SP Steve

Fancy a domino headcode but not at the front? 25.210 sports a natty patch up to one of its engine room windows utilising what would appear to be a domino headcode glass from a split box type, either Class 40 or 45. The loco was working through with two brand new Mk3 sleepers in tow (10553 and 10561).

Fancy something a little bit different on the HST front? A series of test trains at the upper end of the WCML in June 1982 (to investigate the result of running at high speed with two pantographs raised) saw an HST in RTC action. Seen heading south at Carlisle on 18/06/82 was: 43193 RDB975422 "PROMETHEUS" 40517 TRUK 40512 TRUK 40514 TRUK 40515 TRUK 40513 TRUK 44092 TGS 44094 TGS RDB975000 43194 I later saw the same service arrive into Preston so it may have later returned north or possibly returned to Derby RTC

Following may be of some use: http://www.traintesting.com/index.htm

Hi Simon, I can recommend the following for ease of removing tarnish from track work: https://www.buckandhickman.com/en/shop/products/details/3945469/ROEBUCK-FLEXIBLE-MULTI-PURPOSE-POLISHER-FINE I first made acquaintance with them whilst observing fitters using them to provide a blemish free finish on stainless steel panels which were then installed in a clean room environment. Being large they do both rails at once and don't crumble.

The following link for a Youtube video contains a piece showing BR oil tail lamps being soldered up: Of Coppersmiths And Kings Swindon Works BBC 1985 Scroll forward to 13 minutes 45 seconds although the whole piece is worth watching

Some locos did have official naming ceremonies, generally a few days after having the plates applied at Derby works: D49 The Manchester Regiment - Manchester Piccadilly 09/10/65 D52 The Lancashire Fusilier - Manchester Piccadilly 31/10/63 D54 The Royal Pioneer Corps - London St Pancras 14/11/63 D56 The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (T.A.) - Bedford Midland 08/12/62 D58 The King's Own Royal Border Regiment - Carlisle 01/05/63 D59 The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers - Birmingham Snow Hill 22/05/64 D62 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards - London St Pancras 30/11/64 D70 The Royal Marines - London St Pancras 02/12/64 D89 Honourable Artillery Company - London Broad Street 09/06/65 D100 Sherwood Forester - Derby Midland 23/09//61 D137 The Cheshire Regiment - Chester 12/06/66 D163 Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry - Derby Midland 14/04/62 D62 / 45143 was later adorned with an additional "1685 - 1985" plate in the same style as the original at a ceremony held at London Waterloo 11/06/85

You probably already have these two in your sights: Regimental Naming Of Locomotives 1960 - 63 Regimental Naming Of Locomotives 1963 - 76 The problem with Kew is that the day just seems to evaporate! I know when I've used it and have been perusing catalogues there always seems to be something ready to sidetrack you from your target. Good luck with the search....

A couple of 16 tonners re-purposed as ZHVs - DB266391 shows the body side cut outs to prevent over loading whilst DB572902 has not been so treated, both seen at Springs Branch 16th March 1985.

Hurried shot taken from a passing service shows 45013 with 'go fast' white stripe livery, Gloucester Horton Road depot 9th September 1984.

Using Wayback Machine you can still access them via the following link: https://web.archive.org/web/20121204225532/http://www.mousa.biz/downloads/coach_seats.html For anyone not familiar with Wayback it offers the ability to re-visit old web pages from a number of years depending on how many times a particular site was archived. Not all of the links within a site may still be functional but I find that looking over a number of the archived visits normally yields something usable. For anyone seeking information then visit the link below and simply enter the web address of the required site: https://archive.org/web/web.php

Nice to see some forward positive thinking in these troubled times - Wigan FRM have put up an on line flyer advertising that they hope to be running their 2021exhibition on the 2nd - 3rd October 2021 https://wiganmodelrailwayexhibition.wordpress.com/

I think I have some of the original launch information somewhere in my attic archive but the I found the following: The idea was championed by Richard Cottrell MEP as far back as the 1970s but Advanced Transport for Avon as it became known only launched their Avon Metro plans in November 1987. The first route was scheduled to run from Wapping Wharf to Portishead / Portbury and was due to open by 1991. There would also be routes from the city centre to Yate via Temple Meads and Emersons Green (with a potential interchange with the M4), from the city centre to Filton via Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway and Bradley Stoke and a line to South Bristol splitting to serve Hartcliffe and Weston-super-Mare.

Shortly after entering traffic from new in 1960 D255 was given an auxiliary generator in addition to a steam heat boiler so dual heat capability. It undertook trials between Crewe and Carlisle in March 1960 and after the evaluation finished, the additional equipment was removed although I seem to recall the buffer beam(s) sported some sort of tell tale of having extra equipment fitted.

I've been doing a little bit of digital filing and stumbled across the following which I think may be up your street Tony. Taken by a colleague of mine, the image shows an unnamed D9019 heading away from Retford in June 1962. From the reaction of the sitters on the wall they've seen it all before but I'm wondering if D9019 is running on a single engine as I can only see one faint exhaust plume.

