Metropolitan H

Look carefully and you will see a gate and associated gatepost on the route the train isn't taking. That suggests to me that the train is heading for the branch and Little Muddle - rather than the private siding leading to Encombe Dairy. I hope thats right? Regards Chris H

Beg pardon, but the Atlas turnouts on Gutter Lane - see below - are 27" radius (2ft 3in in real money), as are the smallest radius cxurves. The larger radius curves are 31.5 inch. One day I will get started on the platforms / buildings / bridges / etc - including at least two buses to sit on bridges and maybe a double-deck tramcar! I'm watching this thread with interest to see how well the deliberate shrinking below my tight confines works out? - At least I can get a pacific and three 35cm coaches into each of the "rest of the world" loops and the bay platform! Regards Chris H

Why do we all spend all our time bemoaning the iniquities of commercial concerns that try to make a profit from our desire for a fully detailed finescale model for a fiver? Surely the name of our hobby is model railways and we are supposed to be craftsmen able to make the models that please us to run on our craft built layouts? While I freely admit to delighting in receiving a good new toy, I am always concious of the fact that it is a "Short-cut" to the achievement of a good home made model of my desired prototype. I do get a bit fed up with the expectation of many colleagues who bemoan the lack of detail on and performance of a relatively cheap model (toy) - especially when they have forgotten what a hard place the real railway was to work on. I'll now get me coat and wander off to the pub for a pint of the local small beer. Bye Chris H

I'm a bit surprised that no one has yet mentioned the shining example of spares supply and compatibility practiced by General Motors Electro-Motive Divison (GM-EMD) on their diesel locomotives. You can still by a set of replacement engine components - or other loco parts to maintain the earliest of their locomotives. The parts such as pistons might not be identical to the old ones, but they will fit (and in most cases improve the performance) both the latest engines and the earliest, but you will need to buy a complete matched set. Perhaps why GM-EMD have become one of - if not THE - most successful diesel locomotive suppliers the world over. Regarding r-t-r model trains, a lot of modern Hornby / Bachmann / Heljan / Dapol etc. are fantastically detailed - and some even run nicely for a while till the T9 motor mounts crumble or the mazak (Monkey metal) split-frame chassis parts expand / distort / crumble - but they are definitely much too fragile for use by un-supervised youngsters who then get very disappointed and turn-away from the hobby to the ir tablet screens or other latest fads. However, what is now the "Rail-road" range or equivalent are often in garish colours so putting off "the enthusiast", but at least most of them will work for young children - especially if they have a face and there are doors which open etc. - ! Now I will go back to fixing the diode lights in one of my Darstaed (modern tinplate) Pullman cars - a previous owner obviously fiddled and connected 12+ vdc to the diodes which should be fed by the 3v dc output of the voltage regulator. Then I will get back to making some of my own models or playing with the modern 3- rail, Coarse scale, "0" gauge trains which work - look good and are relatively child-proof. Regards Chris H

Haven't got a photo of Shipston loco shed, but there are the following: Hopefully those pictures will help provide further inspiration. The photographer is long dead. Regards Chris H

Not sure how you judge "Best" from whatever era? Personally I am swayed by a good outline and "Face", along with performance in regard to locomotives, and my yardstick is the Hornby-Dublo of my youth - so for "0" gauge I look for the "Grown-up Hornby-Dublo". In regards to the Modern ACE Trains items, I'm a fan and WJVintage / Raylo with ETS continue to excel - I'm desperate for the ex GNR "Large Atlantics" to work the West Riding Pullman set -and I live in hope of an SR ex LSWR T9, with Urie superheater boiler and water-cart tender - preferably No.120 as running in the late 1950s / early 1960s, real nostalgia for me! Regarding the Hornby "0" gauge offerings, I think the best of the No.2 Special locos was actually the LMS Compound 4-4-0 - but do I want one, No! I'm happy with my GWR County class and would like a reasonably priced LNER D49 - but that is all down to personal whim! but if I was asked what would be my most wanted model it would have to be a Sunset / 3rd Rail SNCF 141R to work with my short train of Electren CIWL coaches! Each to his / her own! Regards Chris H

I shall be closely watching the development of Nearholmer's new "Deliberately Old-Fashioned" railway and looking forward to an invite to go and play. He has started both of his recent "0" gauge layouts and a "00" one since I started my "Gutter Lane" layout, which is still not finished - but slowly plodding on! As spring has sprung - just about, its still a bit fresh for my liking - I took myself to yesterdy evening's meeting of the "Bedfordshire Vintage Train Group", which was well attended and great fun with some interestingly "Deliberately Old-Fashioned" exotica running, including: A very Enterprising conversion to a live-steam 4-4-4T. A slightly smaller and rather marvellous live-steam NLR 4-4-0T by the same builder, which ran very nicely with three bogie coaches. And a Maerklin Midland Railway "Flat-iron" 2-4-4T. Originally clockwork, this has been sensibly and sympathetically converted to electric traction. There was a lot more, so a very good evening. I shall look forward to the next meeting in a couple of months. Regards Chris H

