Porcy Mane

Mike apologies for not replying earlier. I've been busy over the last few days. Yes, what became Percy Main shed was originally the workshops for the Blyth and Tyne. They built a couple of locos for themselves. My understanding is that the area bordered red was the original Blyth & Tyne works boundary with the railway also owning the land that the housing was built on immediately to the East and North East. The building shown as the poplars on the map became railway housing with the rest of the area shaded yellow becoming railway allotments some time during LNER days. This info came from a mates father who lived nearby but he had no railway connections and I haven't been able to confirm the gen. Eventually the Poplars became the Clubhouse for Percy Main F.C. They had (still have) the nick name "The Railwaymen". Seems like the aerial photo linked to earlier was a post card from an Aerofilms original. There is a series of them from the same flight on this page: http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/asearch?gazetteer=North%20Tyneside&ADMIN_AREA=North%20Tyneside If you register with Britain From Above you can use the zoom function which is quite useful. They've got a decent pic of the gas works at Hessle. I've seen a series of colour images take from the top of the signal gantry that was just south of the shed looking over the site after the west shed roof was removed but can't remember which publication it was in. I've never managed to find an exact date for the roof removal but suspect it was the sometime during the fifties. It might have blown off as in the photos the most easterly of the three tracks in the west shed (if you see what I mean) had been covered with a roof and side wall of corrugated iron which was intact at closure. There is this pic that shows the full roof still intact. 83. 2924 65852 Percy Main MPD (KH Cockerill) 906 by George Stephenson, on Flickr Roofs gone on this image but the end walls are still there. 49. 65780 Percy Main 52E 30 09 56 004 by George Stephenson, on Flickr Next time I see Mr Dunn I'll ask him if the dates are with any notes for the original negatives. Finally a similar shed. A not often seen (but this has been posted a few times on RM web) view of the inside of Blackgill. All the work of Eddy Ford. P

Flickr is certainly turning into a reasonable tool for pictorial research. Lets hope it doesn't go the same way as Fotopic. The shed was originally the Loco/Wagon works for the Blyth & Tyne Rly. A little more info in this thread: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/86750-evocotive-railway-remains-what-derelect-or-abandoned-structure-stirs-your-emotions/page-9&do=findComment&comment=1766812 http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/86750-evocotive-railway-remains-what-derelect-or-abandoned-structure-stirs-your-emotions/page-9&do=findComment&comment=1768209 http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/86750-evocotive-railway-remains-what-derelect-or-abandoned-structure-stirs-your-emotions/page-9&do=findComment&comment=1769427 A similar view to the aerial above but taken some 35 years later. Unfortunately the loco shed is just out of view. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69358-tyneside-electrics/page-10&do=findComment&comment=995372 P

Well here's the rest of it on the same day. V1/3 tanks or 101 DMU's passing on the main carrying all the Scandinavians to Tyne Commission Quay. NCB hoppers on the way to Howdon Point tippler and all the docks traffic. It's located tightly between two over bridges for scenic breaks. Perfect... 180. 15E 65860 Percy Main MPD 12-04-64 (A Ives) 089 by George Stephenson, on Flickr You can get a feel for the Loco sheds location and surroundings by checking towards the top centre of this pic: Hartley Main Collieries (Commissioners) staithes at Percy Main in 1932 by Billy Embleton, on Flickr You can see film of the Howdon Quay Whitehill point coal tippler in action by skipping to seven minutes in this film. Introduced and narrated by one of my heroes, Mike Neville. http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-your-heritage-the-river-tyne-1962/ P P

If only Mr Plumb had angled his camera down a little more. http://plumbloco.smugmug.com/Trains/Former-LNER-Lines/i-hscB4Rj/A Seems like there was also some variation to the wasp stripes at the radiator end to those that had it applied from new. P

Might be. I once asked Joan Croft to marry me and wanted Neville Hill to be my best man, but she turned me down. Porce PS BR Management tried to turn me into a centralised maintenance depot for Tynesides diesel shunters but rationalisation put pay to that. See my diesel refuelling points. Oh the shame... As seen in this Arthur Ives photo. 179. 15F Percy Main MPD 12-04-64 (A Ives) 090 by George Stephenson, on Flickr

I suspect the 104 would have been through its first repaint when it has received the simplified thick side lining as also applied to some of the Class 101's during their first repaint. The side lining certainly looks thicker than the original as on this 104 at Shildon in 1963. That still doesn't answer the question as to why the lining round the brow looks original? Porcy

D286 had the ladder converted into a handrail at the No. 1 end. It ran like this into the late sixties. P

Tyne Commission Quay. The reason the Danish Embassy was on the North Bank of the Tyne. The Scandinavians put so much money into the Tyneside economy on their Ferry/Shopping trips. Lois Zolner was the one time ambassador. He introduced Icelandic ponies into the North East coalmines as they were much more adept at walking over broken ground than Galloway ponies. Porcy

About here. https://goo.gl/maps/vsU7V With riverside bridge in the distance. Used in the public information film about buying TV licence's many years ago. P

