20028 in its Bedale incarnation (please see pages 31 and 32 of this thread above). At the time I was very aware that it should have deeper cab side windows. Now I have the etches I will convert 20028 next. I am going to make the etches available to purchase if you want to do yours. As to your comment about 'my approval' perhaps my remarks were clumsy but I do believe that the modeller should endeavor to make the model his or her own. I have noticed over the years that with increasingly more accurate models available from the manufacturers there is perhaps a reduced appetite to make something ourselves. Perhaps, also. there is a larger proportion of N gauge layouts that have no scratch built items compared to larger scales. I would encourage N gauge modellers to be more adventurous. Andy Gill of Kensington Olympia for example has made so may fantastic buildings he should be an inspiration to us all. Cheers Duncan

20101 Ready for service. Here a couple of photos of 20101, now ready for service on Shirebrook. Please note I have modified the standard Farish offering to a Scottish Region 20, with the deeper cabside windows, recess below the windows that used to house the token catching equipment, replacement roof radiator fan and grille (from Mercig Studios), etched steps below cab end and a general weathering. It is running day on Saturday so I hope to get some photos of the loco on the layout. Cheers Duncan

Hi Simon, I find layouts where the rolling stock has been changed from 'out of the box' so much more interesting. It is testament to the modeller, anyway isn't 'making a model' supposed to be our hobby? I am not impressed by a collection of items, no matter how large, taken straight from the box and put on a an over complex and unreal track layout, as that is just a display of wealth not skill. Cheers Duncan

Thanks Simon. I'm really pleased with them. I will complete instructions for fitting and get the 'on the market'. I have also made etched wind screen wipers for 56s and 58s, much finer than the plastic ones as supplied with the models. Cheers Duncan

New Class 'Mac' 20 Project The class 20s originally destined for use in Scotland were built to accommodate tablet catching equipment beneth thre cab side windows. Deeper cabside windows were also incorporated. The Farish models are the standard loco without these features. During the lives of the 20s all the tablet catching equipment recesses were plated over but the deeper cabside windows remained. I have wanted to modify my class 20s where the prototype had the deeper windows. I have drawn up an etch to make this modification to the Farish model. So with 20101 I have included the recesses and the deeper windows. I have designed the etches so the cab side windows can be shown in the closed and any degree of open positions. I have also made some etches for finer replacement footsteps. I have made two versions of the window etches as shown below. All etches are in 0.2mm nickel silver for strength I will be selling these once I have devised instructions and fitting guidelines. Cheers Duncan

Sure Steven, I hope to have another in early November if you can't make this running day.

Hi Nick, You have made some very nice additions. The layout is getting a good atmosphere which certainly reflects the 'real' location. I hope to achieve similar for Shirebrook. Cheers Duncan

Dave I have lots of the transfers you need would you like me to drop some in the post for you? Cheers Duncan

Thank you both for your support! I think I have one or perhaps two vintage german beer wagons, I'll run those round as a thank you to the German section of the Shirebrook Appreciation Society! Look out for the photos! Best wishes for the safe arrival of your new baby Dave. Cheers Duncan

That's a pity Andy. You could have had a play too!

Greetings to you all. We hope you are all keeping well. Regular readers of the Shirebrook Thread will know that we hold running days, well we used to until covid-19! We are planning a running day on Saturday 25th September. Please request a place if you want to attend by answering this posting or via a PM. We are located in Keighley so you may want to spend the morning with us and then go on to visit the Worth Valley Railway. Numbers will be limited places will be offered on a first come basis. The layout will be available from 9.30 am until about 18.00. This will enable you to drop in if you don't want to be around other people for too long. We will provide snacks and drinks all day. Please bring along any models you require test running or would just like to show others, kits would be great to see if you have built any during the lockdown periods. Please let us know asap if you would like to come along and your approximate eta, for example Morning, Middle of the day or Afternoon we will confirm if there is space for you. Hand sanitiser will be available and mask wearing will be optional. Entry to the day will be limited to those who are double vaccinated. We look forward to seeing you and playing trains! Regards Janet and Duncan

I normally avoid these sort of discussions and prefer to see what is actually announced. In yesterdays OO class 47 anouncement one of the presenters did say 'its what our cuslomers have been asking for/ demanding'. This customer expectation along with the general raising of standards from other manudactures such as Accurascale has probably forced Bachmann to raise its own game in response, result customer is the winner. Therefore @Bomag I have to disagree with your remark 'anything would be an improvement', I think we (N gauge modellers) should be making the same demands for better models and not praising those which really are not so good. I know that I along with many others felt that the MK2 air conditioned coaches were a retrograde step from the BR Mk 1 examples and the EFE class 17 loco did not correct any of the school boy errors in original design, giving a too high bufferbeam and too high central cab. If as in some quarters these models are high praised surely the signal being sent back to Bachmann is that we do not need to increase investment in new or better tooling as the customer is perfectly happy with what we have made to date inaccurate (in the case of the class 17) and lacking the possibility of close coupling or installation of a light bar (in the case of the MK2s). As in OO we have some manufactures improving standards, Revolution and Sonic for example. If we are collectively critical of new models instead of just accepting whatever is presented, together with the raised standards from other manufacturers I remain hopeful that we may well see improved models in N from Farish too. As a footnote, during my time as Trade Liaison Officer for the NGS I visited the factory at Poole where I had a full tour of the site and a long discussion with the designers and Peter Farish about new product. I was asked at one point if 'a millimeter here or there mattered? So that's 6 inches in the real world (OK nearly 6) imagine looking at differnt examples of the prototype (perhaps a class 47) and the wheels were made 6inch larger or smaller, or the front cab windows were made 6inch deeper on one of the prototypes... would you notice the locos looked different from each other? My answer, by the way, was 'it is no more difficult to get it right as it is wrong' Let's see what today brings.

More on Project Class 20 20137 Hi, Here's some more photos of 20137, now with the large BR 'arrows' added. I have placed it next to a couple of 20's that are only renumbered and weathered for a friend. You can see the amount of fading 20137 has by comparison. Cheers Duncan