anroar53

06.04.11 73205 'Jeanette' comes in for a repaint. 06.04.11 No correct Arrow transfers were available. So a full size version was drawn up on some old posters and cut out. When lightly stuck in position the Arrow was drawn round, and then masked up before painting. 21.04.11. 73205s repaint underway with the paper Arrow stuck lightly in place. 28.04.11 73205 finished.

Thought I would do a scan of the next bit as Signals 290 and 292 didn't fit on the first one. I unrolled the entire fifteen feet of the diagram to Biggleswade and Baldock the other night. I was surprised how many sidings and ground frames had been swept away in just over two years. I had amended each one when it was issued in the WON/PON? Some of the bits of paper stuck over the abolished items had started to peel away in places. As the paper is beginning to yellow I suppose I'd better scan the rest of it before the details fade. Going to be a long (literally) job.

The Wembley-Widnes working lives on in my N Gauge conversions.

At one time it was full of withdrawn Southern Mark 1 EMUs and AC 312s for secure storage. You could get a good idea what was in there from looking at Google Maps. These have long gone to the Scrapyard now. However the latest view (although not up to date usually) shows it to be empty.

I drew a diagram of the Kings Cross New Box from end to end while doing a stint at Finsbury Park between 1979-81. This section of the station area had originally shown the connection to the Loco Yard, but I had obviously amended it before leaving the area in May 1981. I had also modified the 'West' Sidings area at some point during those two years. Andy.

73136 14.06.13 After a short spell in Green while serving with 'Transmart' the loco was absorbed into the GBRf fleet. This meant another repaint. Fortunately 73136 had been in fairly good shape and required only superficial preparation. The loco is seen being prepared for another trip to the paintbrush factory. 73136 14.06.13 Missing a cab windscreen, which had been used to replace one on another GBRf 73 which had been damaged. Windscreens were in short supply at the time, and eventually a new batch were ordered for further use. 73136 would shortly have its missing eye replaced. Several weeks later and 73136 is rolled out after its latest paintjob. 73136 16.08.13 About to join the GBRf fleet. Seen at Hastings as part of a convoy on its way from St. Leonards to Tonbridge.

A number of BGs did in fact have internal cages fitted. It is included in Parkin's 'British Railways Mark 1 Coaches'. Mostly fitted to those with the TOPs prefix ND* and NE*

20189 gets a bit of TLC on the South Coast at St. Leonards (exact date unrecorded, possibly 2012) 20189 does a bit of shunting at St. Leonards after some light repairs. 20189 shunting Translator Vehicles. 20189 gets a test, hauling 2 x 66s, 2 x Translator Vehicles and a 73. Seen just after leaving St. Leonards. English Electric sounds were beautiful. 20189 and 20142 in short lived Balfour Beatty Livery. St. Leonards 09.10.14 Other side of 20142 and 20189. 09.10.14

That would be okay. The Instruction was that the propelling move should have a Brake Vehicle at the leading end in which the Shunter should ride and be able to apply the brakes if required. A lot of the WCML formations were fairly uniform in consist at this time, the early Mark 2s and even the Mark 1s with a BFK one end and a BSO/BSK at the other, and Catering vehicle in the middle dividing the 1st and 2nd class portions. Inclusion of a Mark 1 CK in these could dent the uniformity somewhat. A good example of this is captured in this picture, showing that the Brake End was frequently formed at the Inner not Outer end. https://www.flickr.com/photos/deepgreen2009/7542927900/in/faves-8888017@N08/ However, the Local Instructions did have a slight modification which permitted two vehicles outside the Brake Van to be propelled. This was mainly for Van trains when there might be vehicles without a Brake compartment at the London end. (GUVs and Siphons normally!) The 0350 Watford/Bletchley was a beneficiary of this (mentioned in this post earlier) which ran round on the Backing Out Roads before propelling into the station. Then there was the final instruction that none of this applied in a situation where a defective vehicle was required to be 'knocked out' of a train in the station. I have watched these movements and the defective coach was usually shunted into one of the 'short docks' 21/22. It required a couple of people on the ground to relay hand signals to the driver because of the restricted view.

