wessy

If you want an acrylic paint for ease of application, Tamiya 'German Grey' produces a nice darkish colour but not so dark that it sucks all the light into it.

In July 1877 Mary Ann Croft was travelling south on the LNWR mainline from her home near Lancaster. She was with her husband and young son. Approaching Betley Road south of Crewe she changed places with her husband and shortly after was decapitated by a 22'4'' iron channel bar which had been dislodged in a wagon of a passing north bound goods train from Wednesbury. The subsequent enquiry noted that the two wagons of iron channel had been loaded at Wednesbury and the bars were in three layers with the ends of the bars extending over ends of the wagons alternately. They were not chained or roped. There was no suggestion that there was anything wrong with this practice, but rather that more care should have been taken to ensure that the load was packed in a way to prevent movement. Does anyone know when chaining and roping of loads became obligatory?

An alternative to Amazon is ABE books which links to independent book sellers. There is a copy on there at the moment for £35. https://www.abebooks.co.uk. Just put 'Abbotsbury' into the key word search.

Here is another entry received over the weekend, but only being posted now. This is a 7mm scale model of a 'Special Tank' as it would have been in the 1890s. The entry is submitted by Julian Trott (who says he lurks occasionally on RMWeb) and it was built by his late father Steve Ross, from an Eric Underhill kit. Later these were sold by ABS under the 'Zero Zephyrs' label and now seem to be unobtainable.

Ritchie, Take a look at the LNWR Society web site to find out more! www.lnwrs.org.uk

Stephen Kingett has entered the competition with this 3.5" gauge locomotive with joy valve gear and superheater. She is modelled in original 1907 livery with a Whale tender. Stephen has built her over the last eight years.

No, you have not missed something. My post would have been better if point 4 had said '...to be displayed on RMWeb.'

The closing date for the competition is approaching. To give the maximum time for modelling, the competition will close at midnight on Sunday 6 January 2019. Please will all who have entered the competition ensure that by that time they have a single entry on this section of the RMWeb which contains the photographs that they wish to have considered as their 'competition entry'. Although the judges are likely to look through all the parts of this forum, the job of choosing the winners will be simplified if you provide the web equivalent of the 'model in the showcase' as seen at exhibitions. To date there are: 1. people who have opened an entry on this forum and have registered with the LNWR Society. Thank you, your entry has been logged and you will be entered in the draw for a Gerald Broom print, 2. people who have opened an entry on this forum but have not registered. Unless you register, you are missing the chance to win the print, 3. people who have opened an entry on this forum, but have not yet shown a model. You have just over a week! 4. people who have registered but have not opened an entry to show their models or contacted me to arrange for them to be displayed. The registration email address is lnwr-competition@lnwrs.org.uk

And finally, here are the locomotives which Mike uses on the Tar works layout. The special tank is built from a Zero Zephyrs kit. The reference for this model is to be found in Ted Talbot's book on LNWR engines (page 41, plate 80). the loco was originally 2098 but was renumbered in the duplicate series as 3217 and scrapped in July 1925 without receiving its allocated LMS number. The crane tank is built from a Gladiator kit modified to take the correct wheels, with extended roof, cab and tarpaulin covers. The G class 0-8-0 is from a David Andrews kit, with working inside valve gear by Laurie Griffin which was modified to fit in the fine scale frames.

The ground frame, hut and signal at the Tar works. The levers have LNWR loop handles, and the ground signal works as appropriate to the single point. The hut is from a Skytrex kit, suitably furnished and lit.

More from Mike Perry's layout. The bridge is scratch built with a foamboard structure, plasticard brick work and Das stonework. It includes the jack arches and smoke deflectors. It is based on an LNWR bridge near Nuneaton.

Mike Perry has sent in some photos of his layout and stock and I said I would post them on here. The first shots are of his micro fine scale 7mm layout with a scenic section of only 4 feet. To be credible it is based on a tar works, just after grouping, and was inspired by Midland Tar Distillers in Oldbury. The engine shed is based on Trench - there are photos in the LMS Engine Sheds Vol 1. The model is built from marine modelers' walnut with the dimensions adjusted to fit the site. Jack Nelson's book (LNWR Portrayed) helped with the dimensions of wooden buildings. The hinges and bolts are from brass wire, tube and strip and are fully working.

Here are some photographs of two entries sent in by Lee Randle. The Claughton is portrayed in the livery of the early 1920's, and the coal tank is a Nuneaton-based example and is in late LNWR condition.

Richard, Tell them about G and piano G at the same time! (I saw this loco' in the flesh' at the LNWR Society open day and Christmas do at Kenilworth yesterday - it is beautifully done.)

