Downendian

I’d posted re the Merlin app earlier this week. I put it to its second field test whilst fishing yesterday. On hearing a bird call which I didn’t recognise, I switched it on. It instantly recognised what it was - a treecreeper, unfortunately buried deep in the undergrowth. However it also identified a spotted flycatcher which is marked by the app as rare. Thinking that the calls of treecreeper and spotted flycatchers are not too dissimilar, I assumed a misidentification. However later in the day, a small brown bird kept flitting in and out of the bushes behind me with a soft single tone call. On it went again, and this time I could see they were spotted flycatchers, after searching the bushes for the calling birds. What I assume are a nesting pair were then watched by me catching flies from their perches for the next couple of hours- magic.

I’ve not seen this mentioned in this thread, but I’ve recently started using the Merlin app for bird song recognition. Absolutely superb, and I thoroughly recommend, and thanks to my eldest daughter for recommending it to me. It has academic roots being developed by Caltech and Cornell Universities in the USA. I have been out fishing near Wellingborough Northants. the last few days. This was the dawn chorus this morning in just a 7 minute period. shortly afterwards Cetti’s warblers, greenfinches and chaffinches were recorded.

Actually I’m really surprised by the number of unfitted wagons still in BR service in the late 1970s. (Unfitted wagons of course still had brakes but were operated by hand levers and not loco vacuum or air brake systems.) Shildon were still churning out rebodied MDOs as late as 1979, and unfitted but rebodied 21T hoppers outnumbered fitted counterparts. Neil

Plenty of unfitted examples of HTO on the Paul Bartlett site Martin. Details of which ones as always taken from the excellent David Larkin book series on BR wagons, absolutely essential reading! Neil

The Inter city railway society around 1976 published a full list of WR DMU set numbers in their monthly newsletter, I have it somewhere. I started spotting in 1974 and they were certainly in use by then. Neil

21T rebodied hopper production line in full swing this morning. A more complex kit than the 21 and 24.5T minerals with the hopper body being a multi piece assembly and much care needed to avoid daylight appearing between joints. The handrails are fiddly too but I opted on the first few builds to attach the six handrail stanchions before spraying. I will attach these after spraying on the new builds, as it’s a right pain bending the handrail whilst on the wagon. Still quite a bit to do in the first 6, wagons 7-10 started this morning. Confession time - I managed to fit the hopper chutes upside down on the first two and before I realised my mistake the poly had cured and they were impossible to remove. Both wagons will be covered with coal loads to hide my embarrassment. Lesson learned - always dry assemble before starting a batch build of new kits. Getting the bottom of the hopper square is indeed a fiddle but improved by wagons 4-6. A few will be unfitted and in grey livery to give variety. Unfortunately three different kits had one upper hopper end piece missing - I had thought it was my carelessness in opening a kit years ago but obviously not. They are easily detached from the sprue and obviously lost during packaging. Check your kit pile if you have any of these! A phone call and email to the very helpful Peco technical advice bureau hopefully has resolved this and the missing bits are on their way. These wagons will be integrated into the STJ- Acton/Temple Mills and return empty workings. I’ve also seen photos of fitted stone branded 21T hoppers on Tytherington stone trains in the early 1970s before the MSVs and PGAs arrived. So I maybe building a few more coupled with respraying some of my stock pile of the excellent Hornby 21T hoppers which are of the early body type. Neil

Certainly looks a lot better than the Cambrian castings Mike. Looks lovely.

Weekly update. 1. 10 rebodied MDOs completed awaiting weathering and decals - another order from railtec imminent. These were 1977 rebodies using redundant 21 and 24.5T under frames. They are late in my working period but will form the return empty Temple Mills/Acton Severn tunnel junction. Empty 21T hoppers Chivers MDOs and other sundry rolling stock will join this consist. These all have oil axle boxes, really I should have done some with roller bearings to give some variety. 2. Four Chivers Lampreys initial weathering and ballast loads just applied this morning. They ballast loads look lumpy but that’s because they are yet to fully dry. For the spoil tip workings. 3. I found 4 more GWR Tunnys in my stock box that I’d forgotten about! They have had decals applied and await weathering and spoil loads. The spoil rake is now complete when these are done. 4. First of many 21T rebodied hoppers- quite fiddly to get the hoppers right but coming together well hope to complete these soon. I have another 15 or so to build. Plus a few hours fitting together instanters which there are many to fit. Finally had a great afternoon/evening with Phil and Teri Bullock yesterday - plenty of sun, beer wine and fine food cooked by master chef Bullock. Much talk of Abbotswood 2 and its imminent arrival on the exhibition circuit. I hope some of these wagons will make its debut. Neil