Wizard models do the ex Comet Coaches kits for the rebuilt versions: S14a Rebuilt Tavern Kitchen Car S14b Rebuilt Tavern Trailer Car Also I think Crownline did kits for the same rebuilt versions along with transfers for the inn signage. There is a b&w picture in the first MRC article depicting the sign for the White Horse Here's a picture for the interior of the Tavern car: https://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10328577

The first MRC article states: "The original allocation of the eight sets was: Southern Region - The Atlantic Coast Express (2 sets) Eastern Region - The Master Cutler, The White Rose, The Norfolkman and the North Country Continental (2 sets) Eastern/Midland Region - The South Yorkshireman"

An article for the sets as built appeared in the January 1971 edition of "Model Railway Constructor" and one for the rebuilt form in the November 1980 edition of the same magazine. Both articles contain decent 4mm scale drawings which also gave the interior layout for each vehicle along with some decent images of exteriors / interiors in the first. From the first the 'pub' names were given as: 7892 At The Sign Of The White Horse 7893 At The Sign Of The Jolly Tar 7894 At The Sign Of The Dolphin 7895 At The Sign Of The Bull 7896 At The Sign Of The Salutation 7897 At The Sign Of The Three Plovers 7898 At The Sign Of The Green Man 7899 At The Sign Of The George & Dragon

Only the one Class 20? Then feel free to run nose end leading on passenger duties! Class 20 No 20.212 seen arriving at Wigan Wallgate with a Southport - Manchester Victoria DMU substitute working on 28th August 1984. Happy days........

1450: BR early green 3-car with Lion and Wheel emblem M50422 + M59134 + M50426 1451: BR green 3-car with speed whiskers and Coaching Stock roundel M50478 + M59186 + M50530 According to Roger Harris the first of the above (1450) was allocated from new to Longsight (5/57) then Crewe North (6/57) and Buxton (9/57) whilst the second (1451) was allocated to Crewe South (3/58) then Toton (4/58) and Derby (12/62). Replacing the early emblem might be possible but a point to note is that according to Railcar.co.uk at least the first four sets with the early emblem were painted in a darker green to later units. If Heljan are to follow the prototype then this would preclude changing the emblems. Other points I picked out from the site are that units with the coaching stock roundel were delivered minus speed whiskers up until at least M50470 + M59178 + M50522. Some units supplied thus did have speed whiskers painted retrospectively in a variety of styles and mismatched when compared with the shade used for the original lining. Another variant is that the coaching stock roundel originally had left and right facing crests but from approx 1960 the right hand variant was done away with so only left hand facing crests.

Worsley Works do sides + ends kit for a three car 119: http://www.worsleyworks.co.uk/4mm/4mm_BR.htm

As you say the bridge(s) are pretty distinctive and don't match anything in the immediate Wigan area as far as I can tell. Looking at the image there appears to be a bracketed signal with only one doll, suggesting a defunct junction. The line to the left of the picture curves out of sight, possibly serving some sort of business whilst the two lines passing beneath the shorter bridge span appear to be dropping down a gradient (there seems to be some sort of stone retaining wall visible to the left). Another possible clue is the stock pile of coal which may be for use on goods brake vans, thus suggesting some sort of signing on point (the oil barrels may also be linked to this). One final point is that some sort of road access has been installed crossing from left to right and would appear to be a relatively new feature.

Taken from the BR Coaching stock groups PDF file for LMR 1962-3 Winter Midland listing which covered the period 10th September 1962 - 16th June 1963: The 'Z' coding is used to denote Standard BR stock fitted with buckeye automatic couplers and Pullman gangways.

There's an undated image of M296163 looking side on in "The LMS Wagon" (although at this time it has been put into departmental use as DM296163 being used as a ballast train brake by the King's Cross District engineer). Another two images appear in Volume one of Dave Larkin's "Acquired Wagons Of British Railways"; one showing the same vehicle as above (but in everyday traffic at Chard Junction in 1963) and the other M296386 on withdrawal at Lostock Hall in 1968 (this same image appears in Cheona Publications Vol 5 "Railways in Profile - Cattle & Brake Vans" by Geoff Gamble). Another vehicle so treated is shown in Volume one of "An Illustrated History of LMS Wagons" by Bob Essery which depicts M296412 withdrawn at Kettering in 1965. The last image I'm aware of features M296692 in an undated view which appears in "Pre-Nationalisation Freight Wagons On British Railways" by David Larkin, published by Bradford Barton.

The vertical strut should be central to the body width and measures 3" according to the drawing quoted earlier. If you're doing the alterations to match the existing body work dimensions then it looks fine but if not then it would appear to be too tall (because the uppermost body side member is too wide then you've had to match the bottom edge of the opening to this) whereas in reality this should be a lot slimmer. You may already know this but on these vehicles the ends were planked rather than the metal sheet style.

According to a drawing in "The LMS Wagon" the openings were 2' 8" wide. The duckets fitted to D1890 brakes were 6" wide as opposed to the later diagrams which in the main had wider 9" types fitted. It would appear that these were swapped out with the wider type so you wouldn't be wrong to keep then existing ones. A minority of these brakes also received the "V" shaped strapping to the body sides (fitted to provide extra strength) should you wish to bring a little individuality to you project.