edward66

Hi Jamie, I was born in 1942 and travelled on the electric train to Morecambe with Mum several times in the 40s. I am pretty certain there were wooden slat seats but of course I don't know if that was on all the units. Do you know if this was the case or is my memory failing me? Edward

For some inexplicable reason one of the Johnson condenser 3F tanks arrived in Lancaster about 1951 or 52 from one of the London sheds [14A or 14B I think]. Pretty soon its condenser equipment was removed and it remained at Lancaster for some years latterly as shed pilot. I was interested to see it appears on the shed basher's list at 27E in 1957. It remained in service into the sixties and was the last of those locos. to survive. Edward

Hi Jamie, pity you don't have more room to go in an easterly direction with the layout, after passing LCWW there is the complex that was Lansil, a pioneer manufacturer of rayon from cotton then the Lancaster Power station, coal fired, which had a fireless locomotive, "Lancaster No. 1" to move coal wagons to the lift which took them up and tipped them into a large hopper. Next to that was a high embankment carrying the Preston to Kendal canal over the Lune on what is considered to be one of Britain's finest bridges, the Lune aquaduct designed by John Rennie and east of the embankment were the sidings that held the coal wagons then Nelson's acetate, another manufacturer of cellulose acetate. You would need a heck of a big room to hold that in "O" gauge! A lot of it dates from the 30s which is the wrong era for you anyway. Edward

Hi Jamie, I think you've got a bit of Lancaster history wrong [or I'm wrong!] The shell filling factory was previously Lancaster carriage and wagon works, one of their coaches from 1865 still survives on the Talyllyn Railway. I am not sure if L.C.W.W. owned the whole block, it is probably getting on for a quarter mile long, it became Standfast Dyers and Printers and is still going. Waring and Gillows factory was across Parliament Street from Green Ayre and just a little bit west, my Uncle served his time as a cabinet maker there. During WWII they made parts for the wooden Mosquito fighter/bomber. The factory closed around 1960-63 and became the embryonic Lancaster University in 1964 until the present site south of Lancaster was developed. There was, and indeed still is a private house close by the southern end of the footbridge you are using as your scenic break. I am following your project with interest, can't wait to see the finished article! Edward

I remember a Lancaster City Transport double decker loosing its roof to the bridge in Jamie's photo. It was a long time ago but I seem to remember it was empty so nobody lost their head! Edward

Well I'm blowed, I've lived a mile from this railway most of my life and I had no idea such a wonderful railway [and garden]existed! Not quite true, I have spotted track behind the front gate but never got round to approaching the owner to chat about it. It was Miss Heywood's house when I was a lad. What a splendid achievement! Edward

The cottage is now cleared, just a concrete slab remains and shiny new fencing is being erected, looks like the little storage area for track stuff is being extended. Edward

Hi David, Just like to add my appreciation for this wonderful collection, I was an avid "spotter" in the 1950s but unfortunately not a photographer. It's a good thing that your Dad and others like him were and preserved these images, great that they are of everyday events and locomotives not just main line locos on passenger turns. I would echo what many others have said about publishing some of them especially as many are not just locomotives but the loco men, track gangs etc. Thank you for sharing them with us. Edward

Hi Jamie, The bridge was painted with that grey paint with a kind of silvery sheen to it, rather coarse and grainy, common on bridges etc. The building to the east was a shell filling facility during WW1, some of it originally the Lancaster Carriage and Wagon works, one of their coaches from 1865 survives on the Talyllyn Railway. Later it became a textile dyeing and printing works, Standfast, which still exists. Your Green Ayre station is impressive, the view under the roof is very realistic and naustalgic for me, Mum used to take us kids on the electric line to Morecambe Prom. station for an afternoon on the beach. It is sad that the Wennington - Carnforth line was chosen to survive rather than the line through Caton to Green Ayre but I think Lancaster City was desperate for a second crossing of the Lune for road traffic and Greyhound Bridge was ideal which could have been the reason for the choice. Edward

I remember this bridge very well from my childhood. For some reason it was known locally as Bacon Bridge, who knows why. My Mum used to take me there to watch the shunting in Ladies Walk sidings and the big thrill was to stand above one of the Jinties as it passed underneath and get the smell of the steam and smoke as it was blasted through the cracks between the boards. We lived on Newton Estate where I got a great view of operations in L.W. sidings and New Zealand sidings from my Grandma's bedroom, that's where my lifelong interest in railways started, aparently at the age of three I would watch the trains for hours. The Jinties had LMS on their tanks then, I must be getting old! Edward

Up to 1961 and a few years later the Leeds-Morecambe trains were steam hauled, in the fifties by Midland compounds then when they were done the last of the unrebuilt Patriots. I don't recall DMUs on trains [i lived by the Wennington- Morecambe section] but I had lost interest after about 1963 although I do recall Black 5s on them, the last train in 1966 when the Wennington to Lancaster line closed to passengers was hauled by a Black 5. Class 4 2-6-0s [Mucky Ducks] were also used and perhaps the odd Crab. One Std. class 5, 73010, a Holbeck engine, was frequently seen and various Holbeck Jubilees and Scots on trains like the "Residential". Edward

