hmrspaul

Although I'm not sure what this has to do with 16ton minerals, this is an interesting photo. The train appears to have a number of recently repainted (and in the case of the 2 door wooden mineral and the Low ) totally resheeted wagons. I assume they have recently visited the reasonably local Shildon works? Paul Bartlett

I cannot remember the answer to the question, but Julie has been remarkably helpful about recording the real railway part of the hobby http://bit.ly/RaIuWJ . She used to most enjoy the hobby when there were small yards to be visited, in interesting towns and we saw a lot of the country that way.She measured a lot of wagons before the family came along. However, she dislikes dirty smelly little locomotives (Evening Star is OK!) and has never got on with model exhibitions, but more importantly nor with the condescending members of our fraternity whom seem to think she is some sort of secretary when she answers the phone or even meets them. Paul Bartlett I forgot to add that when she is in a foul mood she reminds me of the MTK Class 45 kit that was bought by her (at considerable cost for a student used to live on flavoured milk) that remains in bits!

Quite possibly, certainly not too late, I photographed a couple of BR SCVs, and the SR style Horse boxes (as built by BR, one preserved at NRM) also survived later than this. I also did think of Fruit D, but it looks a bit "fussy". Paul Bartlett

Which was frequenly photographed http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmstank/ed8130b5 Paul Bartlett

Yes a long LNER 4 wh CCT I think the ??GW?? is an LMS fish van in stores livery - looks possibly dirty olive green http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsfish/e1d6f2cb2 Not sure about the final two 4 wheelers, the last appears to have SR profile, but the third from last doesn't - lower roof profile. Indeed I think one of the interesting feature of these different trains is how the profiles, both height and width vary so much. Paul Bartlett

ABS will have done all of the whitemetal castings for the Mopok CCT, so they should have all that is necessary available. Paul Bartlett

From their appearance they look like they are in private internal ownership. That second one has an unusual bar across the door to prevent it opening, and the poor way some top doors were plated up, but with the body still in original condition. Paul Bartlett

It would be interesting to know if they were "fun". Unlike a conventional brake van they were on a bogie vehicle - so maybe they rode better. And at 10ft x 8ft x 8ft which is the same length as the van of a BR standard van, and marginally wider than the standard van. OK going out for some fresh air wasn't possible, unlike a standard van, but were they so bad? Paul Bartlett

They are a nice pair of photos. None of mine have the footsteps. However, in a discussion some years ago a conclusion was drawn that grey roof was unusual but not too rare, for example http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/braketender/e1a5ae1c8 Paul Bartlett

That's correct. This is the one we are discussing, rather more expensive (but some are still cheaper than the cost new when calculators that take inflation into account are used). Books have gone down a lot in relative price! Bartlett, P., Larkin, D., Mann, T., Silsbury, R., and Ward, A. (1985) An illustrated history of BR wagons, Volume 1 published by Oxford Publishing Company, 192 pages. http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&ref=bf_s2_a4_t1_4&qi=EYXOBJUCZ2LSWy0KjPmH7MamIsg_3865398188_1:88:818&bq=author%3Dp%2E%2520bartlett%26title%3Dillustrated%2520history%2520of%2520british%2520rail%2520wagons What 'ours' had was drawings (not weight diagrams) almost all of which were prepared from our own field measuring. Also, there are descriptions of the type of brake rigging/bogie used for each lot and photographs of the main brake riggings, buffers, axleboxes, bogies. There are mistakes (the 16ton minerals are messy and the first three lots of china clay wagons were unfitted when new (guess were Ratio got their info from without acknowledgement )). Drawings - Lowfit 1/001; Lowfit 1/002; Medfit 1/017; Medfit 1/019; Highfit 1/032; Highfit 1/039; Highfit 1/044; Highfit 1/037; Highfit 1/049; Soda Ash 1/046; Dropside open 1/033; OAA 1/191; OCA OCO0lA; Shock open 1/031; Shock open 1/056; Shock hood B 1/058; China clay open 1/051; Sand tippler 1/072; Palbrick 1/026; Ferry open 1/055; Timber 1/420; Scrap open MFO0lA; Expt. car -; Carflat 1/130; Beer tank 1/302; Class A Ferry tank 1/305; Demountable beer 1/334; LNER/BR Pipe 1/461; BR pipe 1/462; BR Tube 1/448; Ferry Tube 1/449; Single bolster 1/402; Double bolster 1/416; Bogie bolster C 1/473; Bogie bolster D BDA BDO06D; Bogie bolster E 1/479; Bogie bolster BBA BBO0lB; Borail EB 1/482 & 483; LNER/BR Plate 1/432; Boplate E 1/490; Trestrol EO/MO 2/682; Strip coil 1/407; Slab coil 1/411; Strip coil A 1/412; Pig Iron l/007; slope-sided mineral ex WD 1/100; Mineral weld ex WD 1/102; ex SNCF Mineral 1/112; Weld Mineral 1/108; Weld Mineral rebody 1/108; Double door Mineral 1/110; Double door VB Mineral 1/119 & 1/120; Double door Mineral rebody; Double door Mineral 24.5t 1/115; Ironstone tippler 1/181. The book we were promised was an Ian Allan "Datafile" one based on the series we did in Model Railway Constructor & the last 5 albums - but that went belly up. There are a lot of good drawings in those, as there were in a few of the Model Railways before that also went down the tubes (was it something we did?). Now decent drawings are rare in the model press. Paul Bartlett PS wasn't post 86 longer originally?