Progress on the pair of whales, decals just applied and drying. Will need to touch up some areas with white/black/olive paint but really just awaiting their ballast loads and a light weathering. Some handrails need a bit of straightening too! By the mid-1970s these were barely a decade or so old so wouldn’t be in a state I presume. A very enjoyable build but would fit the fine details in a different order if I was to attempt another. Getting the release wheels in the right positions was quite a faff and fitting the decals to the end boards was a fiddle but got there in the end. Seven 1977 rebodied MDOs are approaching completion needing decals. These will be run as empties and lead weights added to their undersides. They are slightly out of my time frame, but I had quite a stash of these kits to build. However I was rather surprised to find that BR was still rebuilding unfitted wagons as late as 1977, many of these were on South Wales coal traffic, so these will be in my return Acton/Temple Mills to STJ empties. So my brake tenders will have some use- I’d always assumed that unfitted freight or ones with fitted heads were getting rare by the mid/late 1970s. Finally I’ve made a start on the 21T hopper builds - two in progress. By far the largest number of outstanding kits - mostly of the rebodied type. I’m pretty sure Accurascale will have their version of these numerous wagons shortly! Neil

Looking great Phil !

Thanks 37403 yesterday and this morning was dominated by Whales. They are both approaching the paint stage, railtec do a whale decal set so that’s been ordered. The handrails and four stages were a right faff, quite delicate handling required. They were a pig to get square but I’ve mostly managed it I think, just one needs adjusting. I’ve some stanchions still to fit but almost there. One has bogies test fitted whilst I’m awaiting some M3 bolts of correct length for the other. It’s a complex build but a lovely wagon will make sure I don’t mess up the paint job. I’ve pinched some wheels from Parkside 21T mineral 1977 rebuilds, but whilst I broke open their packages made a start on those too. They’re a few years out for my 1974 target year, but for sure I’d seen many of these in the late 1970s. The whales will break up a sea lion rake which will be worked as a Meldon Quarry to WR working. Air braked locos only of course. Neil

Weekly (wow how retirement has changed things) report from the Downend wagon workshops. Five dogfish nearly done, more weathering and handrails need painting. Three in gulf red two in black - a fiddly Cambrian kit especially the chassis assembly. The golf red ones will be obscured mainly by rust, how they looked in the 1970s. Strange white streaks appeared in the latest batch of wagons, which I’ve put down to an old batch of decalfix- new jar purchased and will need to reapply some decals. Next the P24/P23s with spoil loads from Ian Kirk and Colin Ashby kits- despite the relative crudeness of the sprues they came out rather well. Still more weathering required plus white streak removal as above. The spoil in particular needs better weathering - ballast was applied using pva containing a shot of espresso (I kid you not). I need to represent aged, removed ballast which of course is weathered by a fluid not different in colour to espresso but a totally different smell. Finally and not for the faint hearted, a Cambrian whale, one of two to do. Was quite intimidating when opening the packet years go, but really went together well. Bits and pieces still to add, then the spray booth. As mentioned previously, this kit was opened and not finished (never ever do that). Some bits have been mislaid including the nut/bolts for one bogie, one buffer (suitable brass replacements added) plus I need yet further 12mm wheelsets, and a fresh batch of instanters need ordering for the above dogfish and P24s. This wagon will be getting screw couplings though and will be engineers olive and a railtec order for decals made. A lovely wagon which will need other air braked sea lions to run with. It is a beast! I’ve just received two further Chivers lampreys which are next on the list, plus Chivers fine lines provided the correct floor to complete another. I’ll have four Lampreys in total to add to the spoil rake.

