Blandford1969

I will pass back your thanks. An interesting statistic on the event. A four day autumn gala normally carries about 7500 passengers not including shareholders and working members. Over the six days of the event we carried about 15,000 passengers, many of whom were new to the railway and we hope to see them again.

 

So thanks again if you came to visit us and we look forward to seeing you for a normal Gala next year.

Glad you enjoyed yourself. It has been an odd event in many ways. We had no choice when we could have the engine and when booked the hype had not kicked off so the following 'the Scottish engine' had was not known. At that point as well we had not hosted the Tornado / Scot weekend which showed the issues we could have with popular engines.

 

As a result the Gala committee which has a large number of volunteers on it felt it better to have Tornado and 'the Scottish engine' as an event all on its own. Yes that upset a some of the people who visit every September for Gala, but it was felt there was little choice.

 

Through the early part of this year there was a very large planning exercise following on from the events on the ELR and NYMR and with people like the Police involved as well. I think its safe to say it resulted in one of the largest operating manuals for one event I have ever seen at 118 pages covering just about everything.

 

Yes things did not go perfectly, the demand for tickets was such we could have sold probably four to five times the number we had and our website, which at its peak normally has about 80 concurrent users had over 7000. This was far more than either of the previous railways had experienced and the paid staff had to work their socks off on the phones, desk etc trying to satisfy the demand.

 

The actual running was different with lots of work with local landowners who decided that they would open certain fields so people could park and see the trains laying on toilets and in some cases pig roasts. The event was unusual in lots of ways, to start the trains were pre booked although from Friday onwards we started selling more tickets for normal trains. Access to stations was controlled and profits are to go to station funds to help on improving the facilities available such as in Bridgnorth where work will start very soon on the new buffet as stage one of the rebuilding.

 

Certainly there are things we would all have liked to have gone better, but operationally it seemed to run well and we did not have the trespass we were concerned about, perhaps through the lineside patrols at all key crossings. It was amazing that all those teams, the crews, guards, stations, signal boxes etc were all connected by radios, no mean feet in the valley at times. 

 

Now will come the debrief to learn the lessons of what went well and what could have gone better. There are of course those who no matter what is said to explain the circumstances feel let down the Autumn Steam Gala was missing this year. It will be back next year and many of us are looking forward to that normality. We have all gone home very tired, but having met lots and lots of new visitors who lived far and wide, but whom had not previously visited.

 

If you came, I hope you enjoyed it and we all look forward to seeing you later this year or at one of next years events http://www.svr.co.uk/pdf/Brochures/SVR%20Timetable%202017%20(Preview).pdf

 Not sure if you had seen this which has turned up on Flickr, just after your period; but hopefully interesting

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sydhank/29283642941/in/dateposted/

Sorry for the delay in any further updates, work and other matters have got in the way.

 

I have finally got a replacement cab cut out from brass. I have just to make a firebox which will go through to the end of the tanks and to work out what the backhead looked like (any ideas?) I know there was 1 gauge glass and the steam valves for the injectors are above the backhead (but where were the water valves) The regulator I understand was a two handled regulator in the middle. But was there anything else on the backhead?

 

 

The cab sides have the bunker front and side which are still to be bent round. I have got the spectacle plates to fit and then the pressure gauge to make and fit on the cab front.  There is a bit of sorting out with the cab front and the curve of the roofline to be correct. I will also need to cut out a new roof.

 

Hopefully I will have the cab built this week.

Thanks Martyn - I hope that I will see you at Telford!

 

The track test for 4702 went well after a few minor adjustments, and the following day a pleasant morning was spent making up the backhead. I'm not a GWR expert, but the web is a great resource if you just Google image GWR backheads. How did we cope before? And only one gauge glass?:-

P1030739.JPG

 

That's about it for the moment on that project, it will go to Warren for painting in September. As we have a lovely rainy day, it's straight on to the next job, which I have rather been looking forward to, and 'can you tell what it is yet?', well it's pretty easy to guess.. I shall get round to changing the thread title again.

P1030735.JPG

This is a great build. My only question is was that the only break valve in the kit as it is a combined brake ( By which I mean the air and steam valves were in the same casing and the brake handle goes either way from the vertical to either create or destroy the brake. Whereas I thought the 47xx was fitted with a four cone ejector , like this one https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/GWR_Castle_Class_5080_Defiant_footplate_2.jpg ? The basic difference is that the air and steam valves are now separated, with the steam valve (To create vacuum) is a pull down handle on the RHS of the casting and the air valve is by itself. Above the air valve can be seen the small ejector which maintains the vacuum ( But as I said I cant remember if the 47xx had a 4 cone ejector or just the type with separate air and steam valves, which was a development of the original 'combined brake'  Whatever it is a wonderful model.