There were a few Foden steam lorries that continued working as tar spraying vehicles - with the "Reading Tar Spraying and Asphalt" (???) right upto the mid-late 1960s as I remember seeing one in Bracknell late 1960s. They survived as they had the steam heat to keep the tar liquid. I also recall there being a pair of plough engines that had been converted to diesel - engine sat with its crankcase in what had been the boiler shell (??) - that were used on a big pond dredging job near Sandy Lane school at a similar period. Regards Chris H (Who lives within a couple of miles of where William Smith invented the steam ploughing system in 1855 - in Milton Keynes - and even closer to his successful demonstration site. Look up Milton Keynes Museum, Stacey Hill, to go see the equipment).

I suspect you are right - Not sure why I thought Le Havre? Mea culpa. What I do remember was leaving Paris St Lazarre after dinner on Friday, changing to the boat very late at night and getting the train through from Newhaven to MK - to be home for a late Saturday breakfast about coffee time! Regards Chris H

But it obscures the view of "North Box"! Regards Chris H P.S - From this angle, I'm still expecting to see the upper parts of Peterborough Cathedral in shot - Grandad used to park just inside the Bishop's Palace garden gate when he went to the football. he also used to be a Signalman at North Box till he got promotion to Crescent circa mid/late 1930s. CH

From the date, country and shape it might be Gossard? I remember them days - when I want cheering up! Regards Chris H

As The Avengers didn't didn't appear till about the time Binns Road closed, that just about lets you consider it modern - but as you are nearing pensionable age, albeit only a wee mite at the time Binns Road shut up shop, whether or not you are old-fashioned might be debated. Personnally I know I am old-fashioned, but I like a lot of modern things - like double glazing, central heating etc. Times past weren't always comfortable for the majority, even if they might at times appear less stressful in retrospect - but that may be rose-tinted! Regards Chris H

But, that was modern about 54+ years back - the late Diana Rigg (born in Doncaster, albeit raised in India) last played a part in The Avengers in 1968, the same year that the last mainline steam ran in normal BR service! So I reckon this is no more anachronistic than Jenny Agutter in the Railway Children appearing occasionally in various posts? Regards Chris H At least there is a real steam loco - as built by David Curwen - in the picture! CH

The latest photo is marvellous - all in focus to well deep under the roof. Well done. Chris H

Regarding the mainlines under the 10001 / 10000 combo on the "Down Main" and under the Black 5 4-6-0 on the "Down Slow", what you see between the running rails are Bushey Water-troughs - the first set out from Euston (approx 15 miles) and about halfway to the first summit at Tring cutting from where it was downhill to the Ouse Valley viaduct just north of Wolverton Station, and the Castlethorpe troughs ready for the next climb. So there is no falsification in the picture. Regards Chris H

As a teenager (pre 1965) we went to / from Bergen on the Norwegian owned boat from Tyne Commision Quay - travelling on "The Norseman" from / to Kings Cross. The outbound voyage was distinctly lively once we got out of the Tyne - but next morning the bit into Bergen was as smooth as silk in bright sunshine. And don't forget the Boat trains to Harwich for the Hook of Holland boats - "The Hook Continental" etc. Finally in the 1980s, I came back overnight from Paris via Le Havre and Newhaven - then home to Milton Keynes on a direct train from the Newhaven Quay, which I think went on to Manchester. Regards Chris H

Thanks for reminding me of the LNWR locos reputation - which almost makes the GWR "Counties" look blameless by comparison - but the LNWR Civil Engineer irrationally (ignorance of the times I suppose?) banned 4-6-0s from those lines. In the same way the Highland Railway "River" class 4-6-0s were blamed for a lot of track damage and sold at an advantageous price to the Caledonian Railway, who were happy with the locos. The replacement locos built for the Highland - the "Clans" (?) - were deemed perfectly satisfactory. However, later investigations when the science of static and full dynamic balancing was further understood the replacement Highland locos were in reality found to damage the track more than the "Rivers". Undoubtably the LNER and later the SR were the ones who got dynamic balancing most right with the three cylinder engines - think of the "Go anywhere" availability of the "West Country" pacifics, but the lack of hammer-blow meant they were very likely to spin their wheels getting away from stations and occasionally at speed with nasty results. Regards Chris H