Hello Ron, Yesterday evening I was diverted to this thread by Physicsman who specialises in the Settle Carlisle route in one of his discussions. The result is I have spent all day today looking through the fifty odd pages of quite the most fascinating modelling I have ever seen. It is just superb, all the superlatives I can think of hardly do justice to this achievement, you should be immensely proud of it. I am now hooked on your thread and await the day when you can assemble the parts into what promises to be an amazing whole [not hole!]. To assemble all these intricate lattice structures tells me you must have an infinite amount of patience not to allow it to become a chore when you have to repeat so many assemblies so many times. Wonderful! Just reading and looking at it has made my day, thankyou Ron for sharing your work with us all. Edward

I'm surprised that P.D.Hancock's Craigshire has only had one mention in 8 pages, his work was superb as was his writing about it. Edward

One variety of the aforementioned carpet underlay was manufactured by Lansil Ltd. in Lancaster in an effort to broaden their product range under the name of Lanbond. It was made by mixing the hair with natural latex [the same stuff as Copydex but more dilute], spreading it on a wide moving belt which passed through an oven to cure and dry it. It worked rather well too but lost out to the newer synthetics. It's nice to see that it has a new use! Edward

I have actually ridden in the cab of one of the Cass Scenic Shays, brilliant experience, three cyls and ultra low gearing, sounded like a Jubilee running flat out at about 10- 15 mph! Edward

Some great memories! Remember luminous socks? Absolutely forbidden at Lancaster Royal Grammar School as were visits to the coffee bar in town which had a juke box. One of my mates wore a different pair of non matching luminous socks every day for a week for a bet and got away with it. Wearing of the school cap compulsory and detested. I went on a trip which was organised by the Ian Allan Locospotters Club to Gorton works in 1952 or 53 and the great man was there in person, I still have my 1952 London Midland Region ABC which he autographed. We all posed for a photo around and upon the ex-LNER garrett 69999 but I never got a copy, I wish I had one now, maybe someone on RMWeb was there? Lancaster Castle Station was our chief spotting place but as I got slightly older my cousin and I sometimes ventured to Preston. Our house was on the Little North Western at Caton about 5 miles east of town. Summer Saturdays saw a few ex-LNER locos, B1s, D49s and the occasional pacific. I didn't have an anorak but I did have a duffle coat, my precious ABCs usually stayed home and I carried a notebook for the day's catch. As someone remarked, I don't suppose cabbing would be allowed today, it was always a thrill to be invited aboard, I once got a ride on a Brittania, Lord Hurcombe, from Lancaster Green Ayre shed to Green Ayre station, about 200 yards but what a thrill. Most mornings I had a quick shed visit on the way to school to see what had been on the Heysham boat train the previous day, often an exotic loco, a change from the normal selection. Scary to think it was around 60 years ago! Edward

Looks excellent, I remember seeing them all in various stages of construction in Crewe works back in 1954. So ugly they were almost cute, well almost! I can't remember when they were rebuilt as fairly normal locos, when was it? Nice job! Edward

Interesting to see the use of whitewash on cattle wagons varying from a huge amount on the MR wagons to nothing at all on a lot of others. I seem to remember reading when this practice ceased, maybe it was a localised thing anyway depending on the staff at the loading or cleaning area. Edward

What a superb shot of a WD in typical run down late BR condition, just the reference you need for accurate weathering, thanks Dave. Edward

Hi Jamie, Are you intending to use overhead pickup for the electric trains or would that be just too difficult to do? Edward

The ammonia tank wagons used on the Heysham-Middlesborough trains in the fifties were lettered M O S as per the Bachmann 33-510 model. The Heysham plant was ICI and I assume the MOS livery dated from wartime or just after. I don't recall seeing any other livery on these trains. The insulation can't have been brilliant as they always had a layer of "frost" form the top to about halfway down the sides of the tank when heading towards Teesside loaded. An interesting modelling challenge to get the texture right. Do you have any pictures of these wagons in service Paul? Edward

This is excellent news, we had lots of Compounds on the "Little North Western", in their final days locos were replaced by other compounds as they were withdrawn until there were none left, shortly after that the Morecambe-Bradford/Leeds turns were given over to the last unrebuilt Patriots until they too headed for the scrappers' torches. I can then get rid of my original Hornby one with the awful tender although I had modified mine to accept an Airfix body, much sawing, glueing and butchering of the lead weight which then looked almost acceptable! Nasty noisy drive though. Edward

I wonder if Bachmann could be persuaded to sell the Johnson and indeed the Fowler tenders as separate items, I'm sure there would be a market for lots of them. Edward

I just heard from a friend who works at GE in Erie PA that the damaged class 70 returned from England is in the building where he works. He says that the frame has been heated and straightened, some new sections let in, bent panels still there but will be replaced, trucks [bogies] removed and not with the loco at present. He cannot take pictures as this is a definite no no but it certainly looks like the loco is being repaired and not dismantled

In Rails of Sheffield's Oct ad they list 57' and 60' LMS Porthole coaches in BR crimson and cream livery. I rang them and they said they are not available yet. I'm probably out of touch but I hadn't heard about them at all, anybody know when they are likely to appear? Edward