hmrspaul

March 25

9 hours ago, Mike_Walker said:

They look pristine so perhaps new ones being delivered from the manufacturer?

They were built in 1981 at Ashford, ~~so if they were new this wasn't the ECML with that electrification~~. ~~I'm not convinced it is in the sidings south of Hitchin, they gave me the impression of being narrower.~~ So, it is a pity the photo is undated.

7 hours ago, Cwmtwrch said:

Their pristine condition and lack of indication of ownership supports this suggestion.

Why / how would they have indication of ownership. The photo is how they appeared years later. Mark has described how they were intended to be used, but when I saw them they tended to be individual, or perhaps a pair.

Paul

PS corrected because I had overlooked electrification to Hitchin was much earlier than the northern part of the ECML, so could easily by new in Hitchin. I never saw any in Hitchin and did go around the engineers yard there irregularly from 1975 to the early 1980s.

Paul

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brskate

March 24

11 minutes ago, 41516 said:

Just so there's a little balance, here's an brief article on another substaintial ale store, this time Salt's alongside St Pancras.

:offtopic: Is Salts, St. Pancras the origin of the main entrance to the Eurostar terminal https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/eurostar/e31780acf ?

Paul

March 22

13 hours ago, North Eastern said:

As Paul has already mentioned there is an alternative O Gauge show in the North East - NEOG (North East O Gauge).

Located at the Nissan Sports & Social Club on the 28th & 29th September 2024.

Layouts

1) Ladeside Diesel Depot – BR(SC) 1960s

2) Templegate Wagon Works – BR 1970s

3) Ulverton – BR(SC) 1970/80’s

4) Bankgate Sidings – LNER 1940s

5) Falcon Road – BR(E) 1960s

6) High Grange – BR(NE) 1950/60s

7) Selby Bridge – LNER 1920/30’s

8) Aston – GWR

9) Invermire – BR(SC) 1980s

10) Falstone – LNER 1920’s

11) Donegal – Irish Narrow Gauge

12) Dalnottar Riverside – BR(SC) 1970/80s

13) Test Track

Demonstrations

1) Dave Dunn - Railway Photographic Slide Show

2) Garry Lane – Wagon Building

3) Andrew Proctor - Weathering

4) Lee Edmondson – DCC fitting

5) Paul Moore – Painting & Lining

6) Gauge O Guild & Soldering Demo

Traders

1) Northumbrian Painting Services

2) Squires Tools

3) Durham trains of Stanley

4) Connoisseur Models

5) GM Transport Books

6) Durham Locomotive Preservation Group

7) Skytrex

8) Greenwood & Duncan Models

9) White Rose Baseboards

10) 1039 Models

11) PRMRP

12) Trainsporters

13) Ian Kirk

Looks like it will be as good as last year, and a much better balance between trade, demonstrators and layouts than GoG achieves.

In past years there have been comments about difficulties of finding the location through the extensive Nissan estate. Last year it was very clearly signposted, so assume will be the same again.

Paul

March 22

Quite a number of Lowestoft photos in https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ballastcleaner

And a series of the unusual SR Van https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/srvan/e328d44be

Paul

March 22

1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

10 minutes ago, magmouse said:

Did railway companies offer preferential rates to encourage the use of wagons being returned? If our publican was placing a regular order, it would seem possible to offer a 'package' deal for delivery of full casks and return of empties, provided the same wagon was used.

Nick

I countered with the hypothesis that, on being notified of the arrival of his consignment from Burton, our publican would load up his dray with all the empties on hand, for dispatch in exchange for the full casks. And lo and behold, there is a Midland wagon on hand, from which the full casks have been unloaded, which can be back-loaded with the empties!

Wouldn't the brewer be responsible for paying for delivery, and the returns? Certainly how the drinks industry worked 50 years ago.

The publican would have paid for the barrel separately to the beer, and would get that payment back when returning the empty barrel - so important for him to turn round the empty and get it back.

Certainly when Freightliner were delivering for Schweppes they accepted a much lower payment if the container was used to return the empties (crates in this case). I was not involved with any of the admin but IIRC I was told this was about half or two thirds of the cost of the delivery of the fulls. But, that is also an assumption that containers were charged by size and distance and not by weight unlike other railway loads.

i liked the comment about delivering to bottling plants. This was also a common part of the drinks trade. Guiness was well known for being delivered in bulk from Dublin and bottled at large numbers of local plants. But, Burton also did its own bottling and the crates of ale would be delivered all over, with a return of the crates also being required. Every crate had the charge for the empty crate stamped on them, as well as the manufacturing date. Great game finding the oldest crate in a warehouse requiring a great deal of dangerous climbing!

