Downendian

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

Progress on the 6M55 rake to date. It will total 22 wagons - so almost at the adding decals and weathering stage which takes forever anyway, but well over halfway there. Lots of wagon details still to add, brake handles, buffers, door springs to most and needing some hand painting, and sheets need spraying grey on most. Two wagons (both Parkside ex LNER) have their sheets drying at the front and a PC01A (diag 1/041) started this morning - yes these were in clayliner rakes too. I was somewhat distracted by 24 136 (now glazed, numbered and looking at chassis mounting options) and NPCSS (4 LMS design CCTs and 2 Parkside Southern PMVs). These are for something for the 24 to haul- 4V20 Manchester-Bristol parcels and 4M05 Penzance-Manchester as a return working. I never saw a 24 in Bristol but they were rumoured to operate on 4V20 (routed through the Marches and crewed by Salop drivers), that’s my excuse anyway. Plates for D1045 and D1059 have also arrived - to pull the clayliner in “strictly 1974 “ mode- both were relatively early casualties but I saw them multiple times in late 1974. I’ll also dress up a class 46 with suitable headcodes. Neil

Ah that explains it - they are indeed the Dublo version - scratch that then - will need to source more airfix bodies. Neil

Progress to date on 24 136. in the paint shops the last few days - long story but the upshot is I’ve still a lot to learn about masking up and paint mixes. I used a mixture of enamels (railmatch warning panel yellow, pre 1984) and acrylics loco green and diesel roof grey. Despite using my airbrush frequently, it’s mainly for single colour application on wagons and NPCSS. The model is drying after a few touch ups including the chassis and boiler room panels which were prototypically blue. It is yet to be weathered, decals applied, glazed and cab door handrails fitted - I have some brass masters ones somewhere - just not immediately to hand! I’m going to be patient and let it dry thoroughly before attempting anything else. The cab floors and bulkheads still to be affixed and hopefully this will remedy the slight gap between the body and chassis at the cab ends. The photo reveals yet more touching up required, but the weathering especially the roof will help mask the blemishes. 24 136 as I saw her in April 1975 will ride again! masses of china clay wagons still undergoing work - more Parkside and Cambrian kits on their way plus some Dapol 5 plank bodies (ex airfix tooling) just ordered - I’d forgotten about their cheap wagon bodies - obviously needing appropriate chassis. Paint, kits etc due to arrive today and progress will be resume after a loco interlude. Neil

Of which I have a copy by Jack Slinn and Bernard Clarke. The last O11 siphon G was withdrawn in December 1962, so none ever received blue - I remember them in the 1970s well - they were all inside framed vehicles by then. Neil

Progress over the last few days - slow but steady. Three more Parkside 1/039 to join the 6M55 rake, wagons now complete needing decals and weathering. I’ve another 3 Cambrian D1375 to build and 4 more 1/039 but taking a bit of a pause as awaiting transfers and more roller bearings, plus the Instanter pile has taken a bit of a hit. I’m also looking at a batch of five airfix /Hornby 5.5 plank bodies that I bought a long time ago for the clayliner rake. I’m pondering the correct chassis for these models which will be GWR O39/O40 which according to the GWR.org site had Morton brake gear and `RCH vacuum. Of course many were built under BR, and many examples can be found on Paul Bartlett’s site. So I’m pondering what chassis can be used, especially considering that by BR days there was much standardisation. I’m aiming for a rake of 25 wagons as this fits my passing loop so still more to purchase. Four more 1/039 bodies mentioned above assembled this morning and sprayed with primer. Progress on 24136. Having received the new tooling Bachmann 24 chassis from @sulzer71, a test fit was in order. After some fettling (mounting sockets reduced and fan grille mounting screw holes removed) the body fits to the chassis like a glove. I’ve got to do some work to get the bulkheads and cab floors to fit but progress none the less. I fitted a Shawplan 24/25 grille and was pleasantly surprised how easy that was. I was ready with a dremel to remove the Bachmann fan grille and to my surprise it just popped out, held in place by 3 spigots. With a bit of trepidation I assembled the 3 piece grille using the supplied jig and very runny superglue as recommended on the Shawplan blog pages. I was amazed how powerful capillary action was to stick the two grille meshes together and with a little bit of patience the surrounding ring went on OK. You need both grilles to maintain the correct height - I had contemplated using only one but glad I didn’t. The jig is great for forming the correct curvature too. I fitted cab front handrails this morning and a waft with primer revealing still more sanding/filler/sanding cycle is needed before it’s ready for the three top coats. More work done since the photo to get the body to sit properly on the chassis.