It's a very valid point. I think that it boils down to the fact that it was recognised that while a Brake vehicle at the outer ends would provide a modicum of protection in a collision it wasn't always possible to do so in everyday operation. The 1948 Instruction to all Regions on the marshalling of Brake vehicles at the outer ends on trains had the key words 'where practicable' inserted instead of 'must always'. High speed collisions can be extremely destructive even when brake vehicles are at the outer end. If you take the 1952 Harrow Accident as an example the Local train of nine coaches had the Brake Compartment at the inner end of the seventh vehicle but was destroyed anyway. The train that ran into the rear of it had two Full Brake/Vans at the front, which saved a lot of the rear of the train from damage. The third train from Euston that ran into the other two had a Brake Compartment at the front, but had no less than four Full Brakes on the rear, which were of little use as protection in this case.

57316 15.03.10. Plain Blue, becomes the first 57 to visit St. Leonards-on-Sea. 57306 31.01.12. One end of the Network Rail De-Icing Train, pops by for a top up. 57305 31.01.12. Other end of the De-Icing Train. Tonbridge Yard 28.03.12 57303 and 57312 between jobs. 57312 and 57305 26.07.13, on a day trip to the seaside. 57310 30.08.13 About to return to Tonbridge from St. Leonards.

73203 02.09.09 The one that didn't make it. Unfortunately it was in poor mechanical shape, and had already been stripped of much of its guts. If it had survived a few more years it may well have been taken up for a 'super-ED' rebuild, but it wasn't to be. 73213 18.09.09 Work starts on repainting it from Network Rail Yellow to First GBRf colours 73213 18.09.09 On the other side in Undercoat. 73213 21.09.09 73213 08.10.09. Rolled out into the daylight all sparkling new! 73212 14.04.10 The other 'Yellow Peril' goes under the brush. 73212 07.05.10 New coat rolled out 73212 07.05.10 From the other side.

Having had a little more thought there used to be the use of 'pre-set' Vans. At the beginning of the 1970s at St. Pancras, a BG Full Brake was put on the Buffer Stops of Platform 6 at about 1930 each evening. This was one of the two platforms with direct road access. During the evening the van would be loaded from lorries. The inward service to form the 2305 Sheffield would arrive in platform 7, and then be shunted back onto the BG in platform 6 and attached to the outward train. I believe, if my memory is still functioning, that a lot of the custom was for the Tote Bookmakers, taking stuff to Nottingham. A similar working was done at Euston, with a BG put down platform 14 for loading, which was eventually attached to the rear of the 0050 Liverpool & Manchester.

1970s West Coast Formations usually had the 1st Class coaches at the London End. Although there were Mark 1 and early Mark 2 BFKs the formations of later Mark 2d/e and Mark 3s usually had a full brake at the London end. This, apart from Mails and Parcels, was a requirement when the stock was moved out of the station. Although some ECS went to Willesden a good number were worked to the Downside Carriage Shed at Camden. The trains were hauled through the Carriage Washer at Camden, and then were propelled back into the Carriage Shed. This move required a Brake vehicle that the Shunter had to ride in. Trains from the Downside shed to the station were hauled out of the shed, then propelled back into the station, the Shunter riding in the Brake Van at the station end. The 1970s was before widespread 'push-pull' came into common usage, so propelling moves requiring a brake van at the London end of the train was the norm. At the other end of the train it was more likely to be a late Mark 2 BSO. In the early 1970s when there were several Barrow/Carlisle workings which split at Preston sometimes a Full Brake would be found in the middle of the formation, although it usually tended to be a Mark 1 or early Mark 2 BSK/BSO. Andy.

73141 18.02.09 Commemorative Naming. On one side 'David Gay'. Loco was taken to Brighton for the dedication ceremony. 73141 18.02.09 Named on the other side as 'Ron Westwood'. 73141 18.06.09 Having passed from Network Rail to First GBRf ownership, the loco underwent another repaint. 73141 08.07.09 Finished repaint, and with the initial 'large' numbering, which reverted to standard size after only about three months. This picture was later loaned to Gaugemaster to promote their N Gauge Dapol 73 repaint. 73207 10.02.08. Although internally in pretty good shape the exterior had suffered after periods of open storage at Shoeburyness, Norwich, Peterborough, and Tonbridge. The Diesel Power unit had only about 500 hours on it since its last overhaul. In this picture the Battery Cradles are out. 73207 26.03.09 Work underway on stripping down the paintwork and bodywork repairs. 73207 30.03.09 In works undercoat 73207 30.03.09 in works undercoat 73207 24.06.09 Top coat and large numerals. At this time still waiting for some Large Logo Arrow transfers. 73207 16.07.09 Large Logo Arrows complete.

