RedGemAlchemist

THE KLR WORKSHOPS ARE BACK OPEN! THE CURSE OF PETER IS BROKEN! Thanks to a tip-off I got (indescribable thanks to OliverSR for telling me about it and Rails of Sheffield for having such reasonable prices) I now have a Dapol L&Y Pug to complete our troublesome, cantankerous No.3. WATCH THIS SPACE.

Hmm. I've got a Pug now (see my last post) but thanks. I'll definitely remember that for next time though, save me a lot of hassle.

I am a very happy bunny. Thanks to a tip-off from OliverSR I am now the proud owner of 1 running Dapol Pug. THE QUEST IS COMPLETE.

Hmm. I've got a few Hornby 0-4-0 chassis sitting around but I fear they may be too old. I'll have to test them when I get my test run set up.

Thanks for the heads up. This has since been corrected.Also, is that another Monty Python reference I see...?

Another short snippet of life on the KLR for you, and again it's beyond the pre-grouping timeframe. Issue with doing pre-grouping KLR stuff is that up until 1919 when Peter arrived the KLR only had 2 locomotives. This one is kind of a follow-on from "Newcomer", and is literally what Bulldog and Peter were discussing. So let's cast our minds back to the time between the wars, to the glorious days of 1935. Three of the engines featured in this story are no longer with the KLR: No.2 Pointer which was destroyed in 1940 when Elmtree Heath's original station was hit by a German bomb intended for Elmtree airfield; No.5 Denholme in my mind was sold in 1938 and the remainder of its story I shall leave for sem or Edwardian to sort out; and No.7 Goblin was scrapped in 1962. So, here is the introduction of a KLR stalwart. The Suffolker It is a bright mid-July afternoon at Berkham Yard on the Kelsby Light Railway in 1935. Bulldog is sat in the front of the workshops mid-overhaul, along with a near-identical 0-4-0 tank engine (Pointer). Sat in a siding a little way away is a small Alexander Chaplin & Co. vertical-boiler 0-4-0 tank engine owned by the works painted in matt black (Goblin). Peter is slowly making his way into the yard with a small track repair train. Peter: Comes to a slow stop in a siding near Goblin. Track crew, on site! Goblin: Mid-laugh. Ye dinnae need tae tell us that, laddie, we cae see that! Peter: Nowt wrong wi' bein' farmal, Gobbo. Goblin: Bein' "proper"'s one thin' but talken lahk some'n stuck a stick down yer stack is sum'n else entirely. Workman: Play nice, Goblin. Goblin: I wisnae say'n nuttin' that a'body else weren't a'ready thinkin'. Bulldog, Pointer and Peter in unison: Shut up, Gobbo! Goblin: Ye nae fun nae moor. Pointer: No, jes yer a - Workman: Language, Pointer. Goblin: Laughs. Best ye cool ye'self lassie, 'fer ye break summat! Pointer: What? Think I can't give'a good s'I get jas becoss I'm a woman? Bulldog: Pointer, hold yew hard. Yew shoul'nt let that sorft Scottish prat get to yew like that. Goblin: Who ye call'n soft ye stupid - Goblin is cut off by a blast of a very loud whistle as a colossal modified LNER Q4 0-8-0 heavy goods engine arrives on the edge of the yard. Denholme: Gangway! Bulldog: Hello Den! Denholme: Ey up! Pointer: 'Nother dumper, Den? Denholme: As allas, sadly. Rilly narking me now. We'll be running aht room this rate. Peter: Roll 'em in Den. Shud Four's empty. Denholme: O'right. Got warn you though, bit of bad job here. Fill rilly sorry for'm. Wou'nt gawp t'much when tarp's orf. In't pretty. He bit sens'tive baht it. Needless say it'll take them while fettle this one. The massive engine rolls into one of the several empty bays in the workshops. He is pushing another works van and a flatbed with two tarpaulin-covered lumps on it. Goblin: Well, it cannae be that bad. The workmen pull the tarpaulin off. Underneath it is a rather mangled looking LNER B12. A pause. Goblin: Or mebbe it can. B12: Hello? Any'n there? B*gger'd if Oi ken see... Pointer: Aw, Gawd, it's a damn Sarffalker... Goblin: 'sif havin' a Yoorkshireman weren't bad 'nuff... Still, more stuff for the railway t'sell once they fence Den. Denholme: Shet yer hoaming ye addled prat. Just bout stalled with tha. To the B12. Don't tha listen Gobbo's blether. They been trying sell me for years, still ain't got there yet. Denholme uncouples and starts to roll away. Anyway, got get back work. Ballast wagons ain't moving selves. See tha back Kelsby Pete. Peter: See yew this evening, Den. Denholme leaves. Peter turns his attention to the B12. Peter: So, dumper. Welcome t'Narfalk. Goblin: Thought this's Cambridgeshire? Peter: If or. What's yer name, bor? B12: Ain't got one yet. Oi'm just 1571 at t'moment. Think they migh' be callin' me Wild Rover though, so that'll hatter dew. Bulldog: Rover t'is then. I'm sorry for the sort of non-ending to the story. These are less self-contained stories really and more just snippets from the "lives" of these engines. I apologise for this terrible abuse of storytelling convention. Although I also just didn't know how to end the story anyway. Also I apologise again for the abuse of various accents, particularly Bulldog, Pointer and Peter's Norfolk accents and especially Denholme's Yorkshire accent.

