Northroader

The engine is numbered in the 1xxx series, which the NBR used for duplicate numbers of old engines, so it could have had any number of origins. I’m afraid I’ve sold or junked all the information that I had on such things. The signal box is the right sort of size to go with an 0-4-0:

North British. http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/1_edin_t/1_edinburgh_transport_railways_-_saint_leonards_sidings_1959_r1010b.htm

I remember, she used to sing barefoot.

Congratulations and well done, to you and Miss T, it’s a tribute to both of you having the spirit and determination to achieve it, and it is a real achievement. Next time, and I hope there is a next time, try and get your feet better prepared, and just plan around a walk involving stretches with day sacks only, not those bloody great rucksacks. Thanks for sharing the trip with us, with such a full account, and with all the illustrations of what you saw, really enjoyed it.

Keep on ticking the days off on the calendar, just waiting now. Health wise, I seemed to have levelled out, with an awareness that I don’t, and won’t, get back to the energy and stamina I did have, but capable of doing a mile walk on a shopping trip, or odd jobs round the house. The house is fully decluttered (mainly my stuff!) and some rooms have been redecorated, so it went on the market a month ago, and the one viewer we’ve had has made an offer reasonably near what we thought it was worth. In the present house selling national scene, this is very good news, just hope it comes good. (My son in law tried to sell his late mothers house, it took well over a year, and three of the prospective purchasers successively dropped out just before completion, and this was well before Liz Truss was P.M.) The place we intend to move to is on hold, the current occupants can’t move to their new place until a probate check has been completed on it, maybe soon, maybe… Sorry the modelling word hasn’t been mentioned, I’ve just got a pair of old tank wagons on eBay, and the bodies are being titivated up with a craft knife and paint. Otherwise it’s researching for articles, and social contacts on RMweb and other websites, for which I’m really grateful, it’s a marvellous thing to have.

I have to confess to being a bit baffled by the Algeciras scheme ever gaining traction back then, especially for British finance. Gibraltar was quite comfortably linked to Britain by sea, there was never any desire by Spain to help any British improvements, and if you view the nature of the country traversed in the second half of the cab ride I’ve linked, the engineering involved was very costly. I’ve looked up the journey times for the 1920s. You could leave London, say, Monday evening to catch a 10.50 am Tuesday departure from Paris Austerlitz, then by way of Irun and Medina del Campo arrive at Madrid Norte 0915 Wednesday morning. Spend the day kicking around Madrid, then a 21.35 departure from Atocha to get to Algeciras 13.05 Thursday afternoon. Now we’re railway enthusiasts, and would enjoy the journey, but I would suggest most travellers would have lost the will to live by then. Surely most traveller to Gib. would go by ship from a British port? These days there is quite a wad of EU money going into refurbishing the Bobadilla line, with the idea of freight traffic from an improved port at Algeciras.

if the barrels are a resin casting you don’t need too close a fit in the wagon, the resin can expand and contract with temperature change quite a lot.

Ferry Interestink…

I was thinking “why the stepladder?” and following up it looks as if somebody’s on the roof, and there’s a big gap between the ladder and the roof, which would have involved some gymnastics. Enjoy the North country, Stephen, I’m sure the weather will improve soon.

When we decided to move back in March, I was under strict orders from my daughter to “de-clutter” before trying to sell the house, so a lot of books to a dealer, a lot more to interested parties, more models the same way, and a load of layout boards to the council tip. She’s looking after more stuff until we move. It’s the right thing to do, and it might just have succeeded, but I’m still here twiddling my thumbs until it happens.

SAN REMO. Not especially a place for the 0-6-0Ts, although I’m sure you could see them there, but a really pleasant setting for a layout is San Remo, on the Italian Riviera. You will probably have come across the highly useful “Disused Stations” site, with good, well illustrated descriptions and history of railway stations that have shut down. Recently I spotted an Italian place has appeared in this thread, which sets out its shop as a U.K. site, not that I’m complaining, and it is well done and all in English, so…. http://disused-stations.org.uk/s/san_remo/index.shtml

I found the second picture of St. Ives very good, with a whole selection of fish trucks drawn up for loading.