Paul

March 22

This finds some of my Lowestoft photos, there will be more but not searchable on the 8 character file names https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/?q=lowestoft

Paul

March 21

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/icisodiumcarbonate/e262f6bfe

March 21

2 hours ago, 64F said:

Yes, but the Bachmann ones are supposedly vac braked

I've never seen a Bachmann 4wh tank. I have no idea what it is. However, I am aware that, like other companies, they are trying to represent the Monobloc 45t tanks as all being very similar when each manufacturer had their own styles, that changed with time and also whether built VB and later rebuilt AB, or AB from new... and then there is the suspension changes and the barrel, ladders, fillers, vents and access walkways all differ.

Paul

March 21

Not seen one as Lubricants but the earliest Green BPO I recorded was March 1991.

Paul

March 21

Need running numbers, Bing fails to find that Bachmann number

Paul

March 20

The conserved E3137 / 86259 worked to York from KX this morning and is now working the special back. It spent the day in Holgate Sidings.

Photos in https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brelectric

Paul

March 20

Are they in SR brown? 😒

Paul

March 20

Don't overlook that these conserved vans have come out of internal use with the MoD or RoF, this is 18871 at ROF Glascoed https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brpalvan/e606acf08 But could be used for MoD traffic before the VEAs.

45 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

Perhaps like this one?

Hugh Llewelyn (on Flickr) - Diag.1/219 No.B80703 - 'PALSHOCVAN' 12 ton, ventilated, fitted shock-absorbing pallet van No.B80703, with plywood sides and doors and corrugated steel ends, Lot 3347, built at BR (Wolverton) in 1961 at Bitton, Avon Valley Railway, 28 December 2018. TOPS code VRV. This wagon ended up working for the MoD. It is incorrectly numbered as should be in the B555XXX series. It is a shock-absorbing bersion of the Diag.1/211 'PALVAN'. 200 Diag.1/219's were built by BR (Faverdale and Wolverton) in 1958-61.

And this is it at Glascoed https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brpalshocvan/e69fa2cd2 I don't know who wrote it should be in the number series B555xxx. Those, of course, are BR mineral wagons! It should be B855xxx

Paul

March 20

14 hours ago, TJ52 said:

As someone who lives in Sussex I would question the comment that "the south was well catered for".

Is Kettering in the south? As for those out west ....

We're talking Guild shows here, not others.

Terry

Terry

Agreed, but the loss of summer show in the north Midlands because of the Guild trying not to offend/clash with Guildford is seen by some of us as disproportionate, ignoring the potential for poor weather in the winter. The problem with the Guild shows has been historically they had three, all within 100 miles of one another but ignored the South West (used to be served by what I am informed was a good winter time show in Bristol but the venue closed), the true north of our islands or the highly populated South East. Kempton is seen as a viable, affordable and filling of possibly the most important hole in their exhibition geographic profile, but it came at a cost.

Personally I got into 7mm after visiting a GoG event in Milton Keynes, to me a useful alternative to Kettering and better positioned than Telford or Stafford. But affordability of venue has become a major driver in choice of locations - as well as availability. And my understanding of Barnsley was that it was available in the summer but becomes very busy in autumn and winter. By the way, it was a good venue and an interesting town. I thought Stafford was a horrible venue, although it would lend itself to having an exhibition and not just a trade show with a few layouts.

We were informed that nothing could be found in Preston, which has a strong O gauge following, is further north and more accessible by public transport than Wigan.

Paul

March 20

6 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

Are those Dowty buffers - thick housing but spindly shank? I didn't realise they hung around that late.

Rather OT but an interesting observation.

I have found a standard van in 1980 with such a buffer https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brvanplywooddoorvvv/e35787e62 They are also on some Conflat As later - but these were engineers wagons by then. So, it does look like through the later 1970s they were systematically removed from many wagons built with them. They are easy to find on my photos of VB minerals in Wellingborough in 1975 but the same lots taken later have Oleo pneumatic - sometimes still in green undercoat.