Following a break for evening meal, I now hope to make a few comments regarding the GWR "County" Class 4-4-0 locos, especially as I have succumbed to the charms (?) of a Hornby GWR County Class 4-4-0 loco – as temptation was well and truly put in my way, egged on by Nearholmer. Hornby obviously chose the GWR “County” class as a prototype, as it was then (circa 1930) the most recent build of GWR 4-4-0 (this was before they built the “Dukedogs”) to work over LNWR lines between Shrewsbury and Hereford etc. – because the LNWR would not accept the GWR preferred “Saint” class 4-6-0 locomotives - or any other 4-6-0 working over those lines. So Churchward stuck the “Saint” front end on a circumcised set of frames with “City” boiler, to produce a LNWR accepted 4-4-0 – that was rough riding and much harder on the track than either a “City” 4-4-0 or “Saint” 4-6-0, but track maintenance was the LNWR’s problem! So, in reality the "County" Class were a non-preferred compromise design, which did the job but wasn't perfect, in the same way as the other Churhward designs (forgetting the "Great Bear" - another less than perfect compromise design to meet the Board's wish for a "Pacific"). Except for the Bulldogs -which were really Mixed Traffic locos, with 5ft 8 in drivers - the bigger 4-4-0s (Cities and Counties) were all gone in the early 1930s, replaced by the Churchward / Collett 4-6-0s. The last of the Bulldogs - 3377 Penzance - built May 1903 as number lasted till March 1951 at Worcester. But if you really want a GWR 4-4-0 in BR colours (Black) it has to be one of the Dukedogs (9000 to 9028) the last of which continued in service till 1960. I'm still a fan. Regards Chris H

Unitended duplication!

Well, as mentioned above, I do have a number of ETS powered GWR 4-4-0 locos: - An ACE "City of Truro" No. 3440, in the fully lined out livery that it wore in the late 1950s when I was taken on a special to Doncaster behind it and MR Compound No.1000 in the full MR livery - and I did see "City of Truro" on a DN&S service train at Winchester Chesil. Regarding the ACE model it is only strictly correct in the fully lined livery for the late 1950s onwards, as it has the chimney and details as the later "superheated and piston valve fitted" version of the City class which post-date the fancy livery carried in preservation - but I like it and it is a pet favourite! - An ACE "Straight Framed" Bulldog No. 3352 "Pendragon" in plain Green with the GWR roundel device on the tender. A very good loco, but it only has one motor clutch so doesn't free-wheel like the later models. But it will pull a very large load for a 4-4-0 as the weighting is very good - a superb mixed-traffic loco. - A "County Class" 4-4-0 No. 3821 "County of Bedford" which started life as a Hornby No.2 Special loco, but came to me as a purchase from the Alan Cliff collection - in a fully rebuilt and repainted condition, with an ETS mechanism and Great Western tender. It is rather smart and very tempting at a very reasonable price - much less than the indicative prices for the proposed ACE re-issues. My only complaints are that it has only one motor, the driving wheels should be larger and it needed a lot more weight in the right place to really match the haulage of the ACE pair - these issues are being addressed, with no changes to the body, purely a mechanism transplant and a new cast lead weight (when the weather if fit for such activities). If I was to complete the set of GWR 4-4-0s, I would also need to find one of the first series of ACE / ETS "Bulldogs" - which have the curved frame outline - and get another of the straight framed "Bulldogs" to convert to a "Dukedog" like 9017 (aka 3217) on the Bluebell Railway which I rember from the Cambrian lines and the Didcot Newbury and Southampton in the 1950s. Alan Cliff once posted pictures of a Dukedog conversion on the old ACE Trains Forum and I am tempted - but I need a reasonably priced donor Bulldog first. Regarding the GWR tenders, I now have 4 of the ETS made versions - 3 seen above, and the Mogul 2-6-0 one. Regarding the softness of the joint between the flare and the sde plates, I think the one on the mogul is not as crisp as the earlier ones - possibly down to a change in metal thickness and / or tooling? Hope the above is of interest. I'm a fan. Regards Chris H

Unintended duplication!

Deleted - Unintended duplication as silly messages when attempting to upload???

I hate to say it, but that sounds plausible - and possibly not the first time! Regards Chris H P.S. - At least you got things running long before I did. I must get on with finishing the lifting flap / track laying / wiring of Gutter Lane and then start on the platforms and rest of the built environment! But I do enjoy running the trains. CH

That ties in with my memory, which clearly remembers not starting on the turntable till after you had got the first trains running through the broom cupboard. Regards CH

My records - with pictures and video by Ted R - show that we had a Clatterbang Train Fest at Chez Nearholmer on 23rd May 2014, when numerous trains circulated - including the Q class, your B-L N class, the ACE 3-SUB (or is it a NOL?) EMU and your first Terrier. Visiting trains were from the Met and GWR. The turntable shown in your film of the Q wasn't delivered till the very beginning of June 2014 - I took its pre-delivery pictures here on 31st May. The awful "Madras Marmalade" grease was removed from the Q class mechanism on 29th June 2014. Hope that helps with the narrative. Regards Chris H