While not in the Working Timetable most Relief Trains, along with the Footex, Chartex, Guarex specials appeared in the Weekly Special Traffic Notice. These could be quite bulky issues depending on the time of year. They not only covered Holidays but also other events where traffic demand was likely to exceed scheduled services. From my own time at Euston in the 1970s there could be numerous shuttle services to Wembley Central for football fixtures, along with the longer distance services for the same event. Holyhead used to provide numerous relief services throughout the year. Then there was the famous Senior Citizen Railcard Free Travel Day on the 10th June 1978 when even the relief services were overwhelmed by the numbers travelling. 1L50, a relief service from Llandudno Junction to Crewe, was extended from Crewe to Euston because of the heavy loadings, and this ten coach relief was taken all the way to Euston by 24082. An unusual appearance for a 24 at this time. The most Relief/Special workings I ever witnessed at Euston was about 20 in and 20 out on one Saturday in 1976. Andy.

01.09.08 01.09.08 73141 26.09.08 73201 14.10.08 Crowhurst 73201, 73208, and 73206 30.10.08 Early Plough with 73206 and 73208 04.11.08 73213 and 73212 05.11.08 73141 and 73136

19.11.05 28.11.05 09.03.06 73107 24.08.07 Overhauled Engine for 73235 73107 Doleham 20.09.07 73107 Crowhurst 20.09.07 73107 West St. Leonards 26.09.07 73107 West St. Leonards 18.10.07.

Could possibly be 135, its just that the number was written in pencil on the back of the photo and was a bit faint after all this time.

Thanks Jeremy. I never let non-availability stand in my way. If I couldn't get it I made it. I scratchbuilt a 45 on a modified Arnold chassis 50 years ago which started it all off. Fortunately there are no surviving photos of my first effort! But down the years I like to think I got better at it :0) Andy.

Some more, a few a bit grainy being some scans of photos that had started to fade a bit with time. Large Logo 73132 03.05.87. Arriving at Hastings from Eastbourne with the 'Hastings Belle' Railtour. On the other end was 56033 to work up via Tunbridge Wells. 73105 'Quadrant' heads the Galley Hill (Bexhill) Tanks past West Marina sometime in 1989. The Tanks had been at Hastings to run round, after Electrification of the Hastings line the Tanks ran via Tunbridge Wells, but the working was already on borrowed time. This working would soon be consigned to history with the closure of the Depot at Galley Hill. The last tanks were collected by a 47. Nice bit of detail in the picture is the 'Hook Switch' to the third rail for local isolations. There were many within the Depot. 73117 shunts Motor Coach 60113 off recently withdrawn Hampshire DEMU 205014. The bogies were deemed of further use and the vehicle wastaken to Chart Leacon to exchange with some life expired examples. The Motor Coach was returned the following week and reunited with its trailers before making its final journey to the Breakers Yard. The picture shows the Fuel Tank siding where rail deliveries were made for the Hastings DEMUs. All now gone, just a bit of weedy gravel next to the current Berthing Shed. 15.10.89. 73004 'The Bluebell Railway' had suffered a complete failure while on an overnight Engineering working. It was 'deposited' in West Marina to await rescue. 73004 waits its pick up. In the distance the former two road fuel point covered shed for the DEMUs. 73136 arrives to retrieve 73004. In the low Autumn sun 73136 with 73004 in tow heads off towards Eastbourne. The now disused pipe fittings for discharging the rail tankers can be seen on the right. Ashford Loco Sidings sometime in 1990. 73135 amongst the 33s and a 47. The 'Sand Truck' prominent on the stops. Andy.

A few of mine 01.02.05 73208 09.11.05 Andy. Will have a further rummage through my archives, loads of 73 pictures.

