hmrspaul

Brian Yes, ABS do the LNER clasp UF open, only the second 7mm model I made. Regards Paul Bartlett

Brian You are very lucky, I hadn't looked at this for 322 mailings. I have the low quality scans of these which used to be on Fotopic and hadn't reloaded them - overlooked so see http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ohb If you have made other requests in the past few months please let me know. Sorry must go, the Parrots are telling me it is 00.00, their time keeping for bedtime is exemplary. Paul Bartlett

Brian has picked up that I have added considerably to this collection recently. There are other similar overhead shots, http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/mdo/e394a09f which shows the effect of steel plating being replaced. And this of one with the door open http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/mdo/e282846b6 (although not good being against the light). This one http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/mdo/e142a4b4b has been in the collection for years. Paul Bartlett

I agree about the painting out of a subex or something similar. If the date is correct (which I accept it is) then this is amazing survivor. BR does seem to have been systematic in weeding out the independently braked mineral wagons by circa 1967 (Morton brake came in 1951 on new build). The variation in 'rusting' on the mineral wagons is amazing. Some of the recent photographs show this well, the odd very badly rusted wagon - almost appearing unpainted, amongst many in reasonable condition. It is difficult to understand why the outside of these wagons deteriorated so badly, perhaps some of the manufacturers were not paying much attention to the quality of external finishing? Paul Bartlett

That is the traffic I understood the SPVs (ex fish) and other parcels wagons - LMS BGs SR 4 wheelers etc were in. Quite a lot dotted around my collections are at Aylesbury. Also a nice rake of international freightliners http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brferryfreightliner Also one of the last resting places of H containers http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brhodcontainer/e33d43bca and some rather colourful ex Tube wagons http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brlnertube/e30357aa3 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lnertube/e36d4f66c which are probably a bit late for you. Paul Bartlett

I have posted a few of the WW2 type for the Army at http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/modbrake [Also has some very strange small brake vans at RNAD Bedenham - the nearest I've ever seen to the very first Tri-ang brake van!]

They escaped all over the system, and not simply after the SR went Vacuum brake. I have asked on various internet sites, without response, why they were in use in the Midlands (for example) by 1956 - they can be seen in photographs occasionally. My theory is that the higher tare 25Ton than other standard brake vans (20 Ton) was found useful. Photos here http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/srbrakevan Includes one from 1991. Some were also built for the MoD during WW2 and had long lives on their internal systems. Paul Bartlett Paul Bartlett

Yes, I didn't say you couldn't have some weathered wagons. But, are you sure that they are 108/109s? The really big years for building the latter are 1955-57, when Pressed Steel alone were building c200 per week, and they would have been dirty, but not necessarily very bashed about. Certainly by 1965-6 there were a lot of very weathered steel minerals about http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralweld/e3f67f9ca http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralweld/e3eb3f5af All I was saying was that heavy weathering could be overdone for a loco type which had basically gone by 1960. The black panels are interesting. Large panels were being used on other steel bodied wagons from 1952, but I simply could not find any new build 16t minerals with them. I stress new build (and if someone does have photos then these would be very interesting). Chas Roberts for example was using the split box upto 1957. But large boxes do seem to be quite normal at repainting, so by 1960 is common on pre108/109s and was beginning to appear on these as well. Paul Bartlett

I don't want to be a kill joy, but please remember that it is the 3F that is old, many of the mineral wagons were relatively new (especially with Morton brake) when the last 3Fs hit the rails. Weathering to show use of just a few years is very difficult - a few bits of damage, unlikely to be much replating, but varying amounts of dirt. New build mineral wagons often show up in the backgrounds of prototype photos of this period. Some of yours are showing light weathering and I like it. I have also been looking at the lettering panels recently. Yours are correct for this period - separate for the tonnage and number. [Other wagons from 1952 like double door minerals, iron ore tipplers appear to have had single large box from new]. But single large box seems quite usual on repainting - so it is common by c1960 on the independently braked steel minerals and being introduced for the earlier Morton brake wagons. Paul Bartlett

I see what you mean. Sorry no idea but I didn't notice it there last week when I took http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/kirowswitchcross but I probably didn't look very hard. I am slowly convincing Julie that checking out these sidings is part of any walk to my Dads place when the weather is nice. So I'll keep an eye out for it. Paul Bartlett

