Ollie K

Did anyone get a chance to go for a poke around RoS today and see the samples / chat with Ben from Heljan? Haven’t seen much on social media as yet.

This just popped up in my YouTube recommendations feed. Clearly intended as an advert for Hornby's new smoke-equipped P2, but for me the star of the show was a good look around PN on video! Wot 20mph permanent speed restriction?

Indeed - though it makes apparent sense that high speed test trains would’ve used the spare set, the Hoather pictures show ‘CORONATION’ lettering on the carriage sides (and no roof destination board mounts, which were present only on the unlettered spare set). According to ‘LNER Carriages’ by Michael Harris, the record run stock was set 103, the first of the streamlined trains to be fitted with the quick acting Westinghouse brake valve, which was subsequently rolled out across the fleet. Source: I did reach out to Hornby via the Engine Shed email address they encourage us to contact them on asking if this information had any bearing on which Coronation set they intended to produce, but never received a reply.

Here’s the full film previewing the Coronation stock. I think it’s commendable of Hornby to produce something like this for a long-awaited product.

In the context of this discussion, this caption from the excellent Keith Pirt Grantham album has always stood out to me as being perhaps a little too nostalgic:

Great to see Grantham doing what it was built to do today. From the ‘civilian’ side of the barrier you hear an awful lot of murmured compliments along the onlookers: ”Cor, haven’t they don’t a good job of these buildings?” “This must’ve taken years to build, and a good while to set up this morning!” “See look how good this stuff looks when it’s properly weathered up.” “I’ve never seen Grantham station look this good..!” and so on. Thanks to the chaps who had chance for a chat, was well worth the 4hr round trip to see the layout in action. Candid camera:

Hopefully the brake / kitchen third pair with destination board mounts moulded into the roof is a symptom of LNER and BR period model bits being mixed up for the undecorated prototype. As far as I can tell there were no roof board mounts during LNER days.

Great finish on what was at source a rather flat interpretation of LNER apple green. Is that the ‘original’ Klear, or the new white bottle stuff? And do you recall how many coats? I’ve dabbled before but not achieved such a strong lustre as your fine efforts here. Cheers.

Thanks Paul. Has your layout appeared in any exhibitions or magazines? Looks terrific.

Can anyone point me towards a suitable match truck for an LNER example? (Ex-GN section, 1930s). Cheers.

Seconded, I’d be fascinated to copy those formations see the roster.

On the poignant subject of recording memories while one still has the chance, late last year I finally got round to sitting down with my grandfather and 'interviewing' him about life as a New England fireman in the early 1950s. The conversation was recorded into a dictaphone and filmed on a GoPro for posterity. I found it immensely rewarding, though I kick myself for missing my chance with other grandparents to record their experiences of the war and serving in the armed forces. I'd heartily encourage anyone who's also thought about recording a memoir to give it a go. I'll pop a link to the write-up here as it may be of interest to ECML folk. To think Grandad was bowling through the 1:1 Little Bytham all those years ago! https://www.tracksthroughgrantham.uk/railway-life-at-grantham/loco-department-staff/patrick-kew-a-peterborough-fireman/

According to Wikipedia [ducks]: ”Although BR demanded that it be moved by road because a steam ban was in place, it relented and allowed the engine to make a single run from Manchester via the ex L and Y Calder Valley line to Wakefield and on to New England shed (Peterborough) in steam on the night of 20 September 1968 (one full month after the end of steam on BR).” Though short on information, there are some interesting pictures of 73050 in the very early stages of preservation and the embryonic days of the NVR here (via the ‘History’ tab.) http://73050.co.uk/page21.html

I’ve always found them very prompt and helpful on email: info@niumodels.co.uk

Thanks for your hospitality the other week Tony. A busy Christmas holiday and then working overseas means today is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and do my homework! The C12 looks vastly better thanks to the much finer wheels, now painted and gauged. Flushed with success I’ve treated it to a crewman to disguise the bulky motor and removed the rear tension lock. The front one requires a bit more front bogie surgery but that could do with more detailing and guard irons anyway. Thanks also for those HMRS transfers - the horsebox looks more finished now (it looked even better before it snagged on a sleeve and took a dive to the floor…) and I’ve deployed a a few more on the rather sweet Niu models snowplough kit. Future of the hobby discussion has been interesting. In the spirit of pushing through ‘fear of failure’ and having a go as talked about earlier, the models pictured here represent my first rolling stock kit, first 3D printed ‘kit’, first attempt at airbrushing, and first use of Pressfix transfers! I imagine most readers here passed those milestones some years ago. That’s why I won’t be doing any more close up photography, but the learning curve even for some plastic kits is more rewarding than leaving it in the box and never discovering how much it’s possible to cock up glazing. And axleboxes. And roof alignment. And paint thinning. Etc.