Dave, I have in the past, used analogue Cobalt motors and their levers as well and it worked beautifully smoothly. My main issues were that it seems a complicated (and pricy) way of moving a pair of switchblades and changing the polarity of a crossing. One other question - the photos really help to show the baseboard construction, but I can't work out how you connect the ironing board in to the rest...

Dave, I too have been thinking about ways of actuating points on a small layout. Servos were nice and smooth but needed the extra technology, then I looked at turnout motors but it seemed to need a lot of wiring. At the present I have installed the 'Bullfrog' manual system from Fast Tracks in Canada. They have a helpful web site. If you are tempted by them I have found that it isn't worth importing the control rods as they can be obtained from model aircraft shops in this country. You will probably be caught for import duty (I have ordered twice and paid duty once) but they are a very economical and efficient way of operating.

So if the Type 5 box was opened in 1915, the painting of the King in the box should be George V! I believe that the chevron painting on levers was an LMS innovation in the 1930s and certainly the other 'odd' levers such as gate locks and scotch block levers were painted blue /black in the LNWR spec. The track plan I have for Beeston shows lever 15 as a shunt from loop to up main, and doesn't show any facing points at all. So perhaps all in all, it would be best to have the model as another place. It doesn't have to be anonymous - 'Nelson Street' could make a reference to the source of the inspiration!

Here is a photo of an LNWR box with the name shown. There was no separate nameboard as the letters were screwed on to the timber at the front of the box. As for the size, it does not seem to have survived but can be estimated from the photo and the ghost image on the Edge Hill photo.

Although the station was known as Beeston Castle and Tarporley, the box, certainly in LNWR days , was just 'Beeston Castle' as recorded in the list of block posts in the 1909 working timetable. The lever frame had 25 levers. According to the Chester - Crewe section of the John Swift track plans produced by the Signalling Record Society, they were allocated as follows in BR days, and probably in earlier periods as well. Working (and numbered) from the left they were: (The LNW painting specification for 1881 is in brackets) 1 distant (green) 3 stop signals (red) 1 detonator placer (not specified , possibly top blue, bottom black) 1 spare (not specified) 2 stop signals (red) 6 points (black) 2 stop signals (red) 1 point (black) 1 signal (red) 2 points (black) 1 signal (red) 1 detonator placer (see above) 2 signals (red) 1 distant (green).

Tricky, There are a couple of brief references to the painting in Foster's signalling book (they are in the index) and there is also a reference in the LNWR liveries book. The letters for the name were screwed on to the front of the box on the board just above the brickwork, never on the end in LNW days. They were painted white on a red background panel which was specified as the same colour as signals. From about 1900, the red panel had semi-circular ends.

Hello relaxinghobby, Yes it does count as it was built by the LNWR, even if it is now used by someone else. We want to send every registered entry a selection of colourised photographs from the Society's collection, so if you contact me via lnwr-competition@lnwrs.org.uk and include the following information: your name your RMWeb name your address - all logged entries will be put into a draw for a Gerald Broom LNWR print, so we need to know where to send it a short description/title of the entry the category it is entered in the period being modelled you will get some, which have been designed for use as screensavers. Good luck in the competition.

The Foster book on signalling adds a lot of detail. The type 5 box was introduced in 1904, the main differences from the type 4 being larger windows (all sliding) and overhanging roofs. I think that type 4 was the most common during the life of the company, as they were built from the 1876. They were used for new sites and also replaced earlier boxes if they did not have enough accommodation for the requirements of the developing track layouts and increasingly complex signalling needs. However, the type 5 was not rare, particularly where extra lines or revised signalling took place - there were several along the north Wales coast line which reflected the extensive quadrupling of the Holyhead main line in the early years of the 20th century.

It's taken longer than we anticipated, but the registration arrangements are now operational. If you intend to put in a competition entry please register it using the following e-mail. lnwr-competition@lnwrs.org.uk When you send your email, please include the following information: your name your RMWeb name your address - all logged entries will be put into a draw for a Gerald Broom LNWR print, so we need to know where to send it a short description/title of the entry the category it is entered in the period being modelled whether the entry is for this year's (ending Jan 2019) competition or next year's. We appreciate that your model of the north end of Crewe station in Scale7 will take a little longer.

Chris, Thank you. I too am attracted by the ability to retain 3-links while being able to keep the hand of God and his uncoupling pole away. I will have a go with them, and if I find a solution to the fixed coupling problem, I will post something on here.

Chris, As I am about to try out the Lincs coupling system, could you say why you have found them unsuccessful? I have some concern about the lack of remote uncoupling - is that an issue for you?