Baby Deltic

For an instant layout full of old tut that doesn't run very well.

Oh, its quite correct. It goes back to semaphores and fire lanterns. Napoleon loved semaphores.

You're gettin' to bleedin' good at this track weathering malarky, Gordon! That track looks superb.

There are some cracking shots on your website.

I thought the blurred look was the standard GWR Swindon paint finish, CK.

This layout certainly has the look and feel of Liverpool Street and the GER architectural grandeur. Its coming on very nicely indeed.

My class 25 heads up a midland suburban train on Jim Connor's 'Harford Street' layout:

I've now got all nine of the Heljan 15's released so far. D8201 is very glossy, including the bogie frames. I'm not sure why Heljan have done this, but I have heard that D8201 was glossed up for some sort of event at Liverpool Street Station. Maybe it was buffed up to be station pilot or something. It does look a bit overdone, and certainly I know of at least one individual who took their D8201 back and got a refund because the varnish was so thick. Mine doesn't look too bad, although I will probably weather it to tone it down a bit.

The last vehicle was a Chiver's LNER pigeon van.

I couldn't resist a Hawksworth full brake in maroon to add to my parcels stock. Got mine today, cracking model.

Gives a whole new meaning to the term 'nose job'.

Cracking shot, Jim. The only thing that gave the game away is the flush glaze on the GUV.

Here's a link to the thread in the layouts section. The layout is still under construction. My link

The idea was being discussed at the time when the beloved 309's were still working on the GE main line.

AFAIK, the Paxman Valenta was based on the Paxman Ventura used in the class 29's. I think the experience gained by BR with the Paxman lump in the class 29 was one of the reasons they went with the Valenta on the HST's. From what film footage I've seen so far, it appears that the class 29's didn't scream like an HST.

There was talk a long time ago about building a class 21 using the commonwealth power bogies off a 309. The trouble is, there were a lot of aluminium castings used on NBL loco's, especially around the cabs and buffer beams, plus a lot of the body side grills.

I hope this goes to plan. I have been aware of this plan for a few months now, as I have a friend who is involved with the DPS. AFAIK, detailed CAD drawings and FEA calculations had to be done to make sure it was safe to cut the class 37 superstructure and that it could maintain its structural integrity once rejoined. One of the problems is that the class 37 cab and nose taper in a fair bit, but the cab and nose of a baby deltic are full width. I hope they incorporate all the mechanical drives from the engine to the traction motor blowers and compressors, etc, so it has the realistic whirring clunking sound as the engine screams its guts out. Looking forward to this one. Lets hope someone finds a MAN power unit soon aswell. NBL 21 anyone?

Its a shame that they never built the proposed 'Super Deltic' which was based on a class 50 outline. My link My friend Jim has a book of loco's which were designed and never built (can't remember the title), but there's a nice artist's impression of a BFYE 'Super Deltic' climbing up through Belle Isle.

Scrapyard?

I've been watching this layout's progress for a while now and its coming on nicely. Looking forward to seeing the station progress.

For me, there's just something about modelling the true setting that just cannot be captured anywhere else. You can't 'preserve' the atmosphere of dereliction and foreboding of the North London Railway in the 1960's for example, when stations were being pulled down and tracks torn up in a 'modern' era 'the one that got away and was preserved' context. Maybe in a modeling context preserved lines are too 'twee' for my liking.

Get windscreen wipers fitted to that class 22, CK.