hmrspaul

The "MA collective" made it clear via Prog Rock that Anne Marie was unavailable for the current tour because of her working for her own band - Panic Room. Personally I had hoped, as Angie's child is now growing up, she might come back - I know it is not going to happen but one can only dream. The band always moves on. Paul

Going OT Plenty of pictures of 24 1/2t here,http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralmeo, Many have the yellow triangle (the odd one is black) In contrast the N suffix of the number seems quite rare http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralmeo/e1e705c9 (21ton wagons had a K to distinguish them) Including non doors http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralmeo/e1332f801 - which appears to have been quite an early conversion. http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralmeo/e1b2129e9 and others lost the top doors http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralmeo/e1f838028 (nicely shows refurbished doors as well) Sometimes they received unusual doors as replacements - rivetted http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralmeo/e416193f and I do have a Tony Dyer photo of one with pressed side doors. The lettering for "Summers" here http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralmeo/ed362e86 Paul

Dear Chris Simply to add my congratulations. It has been a long long time since Staines MRC. Happy memories 'doing' Savernake on a railway strike day - we roamed freely, although I took few photos http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brwr/e52beea38 A couple of visits to Feltham Yard http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brsr/e52baa3c2 and finally pulling down the building at the Egham race track that was rebuilt as the Egham and Staines MRC club house. It was the experiences you related of early IA MRC days that encouraged me to do photography of the unusual - wagons and lineside - and in colour. And of course, when the group of us started publishing the wagon articles in MRC, we were permitted one, or sometimes two, colour plates. Incredible now that colour publishing is so easy that it can be used throughout books and magazines. All the best, I can understand your reluctance to retire, but believe me it has some advantages. Paul

There was something magical about Longbridge, an amazing place, so antiquated and with the MR box in the middle. I hope you don't mind, my Longbridge photos are http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/bllongbridge and http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/longbridgewagons Chris Leigh discovered Longbridge during the 1960s and wrote about it at least once - "Longbridge in the 1960s - A prototype worth modelling" in Model Railway Constructor Annual 1986 p 16 - 23. Paul

I don't think I have any photos of traffic wagons for Rolls. Only the GWR and WR seems to have had a need for specialist wagons for this traffic - like you I have the Morton Lloyd drawing - excellent, but as the page is ripped from a magazine I don't know the reference. Photos are page 33, 135 and 151 in Russel, J. H. (1974) Great Western Wagon appendix. Oxford Publishing Co. Oxford, SBN 0 902888 03 X And Figs 178 - 182 in Russel, J. H. (1981) Freight wagons and loads in service on the Great Western Railway and British Rail, Western Region. Oxford Publishing Co. Oxford, SBN 86093 155 2 The BR were much the same and only 10 were built. I don't know a photograph of them. Internally there were specialist wagons for rolls such as http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/scunthorpebsccorus/e67dfe676 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/scunthorpebsccorus/e619dbb7f http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/scunthorpebsccorus/e61e52745 Nice set piece at Scunthorpe http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagonphotographs/e6ae6c334 Paul

It will have changed hugely over that period. By 1980 it was a major effort to find one with anything remaining of a top door. Becareful as well, because as well as the full rebuilds the few remaining ones with an original body frequently were partially rebuilt, http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralweld/e3e3be5bb including the top door being crudely plated http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralweld/e3dc0fa4c http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralweld/e317c143d My photos are no guide to the proportion as I went out of my way to photograph wagons in more original condition, often scanning long rakes of minerals for the odd survivor. It is also a possibility that different areas had different proportions, the unfitted 16ton minerals were semi-isolated fleets at that time working from local collieries to the staithes etc. Paul

I would suggest that I was lucky to find some Ingot Moulds at Wellingborough in October 1975. They appear to be quite newly written for this traffic http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brironoretipplerunfit/e54d13a8 Why they remained mixed in with the huge fleet of IOT that were standing in Wellingborough I cannot explain, However looking through http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brironoretipplerunfit/e54d13a8 some were doing just the same at Wellingborough in 1978 and 1982. They also returned to other traffics. This one http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brironoretipplerunfit/e3a6c7f06 from October 1983 appears to have had a period in Stone traffic before being claimed by the civil engineers. I believe the rectangular holes in the side were quite newly cut when seen at Radyr in September 1981 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brironoretipplerunfit/e14894b4b . Paul Bartlett Edit - I have collected the ingot moulds into their own collection http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ingotmould

TMD395279 photo http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmrdepartmentalstock/e1daa642b http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsdepartmentalcoach/e14714602 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsdepartmentalcoach/e5f3f518 DB999509 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/inspectionsaloon/e539dab9a and three more photos. Paul When was it renumbered?