How right you are about those steps. With a little bit of modification the Mainly Trains step etch provides a good basis for the J72 with a little bit less work. I never thought about scratch building mine. I suppose it might have been cheaper. I started my short bunkered J72 well before Mr Gibbons started on the design work for his but he kindly donated a test Etch (from his scrap bin) so I could use his later brake rodding on mine. I'm modelling 68674 and pics show that it was fitted with the later style brake gear at some point. The copperclad is to have the electrical tracks for working Head/tail-lamp, firehole led and bunker mounted speaker etched into it so I can fit a cab floor and backhead without wiring interfering too much. Have a go at the Bradwell B1. My mate built this one a few years ago now, but said, with a little bit of patience when following the instructions, it fell together. It might even get painted this year. Hope you don't mind the excuse to post up some photos. Porcy

I think the 47 went to the Wensleydale Railway. Was once told they belonged to a dentist whose grand plan was to use them on a dining train round the York, Leeds Harrogate loop but don't know if that was based on hearsay & rumour. P

No. Wind tunnels. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAE_Bedford P

Some say they were scrapped. Some say these are they. https://goo.gl/maps/MMPNe P

You can't get better than my quick chip fitter. (But not sure if he's a boy to trust!) P

The big one now being used by Adrian Newey and the team at RBR. P

No more Queen of Scots. Sun setting on Sinderby station building, May 2009. Demolished shortly after. Sinderby A1 overbridge and station. Bridge also now demolished. The bridge had significance in the history of pre-stressed concrete that can be read about here: http://www-civ.eng.cam.ac.uk/cjb/4d8/public/history.html Porcy

Is that a turnout heater I see in C1940/1? The Royal Aircraft Establishment wind tunnels over on the horizon. P

Looks easy enough as per the instruction sheet. Might need a bit more insulation on the inside of the recess to be on the safe side. P

And they even make a tourist attraction out of it. Picnic spot for spotters. Nice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP6badXvoSI Looks like an interesting place to spend a couple of hours. P

Mine was delivered by Mr & Mrs Yodel a couple of hours ago. Like others, mine came with the couplers in bag sellotaped to the inside the clear packaging. BUT read on... Nice front end with etched mesh fitted behind Radiator slats. Very nice. Cast Hunslet Plate is plastic and part of moulding. All four of the upright grabs were bent and a couple of lamp brackets were damaged. I was expecting this as they are plastic and acrylic mouldings and very delicate. No problem though as I'd ordered spare sprues and from a personal point of view, I'd rather have fine and delicate as opposed to over scale and sturdy. Here's the BUT. Mine was missing the front steps. Parts 91 & 92. Pleased I bought the spare sprues... With the cab being moulded in clear acrylic, it gives the impression the cab sides are made from sheet steel. Initial impressions are good effort from Heljan but inspection could be improved. P

"The Diesel Shunter. A Pictorial Record" by Colin Marsden. Plate 91. D2600 at Selby on 10 August 1960. Rods look to be Steel. It's a B&W pic but they are definitely a different colour to the jackshaft weight which I assume to be red. A pic in my collection shows D2611 on a RCTS brake van special around the Axeholme Railway on 14/9/1963 and that appears to be the same. Hth P

See this entry... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/65792-hunslet-class-05/page-5&do=findComment&comment=1954641 P

For EM will the wheels just pull out on the axle and slip a couple of Plastic C washers down the back? The flange doesn't look to obtrusive. Can't think of any after market wheels with 12 spokes of 3' 7" Diameter? For P4 I've initially been thinking about trying to pop out the wheel centres and turning them down to glue into a 14mm or 15 mm Gibson tyre. A plan probably destined to fail from the outset. The more ambitious plan is to build a spare branchlines 03 chassis (with the centres between the rear axle and jackshaft corrected) to 00 and pin the cosmetic frames to that. All dependant sorting out the wheels first. Porcy

Yep I think you're right, Sunday Night at the London Palladium another programme I had to endure as the Mk 1 TV remote. Must admit to being pretty impressed at the end of one Sunday Night at the Pally when they got the Mini Cooper S that had just won the Monte Carlo Rally onto the revolving stage. The Car got a bigger cheer than Tommy Cooper and Bruce Forsythe. Why do I remember such Crap??? P

Unfortunately I didn't have to resort to Google! Probably because, as a young kid, I was the original TV remote control. My old granny used to force me to sit next to her whilst she watched anything and every thing on "the Telly". A quick nudge meant get up and change station. Fortunately there were only two. Michael Miles was one of her favourites. All shout together. "OPEN THE BOX!" "YES/NO"... "YES/NO"... "YES/NO"... BONGGGGggggggg. Almost as bad as Hughie Green with Beat the Clock and Double your Money. At least he had Monica to look at. No wonder I threw the telly out all them years ago... Porcy Going for a lie down as suddenly I have visions of Russ Conway playing Side Saddle on his piano and giving me that silly smile and a wink. (As a three year old, my Grandad once told me he'd found Russ Conways severed finger in a tin of Garden Peas).