3 days fishing last weekend - only one for me a lovely 22lb mirror carp, but the group of 14 or us caught 50 carp quite an achievement. But a wonderful lake in beautiful surroundings - saw my first orange tips of the year and plenty of Brimstones. Woken every morning by a cuckoo as well - once a familiar sound on my childhood, so nice to hear. Neil

At least they’re the right end Mike!

Three kits done from scratch yesterday - along with the ex SR Tunney mentioned yesterday, two P24 ex GWR Tunneys were put together from ancient Ian Kirk and Colin Ashby kits that had been in the kit pile for at least 20 years! Some tweaks to them needed including adding brake hand levers from 21T/24.5T Parkside sprues and spare door springs from the Chivers kits. All are in black awaiting decals and weathering with the instanters fitted this morning. I have two other P24s built many moons ago but alas never finished. My mantra now is to complete a kit once started- never ever pause as invariably the parts get separated and are heavens homework to relocate the relevant sprues. The front row of this photo shows two SR lings flanking the ex SR Tunney- they are very similar wagons, the SR Tunney wagon having one extra plank. Decals located from CCT and Modelmaster so will make a start on them later. the middle row are Lamprey, p24x2 and the back row the 1/120 minfits from Chivers and another Parkside 24.5T now with coal loads added. Once suitable prototypes have been identified courtesy of Paul Bartlett’s collection then some bespoke numbers will be ordered from railtec for the spoil wagons. Some candidates identified whilst outside in my bar last night in the company of a Glenlivet or two. ‘The kit stash is getting noticeably smaller, and soon will just fill one box. Looking at photos of the 7A25 in the 1970s, its consist was roughly a 50:50 mix of minerals and hoppers. So my huge stash of rebodied Parkside hoppers may well be next in the queue although I fancy building an ammonium tanker for the Avonmouth anhydrous ammonia rake. However the Dogfish require completing first. Neil

A busy week in the Downend wagon shops. All unfitted 24.5 and 21T minerals received coal loads, a tenth wagon was also done. Now are awaiting Instanter fitting - a fiddle but worth it. Next on to the fitted head for 7A25 STJ-Acton. Three 21T minfits from Chivers finelines which will be supplemented with Accurascale RTR, suitably weathered. These need attention to under frames with powders, instanters and varnish. Another 24.5T is in the foreground, this time not fitted with roller bearings. Finally for this week 4 Chivers excellent ballast spoil wagons. Stoke Gifford had a spoil tip between the triangle of lines between Parkway-Patchway-Filton Junction. These will have suitably weathered ballast loads, and will be shunted around by a resident 08. Two in the foreground are Ex SR Lamprey (left) and Tunn(e)y (right). The two at the back are ex SR Ling. I have some ex GWR Tunneys (P24) to build, and will be mixed with the ubiquitous Parkside Grampus to give a bit of variety. I must say I’m very impressed with the Chivers kits, they have pips and guide slots in all the right places and are a dream to put together. The three black wagons were all done yesterday, and the SR Tunney earlier this morning. There was another Lamprey but unfortunately the kit had the wrong size floor (will request a replacement) and unfortunately I’ve lost the buffer shrouds/buffers/vac cylinder so will ask for them. A railtec order for suitable numbers is looming, plus I’ve got some work to do on weathering the Ling and Tunney to represent plank replacement etc. The Tunney is awaiting glue to cure before into the paint shops. These ballast opens I’d thoroughly recommend to starters of kit building-they are superb kits, although the brake levers and door springs were a tad fiddly. Not photographed this morning were three Cambrian dogfish - one in gulf red, two in black. I’ve got another two to build and will give variety to rakes with include the Heljan RTR version, all of mine are in olive Green livery. I know I’ve got too many ballast wagons, but I love them! Neil

