chris45lsw

Becasse took the words out of my mouth! 734 certainly got about; for instance it did at least one stint on the Callington branch, not working in P&P mode. I have a very nice model of this set in lined crimson by 'Northstar Design'. Chris KT

Mink Poll: My votes go to 1, 2 & 3 For 9 my pick would be 2 Chris KT

My votes go to: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 & 11 Chris KT

Oldddudders: I was speaking from memory without checking Gould or the video which I haven't viewed for ages as it's on VHS - I should have said 1946. Basically all the 10.25" window ventilator stock was built in Malachite. Of the 15" vent stock only the 4-sets 80-94 built for the Eastern Section were built malachite; all the rest was delivered in CL&C. Chris KT

Of course you could have a 59ft set AND a 64ft 6in set! I know it's a tad early but I've seen a video of the ACE leaving Waterloo in 1945 behind a MN. The train included a 59ft Bulleid set as well as, incidentally, two Ironclad 2-sets, ie before they were converted to P&P sets. It is considered that about 10% of SR coaches were still Maunsell green in June 1948 (probably with a bias towards older stock). And an official survey in Dec 1954 of Southern Region steam stock showed that 1,409 vehicles were Crimson & Cream, 441 Crimson and 1,561 still Southern Railway Green. As to the 59ft sets I don't believe any were painted crimson & cream before the mid 1950s - some, at least, were not repainted until 1956 and I think some probably went straight from Southern Railway Green to Southern Region Green. Chris KT

My 31574 (and 31731) arrived today. 31731 seemed to be in one piece other than a detached coupling hook but, yes, the same tender buffer of 31574 was loose in the packing. And the tender brake gear fell off when I lifted the tender out of the packing. I re-attached the buffer and when I repacked the loco it promptly came off again! It seems the packing exerts too much pressure on this (only?) buffer. And, of course, the right hand side has the elementary error of the crest facing back when it should face forward. I'm reluctant to touch the finish on a £200 model but I suppose I'll have to change it in due course. In the meantime I'll make sure I keep the left hand side facing me. Chris KT

Bogie wagons: My vote goes to 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. Chris KT

My choices in the container poll are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10. As regards 12, and speaking generally, we need more variety. As I see it there are only three currently available - Bachmann's BR AF and BD and Dapol's B. This, as far as I can see, is BR Diagram 3/049 despite Dapol offering all sorts of liveries except BR! Hornby's vertical planked B (originated by Airfix) seems to be GWR Diag. BK2 and has not been offered for some time. Replica's diagonal planked B would seem to be GWR Diag. BP1 and is also not currently available either. So , in particular, I'd like too see BR A, BM and FM plus a few Company diagrams of both 'A' and 'B' length to add variety. Chris KT

PBV etc Poll: My choices are 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 & 12. 13. My focussed choices are 2, 4 & 7. Chris KT

Hi Graham, There seems to be an error in the Digest! I get 63ft 10in from a) "Pullman Profile No 2 The Standard 'K-Type' Cars" by Antony Ford, which is quoted as a source in the Digest and b) Mike King's drawing of 'Barbara' is 63ft 10in. Interestingly the distance over the corner pillars of the body (excluding the end vestibules) is 57ft 1.5in! Best regards Chris KT

My choices are 3, 4, 5. Focussed choice = 3 Chris KT

Cars 180 to 185, later S7872S to S7877S (not in the same order), were NOT 57ft; they were 63ft 10in like all other 'K' class Pullmans. But they were 8ft 1in wide instead of the usual 8ft 7in so that they could comply with SR Restriction 0 to go down the Hastings line. Chris KT

The six 'Hastings' cars were 63ft 10in over vestibule the same as other 'K' type cars but were 8ft 1in wide instead of the usual 8ft 7in so complying with Restriction 0. 'K' type car 59, 'The Hadrian Bar' in the Tees-Tyne Pullman' from 1948 was replaced by a BR Mark 1 Pullman (car 354) with the same name in 1961. It was then sold to the S. region 23/4/61 and became Buffet Car S7879S in green. Chris KT

My vote goes to 1 to 10 inclusive. For 13, No. 2 For 14, No. 8 Chris KT

As regards the numbers of surviving wooden coal wagons I have a photo of an up coal train passing Elstree Station (MML) in April 1957. In the part of the train in shot 9 coal wagons are steel and 10 are wood. And in the goods yard in the background the ratio is 7 steel / 5 wood. Whether this is 'typical' or not I can't say. My subjective memory from 1961, when my interests first really got broader than just locomotives, was that there were still quite a few wooden ones about. Though, admittedly, I was homing in on them in a sea of 16t steel wagons! Chris KT

I agree that the Bachmann LMS van is awful - in my view a contender for the worst rtr goods vehicle currently available. But in the absence of a new all singing all dancing version (come on Bachmann emulate your excellent LNER vans!) the body of the Dapol (ex Airfix) LMS van is pretty good. Personally I put mine on Bachmann chassis, though fitted vans really need 8 shoe brakes. Unless they're unfitted vans equipped with AVB by BR which kept 4 shoes. Chris KT

Diagram 14-17 were all 9ft wheelbase:- 14 - wood u/f, unfitted 15 - steel u/f, unfitted 16 - wood u/f , AVB 17 - steel u/f, AVB 94 was also a wood u/f, AVB van but with 10ft wb. Many of these were subsequently converted to Fruit vans. My vote goes to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11 Chris KT

Brian, Hornby haven't done an LNER Horse Box but they have done an LMS one. There are older ready to run examples of NPCCS which are capable of simple improvement to make pretty good models, eg:- GWR Hornby (ex Airfix) Siphon G (outside framed) Hornby (ex Airfix) Siphon H Lima Siphon G (inside framed) LMS Lima 42ft GUV Yes, the Thompson Diagram 344 BG is 63ft but the Thompson planked Diag. 327 BG is 61ft 6in. My votes are: 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10. If it wasn't precluded by the rules I'd have voted for 5 and 8 as well! Chris KT

My vote goes to: 1, 3, 9 Chris KT

All the SR 'utility' van family were built to Restriction 0, ie could go anywhere including the Hastings line, ie:- 4 wheel

The green 2-LAV set at the end of the video clip is indeed one of the 'Hornby' sets, 42-46 (Diagram 99 & 418). It will be in re-varnished malachite but with BR numbering. Diag. 98 BTLs (as per Hornby) had 6 compartments and 2 lavatory positions while Diag. 97 BTLs had 7 compts and 1 lavatory. Chris KT

381 is on the Seaton branch (not Sidmouth), at Seaton Junc to be precise. Indeed I travelled in it to Seaton in 1961 as well as 384 to Lymington. Chris KT

Jack, 30581 received its '30581' in 'Sunshine' style in Nov/Dec 1948. And I'm not absolutely sure but I believe it didn't get BR numerals and BR emblem until Feb 1953. Chris KT

I had an identical email this evening - I simply deleted it. Chris KT

A great shame about the elementary blunder of having a rear facing lion on the tender of 31574. The early BR emblem (unlike the later crest) always faced forward. Chris KT