Nice to see you albeit briefly too Phil, my grandsons were quite keen to return to the playground behind the halls where we spent much of our time! A nice little show though, I did politely refuse my grandson Harry’s request to buy him a number of locos - I explained the different scales to them, attempting to persuade an N-gauge layout route. However they both insisted they want it to be the “same as grandads”. Turning the clock back fifty years or so ago I was often awoken in the night by Westerns growling away with their 02-0300 departures on Tytherington stone trains. As our house at the time was a little over a mile from the Winterbourne embankments in Bristol, I must of heard the entire class at some point. Neil

Images of green TOPS class 25s are quite rare, so I was pleased to pick this one up. It’s one of my green 25s that’s awaiting further detailing. No information re location and date, but will be around 1974/5. My copyright Neil

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Cheers Dave PM sent

Brilliant Sulzer71 just bought one on eBay- hadn’t thought of looking there. I’ll drop you a PM as well- I really need green underframes but happy to do the swop myself. Neil

Ah thanks, but that’s not the point Sulzer71 - this has been a project hatched long before any headcode 24s and 25/0 potential conversions were available. I want to complete the build started many moons ago- it will have flaws but they’re my flaws! However if you have any spare motors and drive trains for the new tooling 24 I’d be very happy to buy them from you. I do have a new tooling headcode 24 too and a couple of SLW 24s. i also have a Craftsman conversion of a 25/3 and 24 both from Hornby bodyshells, projects halted because of the arrival of Bachmann models - they began in the 1980s! They may be permanently stored or just maybe I’ll see what can be done. The 25/3 was from a Hornby 25 first release that I’d saved my paper round money for back in 77/78 so there’s an emotional tie in to that model, very much like my upgraded Hornby Hymek. Neil

With the modelling mojo fully restored, I can’t just sit back waiting on the postie for new clayliner wagon kits to arrive. After excellent service from Jenni and Georgina at Bachmann spares a little parcel arrived with Bachmann class 24 underframes - purchased with the intention of upgrading some 24s and more importantly my large Bachmann 25 fleet. This one has a long history - it started over 10 years ago and features in the earliest postings on this thread. The bodyshell is a Hornby cab/Bachmann 24 body which is still very much a live project. This morning I fitted the light surrounds (some brass etched washers I had in the spares box which were the perfect size), and I’ll need to work on a solution for the lights. The Hornby cabs had their horn cowls surgically removed to represent the headcode box 24 and 25/0 locos. That roof fan is going for a replacement from Shawplan. There’s still more prep to do though before getting painted, traces of filler evident and still some sanding to do. The Bachmann underframes are a decent fit - not perfect at the cab ends, but with me needing to fettle a new cab floor they will lose any gaps by screwing the frame to it. The quite drastic surgery has meant the body is not a perfect fit too (about 1mm too short) but difficult to spot unless you’re told. I can’t wait for the new Bachmann 25 to arrive - I’m sure to buy a few chassis underframes as spares. With a bit of fettling I’m certain they can be attached to first generation Bachmann 24s and 25s which I’m not (yet) considering selling, I also dismantled a first generation Bachmann 25 chassis to test for fit to the new Bachmann subframe- achieving loss of the erroneous solebar and getting some fantastic looking water/fuel tanks in one swoop, I purchased the 24 frame with weight block and the bad news is that the old Bachmann motors and bogies won’t fit the new ones. The motor flywheels are too large, and the mounting points of the bogies are incompatible with the version 1 bogies. So for this old model I’m going to treat it to a new motor, bogies and perhaps even a PCB which in total will cost around £120. However the up side this one will become 24 136 in GFYE complete with snow ploughs - one of the first 24s I saw in visits to Crewe in 1975 when it was still in service. My only other route to this as a model is a repaint of a green new generation Bachmann 24 - not the cheapest of options. I have a strange affection for class 25/0s too, intention is to produce at least two for the layout. On my frequent reminiscing of my spotting notes I noticed that in early April 1975 two 25/0s 005 and 016 were copped on Bath road on the same day. I obviously didn’t think much of it at the time as they were infrequent visitors to the WR, those two were then Tinsley allocated, so I’d love to know what service they arrived on - I assume they were double headed to see two at once. I will of course need to remove the water tanks from the chassis as 25/0s were NB.

