The Stationmaster

I think it was a bit before the summer Nidge - it looks cold as well as wet (mind you it used to get very cold up in that area for some reason, much colder than the middle of the yard). If you look carefully you'll see it was well clear of the E&C Line via the overbridge but I the only way to get the crane to it was via the Ladbroke Grove end of the North Carriage Lines. Awkward space as you say but at least they were working on a very short radius.

All are now in the correct order and this set completes the story to the final re-railing of the Mk1 which had hit the HST and been thrown to one side as a result.

A visit to Old Oak Common in 1983 although I can't be precise about the date. AFAIK this was the first use 'in anger' of the Old Oak Common diesel crane after a long tale of commissioning troubles, mods and failures. A train of empty Mk 1 stock had been propelled out of the new side of the Carriage Shed and passed a signal at danger and consequently hit an incoming HST. Although the site was very awkward due to the two overbridges the local M&EE decided it was good opportunity to try the crane, and in the event the job went well.

When i can suss out how to resize pics on this Mac thingy I'm now using i will add some of Old Oak's diseasal crane on one its first real jobs - all very modern compared with steam cranes.

The ones used in Cornwall were the WR's AC Cars built version Mickey - much nicer looking than those German ones I reckoned. And I even have a photo of one I took when changing trains at Boscarne Jcn

Taking the latter point first - absolutely correct. But from October 1948 two 'King' class locomtives were permitted to run coupled together over any section of route where the class was normally permitted. As far as the provision of an assisting engine (i.e. double-heading) with diesels was concerned the original Instructions permitted any GW design 4-6-0 to assist or be assisted by diesel hydraulic locos (n.b this original Instruction only covered the West Country except for assisting failed diesel hydraulics, which was permitted anywhere on the WR). I don't have full details of later changes but from around 1965ish a steam loco assisting a diesel - other than at low speed (probably still the original 25 mph limit?) was required to be coupled between the diesel and the train. This wasa result of loco windows being broken by flying lumps of coal etc, especially on water troughs.

Hmm, it was a bit complicated, and not quite as restrictive, as that. Generally, except when assisting a 'King', any 4-4-0 or 4-6-0 could be coupled in front of the train engine. In addition 43XX (and all variants thereof) plus large wheeled prairie (2-6-2) tanks were permitted to assist in front - other than in front of a 'King' - on a number of sections of route such as parts of the South Devon banks and through the Severn Tunnel. Otherwise, and prior to October 1948, they and all other types of loco (i.e. not a 4-4-0 or 4-6-0) had to go inside unless they were the same type as the train engine. In earlier Instructions tank engines of the 0-6-0, 2-4-0, and 0-4-2 wheel arrangements always had to go inside the leading engine whether they were the train engine or the assisting engine.

ooh you are naughty ... but I liked that one

Not me Rob, in fact I even found a photo in a book the other day showing three of them (and possibly a 4th) as the leading vehicles in the Down 'Cornish Riviera' on 3 April 1956 - only thing you need to change is the loco BTW I understand the last two of the current releases (R4404/05 I think) are due to appear around the beginning of November, which should then give me enough for more than several trains once mixed with various other stock.

Just visited my local model emporium (which is not too heavy on railways as I've mentioned before) and if it is any guide further Hawksworths seem to have arrived on the shelves while we weren't looking (or was it just me ). I came home with the now obligatory maroon BG plus a BCK in maroon and didn't bother (today) with the two additional ones now out in blood & custard.

The 1947 edition of the LNER ABC, subtitled 'Renumbering Edition' quotes the L1 as 9000 however the original(?) owner of the book altered that number to 7700 at some time.

Speak to that nice Doctor fellah with the big blue police box? (or pretend Mr Collett got in first?)

Under ROGS things are of course a bit different - but you still need manpower (or consultant power) to do the assessments, design, paperwork, and physical work on the ground. In this case the assessment and design part of it would be reasonably straightforward and could be done in a matter of weeks but the physical part of it would indeed cost money and finding the (volunteer probably) manpower might not be easy at this time of year. But it it might create a situation which would either involve abortive expenditure or require further work, and expense, to get back to the 'through to Harbour' game plan. And it might also create a precedent situation which would be difficult to forget or to rule out of future relations between the two railways. I can thus see plenty of 'political' or economic reasions for the FR/WHR not taking such a step but the only physical reasons would appear to be either cost (unless the WHHR paid?) or resourcing.

'There's a hole in my buffers dear Liza, dear Liza, there's a hole in my buffers ...' And if this one is the 'Railroad' version I wonder what the 'good' one will be like?

Me too

Good, I might have finished buying Hawksworths and 28XX by then, perhaps.

My lad came home with my first 'blood & custard' one today (yes, I did suitably reimburse him) and I'm not too taken with the shade of the 'custard' definitely too yellow in my view, far more so than the Precision colour which has always struck me as an accurate rendition of the colour 'as new'. Another interesting fault - if such it can be called - is that the gangway distortion on this one, and the SK which came home in the same bag, is far worse than it was in the SK which arrived here last week. I do wonder if a bit less care is now being taken with packaging as more of them are being put through teh process and orders are being despatched to shops everywhere? (still possible, but not so easy, to get the gangway shields in and hopefully they might help correct things?)

Or you could be absolutely prototypical and have a 'Modified Hall' in full GW livery as one survived in that condition until the mid 1950s

We might have an answer to that when the BR black 28XX appears

Simon Kohler 'expressed an interest' in that livery (not sure whether full GWR version or very early BR?) once he learnt the coaches actually wore those colours. So you might get an answer in your Christmas box - it you're prepared to wait that long (and if he's finished his love affair with the Southern)

Makes you wonder who's selling them - wifey exacting revenge perhaps

More thanks due

Photo reproduction is another problem - I took four or five pics of that display at Swindon and between them the L1s turned out in at least three different ones of green, entirely down to lighting and angle. The only way to judge in my view is against an accurate colour sample or known correct source (vide Larry above) in precisely the same light conditions.

Many thanks Larry, I'll have to see what transfers Bob has when I go to collect my 'shopping' from Alton

Has anybody yet tried to remove the numbers to allow renumbering and if so any ideas of the best way to go about it without ruining the paintwork please?