Saint Johnstoun

Tractors converted to shunters were used by the railways right back to the 1920s. Muir Hill of Trafford Park Manchester converted a succession of Fordson models into shunters and the major railway companies all used them . I published a book on Muir Hill many years ago and there were numerous designs, I suggested to Oxford Diecast that they might consider doing a version of their Fordson Major as a shunter. Will post some pics when I get them digitised. BR had loads of them - they replaced steam on Grangemouth Docks in the late 1950s for example.

The Maunsell Push-Pull sets were equipped for air operation of the controls hence the need for a Westinghouse Pump on the loco. The Ivatt and Standard 2-6-2 tanks fitted for Push-Pull used a vacuum system which was standard on the LMS.

Two sets were loaned by the Eastern Region to the Scottish Region for a period of 14 weeks. They arrived at Leith Central on the 13th April 1956 and they started running on the Gullane branch (closed to passengers some 25 years previously) for crew training. They were placed in service on the 11th June to determine the suitability of using DMUs on certain routes. One set operated between Waverley and Galashiels, and the other on the Gleneagles, Creiff and Comrie line. This second line became completely diesel worked apart from the 6:00am Stirling to Crieff, the engine of which returned light. The set was stabled in the semi-roofless Perth North shed, from which it ran out empty in the morning to Comrie and returned light at night after working the 6:03pm. Gleneagles to Comrie. The set had a most favourable effect on both comfort and patronage. The set finished on the branch on the 21st July and ran light to Leith Central the following day. After six weeks they were both transferred to the Corstorphine, Waverley and North Berwick line for the remaining eight weeks till 15th September, before returning to the Eastern Region. They formed part of augmented services introduced on the 23rd July on the North Berwick and Corstorphine branches; with other services still steam operated. Example workings on the 8th Aug when set 79056/272 was on the 2:50pm from Waverley and 3:55pm return from North Berwick to Waverley. For the fourteen weeks the vehicles, 79055/6 and 79271/2 were allocated to St. Margarets, and were listed as transferred north on the 4 week period ending 21/4/56, and back south in the 4 week period ending 22/9/56. So one is justified in having one of these early units on a 1950s based Scottish Layout.

After my first Derby Lightweight arrived I have been busy converting an ex Lima 101 into an early Met Cam to MU with the DLWs - I await the East Anglian version. The two track route boxes were carefully removed from the ends and the area carefully sanded to give a smooth surface. Holes were then drilled to take the centre and top marker lights, the housings I made out of a plastic tube from a cocktail stick. The lights were glazed using the pips from some spare 101 windscreens I had left over when I combined two 101 cars to give me a Trailer Brake Second. I had spare MU jumper sockets from a Cravens Parcel Car which I am building, so these were added, the whole lot carefully touched up using railmatch green, and finally the lower lining restored using Pressfix BR coach lining. The car numbers and crests were removed from the car sides using a fibreglass pen - the resulting area was then cleaned up with Teecut. Early BR crests replaced the later ones on the power car, but I still have to add car numbers. The current tension lock couplings preclude the addition of the skirts, which I have made up from plastikard, but a change of bogie frames to the latest Hornby ones with NEM pockets is planned when I can get some. I added some East Anglian destinations to a sheet of DMU ones I have on the computed and printed same out on a label - then added WELLS and NORWICH to the cars. I am currently studying the under car details and may effect some modifications as the early units were slightly different to the 101s. I would add that I describe the fairings under the bufferbeams as skirts, and will post photos of the car front when I have resolved the coupling issue.

The Cumberland Derby Lightweights (as per latest Bachmann model) ran over the line at times, not only on local services but I understand there were one or two excursions including at least one for the Rugby at Murrayfield which used these units.

Here are some more recent projects I use PC Models (Now HMRS) pressfix transfers. 60100 was a sick US visit Scotsman which I removed the US bits and carefully renumbered the loco. The tender was a swap with 4475 Flying Fox. 2556 was a resprayed Flying Fox. Note that 1471 is a partly repainted 1470 in Great Northern Livery.

Here is progress so far on my WD 2-10-0 conversion. I've extended the chassis and boiler, and have two running plates cut ready to join. Next job is to make the correct firebox. Drawings of both types below

All your photos are gobsmacking! Out of interest what is the pedigree of your Caprotti Standard Class V?

60009 ran with an A4 corridor tender 5591 from 14/5/48 until 16/7/61 which makes the model in the pics spot on.

Of course the tender we are talking about is still in existence (5332) having been modified back to normal, as of course was 5325 which was put behind FS in preservation.

Sir Nigel would be proud of you. One minor and really unimportant point. Did 60009 not run with one of the cut down tenders done for the 1948 locomotive exchanges at one time? A really good model is the nearest you can get to the real thing in retrospect. We may well see steam on the main line today but the environment is of 2011 not the 1960s.

You've spurred me on to creating 60813 from one of my V2s so will have a go and report back. Where did you get the smoke deflectors for Humorist?