hmrspaul

I had not seen this thread before, and admit I have not examined all of it. However, remarkably, it fits with a query I have doing some proof reading. Unfortunately the number is not readable. Would any of the blue, small logo, locos as shown in this thread have been converted by 1971 (pair of headlights replacing the single indicator?). When was this conversion introduced - all in this posting appear to be early 1980s. Thanks for any help. Some of my class 37 photographs are at http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brclass37 Rather fortunately I can usually see a 37 when I walk into town - DRS often park one at York station. Paul Bartlett

All three of the first release are now shown on their site. Original of 38-350 here http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/baa/h3fd64b28#h3fd64b28 Original of 38-351 at http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/baa/h3fd64b28#h3b8f931d I cannot read the number of 352. Paul Bartlett

.... which includes perhaps my favourite wagon photograph http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/p940006411/h1bb29b92#h1bb29b92 The unusual Conflat B as an ex Flat ED with ex Birds Eye containers repainted and numbered for Macfisheries ... and then one of them is experimental moulded plastic. Paul Bartlett

Some photographs at various locations here. http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/boctank The Norwich photographs show that these could be found in small numbers at local yards, with unloading to specialist road trailers. Useful for modellers. Paul Bartlett

Michael There are a few photographs of what could be the prototype for this (although I accept it is an early hybrid model) on my site, including http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsbogiebolster/h2a4d3eef#h2a4d3eef and http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/lmsbogiebolster/h295c4d4b#h295c4d4b [which is in the 1964 livery as BR was short of steel carrying wagons and revamped a lot of quite old wagons, of course well before the end of steam!] - look at the home collection these are in . Notice that only one bogie is braked, so the brake lever is on the right hand end on one side and left on the other - I suspect this goes back to the earlier MR wagons (several of which are in the same collection and lasted to be used for the St. Pancras electrification) which had a handwheel operated brake at one end only. Paul Bartlett

Plenty of the diagram 500 vans here - http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brbrakevan500 . Gent E (1999) British Railways Brake vans and ballast ploughs. Pub. By HMRS 92pp. ISBN 0 – 902835 – 16 –5. describes them, including they were vacuum braked. [As others have mentioned BR stopped using VB for most brake vans and built vacuum pipe instead]. Paul Bartlett

The markings under the tare weight indicate the year of paint/repaint. There were a short series of different symbols, so they repeat. I believe it started with the LMS. I must admit I have never noticed the large black patches on the end of a mineral before. As to Michael's request about how to get BR 1950s grey. I await responses with interest as I don't know, the few advices I have seen and some I have followed up I haven't agreed with. A very elusive colour and not in any of the railway paint collections. Paul Bartlett

Brian Late reply as I've been away. In all my complaining about 'losing' my "Microsoft picture it" I was put on to Irfanview. It has many uses, including the ability to select entire files of photographs and resize them to a suitable width. Free download at http://www.irfanview.com/ If you are interested I should be able to explain how to do it, although it is quite straightforward. Regards Paul Bartlett

You are correct the modern Airfix boxes did have this wrong - the 2 dozen mostly unopened ones I have are like that. But the real Airfix was in a plastic bag and cost 2 shillings. As to the diagonal marking I have had a look through my photo site (only part) and have managed to find a couple where the BR instruction was not followed and the stripe goes to the top corner, so 1 in 20 or 30 is possibly acceptable - although I suggest only after repainting from the first livery application. Paul Bartlett

What was wrong with the Airfix instructions? The ones I have in front of me are accurate for one style of early lettering - http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmineralweld/e3fb3840d Of course there were many alternative ways of applying lettering. The Airfix instructions also correctly show the diagonal line aligning with the top of the hinge of the end door, and not the top corner - unlike some in your photographs and several other models illustrated in this topic. As is well known, Airfix mistakenly fitted brake rigging to both sides of the wagon, but did not model paired independent brake V hangers. Paul Bartlett

Merf Sorry, I think it is me that has confused myself and everyone else by forgetting the Mark 1s were Fisons! The tanks haven't shown up very well in any of the photographs. The coaches were air braked so I have some doubts that they would have bothered to retain the VB ones and air brake them. I am guessing but it would have been easier to have obtained some of the AB conversions which had been in use for BP or SUKO from the earlier 1980s. There is a distant photograph of the tanks here http://www.departmentals.com/photo/99907 and the one you posted early on clearly shows Bruninghaus suspension which would go along with the AB conversion. Paul Bartlett

