Rail-Online

Craig, You will be missing the cast boiler 'bottom' as this is not on the chassis kit. Tony

To make it easier to find on their site 'www.forestofdeanhistory.org.uk' - it is in the reprints section of the publications entitled 'New Regard Vol 18 p35 to p60 - Brain's Tramway' Tony

Thanks everyone for identifying it as a Bond 875. They are not level crossing gates, but access to the line at Crofton Jcn York, where the avoiding lines go off the ECML. Tony

The title says it all really! Often there are interesting things on the edges of negs......

I have seen this before, it is from MA Ray & Sons of North Woolwich See Turton Vol 5 page 179. Tony

Thanks Brian, We all really appreciate your knowledge. Was there re-fuelling facilities at Radyr for the PWM andother stabling locos, or was the former filled up by fuel from barrels ? Cheers Tony

Thanks for this fascinating insight into Radyr in the late 60s and early 70s. Another question for Brian, you have not mentioned the PWM shunter. Was it always there in the yard or did it ever do trips out? What was its purpose as most of the other PWMs were in Continuously Welded Rail depots and used for sunday re-laying? I only saw it away from the yard once around 1976 and then it was light engine with an 08 through Cardiff General going to Canton, but i never knew if this was just for fuel or maintainence. Recalling the RO there was always a report of where every S Wales loco was stabled during the Xmas shut down, someone went to every shed and stabling point and recorded literally everything - I think they did it on Boxing Day to get aways from the family! I remember a day trip to Cardiff on Friday before Xmas eve 1975 or 76. The amount of freight through the station was literally mind blowing to a lad from the Midlands, there was a class 37 always in sight - fantastic days! Cheers Tony

Regarding these MR hoppers I always wondered why 2000 wagons lasting well into LMS days were so 'camera shy'. My conclusion is they were associated with heavy regular flows of coal from colliery to the larger scale industrial user such as steelworks, electricity works, gas works etc. As such their route would be a short trip mainly from the Notts/Derby/S Yorks coalfields to Sheffield steelworks, local gas works etc. Hoppers were not common on the MR and early LMS as most mineral requiring bottom discharge were carried in 7 plank mineral wagons mainly owned by the Private Owners. The LMS/NE did build a lot these RCH minerals early in their life but these were common user. I have always assumed that being hoppers these would be returned empty ASAP to the supplying colliery for the next trip. All this was not very glamorous and rarely photographed. As the prototype I am modelling has colliery exchange sidings and much of its output went to the steel industry, I decided I would need some of these hoppers and acquired some David Geen kits. I found two pairs of empties in the fiddle yard this morning so photographed them. They are an OK kit, only come with early grease axleboxes and therefore need these replacing as well as compensating for P4 and the buffers springing. They build up nice and square. Tony

Is this what you want? Tony

Pics in Rail-Online of 41713, 41779, 41835 (Belpair boiler fitted about 1962!), 41853, 41865. For example https://www.rail-online.co.uk/p409546733/heefa75d3#heefa75d3 Cheers Tony

I think you need to define the period you are talking about- 1890s? Tony

T3 for me! Tony

You can add 80037 to the list of ones that had them, see here on the Rail-Online site https://www.rail-online.co.uk/p974195917/h4a4da1c1#h4a4da1c1 Cheers Tony

I like the worn bottom of the door - that makes it so much more 'real' . The carrier film below the GWR is bridging the plank gap though...... Cheers Tony

J37 for me as well, although the N15 was also a very useful and forgotten NBR class Tony

Changing the subject slightly, I found the attached today. I have never heard the trem Road Side Wagon, was this just a term for 'smalls' traffic as used on the Cambrian or perhaps Tariff traffic? It appears that the 1894 load on wagon 20171 (would this be Cam or GW) from Machynlleth to Whitchurch carried traffic for Pontefract, Montgomery and Caemmans Road (? cant really read this?). Tony

I presume nothing came of this project? Tony

Tim, Try the Rail Online site and use the search button to search on Carnforth and Chester and there are lots of pics taken at both https://www.rail-online.co.uk/ Tony

Chester had 4 steam sheds (if you include Mold Jcn) and Carnforth 4 (if you include the LMS shed as new) Tony

Regarding the Caley (and NBR) branded pig iron wagons, I believe these had beefed up floors in order to take the continued battering of the pigs being dropped in. They may also have had stronger springs. Thinking about it you would not want to use a wagon with and weak point such as bottom doors. I think the Midland would use 3 plank dropside D305 for this traffic - unloading would be easier and (more importantly) less likely to damage the wagon sides. Tony

That is an interesting picture of Wigston South for those that do not recognise it, I used to train spot there! The Peak is going round what we used to call 'the triangle' from the MML towards Nuneaton, possibly from Wellingborough. The wagon works and former MR shed is in the distance to the right of the signal box. The Brush is on an unusual short train of ECS, probably the late morning working from Derby to Cricklewood conveying the products of Litchurch Lane. The empty sidings are the carriage sidings here, used to store summer excursion stock. The date is about 1972-3 and certainly before 1976. Tony

I remeber seeing that Toad - at Plymouth station around 1975 and (as a youngster) being surprised that so long after nationalisation it was still in original GWR livery! Tony

You are quite correct, the survival rate for genuine NBR wagon plates is very low. I suspect a lot of this is because many returned home to be scrapped and there were many less collectors based in Scotland than England. A good proportion of pre grouping original wagon plates came from a handful of collectors regularly visiting scrap yards and even digging them up at the locations where the wooden bodies were burnt. The other main source was grounded bodies. I should add that of the PO registration plates that survive, a good proportion come from tank wagons which lasted into the early days of railwayana collecting. Tony

Hi 31A! Many thanks, I would have guessed a few years earlier than Spring 1957 but you cannot get better than a dated photo! Cheers Tony

The planks are much better defined on the Slaters kit. Tony