Five 21T coal wagons approaching completion. Decals and weathering following the hairspray chipping technique. I’m rather happy with them, whilst marked “To work within South Wales and Monmouthshire” my dim distant memory (dodgy approach I know) was that they did appear in the Acton/Temple Mills services. They are just waiting for coal loads and Instanter fitting, but will get a coat or two of matt varnish when all has hardened up. Out of interest I referred to my “bible” a 1978/9 home brew WTT produced for Bristol Parkway spotters by the late Geoff Woodley and Ian Jones. These wagons will appear in the following weekday trains, loaded Eastbound. The headcodes maybe different in the mid 1970s but I’ll be happy to use those shown below. 0905 STJ-Acton (Parkway 0939) 7A25 1240 STJ-Temple Mills (Parkway 1330) 7E42 2035 STJ-Acton (Filton 2109) 7A48 The empty return working was 0320 Acton-East Usk (Parkway 0630) 7C18 i can’t see a return working from Temple Mills or two from Acton, and surprised to see two services per day to Acton from STJ, a puzzle yet to be resolved, but a clue to the later train maybe it was routed differently and didn’t go through Parkway. Time to refer to my WTT collection. There was still a lot of services to Bristol from STJ in the 1970s including to Ashton gate, Filton CCD, Severn Beach, Hallen Marsh and East depot. Plenty more coal wagons needed for these, plus coke hoppers for the service to the ISC zinc smelter. Neil

Shame but I really wanted at least one of these, but with the price tag and indifferent running I decided to not make a purchase. The modelling budget is needed elsewhere. I’d seen all bar 651 working in the Bristol area in the mid 1970s and remember them demeshed in PW trains working to/from possessions. One lived in Stoke Gifford yard for 2-3 weeks in 1975/6. My money will go to a South Wales Accurascale 37 instead. I have a Judith edge kit for PWM650 will get that one done to fill my needs, if that runs badly it’s down to me. By the way I always thought, perhaps mistakenly, that PWM stood for Permanent way Maintenance. Neil

9 x NPCS recently worked on - a huge weathering with powders session coming up - some preliminary work done hence the dusty finger prints! Just fitted screw couplings to one end of each van. These will form the 4M05 and 4V20 parcels service which was between Manchester/Bristol TM (4V20) and Penzance/Manchester 4M05. Some four wheel vans maybe seconded to the 3S15 rake (Bristol/Glasgow), although from memory this was largely bogie vehicles. All models are Parkside. I’ve used a bit of artistic license in just using 4 wheel vans, Temple meads and just outside (Pylle Hill) was always heaving with these vehicles so they must have worked in from somewhere. two Southern PMVs three Southern BYs three LMS CCTs another solitary LMS design CCT complete with windows, only two of this type were still in service in 1974 Most of the rake will be weathered to a grimy brown, but some will be lightly weathered. All transfers are from the excellent railtec range, most using bespoke running numbers of vehicles recorded at Temple meads around 1976. The kit building over the last 12 months is not random - I’m aiming to build specific rakes which will be semi-fixed - they have to be as Instanter and screw couplings have been used throughout. 21T mineral building at the moment for the 8E38 Margam-Temple Mills. Four awaiting transfers and a fifth undergoing rusting using the hairspray chipping technique which takes a few days. All are Parkside models which are dia 1/110 of riveted construction - I’ve just ordered 3 Chivers 1/119/120 (welded) which I may play with to vary the doors to give the rake some variety. Neil

Another Parkside kit project on the go. 24.5T and 21T unfitted minerals - and we complain about detail variants amongst diesel locos- these wagons had quite a lot of variation especially considering a 1970s timeframe. These four 24.5T I’ve numbered as diag 1/118 and a first for me using the hairspray chipping technique. I did my best to replicate the method described by the Wallsrail YouTube channel (100% recommended - superb modelling) but not quite to that standard I’m still learning a lot! There’s still washes and powders to add but I’m pretty pleased with them. I know TMC offer this wagon RTR, and they are superb, but the weathered wagons are £45 - but I still have a few pristine to get to look like these. These have been in my kit stockpile for several decades, only mod was adding roller bearing axle boxes- I’m still unsure about the buffers should be Oleo hydraulic, need to see if Lanarkshire do these. Transfers were a combination of modelmaster and railtec. Four 21T wagons in the spray booth at the moment. These are the start of the build of the mega train that was the Severn Tunnel Junction - Temple Mills/Acton often with a brake tender utilised (headcode I can’t remember off the top of my head but was a class 7). Photos of this service show unfitted wagons in the rake so i’m assuming by 1974 or so it was running as a fitted head, where my Accurascale MSVs will be used after suitable weathering. It was a gloriously mixed rake and very memorable very often a Western was rostered for it plus the return service. All will get coal loads and therefore be Eastbound, memories of the prototype service are still quite spine tingling - you could hear a hard labouring Western climbing up from Severn tunnel a full five minutes before it arrived on a still summers day. it’s high time I got the layout underway again so all my 100+ new kit built wagons can get a good run in. So maybe the kit building will get a rest for a few months - but boy is it addictive. Neil