Merfyn Thanks, but after clarifying what was wanted, this thread was about the BR train with Mark 1 coaches. So I am querying not the Fisons or Chipmans trains. BR had these tanks earlier http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/weedkillerbr but the earlier photographs in this thread show the entire train appears to have been re-equipped. We have the coach numbers, but we haven't pinned down what the tanks were. Are you suggesting the BR train was taken over by Fisons? I know it is complicated by the coach numbers being too similar 990xx vers 9990x ! They needed to alter because all of the earlier trains were vacuum braked and that was becoming redundant. Indeed between the Companies the tanks in the late 1980s were a nice reminder of both the pre monobloc design and Vacuum brake Monobloc with original suspension and brake rigging - whereas the petroleum fleets had been rebuilt as airbraked with Bruninghaus suspension (or various independent suspension units). Regards Paul Bartlett

Very interesting. The Fisons set at Mold Junction in 1986 is of note, with the red lettering on the ex BPO tank wagons. They were unchanged, without this livery in March 1985 and repainted into the green by 1988. Earlier I asked if anyone knows which tanks ran with the Mark 1 coaches in the BR set. Any answers? Thanks Paul Bartlett

Michael - you are far too young (I checked your profile). Virtually all of the non standard mineral wagons appear to have been withdrawn by about 1966 or 7. The standard ones - diag 108 and 109 mainly, did not have bottom doors. The very few on my Zenfolio site are either RTB coil carriers or in internal use. Paul Bartlett

Interesting set of pictures, which allows searching of http://www.departmentals.com/ for additional photographs. The train appears to have been exported to Belgium in 2003 What tanks did this train work with? Paul Bartlett

My collections of weedkiller rolling stock, which are mainly 1980s photograph are Chipman http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/chipmanweedkiller Fisons http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/fisonsweedkiller BR http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/weedkillerbr I'm not sure many Mk1 coaches were used in these trains. Regards Paul Bartlett

Finally seen a reasonable photograph of the model. It is 110292 as http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagonphotographs/eb1f7897#hb1f7897 Not that Hornby will acknowledge the source. Paul Bartlett

In a word, yes 110349, although not in the list given earlier. The comment from Mark Westmacott is interesting. It seems possible that, being rebuilt at different times and places, they were allocated to different pools. David Ratcliffe may be able to confirm. Earlier Arran posted photos of the newly rebuilt wagons. It would be nice to know where and when they were taken, if possible. Regards Paul Bartlett

A source of drawing for the Class B is Bartlett, Paul W. & Fidczuk, Peter (1991) Tank wagons, part 4. 35-ton GLW vacuum brake tanks, Model Railways vol. 8 (part 1) pp 25 - 31. Drawing - diag. TS027C Esso 35t class B tank Paul Bartlett

This is the Class B - as Airfix http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/essobtankwagonvb This is the longer Class A http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/essoatankwagonvb And this is the bitumen http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/essobitumenvb The Class B had various alternatives, as many ask about TMDs and tank wagons - see this collection for quite a number of them being used by BR. http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/db999xxxtank Paul Bartlett

Phil As I posted earlier, there are three on my new site 110211; 110292; 110420 - one of the few wagon types I have photographed this century. Very easy to find using search for OTA. Paul Bartlett

I photographed three of them at Aberdeen in 2004 - the first is here http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/p643601341/e2b9fc2b Hornby seem to have copied this quite well - ex OCA high end and the framing representation is OK. Paul Bartlett

Merf I feel quite embarrassed, Not for not taking much on film, but now electronic recording is basically free I have had ample opportunity to record the fleets of the last few years. I walk past fleets of Jarvis/Network Rail etc. vehicles on my walk into York town! Paul Bartlett

Someone recently posted a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js8W-_qkq5Y which is about the development of freight handling in the Sheffield area. In some views grey scammels can be seen moving around a large freight depot. Paul Bartlett

I realise that there is truth in that, not least in getting the companies to pay for their own fleets (unlike for example the Steel industry and NCB) but it was not a total success. When my dad moved into the bit of BRB HQ that was responsible for these contracts he realised that each of the possible trains had a crew (which would have been three men in those days) and loco allocated to it. But frequently the Oil companies did not request the train was run and therefore made no payment for the wasted crew & Loco. BRB was a typical HQ, by the early 1970s there were may have been only two people in the building that understood how railways were run. My dad was one of these two who had the additional task as "translators". For example each major traffic had a sales manager (his bosses previous job was selling carpets) and they would come in and want an explanation because an area control office (or similar) would explain that there were problems with running a train using their own parlance. I suspect many of you will recognise that not a lot has changed! By the way this is a great series of postings, recalling just how common these facilities were, especially when those within private works are included. Paul Bartlett