Downendian

The local Sparrow hawk has been hanging around my Devon garden - I caught it in my big Bay tree early Monday morning. Keeping a watchful eye on my feeding bird population, but I have unfortunately witnessed a Sparrowhawk strike on them in the last year. Sad to see but I'm afraid that's what life is about in the great British countryside. Neil

Interesting and very helpful documents Brian. By the look of the S. Glos bridges my fears that their spans will be replaced by ugly concrete spans are unfounded. Most are to be raised by 5 brick courses. I must get and out get some photos in the coming weeks. Neil

I'm frankly depressed by the concrete bridge in Peter's image on the last page. There are several overbridges East of Bristol parkway that have just been demolished. Sure they only carry lightly used country tracks, but at least I thought they would be rebuilt using similar brickwork. I understand the economic argument but it's a sad loss of Brunel's historic infrastructure that made the line side appearance blend in well to the surroundings. I spent hours on those century plus old bridges spotting, I hope they won't be rebuilt like that concrete monstrosity. Yet more of our fine railway heritage vanishing, I know it's sentimental and non-economic but an overbridge is a large part of the local scenery and Brunel's fine legacy. Neil

Yes it's here 'Chard http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69535-great-british-locomotives/?p=1733237 Not good - a devolutionary step. I have one as I have a subscription maybe some spares on it, but too much work for my liking. Neil

I made a start on my representation of 46 003 yesterday evening. I pasted card roughly behind the headcode aperture and filled, leaving to set rock hard for a few hours. Then carefully removed excess with a file. This rough and ready shot is just after reinstating the nose seam using a steel ruler and scalpel. I intend to add sealed beam headlights from plastic tube, it looks too thick although correct diameter, but will reduce with a rat tail file. The GBL peak is vastly inferior to this Bachmann tooling (which lacked the nose seam). I will blend all together with the finest wet and dry I can find, taking great care not to damage the lamp brackets and rivets at the bottom of the nose. On my work evenings I tend to do an hour RMwebbing and a bit of modelling, then some work. It's a "nice" mix I can work whilst waiting for things to set and whiles away the time whilst prodding the log fire on these cold January evenings. Neil

I sincerely hope they continue to trade. I have fond memories of being one of the first to offer kits to detail and modify RTR diesels. I made my first 25/2 and class 24 converted from Hornby 25s back in the 1980s, and they make a nice range of detailing bits in white metal. Neil

Umm yes re cabs, hands up here too. Rob, how are you going to do the marker lights? I've just bought some evergreen 3/32" tube as recommended by James Wells to build the light will try it out first on my Shawplan resin 37 ends. Neil

Ahh that'll be the balmy South West for you Paul. In the local village of Brixton the Daffs have been out since before the end of December. Neil

I Hope to make an outing to see it Rob. Would be nice to see the occasional tatty hydraulic Neil

Received my GBL 45 022 during the week, analysing potential this weekend, but also brought back 2 Bachmann 46 spare bodies from Plymouth to Bristol. Will start work on 46 003 this evening and post my assessment of the GBL model in this thread.

I just picked up a second chance offer for a Heljan class 17 chassis for £17 and post free. I had originally put a max bid of £18 and the starting price was £15. So I was pretty satisfied all in all. Although one of the dud first batch, I will remotor the chassis or failing that strip to gain the bogie towers that will be used for another repowering project. Neil

Must say even without paint they still look terrific Rob. Neil

Ahh Geoff, the summer of '76......sigh.http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/83609-w-r-freight-services-in-the-1980s-swindon/?p=1657754 Neil

The GBL peak certainly has class 46 battery box covers (or a representation of them). Struggled to find a decent broadside pic but this YouTube video of D172 illustrates it well from 1 min on. I guess most will be looking at spare Bachmann chassis to power these, but I've enough spare class 46 shells (nose seamless Bachmann release) to work on, and these need much less work by the look of it to this GBL release. Craftsman also provide white metal kits for peak buffer beams, I have one so fitted to the version of the Bachmann chassis that erroneously had the buffer assembly attached to the underside of the cab, Neil