You'll get some ideas with these http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/essobtankwagonvb http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/cegbtankwagon Paul

Dear Dave and others, Thanks for the responses to what was rather an aside. My wanderings to Scotland largely ended a long time ago and it was noticeable that I hadn't seen any 56s up there. From all of the replies it appears to have taken quite a long time before they became popular up there. Regards Paul

Going a bit OT, in Tidal http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/ferryitalianbogievan/e3e935797 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/ferryitalianbogievan/e18041c70 They also worked down to Margham http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/ferryitalianbogievan/e307c4d1 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/ferryitalianbogievan/edfe87a1 Paul

There was a traffic in ingot moulds, In later years BR used iron ore tipplers for them - specially lettered and with a floor of ballast. There are a number dotted around in here http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brironoretipplerunfit some appearing unaltered http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brironoretipplerunfit/e3c4f3792 (Brierley Hill) http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brironoretipplerunfit/e1b58be77 , others with the end cut down http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brironoretipplerunfit/e699aa1d and others with large holes cut in the side http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brironoretipplerunfit/e14894b4b This was during the 1980s, it was suggested that an accident (like the one described earlier which destroyed a road trailer) had happened when someone was inside the wagon, and there was no way of escaping the falling ingot! So the holes were for jumping out of - I don't know if this is the true reason for this modification. Ingot moulds on Plates at Brierley Hill http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brplate/e2b29c8a4 Large ingot moulds could be carried on LMS/BR ARMS (diag 3/001) and other similar specials. Within the works there were quite a lot of different wagons used to carry the ingots, these were specially constructed http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/stocksbridgewagons/e1fb06533 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/stocksbridgewagons/e1cf6808e http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/stocksbridgewagons/e393b3dcf http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/scunthorpebsccorus/e6fbe78a0 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/scunthorpebsccorus/e662c1007 For smaller pencil moulds and ingots http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/stocksbridgewagons/e26161835 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/stocksbridgewagons/e2b1ce512 And for ingot moulds http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/stocksbridgewagons/e3057668f And a nice ingot mould pusher http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/stocksbridgewagons/e3a7f580e and ingot moulds http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/stocksbridgewagons/e266ad459 Paul

I agree, but it is unusual because the olive green usually goes a strange purple hue, especially on the Southern Region - more ozone and salt in the air??? Paul

ADB975157 prototype here http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrnpccs/e1b84a464 Very strange colour!

I have photos of Trestrol at Brierley Hill in 77 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brtrestrolao/e488f5dfe Paul

That first wagon is nice. Standard 108 welded but recently given a general repair and received a pressed end door. Paul

The BR diagrams had three different wheel diameters, two different lengths and, as remarked there were fitted and unfitted. Each Region had its own code letters for identical Specially constructed wagons. Those 6 with ferry fittings had them from new, so were used for revenue traffic - not just by the engineers for moving spares to the continent. There is a well known photo series of them being used as under runners for a huge bit of kit - IIRC a fractionating column for an oil refinery. Paul

Dirty and rusty - the wood would never be painted, the steel plates just may have been the same colour as the body side, but not much sign of it http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brlowmacep Paul

I have added to my collection of class 56 photographs, some are when they were new. Please see http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/class56 A possibly interesting one is 56036 only a few weeks old (mid September 1978) and sporting the large logo livery http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/class56/e76a9aaca As others have commented, it is nice to see some of them rise Phoenix like; the livery permutations are amazing. By the way, did they work in Scotland. I don't have any photos of them there - which doesn't mean much, but as you can see from my wagon photos I did hang around some of the main freight yards in Scotland during the 1980s and early 90s. I hope of interest. Regards Paul Bartlett

mmm They may struggle to get several of these on to "the RCH standard 10’ chassis" by which may we assume they mean 10ft wb and 17ft 6in over headstocks?

Thanks, yes misled by being alongside the DRS 37 and not reading the Class 56 internet sites properly. Regards Paul

I have added photos of 56301 sitting in the sun at York yesterday at http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/class56 Although the Fastline lettering has gone, the remainder of that fine livery remains in remarkably good condition. My understanding is that this loco is now owned by the "Class56Group" and hired to DRS DCR. I'll scan my other 56 photos soonish. Regards Paul

I cannot help with the early BR livery - depending on the works that repaints them the sides would have been considered to be frame (therefore black) or body and therefore grey. However, BR doesn't appear to have used D prefix for ex revenue wagons used by the engineers until the 1960s (I would love to know when this change came, I have asked in more suitable places without result). OK, so W84997 - 85000 GIRDWAG WE appear in the Sept 1959 Classification of Special Wagons but not in the Jan 1964 edition - which suggests that they will have been transferred to the engineers during that period - the booklet wouldn't list engineers stock. Of course a lovely wagon for the 1980s modeller as BR repainted in GW. http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrgirdwagpollen Regards Paul

Matt There are lots of photos on my site taken at wagon works of various sizes. Here is Barton Hill http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/bartoncandw There are several Wagon works in this directory http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/industrialinternalwagons Regards Paul Bartlett

Chris They may be mentioned later, but also what of the physical work involved, after these long boring shifts, of having to climb up on to the end platforms of umpteen wagons to apply the brakes. I have the impresson that relatively elderly people can be employed in the States. Paul