doilum

You are blessed in that Bickershaw is a very photographed colliery and will give a good feel for the Lancashire coalfield. The loss of knowledge is a real problem. So pleased that a trip to God's own county proved helpful. Now, back to the "Hornby" pithead. How many people can describe and explain the structure in less than 50 words?

I knew I had seen it before!! Powsides catalogue 0502. Sidedoor only.

I thought it unlikely too. End door /shipping wagons were mainly used to deliver coal to the bulk handling ports like Goole. They were commonly used as internal wagons at those coal mines with river / canal side loading staithes. As originally suggested, perhaps a case of Bachman applying an attractive livery to a standard moulding. Unless anyone knows differently.

They sound like a coal merchant, who would order a simple side door wagon. It could have been a leased wagon, or did they have a contract to deliver coal to the steam ships? If so, how was coal transfered on to steam fishing boats? Someone out there will know!!

Just a cheeky question Who were Andersons of Whitstable? And why did they have shipping wagons? Great weathering anyway

Great prototype. One wall stone t'other in brick. That should get certain exhibition visitors tongues wagging. I feel a challenge coming on: best loco shed made entirely from the scrap box??

A good study in alternative hand /foot holds.

Try a google image search "Wheldale colliery locomotives" " Hunslet locomotive Beatrice Ackton Hall."

Another useful resource. "The Leeds,Castleford and Pontefract Junction Railway-Ledston Branch" by the late Ron Rockett. Lots of colliery related photos, especially the insides of workshops.

Sorry for the double post. I have just discovered a new toy. Te link to the National Library of Scotland collection of maps. Ow all I need is a photo of the trains serving the tar and bricquette works in Loscoe West Yorkshire. I ain't holding my breath.

The line served the open cast loading point at Bowers Row. There is a photo of 56083 wading through the weeds on September 17th 1987 with a full run of MGR wagons. For those interested, "The Leeds,Castleford and Pontefract Junction Railway-The Ledston Branch" by the late Ron Rockett. The line served the open cast loading point at Bowers Row. There is a photo of 56083 wading through the weeds on September 17th 1987 with a full run of MGR wagons. For those interested, "The Leeds,Castleford and Pontefract Junction Railway-The Ledston Branch" by the late Ron Rockett.

Late fathers second Viva had Girling brakes on one side of the rear axle, and Lockheed on the other. Had to buy both types of shoes.

Perhaps the oil crisis of 1973/4 helped to justify keeping a steam loco or two as a strategic reserve. What did for them in the end was the abandonment of internal railways as coal was delivered by conveyor to the MGR rapid loader. Fortunately by this time there was a demand from preservation railways so many were saved. S134 later known as Wheldale, was the last locomotive to be fully rebuilt at the area workshops at Allerton Bywater in 1973. It then went across the road to the colliery and was mothballed in the back of the wagon repair shop. It remained there until brought out to appear in a BBC childrens film in 1978/9. Once filming ended it returned to store until it was sent over the river to Wheldale to undertake tests for the Hunslet company in 1981/2. Those with long memories remember this as a very cold winter and steam locos didn't suffer from frozen diesel tanks.

My late father had a similar story about his first Vauxhall Viva and the pub. He had got almost home when he noticed an umbrella on the back seat. Since he didn't own an umbrella, he took the car back to the pub just in time to see another person getting out of his car. Keys were exchanged and they went their ways home. I also had three slightly older friends who owned a corsair and two cortinas. All keys interchngeable......

Loved my PLA/NCB so much, I cloned a sister!

I could probably think of a hundred relevant stories, tight budgets are not one of them. Where budgets were tight and an individual colliery could not afford the transport to area workshops and the ensuing bill, their own workforce was considered as a resourceful and cost free resource. Towards the end, steam locos were retained on "standby" or kept mothballed on the whim of an individual manager.

Was looking earlier at Vulcan a 1902 O class that survived at Ackton Hall until 1969. Could these wheels be 3'2" Peckett wheels?

The Backtrack may be May 2009

Time for people to be grateful that this very difficult prototype will be available RTR. How many, like me took over twenty years to get their Slaters K class to this state. If the demand is there, someone will come up with a package of alternative parts, but they are easily fabricated from scratch. The key is research. There have been many good articles over the years. Model RAilway Journal # 8&12 Railway Modeller April, July &August 1974 Model Railways April 1975 January 1976 Backtrack. Big article on Manning Wardle, but sadly my photocopy is undated. Be warned, these little engines are addictive. If their mechanism wasn't so tricky to scratch build I might have never got into Hunslets!

In this game, every thou counts. The secret is not to focus on one component, but to look synoptically at the whole mechanism. Slimming a thou of each face usually works better than taking three from one of them.

Not quite prototype, but you can file the end of rod so that the bush is flush. This was the only way to get 82004 to work, and that is in 7mm!

Strength is not the issue. I am a huge fan of OSB in construction , but it is very difficult to cut with the precision needed for layouts. Edges remain rough and flaky, and accurate locating holes all but impossible. Huge amounts of filler needed for a half decent finish. It has also shot up in price inthe last year. Now no cheaper than budget ply. No doubt someone will prove me wrong!

Which is what led me to the template. Once the coupling rod holes have been opened up they have lost that precision. Many years ago, I invested in John Ahern's classic book and soldered frames together before drilling. I still have the twisted wreckage. It took thirty years to gather the confidence to return to scratch building frames. Each has to find their own preferred method by absorbing other people's ideas. My scratch building tally stands at five chassis, including two pairs of same class locomotives. One refinement is to leave the frame blanks over length, drill 1mm location holes in the diagonal corners and then drill a 4mm hole close to each end. The frames can then be fastened down with a small wood screw.

All ad hoc arrangements at individual collieries. Whilst some locos went back to Hunslet for rebuilding, others were reconstructed at area workshops and even fully rebuilt in the colliery yard. When transferred, modifications often did not meet the approval of the chief engineer and were changed in line with his thoughts.

Even more variation on thhe Hudswell Clarkes. Some had the canvas, others a sliding screen and at least one had the apperture welded up.