And the concept for Edward Bradleigh I, one of the main engines in said story. An LNER-style new-build (the model will be made from a mix of shell parts of a Bachmann K3 and a Triang B12, and possibly one of the Fowler-style tender shells from uax6 provided. This is just a basic concept so that those who read the story can get a good idea of what "Eddie" looks like.

Following up from the story and list above, here is a concept for one of the locos name-dropped in the story, No.11 Tom Hickathrift. It is, as mentioned, a BR Standard 5MT modified with parts from older LNER locomotives (mostly a V2 and a B1) and the tender from a K3. I couldn't find a side-on image of the Bachmann K3 though so I've left the tender off. The actual engine is also meant to be in KLR green and blue. Working on one of No.16 Edward Bradleigh I now.

Hmm. Really all I want is a small 0-4-0 saddle tank, a little shorter than a Triang Nellie (as to be smaller than No.1 Bulldog), that runs well at low speed and looks good to be my station pilot for Kelsby. As always, the end result is more important than how I get there.

I look forward to it

I like the Stephenson. Very smart.

Very smart. Like the BNR logo.

Oh wow. Not seen much BNR stuff in a while. Hello GeraldH.

"And how did your legs get broken Ms. Johnson?"

Been discussing some stuff with sem34090. I now have a list of some of the other locos the KLR owns, but some gaps are still open for me to improvise some stuff. Number - name - in story description - actual model construction Bulldog - Avonside industrial 0-4-0 side tank - Triang Nellie refurb Wild Rover - GER S69 4-6-0 rebuilt into an 0-6-0 - Triang LNER B12 bashed into an 0-6-0 Peter - Hudswell Clarke industrial 0-4-0 saddle tank - Hornby 101 / Hornby Caley Pug / some other loco bash (incomplete) Mastodon - Hudswell Clarke industrial 0-6-0 side tank - Modified Hornby Dublo 0-4-0 starter tank on modified Triang Jinty chassis Geoffrey Lake - North British Locomotive Company 0-6-0 side tank - Modified Hornby Thomas on Triang Jinty chassis Wanderer - GWR 14xx 0-4-2 side tank - Airfix GWR 14xx Undecided Undecided Undecided Undecided Tom Hickathrift - Modified BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 with GNR H4 tender - Unbuilt at time of writing Undecided Undecided Renegade - BR Class 04 0-6-0 diesel shunter - Unbuilt at time of writing Undecided Edward Bradleigh I - LNER pattern 2-6-0 new build - Unbuilt at time of writing Any locomotives past No.16 are undecided. Also written out what will likely be the first of many KLR stories on the Pre-Grouper's Literary Corner thread.

I believe it is. James' writing style is... unique to say the least.

My "cheat material" is Carplan Fine Surface Filler, which as the name suggests is intended to be used to fill in deep scratches and dents in car bodywork. A huge amount of the body shell of my No.2, Wild Rover, is made of that stuff.

Well, we have this one in Attleborough (next town over from Great Ellingham) for the guy who founded the town library:

Agreed wholeheartedly.

