Western Star

All of the S7 modellers in Basingstoke do just that when required by the prototype... ok, just three of us.

Stephen @Compound2632 , A recent post to the D299 topic, here, reveals a relevant wagon that has previously escaped recognition as one of those AWOL from your copy of Atkins (Tourret). regards, Graham

Well, go on... please tell us what we are missing so as to make night time more realistic.

Although this is not a rigourous answer, I think that very few brake Clerestory coaches survived past grouping, those clerestory coaches which did survive into the 50s seemed to be all-compartment stock which had been transferred to engineering departments. You may choose to implement Rule 1a which is a sub-section of Rule 1... and that sub-section reads "do what you like and like what you do".

Stephen, @Compound2632, please message me with you email-address and I shall forward the full text as supplied by John - what was written above is my precis of John's original message.

Jordan, @F-UnitMad, a question from the back of the class. What is the purpose of a Train Order Board? Your photos and others above seem to show just a signal post with the remains of UQ signal arms... so how does that provide the TOB? Sorry, there is little light at the back of the class and I did not realise that there were two questions - please consider moving the seats out of the tunnel. regards, Graham {ps In the books by OWL on the Norfolk there are several photos of a railway employee holding a forked stick which carries some paper in the fork, presumably this is the manual version of your signal}

Stephen, My information came from Mr. John Lewis who is the current HMRS Steward for GWR C&W information. My good fried Chris Brown @Chrisbr keeps me on the straight and narrow in regard to GWR register records for the vast number of four plank wagons built in the late 19th century / early 20th century (even though that "line" seems to be wavy, wonky and wide at the slighest provocation). regards, Graham

This book might be of help to you.

If you wish to try and achieve similar results in 7mm and I see no reason why you shall not succeed then I am happy to provide a set of Slater's finest S7 solid spoke 3' 1" diameter wheels. As an aficionado of all-things Midland (ought that to be GWR Northern Division at the turn of the 19th century?) you might even consider using a Slater's D299 kit as the basis of your first foray into the Senior Scale... plenty of suitable drawings in the MRC study centre for the necessary nut and bolt placements). regards, Graham

Not quite if we are to believe what John Lewis has written about the process (Model Railway Constructor Annual (1981)). Swindon took two slices out of a BG body, the cutting was just to the inside of the coach side. Hence the "centre" part of the roof line of the BG coach was retained.

To expand on my earlier answer... I have exchanged e-mails with the HMRS Company Steward for GWR Rolling Stock and I have received information about three wagons which fall within the number range of interest to Stephen @Compound2632. {summary} (1) Broad Gauge Open 10505 became NG 55401 and in due course the wagon was renumbered as ballast wagon 100034. Wood body, 14ft 7½in x 7ft 1in x 2ft 4in body height, Iron underframe, 3ft dia wheels 8 x 3¾ journals OK a/boxes, 9ft w/base, 2 lever brake, 10 tons load, built by Brotherhood 1855, written C.O. Eng Dept. Renumbered 100034 Feb 1937. Cond Dec 1938. (2) BG open 12072 converted to NG 55207 became ballast wagon 100086. Similar dimensions to the above. Built 1866 by Railway Carriage Co. Converted 1892, To Eng dept 2/37 Cond Nov 1939. 3) BG open 12024 to NG 55216 To Ballast 100738. Bult by Railway Carriage Co 1866. Cond Aug 1945. These three wagons were identified from entries in the wagon register for wagon numbers 100000 onwards. That the wagons were given numbers above 100000 may explain how the details (above) have come to be known... there is a fair chance that the re-numbering was the first use of the 100034 / 86 / 738 numbers and hence the clerk took forward all of the relevant details from the original entries. {end summary} The wagon register entries for wagons 55207 / 16 / 401 have not been inspected as yet, that must await the re-opening of the NRM Search Engine. regards, Graham

No need to predict when the HMRS Company Steward for GWR rolling stock can provide the dates... first was no. 123 in July 1894 and last were nos. 116 and 119 by 29th February 1900 / 3rd March 1900. Dave, the register entries for diagrams V8 and V9 record that some of the stock was altered to 4-wheel when converted to narrow gauge (conversion date is recorded as 23rd July 1892), you may wish to avoid numbers 114, 117, 120 and 124. No. 130 was converted from 6 to 4 wheels in April 1923.

Dave does not need to describe his method because there is no tumblehome on GWR Dean carriage stock. On the other hand, Dave, pleased to read how you did the "turnunder" of the model. Separately, information from HMRS Steward for GWR rolling stock is that a number of Dean passenger brake vans (V5 and the ilk) had oil lamps into the Edwardian period - maybe I ought to pose the question to John Lewis. regards, Graham

Stephen, a partial answer to your question. I have asked the HMRS steward for GWR rolling stock for his take on the numbers in question. The details that have been provided are indicative of a company policy... and I wish to pursue a bit before providing the chapter and verse. In essence, the reply makes the suggestion that the numbers 55001-55512 were set aside for broad standard gauge wagons which had been converted to run on the standard narrow gauge - this suggestion is based upon details of a few known wagons. regards, Graham

Need to ask Chris Brown if he covered the relevant registers last year, I shall ask this evening.

Exactly - Savernake GWR is in a cutting and Savernake MSWJR is on higher ground about 200 yards to the north-east of the GW station. To the east of both stations lies Wolfhall Junction and Grafton Junction (plus one other and I have forgotten the name of that one). The "Swindon's Other Railway" web site has appropriate photos and there are no obvious sidings, suitbale for exchange use, at any of the junctions. regards, Graham

Where was the exchange made at Savernake?

Hello Dave, The Slater's kit for Glos. 7 plank wagons has a cast brass buffer stock which is very similar to your piece of work. regards, Graham

Home of infinite rabbit holes and a never ending supply of tea and biscuits to accompany PO wagon discussions.

Which begs the question... would sheds with a sand furnace have bagged sand for the (smaller) locations which did not have similar facilities?

Stephen, @Compound2632 If you start from the premise that the photo shows two designs of ballast hopper wagons... then you have to accept that the date is not correct for all of the low capacity P7 ballast wagons were modified pre-WW1 by adding an extra "layer" of platework around the top of the hopper (GWR Wagons, Tourret, chapter for diagram P refers). If you start from the premise that the date is correct.... then you have to accept that the photo is not likely to be showing PW ballast hoppers. GWR Wagons, Tourret, chapter for diagram N informs us that the GWR built two designs of coal hopper wagons and that there was a similarity in design between the 'N' hoppers for coal and the 'P' hoppers for ballast. Crucial to the analysis of the scene is that (a) the two designs of 'N' hopper had different heights for the hopper and (b) unlike the 'P' hoppers the GWR did not modify the height of the early 'N' hoppers to be similar to the height of the later 'N' hoppers... hence the two designs of 'N' hopper could be seen together at the date of the photo. An interesting question - which colliery was providing the coal for those wagons? regards, Graham

Sherton Abbas candlesticks at each end of the beverage shelf - illumination and a means of warming the brews.

@Compound2632 ,not a groan... had one of these "interesting" icons yet? Not sure how 'interesting' is different to 'informative'.

Exactly why you get so many responses and such a high view count. The story and the details are what makes this topic so compulsive. regards, Graham