According to a friend of mine who fires there it's quite common for the two Bullieds on the Valley to struggle with some of the gradients

 Our gradients are only 1 in 100 at most. The challenge is really Highley where now we have to stop with 2 off at the north end you are biting on the sharp curve and already on the gradient. SKP can sometimes not want to start in reverse gear, and so far 1 out of 3 valves has been reset. My personal way round is making sure I drain the steam chest every time I stop in reverse gear to maximise the chance. I also start in full gear. Certainly they can be light on their feet and just need driving, rather than opening the regulator and leaving it to it. Again my preference is to have about 140 psi in the steam chest and then drive totally on the reverser. If it slips quickly wind it to mid and then wind it out till you get traction.  The only places I find her light, is leaving Bridgnorth first thing in the morning when there is dew on the rails and Highley bank. Some have struggled on Eardington, but again maybe it depends when you make sure you get going. I open up as soon as I am by the 15mph end board to get some acceleration before getting onto the 1 in 100 (our ruling gradient)

 

On the news front Bridgnorth has finally been given planning permission for the new Buffet and other buildings. The Holdings Board has kept 900K for the project but is going to launch a share issue for 2.5 Million. The G Board to keep at the 22% share holding in H would need to find around 700K.

 

 

 

There is a difference in preference between Bewdley and Bridgnorth men, with it being suggested Bridgnorth men are happier with a WC than Bewdley, certainly it always seems that way!.

Lovely box, I bet the rest was nice too. Sadly I have not seen any of those signals either.

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London Midland & Scottish Railway, L.S.W.R.

Bude, drawings of Signal Box L.S.W.R. 1898

1898

Late Extras, Just Put on File

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London Midland & Scottish Railway, L.S.W.R.

Bude, drawings of Station Buildings L.S.W.R. 1898

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London Midland & Scottish Railway, L.S.W.R.

Bude, drawings of Station Buildings Plan & Elev L.S.W.R. 1898

1898

Late Extras, Just Put on File

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London Midland & Scottish Railway, L.S.W.R.

Bude, drawings of Engine Shed L.S.W.R. 1898

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Late Extras, Just Put on File

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London Midland & Scottish Railway, L.S.W.R.

Bude, drawings of Goods Shed L.S.W.R. 1898

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London Midland & Scottish Railway, L.S.W.R.

Bude, drawings of Tank House L.S.W.R. 1898

1898

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London Midland & Scottish Railway, L.S.W.R.

Bude, drawings of W.I. Gate, ticket barrier, etc L.S.W.R. 1898

1898

Late Extras, Just Put on File

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London Midland & Scottish Railway, L.S.W.R.

Bude, drawings of Platform awnings & columns L.S.W.R. 1898

You might be interested to note the OPC drawings of the buildings are all listed by the NRM on the OPC master list, each is £7.50 as digital download. The service is really good and while they say its a six weeks turnaround it depends when you order as they place an order for scans once every three weeks. Don't ask me why it is referenced as LMS (I have not got a clue)

I've cut out new cab and bunker sides which were cut out using the piercing saw and files. It really is satisfying as bits start to come out of sheet metal. The question was on the cab front, and the size and location of the cab windows as I thought those on the Hornby engine looked wrong and far too small. Well lots of looking (my wife says I am suborn enough to keep looking till something came up) produced a photo of the Slaters pug which I managed to reduce to size, roughly as shown below

 

That's now been marked out as below. I know that the right hand window looks odd as I used the wrong size to draw (I must remember not to use that size though when I fret it out.

 

Next job cut it out and then make myself some spectacle plates and start to put together.

 

I will add the beading in rather than having it separate as it is currently, and looks a bit silly. I have started thinking about the slide bars and cross heads and might have some ideas, but time will tell.

 

The one thing I hope is that the thread is interesting and anyone else who wants to follow, maybe avoids some of my pitfalls.

I've been working on a pattern for a new cab as the old one is wrong and too short in the roof.

 

One question I have got is can anyone tell me the size of the cab spectacles, is the Hornby size about right ?

Remove 4mm either side of the dome. This corrects the saddle tank. Somebody on another forum did a fairly comprehensive rebuild - let me find the link.

 

Here it is .

 

I've been doing something similar to turn it into the last surviving NBR "G"/ LNER Y9

Thanks for the link, which did give some ideas. I have decided not to go for the shortening as I am not that brave.

 

However I decided the firebox had to be put right, so knife and hacksaw have resulted in it going

 

However, having done that I am wondering about how I can easily put right the cab front as even with a smooth down it is still going to look odd. Would it be better to cut out the front and replace with a brass one onto which the firebox and firebox front can be soldered? , however if that gets done is it then better just to  replace the whole cab in brass?

 

Not made up my mind on that yet.