Down the years there has been, and still is, a number of gaps in the availability of Rolling Stock in N Gauge. Fortunately things have been improving of late, but when I began to model the West Coast Main Line nearly twenty years ago it was a case of improvisation and making use of items then available. One of my first projects was the Mark 2 Pullmans for the Manchester and Liverpool Pullman services. There had been a plentiful supply of early Farish Coaches at the time, those that had the window strips as a removable feature. I had a surplus of Mark 3 coaches and decided to use these. It did mean cutting about 20mm out of the middle of the body and then joining the two sections together again. With the window strips removed the new window and door droplight gaps were marked out, and fresh pieces of plasticard inset for the new bodyside. Before fixing the roof the interiors were added. Some moulded 1st Class seat interiors were obtained via the N Gauge society shop, and were modified to fit the new window spaces. The seating and tables were then painted. The Central window upright was made from single core wire cut and inserted into position. The Mark 3 roof sections had the roof detail sanded off, then cut down to fit the new bodyshell length.The body was then painted all over in Rail Grey first. The central window section was marked out with masking tape, and then the Rail Blue applied. When dry the doors were marked out with a fine black lining pen. To finish the roof sections were painted mid-grey, and Fox transfers were added to finish. The glazing was made with Humbrol 'Clearfix' applied with a small screwdriver. The typical formation of the Pullmans were in sets of four coaches, Pullman Brake, Pullman Parlour, Pullman Kitchen, Pullman Parlour. The Manchester Pullman was two four car sets joined together with the Brake vehicles at the outer ends. The Liverpool Pullman was only part Pullman, consisting of a four coach set, with the remainder of the train usually made up of three mark 2a TSOs, a Mark 1 RMB, and a Mark 2a BSO. The formation was sometimes strengthened with one or two TSOs. The Liverpool Pullman, in this form, lasted until 1975, when it was discontinued. Sometimes if a Pullman Kitchen vehicle was stopped for repairs it was sometimes replaced by a Mark 1 RK Full Kitchen. I have modelled this eventuality, the Mark 1 RK was made using TPM window inserts, which could be fitted into the early Farish Coaches. The interior was not modelled, as it wouldn't be visible from normal viewing distances. The discolouration seen on the bodyside Grey band is from the liquid poly glue where it bonded with the Farish body uprights. Once the roof was replaced it doesn't show. A number of Mark 1 variants were modelled using the TPM insets, BFK, FK, FO, RKB, BSO, BSK, SLF and SLSTP. Some of the other items that were slow in arriving were the early Mark 2s in Blue/Grey. Some NSE Livery ones appeared, with some Mark 2ds, all having the removable window strips. Again I replaced them all with TPM insets, which provided a few rakes of early Mark 2s, in the same way as the RK. Later, before the latest Farish Mark 2s arrived, I also made some that were Worsley Works Brass sides, stuck directly to early Farish stock. Farish Mark 2 FK, with TPM insets. Next a converted Farish Mark 1 with TPM RU insets. Next Worsley Works Brass sided Mark 2 TSO. Close up of the Mark 2 FK conversion. Seating made by cutting up leftover interiors of Farish coaches. TPM TSO and BSO insets into Farish Mark 2 early bodyshells. As I still had a few early Inter-City sets on the go I also made up some insets to model the early Mark 2 FKs which had appeared in lined maroon. These were a bit more fiddly as I hade to go over them in BR coach maroon. But when finished they looked quite smart. These make occasional appearances from time to time. Corridor side Compartment side. A later conversion was to repaint some of the Farish Met-Cam Pullmans, turning them into the Blue/Grey FO version. Repainted Met-Cam Pullman next to a standard 'Nightcap Bar' version. Some BHE Brass sides stuck onto Minitrix bodyshells to make up some Sleeper stock long before the farish examples arrived. A few more oddities. Tribometer Test Train. Some Minitrix coaches with Worsley Works brass sides, and a modified Farish Box Van. Headed by an early Silver Fox resin bodied Baby Deltic. Two more Research Department coaches, one was a Farish Met-Cam repaint as Test coach 'Wren', and a Brass sided Worsley Works Test Coach 'Prometheus' on a Minitrix coach body. Finally a couple of Tool Vans, Worsley Works brass sides one on a Minitrix body, the other on a Farish body. Although some of these conversions have been overtaken by commercially produced items I haven't replaced mine with the newer versions. They represent many hours of work over many years. They may not be on the Exhibition circuit any longer, but they will always have a home on my current layout. Some more stories still to come. Andy.