24 136 approaching completion. Some weathering/touch ups (more spotted in the photo, cruel close ups are often very revealing) /wipers etc still to do and cab bulkheads still to be fitted as well as headcode/cab light units. Work today included removing the remnants of the lower parts of the innards of the Hornby cab doors and the interior of the Bachmann roof fan grille which were preventing the body from seating correctly on the chassis. I’ll do that first on the next class 24/25 build. Still not perfect but that’s down to the surgery to create the body in the first place. Headcodes 4V20 Manchester-Bristol TM parcels, and 4M05 this end Penzance-Manchester parcels, rumoured to sometimes produce a class 24. 21 pin chip fitted, but pondering whether all this effort deserves a sound chip. Chassis details (all pipe work etc plus snow ploughs) still awaiting fitting but the long haul on this one almost over. 10X 4 wheel CCT/PMV/BY vans of LMS and SR origins are almost complete just awaiting a batch of screw couplings to arrive. In addition the 6M55 rake is now done after a prolonged session fitting Instanters, but a long process of weathering now awaits that rake.

My first butterfly spotted yesterday - whilst fishing a fresh out of the box Peacock, despite temperatures being -2C first thing. It must have warmed up a lot during the day as the first dragonfly of the year spotted too, moving too quick to note the species. A hatch was expected as the carp were moving around in the reed stems, a sure sign that nymphs are emerging up them. Neil

A bit late (almost a month) but my excuse was I thought it was late in March 1975 but I was wrong! Tuesday 4th March 1975 We had a school in service day so the only possible thing to do was a trip to Temple Meads. It transpired it was very much an in with the new guard out with the old sort of day. First the numbers 08 149/411/668/800/836/839/928; 25 040/059/063/077/157/220/277; 31 193/229/286/304; 37 253/303; 45 005/009/010/023/026/032/040/053/062/139; 36/45/70; 46 005/006/012/020/021/023/024/035; 47 020/032/106/111/ 203/227/234/248/267/456/477/479/495/540; 50 014/023/024/026/028/030/033/037/043; D1005/D1029/D1036/D1044/D1054/D1064/D1071; 252 001 3H 1101/1124/1133. Out with the old - D1005 was hauling stripped out sisters D1029 and D1044 from Laira to Swindon and had a signal stop at Temple Meads for around 30 minutes. It was very sobering for a 13 year old to see Duchess and Legionnaire is such a state having seen them multiple times in service the previous summer- very sad, made worse by the increasing dominance of class 50s on London trains. In with the new - the prototype HST that day featured on BBC points west and they had a film crew there - and yours truly and my friend Danny were featured as adoring train spotters! Lots of 25s pottering about that day featuring both Bath road locos and visitors from the LMR. Peak renumbering was in its final throes we only saw 3 in pre TOPS guise that day, the trains from the south west were firmly in their hands. It stuck in the mind as a special day because of the scrapped Western cortège (the only one I saw) and the HST, but look at the variety of motive power about in a single day. To the day 26 March 1975 25 065/081 put in a surprise appearance on the 1V62 Leeds-Plymouth plus I’d copped another pair of 25s 038/188. Notes this week (half term) have been lost, but I have a 1975 diary where cops if the day are mentioned. Neil

Seen and heard the first Chiff Chaff of the year this morning, tried to video it but the bird wouldn’t play ball! Several blackcaps singing away in the extensive back gardens of my neighbourhood - spring is truly on its way. Neil

Having acquired several Dapol bodies of these for my Clayliner fleet and perused Mr Bartlett’s excellent galleries, I think the closest match of the old Dublo tooling is dia 1/042 ( based on spacing of door strapping). There are issues with plank spacing etc but of course these wagons often had planks replaced especially as I’m modelling the 1970s. The 1/032 and 1/045 images appear very similar but the door strapping is in a slightly different position. Mine will be numbered in the 1/042 series of course with new chassis with vac brakes. Neil