You built an O gauge boiler out of superglue? That's pretty clever actually.

Update: still no luck on any front.

It's not that bad a print from the photo. I think it's quite sweet actually. Love to see a working version!

I second that!

Ooh boy. Writing tales about the KLR is... hard. I don't know whether most of the stories would be fine for in here as the story of the Kelsby Light Railway only really starts in 1903 and is ongoing. So I start with this one... which is actually set in 2009, but I think serves as a perfect bookend to all the other stories about the KLR. Writing as a transcript, and a bit Awdry. As much as I like doing stuff as the Baronets I love doing this sort of ideas more. (Trying to write in regional dialects is hard.) Newcomer It is a bright February morning in 2009 at Kelsby, and the sun is rising over the picturesque countryside of south-western Norfolk. Peter is the only engine actually working the yard at this time, moving coaches around ready for the first train. Bulldog and Wild Rover sit in their sheds, and Bulldog is being prepared for the day ahead. The fourth shed, is empty. A small train pushed by Mastodon enters the yard, consisting of a works van and a Mogul new-build. It is painted in KLR green and blue, and is in a mix of NER, GCR and GER styling with a mid-sized boiler, a round-topped firebox which is slightly larger in diameter, a Gresley-styled cab and a tender similar to a GER T19. It is numbered 16 and bears the name Edward Bradleigh I. Bulldog: Yawns. Ah. E' must be the new bor. Mastodon: Yeh. Not as dwtty as ah thought he'd be, isn't it? Anyway, best be getting back to work. Mastodon leaves, leaving the new engine sat outside the empty shed with workmen checking it over. Edward Bradleigh I: H-hello? Bulldog: Well, yu're a big bor ain't yu? Wer'nt 'specting summat quite yer size. Edward Bradleigh I: Um, thanks? I... think? Bulldog: Sorry if Mas were a tad ruff wit yu. She ain't zackly the lartest tutch. That's the Welsh fer yu. Edward Bradleigh I: It's fine. Better than her treating me like I'm made of glass like that diesel down at the works did. Bulldog: Yu mean Renny? Yeh, she's jes lark dat. Bess nart t'take heed f'it. Edward Bradleigh I: You're No.1, aren't you? Bulldog: Laughs. Well, ain't yu formal? Jes call me Bully. Erry'un else does. One t'my left's Rover. He's orf t'day. Mite runnin' rand the yard's Pete. E's the pilot. E's a bit small but I'd listen t'him. He's the oldest'f all the engines here. Edward Bradleigh I: Thanks for the advice. Peter rolls in from the yard, clanking and hissing a little as usual, and backs into the empty shed bay between Wild Rover and Edward Bradleigh I. Peter: First train's ready. Good. Can have a bit a sit darn now. See the new bor's 'ere Bully. Was yur name? Edward Bradleigh I: ...Edward Bradleigh I. A pause as Bulldog and Peter take this in. Bulldog: Gret old boots t'fill with that name. Peter: Not 'arf. Mind'f we call yu Eddie? Edward Bradleigh I: ...No, not really. Peter: Good. Name's a bit'f a marful. Nah, if I 'member rart, yer takin' first couple express runs t'Telham, run yu in on yer first day, 'fore Tom - that's No.11, by-the-by, yu'll like 'im - takes over abart lunchtime. Edward Bradleigh I: I... think so? Bulldog: Settle darn, Pete, yer stressin' the poor bor. Yu really 'spect him t'member errythin on 'is first day? Anyway, f'yer takin' the first train, that's yer's sittin' at the platform. Edward Bradleigh I: Really? Oh, b*gger! I'd better be going or I'll be late! Late on my first day, faaaantastic! He leaves, continuing to fuss over the times and worrying about things. Bulldog and Peter watch him leave, then Bulldog laughs. Bulldog: Yep. E'll fit rart in 'ere. Peter: Chuckle. Too rart yu are, mate. Seeing 'im like that 'minds me of old times. 'Member when Rover first arrived? The two old engines sit there, reminiscing about old times, interrupted only by Edward Bradleigh I whistling to them as he leaves on his first ever run. (Please forgive my terrible attempt at giving Bulldog and Peter Norfolk accents.)

Here you go!