chris45lsw

Yes Nick Holliday's surmise is correct - the building of suburban EMUs took up so many thirds that there weren't any to spare for the IoW, hence the rebuilding of brake thirds. Chris KT

I presume you mean C66/C75 (C65 was a TK). Although they had the same linear dimensions, C75 had deeper windows than C66 so I imagine the Comet sides represent one or the other whatever 'it says on the tin'! Chris KT

I believe they are currently at the Drawing Office stage so a ways to go. CKT

Hornby's 57ft bow ends came out in 1927/29 and the S. Wales 5-sets in the same style in 1928/29 plus two 'B' sets. Preceding them in 1925/26 were 57ft bow ends (mainly 4-sets) on 9ft fish belly bogies. Following them in 1930-32 were 60ft bow ends with recesses behind the door handles but still on 7ft bogies (as per the Airfix/Hornby 'B' set). In 1933 was one 60ft bow end diagram, ie the E145 'B' set, which ran on 9ft plate bogies. 1934/35 saw the first flat ends since 1924, mainly 57ft but thirds were 55ft 3in. These were on 9ft pressed steel bogies. More similar vehicles followed 1937-1940 but these had deeper windows and a lower waist line compared to preceding stock. BT & BC were 57ft but T was 55ft 3in, C was 59ft 3in and F was 57ft 2in. I've cited length over body corners above; bow ends added 1ft 2.5ins. Chris KT The next non-corridors were the 63ft Hawksworths from 1947 on. Chris KT

Hi Andrew I'll post it tomorrow (Thursday). Chris KT

I did post last night but it seems to have disappeared into the ether! Yes Leleux is wrong - the sketch is on page 274 in the November 1958 MRC. And it's a different wagon to No. 17 above so that's a bonus! ! see that 17 is a 7 plank with end door whereas the wagon in MRC is No. 18 which, as Andrew said, was a 6 plank with no end door, tare wt 5-17-0, (though the brief text describes it as 7 plank, which it patently isn't). I can send a copy if you wish but it would have to be by snail mail as I can't persuade my printer to scan at the moment. Chris KT

Hi Andrew MRC November 1958 page 274. I can't scan at the moment but if no one else can help you I'd be happy to 'snail mail' you a hard copy. Chris KT (chriskthomas@waitrose.com)

Yes, indeed. I had a 'senior' moment yesterday! Chris KT

Yes, as Brian says, there were no all thirds on the 57ft underframe with 7ft bogies. Apart from the 4 car sets - D98/E131/E131/D98 - being modelled by Hornby, there were 5 car sets in the same style for South Wales - D101/E134/C56/E134/D101 - BUT the C56 third was on a 55ft 6in underframe. Chris KT

This has only got 7 compartments as per the old Hornbys, although in the image they look closer together than the actual model. Chris KT

Yes it's a shame that both Rails' and Hornby's are of similar configurations and neither have yet offered any long bunker versions which would suit the IoW etc. Chris KT

And the C56 third is on a 55ft 6in underframe as opposed to 57ft so Hornby couldn't do it without producing a new underframe. Chris KT

Yes, set 978 went to the Hayling Island branch from 1959-1962 - usually running as 2 coaches, BSK and CK. Chris KT

If these are the old Kirk kits, Jason, be aware that they don't have the correct Bulleid profile (ie continuous curve). Chris KT

They were frontline stock when built and certainly appeared in the ACE - there is a video of the ACE leaving Waterloo in SR days with two sets in the formation. Per Mike King by 1947 they were Waterloo-Salisbury and the Bournemouth-Weymouth line. As 64ft 6in stock came on stream they tended to be 'demoted' to main line stopping/semi-fast services. In Nov 1959 963-972 went to the S&D but returned to the SR proper for summer 1960 but from 1961 were allocated to the S&D for longer periods. Chris KT

Well spotted! Perhaps someone should tell them. Chris KT

I hope so too. It's good to see that Hornby are doing both varieties of cab. Shame it's only recently that I acquired a kit which I was going to build as DS1169 - I shan't be doing this now! Chris KT

My red & cream one arrived yesterday and, yes, it does display this slight imperfection. Can't say I'd noticed this until this thread prompted me to look for it. Chris KT

From an engineering practice point of view I would expect the bridge to be made up of short straight girders. And early in the viaduct section of the video I think this can be discerned. On page 101 of 'The North Devon Line' / Nicholas & Reeve / Irwell 2010 is a photo where the effect is very subtle but close inspection shows straight girder sections. Chris KT

To be precise it was by the line (goods only since 1929) from Merton Park (on the Wimbledon - W. Croydon line) to Tooting Goods. Chris KT

What a brilliant conversion, John. Would you care to describe how you did it, sometime? Chris KT

Ivo Peters photographed 40171 at Templecombe on 11 September 1960 in a line of locos in the same spot - plate 92 in 'The S&D in the Sixties, Vol 3. 1960-1962'. He says four - 40098/126/161/171 - were allocated to Templecombe in 1960, but their stay was very brief. He includes no pics of it out on the road which would seem to confirm little, if any, work was done. Chris KT

Hi Jack Wheelbase is 6ft 3in + 6ft 0in + 7ft 3in + 7ft 3in + 8ft 6in. Bogie wheels 3ft 6in (10 spokes); drivers 6ft 7.5in (20 spokes); pony wheel 4ft 0in (12 spokes). I can send you diagrams (not detailed drawings) if you email me. Chris KT

They did indeed start life with flangeless centre drivers. 'Highland Locos' by Peter Tatlow out of M C V Allchin says "some engines were fitted with flanges to the middle wheels...…" but gives no indication as to when. "Some" implies that some stayed flangeless to the end. Chris KT