Saturday 8th February 1975 bitterly cold like our recent weather, but we decided to take a short trip via a Swindon 120 unit to one of my favourite places on the WR, Severn Tunnel Junction - in years ensuing we cycled there, a 44 mile round trip. Fascinating place, watching the hump shunting activity around the marshalling yards, and frequent arrivals of freight from far off destinations, including a huge variety of foreign motive power, including frequently class 20s, 40s and records show class 44s on at least one occasion. Today was a bit more mundane, and the cold enforced an early return to Temple meads to thaw out in the buffet or stand amongst the steam released from steam heated stock. Locos only noted but I have the DMU lists as well. Temple Meads and Bath road 46 004/026 Pilning 08 888 STJ 08 029/119/652/654/848/932; 25 165/257/258; 31 105/271; 33 113; 37 215/216/225/234/243/291/305; 45 003/006/017; 27;46 018/024; 47 041/076/081/119/149/450/473/479/484/494 (still green) 495/505/530 Temple Meads and Bath road 08 089/140/377/402/900; 25 080/152/186; 31 256; 33 020 (on footex from Portsmouth) 45 007, 45, 49, 114; 46 015/016/021/046; 47 011/082; 50 001/025/042 D1027/31/54 and 3H 1104 and 1126 Funny what you remember - 33 020 was on a through road after returning from Ashton gate on a footex where Portsmouth were beaten 3-1 by Bristol city. Lots of Portsmouth fans had trekked back to Temple Meads and had obviously missed the train which had departed from Ashton station at the time still used for footexes. As it was in a through road they crossed the tracks and boarded the train somehow! The spotters at the end of platform 11 received a hail of used beer cans, and most like us had retreated into a less conspicuous platform or the buffet. A class 33/1 at STJ was not that rare (or for that matter 33/0) - I noted several, almost all were from working an Eastleigh-STJ service which was worked forward by a 37. However this was normally a weekday working so it’s a mystery why it was there in a Saturday. Neil