I made up the Mopok CCT and have several of their kits semi made! I also have 4 of the ABS Maroon suburban coaches in their cylinders, several have probably never been opened. I don't understand your dislike of the printed sides, They were very fine, and the thick paint used was sufficient to reproduce the difference between the glass and 1/8inch steel sheeting of the prototype. As to our book, thank you for the comments. Unfortunately the Ozalids of volume 1 appear to be missing, lost either by Motor Books or in the transfer to Ian Allan. No one seems to be interested in a reprint. There are a couple of editions on Abe books at the moment for about £40. The original price of £17.95 was typical for the time, but shows how much cheaper books have now become. Of course they ended up much cheaper with the WHS Book Club. They are scarce, which surprises me as I would have expected quite a lot to be on the 2nd hand market because of the book club sales - I think a lot of their books hardly get looked at! We soon found the way to get any money out of publishing was through magazine articles! Paul Bartlett

How were they "modified" to carry cars? That is what a CCT was built to do. Yes at least 3 of the condemned examples at Swindon in 1979 are in my collection, e.g http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsparcels/e104320f4 As you say, the cull was well underway at that time, despite the external condition being good. For some reason it was the Southern wooden vans, both 4 wheel and bogie which seem to have been favoured by survival into the 1980s. Going OT, in Mallaband, P. & Bowles, L. J. (1982) British Rail Coaching stock 1981. Pub RCTS, 128pages, ISBN 901115 51 7. the only LMS hauled stock remaining are 174 bogie brakes (and 5 exhibition vans); the GWR is reduced to 16 Siphon Gs as Newspaper vans and the LNER is not mentioned. The SR on the otherhand has 93 Bogie brake, one bogie GUV and 729 (I calculate!) of 4 wheel PMV and CCT. Paul Bartlett

We don't seem to have mentioned that a photograph of the model has been released by Hornby, and it is the later 'non window' design, which lasted in some numbers - there are 172 listed in Mallaband, P. & Bowles, L. J. (1977) The coaching stock of British Railways 1976. Pub RCTS, 140pages, ISBN 0 901115 39 4. There are non in the 1981 book. Many of these were built by BR in the mid 1950s. Paul Bartlett OOPS all waking up and posting similar comments!

Although I've never seen an instruction about withdrawl of 12ton vans, BR does seem to have called in all of the non standard vans about 1972. Such action is unusual, as they usually relied on monetary limits (on repair expenditure) to control the fleet numbers. Rebodied mineral wagons would have been common in 1974. Paul Bartlett

I am retired, so have less time! I also sleep badly about volume 2. Almost all of us "wagon measurers" are in frequent communication, but there is a belief that by continuing in the form of volume 1 it would be too niave for modern modellers, as they want more detail, as well as much more on why, where and when. I had the most unpleasant row with someone whom expected me to know whether one particular wagons was still in the same livery as on my site - not five or ten years on but just the following year. David Monk-Steels HMRS published book on MGRs is the way forward that is favoured. Yes, with the unpleasant misunderstandings I seem to have about the Zenfolio site I may just pull the plug on that and do more for volumes 2, 3..... I did make a major restart when I first retired, but the Zenfolio site (and some family problems related to elderly parents) have made me lazy. Paul Bartlett PS you should see the state of my working copy, broken backed and written all over. Fortunately I do have two pristine copies, one bought a few years ago when I generously paid £10 for one that appeared never to have been opened (they did ask £5 for it but it was a charity!).