If you regard it as a shared experience which will help form a closer bond with your daughter, I would say it’s been very worth while so far. What now? The area you’ve reached is regarded as the most spectacular, and Housesteads the main centre for artefacts and so on. From what bit I can see, as you progress from here the wall gradually fizzles out as you progress westwards. my view is you spend the rest of the week at somewhere interesting with a B&B on the Northumberland coast, having some paddles in the sea to help your feet mend, and forget about lugging those rucksacks any further. Best wishes, Bob.

Quote from a ruling by Lord Justice Underhill yesterday at the Court of Appeal: ”Many people take pleasure in the experience of sleeping in a tent in open country, typically, though not invariably, as part of a wider experience of walking across country, and perhaps engaging in other open air recreations such as birdwatching, during the day.”

Just for the say so, I was poking round for an Italian branch line, equivalent to the GWR Ashburton branch, say, and one I found is in the North, from a Junction at Busca to a terminus at Dronero, where the flat farmland ends and the hills begin. https://www.regione.piemonte.it/web/sites/default/files/media/documenti/2018-10/busca_dronero.pdf There’s a nice intermediate station at Castelletto di Busca, with a neat little building, and looking like it was worked by a small tank engine way back. It’s afraid it’s now abandoned, although it looks like some group is interested in running it. (wonder if there’s a “Castelletto di Pecora”?)

The branch passenger was a special organised by CFB, but I think it’s sufficiently attractive for rule 1 to apply https://www.cfbonline.it (Now, if I was into HO, I’d rather fancy those six wheel coaches on that site)

You’re right, sorry, having a senior moment!

“Line with no name” isn’t bad either, - just saying.

And the old station at Algeciras was also part of Britain, yes?. https://www.facebook.com/ondaalgecirastv/videos/antigua-estación-de-tren-de-algeciras/344043344439888/

Meanwhile, back in the South Western corner of Spain, I was interested in getting an idea of the kind of railway those old Beyer Peacocks operated on, soo… (can you spare 90 minutes of your life watching a video??)… It’s a nicely shot video of a cab ride south from Bobadilla, a junction with the Malaga - Grenada line, out into sparsely populated country. The main roads have been regraded to pass over the line on bridges, doing away with the busier level crossings, otherwise it’s much as the original. The Northern section is still signalled with disc distants, and u.q. semaphores at the ends of the loops, and neat little country stations with a nice “house” style. There’s rugged hills in the distance, which the railway sensibly stays away from, although you can feel there’s heavy climbing round the shoulders of the rolling countryside. One scenic feature I liked was where the line crossed what seemed to be an old Roman aqueduct. Ronda is the biggest station, but then after about an hours run, the mountains close in, and there’s a winding pass through, followed by a descent which culminates in a run through a canyon with quite heavy engineering. I’m afraid he runs out of tape about then which must be when he reaches the coastal plain. Quite a relaxing ride through a different environment.

ITALIAN 0-6-0Ts AND THEIR USES Well, Rob, I would hope that by now, using the links on this thread for Italian subjects, and your capabilities at producing superb small scenic layouts that can draw people’s attention, you would be very able to find a use for them. I’ve recently given a Rivarrossi 835 to go to @bgman’s old layout, (currently being progressed by @Re6/6 and friends) although it wasn’t in such good shape as yours looks. Trouble with Rivarrossi, they’re damned good runners, they’re old, so they tend to be well worn.

Try this, improve your language skills. and whilst you’re there, spread out a bit and browse, it’s a great website. http://trenesytiempos.blogspot.com/search?q=Algeciras+Bobadilla (Me, I’m off to watch the footy, England v. Denmark!)

ALGECIRAS - BOBADILLA RLY. It looks a nice sunny sort of place….

Very well, then, off you go, but we expect regular posts on here, with pictures of nice pubs and their meals, and any good scenic situations us stay at homes can use as a backscene on a small Northern type layout. Now, on the way to the start, call in at a chemists, get a small pair of sharp scissors, a reel of narrow surgical tape, and a pack containing a hank of chiropodist’s (sheep’s) wool. actually, I’m quite envious of the trip, hope you have a good time. (Like that Lion,too!)

He’ll be going in flip flops, Don, carrying a tent and a sleeping bag, I’ve seen ‘em on the south west coast path. As concerned parishioners we ought to admire his attempts at recapturing lost youth, then put a stop to this tomfoolery, maybe tell him he can’t have a Rapido Lion for Christmas?