Oh dear it look like my GBL peak project is a non-starter for conversion to 46 003 using the GBL as source model. Shane has posted photos of it in the relevant GBL thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69535-great-british-locomotives/?p=1733173 Issues I have with it as a source model just as a brief summary based on that photo montage. 1. Those tail lights will have to go. 2. nose seam looks a tad too high 3. Buffers attached to body, will need removing with a razor saw 4. Lack of flush glazing. 5. Almost certainly will need a total repaint. 6. No recessed scavenger fan I have some spare Bachmann 46 shells (of 46 053 vintage) that need less work to produce the sealed beam nose variant. Will use up one of those instead to get a representation of 46 003 in 1977 condition. Neil

This has just been posted on the "Bristol then and now Photographs" Facebook page, several railway ones have been recently surfacing, and may be of interest to RMwebbers. It's a high level view of Lawrence Hill taken in the 1960s and a remarkable shot in that it shows the extent of the sidings there. Unfortunately no "now" photograph as the vantage point has been demolished. Note the former Midland line in the foreground. Neil

As I posted yesterday in the Hornby magazine brake tender thread, I've consulted my logs for 26th February 1977. I saw 46 003 between 0900-1230 in the morning at Bristol Parkway, the same time period that the Western Tribute rail tour passed through on the Paddington to Swansea leg. So the photo appears genuine - a brake tender in service early in 1977. 46003 was working Westbound, I presume that lots of other photos of this train are out there as the lines that day were packed with photographers waiting for D1023 and D1013. Neil

William Hornby magazine preorder page http://www.hornbymagazine.com/view_article.asp?id=7114 Or if you can't wait http://www.britanniapacific.co.uk/DieselBT.htm Neil

Just checked my logs yes 46 003 0900-1230 was seen on 26/2/77 at Bristol Parkway, so the date appears genuine. Neil

A couple this morning from Facebook to lighten what is in my opinion the most depressing week of the year! Neil

And in my quest to find the latest date a DBT was in traffic, this is a candidate, a copyright slide I've recently won on ebay. 46003 at Bristol Parkway on the day of the Western Tribute rail tour 26/2/77, I was the opposite side of the tracks that day. I was shocked to see this photo because 1. I was probably there at the moment this train passed and can't remember seeing it 2. It's the latest I've seen of a brake tender in traffic. Neil

The killer Greenfinch disease is Trichomonosis, a microscopic parasite. If it's suspected (i.e you see dead birds or suspected diseased birds) RSPB recommends temporarily ceasing feeding, or at the very least cleaning of feeders. http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/helpingbirds/health/sickbirds/greenfinches.aspx They are still present in South Devon, and their colours are already intensifying in preparation for the spring. I've also noticed a lower number of coal tits, and had thought they'd completely vanished but saw a solitary one in the garden between Xmas and the New Year. Neil

Indeed you can see the difference Rob, the Bachmann version has a squat central windscreen and the whole windscreen is raked back too steeply. Jim Smith-Wright was always banging on about this, the moulds clearly show what he means when compared directly. Neil

Some work the last weekend of the Xmas break, back to work tomorrow. Much of yesterday was spent repairing a damaged Vitrains 37 which had been won via ebay but had received an obvious heavy knock during transit. One of the lipped lugs that holds one of the bogies in place had sheared and necessitated a strip down and cementing in place with epoxy and leaving to set rock solid for a few hours. All reassembled and unit was as good as new. The ViTrains 37s have removable noses (like Bachmann 40s) and will make fitting the Shawplan resin replacements with buffer cowlings much simpler than the Lima bodies which need a razor saw cut. Two sets of resin noses were sprayed with white primer via an airbrush yesterday afternoon, and awaiting their warning yellow top coats. As an aside I am an avid collector of copyrighted slides of 1960s/1970s diesels (especially hydraulics) and other railway interests. Very recently there has been some superb slides appeared on ebay from that era, and I've won twenty slides (they are sold in batches of 5) in the past 24 hours. One in particular has astonished me - it's of 46 003 at Bristol Parkway on 26/2/77 - a day of infamy as it was the date of the Western Tribute rail tour - I was there across the other side of the tracks. I've yet to check my logs but look at the train - a later headcode modification class 46 (perhaps confirming the date, the first wasn't done until 1976) black grampus wagons (are they both? The leading wagon looks the wrong wheelbase?) and astonishingly a diesel brake tender. I do recall seeing them in service at Parkway, but don't remember this one, my log should prove I saw it. From my perspective this is latest date I've seen a brake tender in service. At least this will give me the identity of my forthcoming GBL peak conversion, and let's hope the Hornby magazine tender is a good one. Neil

Yes the 25/2 cabs would be a great seller, I'd have many pairs of them. Neil