Another good day on the workbench methinks, progress on the 6M55 clayliner wagons. I’d always been concerned of how to model the sheets- having owned several of the Kernow 9’ wb tippler flat tarp release - they were not that convincing. So having watched several YouTube videos on making tarpaulins (sheets) using tissue paper wetted with a 50:50 mix of PVA, I had a little trial run. Briefly, the entire wagon is wrapped in cling film (to protect the model) and I used wettable tissue paper of the type used for building model aircraft/gliders (remember doing that as kids?) to “wrap” the wagon with. I cut a rectangle roughly 3-4cm longer on each side of the wagon, With three hair bands purloined from my youngest daughter the cling film/tissue sandwich was clamped to the base of the wagon. The paper was strong enough to coax under the band into convincing folds in the corners (by the way I’m useless at wrapping parcels). The excessive size of the tissue sheet will be dealt with later. I then daubed the tissue with the water/pva/washing up liquid ballasting mix which gave some quite pleasing effects. The corner folds became appreciably tighter and there was a convincing sag in the middle. After allowing to dry (this tissue paper dries clear- remember those Keil Kraft gliders)- the sheet was trimmed to size after removing it from the wagon via the cling film- carefully. The sheet was then given a couple of coats of grey primer. They’re still a bit fragile but I’m sure will firm up after painting/weathering/varnishing. I was really pleased with the results - they are custom fit for each wagon and just need some ties to complete. Old braid/Dacron fishing line should do the trick here - may treat myself to a small spool of red braid (red ropes in some prototype photos). The wagons are minus all underframe details so as no detachments of these delicate bits were possible at this stage. The sheets are readily removable for this work. Lurking in the background is another long term resident on the workbench, a Stanier bogied brake tender, a genesis kit with Bachmann bogies. Decals today - unfortunately I applied the XP and tare markings, moved the model into the sun to set and these decals were never to be seen again, I’m sure I’m not the first or last to do this.

Not you Phil - it was me! Amended my post above.

Great post Halvarras - indeed D6302 (not D6303 as I originally stated) had them, I’d missed D6306 - I’ll edit my post as I don’t like leaving incorrect info on the web! unfortunately I have little memory of class 22s, they’d gone before I started spotting, but I’m fairly certain they were on Bason bridge milks that I used to see when visiting Highbridge. I take your point re Dainton and Rattery banks, but LA class 25s were visitors to Bristol occasionally later in the 1970s- that’s my excuse anyway. neil

Somewhat foolhardy I suspect, but I’ve decided to move several wagons (1/039 and 1/044) from pool 7409 to form the northbound St Blazey-Stoke 6M55 complete with sheets. Therefore I need more clay wagons- three started yesterday - again Cambrian D1375 ex SR/LNER. The start of the build shown - schoolboy error forgot to attach tie bars and roller bearing axle boxes before priming the chassis, now rectified. Weight of course can be added under the sheet this time so no more faffing with underfloor stuff. I’ll want some more ex GWR five plankers as these were common in such rakes, but can’t see a suitable Parkside/Cambrian kit although Parkside pC564 looks remarkably similar to Paul Bartlett’s photos of the prototypes except a brake gear change and new wheels will be necessary. I’ll give the crepe/tissue paper over a cling filmed wagon method a go. Old fishing line of course will be used for ties. Another vanwide had escaped within the large rountuit kit pile- nailed it! With much WhatsApp discussion between myself and Phil Bullock this last week with the news that Kernow were supplying D6XX spares. One of our long term aims was to produce a class 22 with those ugly headcode boxes applied before Swindon standardised the headcodes so that they were internalised in the cab front end. D6XX headcode boxes are a perfect match for these locos (from memory applied To D6302/06/07/17/24 and D6326 -thanks Halvarras my memory was a tad out, see below) D6324/6 had the standard panels applied later, but Phil found an excellent shot of D6324 at St Blazey with small yellow panels and the pig-ugly boxes. D6307 was another candidate as it carried them till the bitter end, but would necessitate a respray as the yellow panel was reduced in height. So D6324 it will be- headcode boxes applied one end and a start made on the numerous front end ironmongery changes - lamp brackets removed and superfluous marker lights filled with plastic rod. I’m building up the courage to scribe the folds in the doors- another error Dapol made with the disc fitted locos- they all had folding nose doors (as below no they didn’t!). A disc headcode fitted Dapol model was the donor. 7C39 was a Stoke Gifford - Tavistock service normally using a Western or D8XX but they were often so short a type 2 was not impossible. The headcode boxes required removing from the inside the existing headcode - I used T-cut and a lot of patience. New codes were precision labels products. Now to find a suitable Northbound working. Laira type 2s were not uncommon in Bristol so I think I can get away with it.