The whole Hornby model is distorted in a number of different ways - the most obvious is that it's a whole two scale feet too long. Yes, the firebox and backhead is too big.

Mmm, Makes me wonder about a quick hack as it really lets doing the engine down. Do you know the dimensions it should be?

Hi All,

 

I thought my latest attempts at an engine might be of use, if only in the why the heck did he do that avenue. As some of you will know I was seriously ill earlier this year, and, during my recovery visited a long time friend who sadly can't do modelling now due to his arthritis. He asked me if I could do a quick and easy job, as it just needed a chassis.

 

He wanted the Caley pub 16020 later 56020 that for some time was based at Burton. He even gave me a book with a photo of it. Having got home it became apparent a chassis was not all that was needed for this engine.

 

I found a photo in my collection of said engine

 

Not long after this photo, it got buffers as well as the dumb buffers, I needed to cut away the springs as the engine did not have, meaning the absence of the bottom of the boiler really showed. I quickly realised the easiest way was to cut out a new footplate, boiler bottom and cab rear.

 

You can see I have drilled out for the boiler fittings already.

 

Yesterday I cut out and soldered the cab rear on as well as using some brake rigging to bend, cut and fashion into beading and support for the rear handrail.

 

At the same time I, cut out the coal bunker sides for inside the cab and soldered on boiler bands onto the bottom part, I know they are over scale thickness, however they look fine to me.

 

Today's job was to then solder on the boiler bottoms, bunker sides and handrails.

 

Next is fettling up the bottom of the tanks to fit inside the plastic and bend the front handrails to fit. Then ends the easy stuff.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to if this fitting is available from anywhere or suggestions on how I might scratch build it?

 

Tomorrow evening will be using wire to start building the pipework between the tanks and the running plate and work out how to build myself a new sandbox having cut the old one off while getting the body ready.

 

Finally for now is it my imagination or is the firebox on the Horny model too high. My only rear photos

seem to suggest the firebox is much smaller, not that I plan on hacking that off.

 

More to follow, hope its of interest. I'm not looking forward to the chassis especially the slidebars and crossheads so may ask for help and suggestions.

 

All the photos are from my own negatives (taken by others as its before my time, lol)

 

Duncan

Simple answer is that the only bit of the roof which was cleaned was that where the output of the CWM (carriage washing machine) caught it - and the brushes on modern machines didn't get that far up.  In the years when I was involved in carriage cleaning the roofs weren't touched at al and on the WR (sorry) we had no Standard Time for roof cleaning although we did have one for 'backs' (coach ends).

There is a carriage washing plant on the road at the far side of the carriage shed at Kidderminster. I can't remember the frequency of washing off hand, but seem to remember its at least once a month. So no need for going on roofs

It seems reading this like Craftsman appears like some other companies to have sadly receded into the background (hopefully not forever) but is there a demand for their kits, the 1f for example is done by Trevor Cousens, what though of the 1P is there a demand for it, if it was available elsewhere would we buy it from that source?

Not sure if this is of interest, but a photo was posted today on Flickr of Talyllyn https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07/27897066352/in/dateposted/ I appreciate it is the North junction.

 

Great to see the progress you are making and how realistic your track is.

So did you get it Clive?

Hi Duncan

 

Thanks for the update and I might have put in a bid.

Good luck Clive.

Sorry for the lack of updates things have slowed in trying to find evidence on a couple of points. For those interested I did notice a Sutherland models version on ebay if anyone is interested? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUTHERLAND-MODELS-COTSWOLD-LMS-Stanier-2-62t-unmade-complete-motor-/371664416264?hash=item5688ecee08:g:6tYAAOSwMNxXbEHf I hope to make more progress on the drawings soon having finally got the balance weights and sanders sorted.

Best wishes, Duncan

How are things progressing with the LNER V4 "aid to scratchbuilding"?

Alan

Or the Fowler 2-6-2?

Thanks,

 

I've read it somewhere that the Rivers had three cylinders. Or, was I getting mixed up with the SR class of the same name? 

 

Where is it reported that the HR Rivers were rough-riding? My late friend, G N Nowell-Gossling (of Manifold fame) had experience of them north of Carlisle and said they ran like a Pullman car. 

There is a new book by the Caledonian Railway Society on the 956 full of very useful photos and drawings. I always wondered if they just tried to copy the rivers.

I would certainly agree on the J21 or a J27 - long lived and fills a gap for the LNER, A Caley Jumbo or J36 or 37 for Scotland, an MR 1P for the Midland and a U or a K for the Southern.

Stunning work

Would a photo of a withdrawn example be of any use. I've got at least one negative somewhere?

Super, you cant beat a nice class 55, of course the one Oban bogie that is the rarest in model form is the 191, Look forward to seeing your build progress.