Paul

March 20

21 hours ago, Porcy Mane said:

Of which, some were still running into the 1980's & beyond.

This shows the UIC double link suspension that the Modern Railways article discusses and solved the problem. Apparently too late as the vast majority of the vans had gone for scrap or into internal use.

This is an example of a VB van with UIC suspension https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brpalvan/e30c345d3 https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brpalvan/e346c91e4

This is the exhibition AB van as mentioned in 1989 https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brpalvanvpb/ee531ddc

Paul

March 18

Nottingham Class 31 down grain and Class 45 up ecs March 75 J4184 Wow a Bass Charrington, LMS design grain in traffic at the head of the train. I've never noticed one of them out on the mainline before. Also looks like another just out of shot on left. Presumably working to Burton

Paul

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/bchgrain

March 18

7 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

Thanks Paul, that’s a nice view. It still has its 161 number which ought to have been changed for a vehicle in departmental use. But perhaps they haven’t got round to it.

Only guessing as to local use. Other wagons in the yard were in active service so this may well have been. I was just surprised I had a photo of a wagon of interest. As can be seen photos in Italy are very rare, I don't go out of my way at all to photograph railway subjects when on family holidays.

Paul

March 18

4 hours ago, Porcy Mane said:

Makes interesting reading regarding the running qualities of the palvan.

Now let's see if the link works:

https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Rugby1961.pdf

Interesting about the GCR mainline, an ER V2 in an accident with a WR Hall.

Paul

March 18

18 hours ago, kevsmiththai said:

Easter 1996

The Kemira tanks being hauled by 20 303 and 20 304 . Stood at Askam waiting for the preceeding passenger service to clear Foxfield box

But are these working to Sellafield? That was the original request. As mentioned earlier https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brtbogietank2/ed83fdec Later used by Hays for Sulphuric acid.

Paul

March 18

18 hours ago, kevsmiththai said:

The earlier Nitric bogie tanks were the TEAs BRT 84183 to 84192. There is a drawing for these in the British railway Wagon book vol 1 published by OPC

The later ones were Riv registered (SNCF) with Channel tunnel markings. They were leased from GE

I went to Long Marston to inspect them for a renewal of the lease in November 2011

The numbers were

33 70 7899 022-9

33 70 7899 024-9

33 70 7899 036-9

33 70 7899 038-5

I don't think they ever ran in traffic afterwards as the move to road transport was in full force by them. If memory serves me, they sat at Kingmoor for a while and were then sent to M.O.D Longtown for store

I'll see what I have on the Caustics. It won't be much. If I get time I'll get my old trip inspection notebooks out and should be able to get the numbers

Kev

That would suggest these were similar to this Acrylic acid tank https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/tiphookacrylic

Paul

March 18

On 24/02/2024 at 18:04, Mol_PMB said:

It's an FS Ghkkms like this one:

https://www.photorail.it/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=175

I think the one on the transporter wagon at Bulle is the variety without a brake cabin.

I've found models in TT and HO, and even gauge 1, but not yet an O gauge one.

https://www.printables.com/model/181876-fs-carro-merci-tipo-f-ghkkms-spoor-1-spur-1-gauge-

Unexpectedly I photographed one of these when unloading a car at the Milan motorail depot https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/italianrailway/ea46480d4 in 1995. I suspect in "internal use" the way the door is open and it is at the blocks.

Paul

March 18

Hi anonymous ex major influencer on the GoG forum.

Yes extensively discussed. The north (Wigan) is getting a winter show. There has been a demand for a southern show - hardly surprising as that is where the money is - but there is already a O gauge winter show by others - in Guildford - so avoiding this meant Kempton being in the summer.

There is a great O gauge show in the autumn at Sunderland Nissan plant 28 - 29 September. I'm completely independent of that, but the only O gauge show I'm planning to go to this year. Wigan in winter, no thanks. Miserable journey from York.

Yes, it was not a change taken without much anxiety on the forum. But you would know that if you had stayed.

Paul

March 18

3 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

If the price of the Palvan matches the Vanwide, it'll be about two-to-one on cost.

or convert you all to 7mm where the difference in discounted prices between 4mm and 7mm vanwide models is minimal. 😇 Admittedly the Palvan is a kit build at the moment in 7mm.

Paul