Dear all I have posted a photograph of an EWS fuel trailer at http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/road/e2bb3da71 It looks quite new? I've not seen this before, but I live slightly nearer into town than the works and it is likely that this comes direct to the works from the ring road. Paul Bartlett

Yes, so are ours - the Wood pigeons are back from visiting their country cousins, and the Goldfinches are queueing up (9 Sunday afternoon). Even had a greenfinch drop by, which I rarely see. Both front and back garden Robins are around and there are a lot of Tits. The sparrows never went away and remain the commonest bird. What we don't have in any numbers are starlings. Paul Bartlett

Do you have a feeder devoted to niger seed? It is feeding this which has helped build such healthy populations - they have very short lives, and migrate, but they seem to know of our Niger seed feeder from way away. Paul Bartlett

May I suggest you add a niger seed feeder - the main users of this are goldfinches, and they are spectacular small birds. I don't take my own advice, but, if you can, have paving below the feeder as a lot does get dropped and will grow - paving will allow some clearing up. The type of birds we commonly get in the garden like trees and shrubs - our front garden feeder is in a small garden, and I have planted a row of differing shrubs across the front - the branches are only a foot or so away. The birds like this cover - our double height feeder empties in less than 2 days. A scientific report concluded the more plant cover a garden has the more birds there will be - and they need such cover for their nests. And grow shrubs that will have berries - like cotoneaster and pyracantha - good hedging plant as well, vicious needles. Cats, don't you just hate them! Paul Bartlett

Sparrowhawks are one of the great recovery stories of the bird world http://www.bto.org/birdtrends2010/wcrsparr.shtml . Living close to central York they occasionally take birds in our backgarden, but last week I was very surprised to see one dismembering a sparrow in our small and deliberately overgrown front garden http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/235623 . We feed birds both front and back, and get all of the usuals - especially large numbers of goldfinches (I suspect they had three broods this long summer). Missing from early autumn are the wood pigeons - we usually have lots of them, I expect they will be back in the winter. The blackbirds love the pyracantha berries. Two other unusual visitors for an urban garden have been cock common pheasant http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/235881?nav=related and gulls in the very severe part of last winter. Paul Bartlett

I haven't been following all of this, but became aware of the 'special' via an email. I think your idea is far better than Western Enterprise in Desert Sand, which made me feel physically sick when I first saw it on the new loco. It was vile! And I did like the Westerns, they looked very classy compared to the American styled EE and Sulzer locos of the time. Paul Bartlett

They are also supplied with stanchions so that they can be modelled without cradles as BAA. Cradle fitted are BZA, although both wagons carry BAA TOPS codes. Loads of excellent BAA (and BZA) pics via Martyn Read's smugmug site via the link above. NO, I have posted links to the prototype photos, these are early 1990s wagons. The emails winged backwards and forwards on the lettering for these wagons - not that Bachmann will acknowledge the help in any way. Paul Bartlett

You mention the Rugby cement livery, but haven't posted any photos. There are some in this collection http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/stspca Broadens the appeal to an earlier period Paul Bartlett

Is it Hornby that have suggested they were ZFP? Their model is clearly, correctly, labelled ZFO and the photograph by Pete Fidczuck they used for pre release advertising was ZFO. I don't disagree about the possibilities of conversion to Mackerel or Herring, they do appear possible with only minor discrepencies which would be acceptable to some and not to others. Paul Bartlett

Why? What evidence is there that any were ever piped? Paul Bartlett

If you want to do something "different" how about the slag conversion such as both of these http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/lnerballasthop and http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/troutzfo/h12e49ec2#h12e49ec2 Paul Bartlett

compare ballast hoppers.pdf Trying for the third time. I won't attempt to open the file, as my computer is hanging with pdfs., Anyway the table attached is a comparison of the three BR ballast hopper wagons which share the Leeds Forge/Metro Cammell design of the body of steel plates supported by inverted U channel. As can be seen there are differences. The mention of vacuum pipes in another post is strange, the Trouts were unfitted, it is these others that were vacuum braked - and they had a drop down pipe. The GWR/BR Herring was the type with the apparently vulnerable upright vacuum pipe. Paul Bartlett

Sorry, I cannot see a way of posting or attaching a table. Paul