Stephenwolsten

After years of research and dithering, today I took the plunge and commissioned Mike Edge of Judith Edge Kits to produce 7mm versions of his Liverpool Overhead Railway spans and rolling stock for me! No turning back now. I have recently been looking at lightweight baseboard designs, including the ply-edged foam beams used by Gordon Gravitt on Arun Quay (MRJ 235) and the use of dense insulation foam boards.

I am seeking 7mm finescale kit-built locomotives as used on Liverpool's MDHB lines. Also any 7mm Liverpool Overhead Railway items.

If you are interested in Liverpool dock railways, I have a Pinterest Board of prototype pictures for inspiration. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/stephenwolstenh/inspiration-for-atlantic-dock-7mm-scale-diorama-of/

Please see my Pinterest Board on Overhead/Elevated Railways. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/stephenwolstenh/overheadelevated-railways/

Please see also the Engine Shed Society's web site www.engineshedsociety.co.uk

Event at Kidderminster Railway Museum for information: 16th March 2019 Film Show - Never Again - Tales from the Master Neverers with members of the MNA Towards to end of steam, a number of young men covered steam workings wherever they could with their cameras in the search of that elusive 'master shot'. In order to get this, they travelled widely in the country, visited engine sheds, sometimes in the early hours of the morning and sometimes clandestinely and cleaned engines which they knew were working the following day and which they wanted to photograph. They would then leave notes for the crew as to where they might be photographing, sometimes with a ten bob note attached, and requested a little more smoke for a better effect. They often travelled on footplates if possible, took reels and reels of film, both 35mm and medium size format, and even now they still hold reunions at Ribblehead each year to coincide with the Fifteen Guinea special date of 11th August 1968, the very last steam working by BR. They became legends in the train enthusiast world and were known as the MNA, or Master Neverers' Association. Although they were a product of the fifties and sixties and lived life to the full (usually cars and beer and trains, but not necessarily in that order) they are of course now respected pillars of society, and have recently pooled their memories to produce a four volume set of books about their exploits and showing some of their finest collective work from 50 plus years ago. The book sold out within weeks before Christmas, but we are going to have the chance to hear about some of their exploits and see some of their photographs. We are privileged that this is their first ever public outing and it should be a most entertaining evening as they enlighten us as to what the Master Neverers did all those years ago in the pursuit of their 'master shot'. The show starts at 7.30pm and goes on till about 10pm.

Thanks for the tip about daylight viewing. It helps a bit but shouldn't really be necessary. Odd that b/w printing has gone backwards.

The Manchester Ship Canal Railway had a coach for distributing pay packets to staff.

Avoiding the brownish tinge (sadly found in the MNA books) is vital, however long it takes. I just hope that when David and Colin are satisfied the printer can replicate what they approve. Fingers crossed...........

Oh dear! An enormous amount of work had gone into this set of books. The pictures and text are great. Sadly, my enjoyment has been ruined by the brownish/sepia tinge to the b/w shots. No real black, and some variability. I do hope David P and Colin G solve this problem before Colin Gifford's book is published. They, and I, would be heartbroken if they had the MNA result - please see the the Transitions thread for a technical discussion.

Mine arrived today. Warning - heavy parcel if you have to collect it! Not allowed to peep before Christmas.......

I will have to wait until Christmas Day..........

David's email to buyers explains the problem and illustrates it with dreadful 'sepia' proofs. They are diabolical proofs, and a mystery given all the effort expended. There is no way that the publisher and author could have authorised printing on this basis.

Cockerill Sambre - Please see these inspiring layout pictures. www.flickr.com/photos/floris_dilz/albums/72157653375997370

My particular interest is Merseyside steam sheds and 7mm modelling. I was delighted to see your Bank Hall images. Where did you get the MPD plan/elevation shown in the background of some photos please? I have lots of shed scenes if you are interested in any particular details of Bank Hall or elsewhere. Thanks. Stephen Wolstenholme Engine Shed Society, Archivist

The book is still on course for delivery to KRM on 5 December.

There is only one image of Leith Central in the Engine Shed Soc. archive. It's online on our website, in the Archive section, listed alphabetically in the Chris Bush collection. It shows a railbus in 1965 plus dmu. Regards Engine Shed Society Archivist

Please note that Colin Gifford's public talk to the Stevenage Railway Soc in December has been deferred to 2019.

Service from Kelsey delivering Part 4 was great, as usual. Part 4 looks particularly good in terms of reproduction of the photographs. Thanks for your work on this series.

I will start searching based on your helpful list. What is your deadline please? Stephen Wolstenholme Archivist, Engine Shed Society

Please see this link for details of bales: http://www.indicaa.com/site/fs_baled_scrap.php

What sources were used for this book please, and how accurate is it? This is a notoriously difficult subject and it is easy for errors to creep in or be perpetuated. Thanks.

Colin Gifford's book 'Transitions' deals with this period and should be available by Christmas. There is a separate thread about this book.

Here is an update from SVR: 'Transition' update I am sorry it has taken so long to get in touch with you about the 'Transition' book, but I just want to update you as to where we are, as there has been a lot of behind the scenes work taking place between ourselves and the printer. I apologise if this is a bit impersonal to those who have written specifically, but I will get round to responding to you all individually at some point soon. However, this is a general update in advance of that bearing in mind that there are a few hundred of you to keep up to date. For the last few weeks we have been trying to establish why it is that the print quality has not been what both Colin and I wanted from the job. I am sure you will agree that the photographs which Colin took deserve the very best in terms of reproduction and I for one regard this very much more as a fine art book than a railway book. For this reason I was looking for something which modern printing methods find difficult to achieve bearing in mind the trend towards four colour printing rather than the single colour printing of the past. So for the last few weeks I have been doing trials with various settings of pdfs and print quality, sending them off to the printer for proofs and looking at the results. I have got the original scans from Colin's negatives and having spent so much time with him getting all the nuances right regarding what we want out of the photograph, it is essential that the final printed book reflects that. It has taken a long time to do, but I do believe we have now finally got to the stage where the results of all the trial work has shown the photographs to their best, and I hope when you see the end product that you will agree that the unfortunate wait has been worth it for the quality of the book. I am still waiting for a definite date for the delivery of the books, and as soon as I do get it I shall forward it on to you. However, the printer will have on Monday morning (1st October) a new pdf which incorporates all the trial results to give us the best quality, and it is just then a case of the book going through the whole process to completion within a programme the printer can do. I will be very disappointed if we cannot get the book delivered before the end of October, and I hope it will be before then, but I will let you know as soon as I know. On a purely administrative note, some of you have already paid for this book, and I am very grateful for your patience so far. However, if any of you are worried about the time it is taking to produce this book, which should have been launched on 4th August, and your patience has run out, then I will, if you so wish, willingly refund you the money you have already paid. Those who paid by cheque, I will return those if you require, as I have not cashed any of the cheques, nor will I do so until we actually receive the books and we send them out to you. However, I do hope that you will be willing to wait just a little while longer. Once again, many thanks for your patience and I know that this will now be a worthy addition to the list of Colin's books – a frustrating wait for all of us, but now within sight. Best Wishes David Postle Kidderminster Railway Museum

Please the Engine Shed Society photo archive: https://www.engineshedsociety.co.uk/membership-benefits/ess-archive