I agree, we don't know what they are doing at the moment. Will just have to wait. As mentioned, no problems having them in blue. Paul Bartlett

Umm, I was more annoyed with the poor reproduction of several of the drawings, which had line break up. I knew how much effort and care went into producing them. I have never really understood why there was so much criticism of the one photograph being upside down. Paul Bartlett

Yes, John went to Stockport or nearby (IIRC) and set up the Transport Publishing Co. He was always interested in buses. His skills in Mopok was on the photo printing side that was needed for the pre-coloured sides they used (using a technique I believe was initiated by PC Models). I am struggling, but I think John was working for Polaroid when Mopok started. Chris Leigh arranged for some of John's photos of NPCCS to be published in Model Rail a few years ago. Paul Bartlett

Yes Tony was a drummer in a local band. He was an electrician by profession, working at one of the large hospitals near West Drayton. He liked the night shift, as there was only one planned job in the week, on a Thursday to replace every light bulb in the theatres. The rest of the time he was left alone to model and develop Mopok. One of the founders of the (Egham &) Staines Model Railway Society (with Chris Leigh, Keith Jaggers, me and later John Senior). Unfortunately the George Allen set up went bust - they had just begun to wholesale and deliver models from a very fancily painted van when the recession of the early 1970s hit (3 day week, miners strike etc. etc.). So, no etched underframe for the loco (and ABS being left with rather a lot of whitemetal castings for forthcoming coaches etc, - I learnt quite recently Adrian has a long and unforgiving memory!) One thing I do remember Tony mentioning was how poor sales were in the North East. I mention this because,now I live in the NE, railway modelling is very strong up here with the various scale societies tending to have their "northern" shows in the area as well as a good range of national shows. Yes it was a shame that the Eurostar blighted Kings X, and it took a considerable fortune of our tax money before Eurostar finally realised that the KX area was the correct place to have their terminal - added a million passengers the first year St. P was used! Paul Bartlett

Sorry, if already answered, but I cannot see that it has. The shop was Hamblings. Paul Bartlett

... and mine. He gave me his colour slide collection a few years ago, 20 carousels worth! Before Kemilway he formed Mopok with John Senior. He now lives in Cumbria and is rather more interested in ships! Lovely man, he probably had more influence on me than any other modeller. With his brother we had a splendid day out wandering around the London end of the Midland Mainline looking for inspiration for a model Tony was making http://PaulBartlett....ilway/e1d09eab0. The photos in this collection taken on 31 May 1967 were that day http://paulbartlett..../midlandrailway We never did get the contract for demolishing this bridge at Radlett, which was the reason we gave for wandering up the sidings that day http://bit.ly/VMlriO He did make a nice model of the Radlett goods shed. Like others, I kept in touch by visiting him when work had taken me to our London offices, before going back to Harpenden (which is one station we didn't visit that day and I had no idea I would be living there by 1974!) Very happy memories. Paul Bartlett

I have found another couple of official photos which feature rail motor vehicles. A Scammel set http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmscontainer/e4e4be514 and a flat bed lorry http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmscontainer/e4e4bf2a2 Regards Paul

Some nice tank wagons in this, it looks like there are a pair of the Midland Railway tanks which were popular for local dispensing of fluids - such as http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lmstank/ec5d848b There are several photos of them in Essery, R, J, (1980) An illustrated history of Midland Wagons, Volume 2, Oxford Publishing Co. SBN 86093 041 6. 169 pages Paul Bartlett

I hope you enjoy it. An interesting venue for MA, rather nice, but the punters can be a bit OT. As usual the place to hear opinion is in the Loo. When we went there was a very loud local whom had seen them once - at the Cambridge Festival - so knew everything there was to know about them and wanted to make sure we all knew what he knew. I have to wait until Thursday to see them at the York Opera House, third row back (front two rows are neck killing in there) Paul Bartlett http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/mostlyautumn