Downendian

Completely agree Mike I’d been looking at rewheeling as an option - however I have a vicious helix to negotiate so let’s see how the running trials go

Thanks John - I’ve just checked there’s 2 tyres per bogie one each side, so 4 in total. The pick ups seem to be working fine, and I may well install a home made stay alive as I’ve already got capacitors, resistors and diodes of appropriate flavours. Plus there’s a bit of room. I’ve got to do more more on the internals anyway as I’ve ordered some L-section to strengthen the motor bogie cradle joints as one had come loose during all the fiddling taking the body off multiple times. Neil

Well a daily routine of a few hours per day modelling eventually got the two Hymeks done. D7026 and D7029 front-back. A huge effort on D7029- a Hornby bodyshell on a Heljan chassis which fits perfectly. Briefly, remodelled cab roof and windows, new horns, Shawplan roof fan and grille, fettled Heljan cab inserts, floor level door handles added, roof lifting rings added, handrails, window struts, marker lights, Shawplan numerals, Shawplan wipers, complete repaint and mild weathering as it would have looked in July 1974 when I first saw the prototype. Precision label headcodes, 3A40 one end, the most likely service it was operating the day I saw it, a Cardiff- Paddington parcels service. Flush glazed - had to repeat this several times and still not 100% happy with them. Fitted with Accurascale screw couplings and Shawplan/Heljan pipe work. The Heljan bodyshell wins hands down in the cab window area - and I won’t be attempting another Hornby conversion for sure. D7029 was a former D7063 Hornby Hymek I received for my 13th birthday in 1974, upgraded as I just couldn’t consider the thought of binning it. D7026 was a more simpler conversion using a spare Heljan bodyshell, fan grille, floor level door handles, new horns etc added as above. Railtec transfers including the four D7026 numerals- much easier to apply but not as crisp as Shawplan numerals. It’s absolutely essential if you use railtec numerals to varnish them afterwards- one detached in the process of setting up the spray booth. next in line for workshop attention was 31 309, one of Bath roads 31/1s back in 1974 and replacements for the rapidly diminishing Hymek fleet. This was a spare Hornby bodyshell that was returned to me when I’d sent back my two Mazak rot infested 31 270s. It sits on a Heavily modified Lima 31 chassis which has been double motored with Hornby railroad class 66 motor bogies, fitted with TTS sound and again Accurascale screw couplings which look much better than Smiths which my spares box has many. I’m still to tackle the headcodes and add more pipe work. A lot of fettling required to get the ride height correct, but it does run well. I shamelessly copied the Kier Hardy EM gauge site method for Lima 31 conversion - but used the spare Hornby body instead. Several Lima 31s still to do - time will tell if this chassis cuts the mustard - I’ve preordered one Accurascale 31 and likely to get a blue 31/4 too. Only drawback with the railroad motor bogies is the dreaded traction tyres - I’ll see how this goes. finally two Hornby sharks completed in gulf red - after eventually obtaining modelmaster transfers. I was rather pleased with their application as no carrier film is visible (at least to my eyes) used the tried and tested gloss varnish, decals applied using decalfix followed by Matt varnish. They will now be incorporated into my ballast rakes of catfish/herring/dogfish/mermaids etc. still weathering to do on the rooves as they look far too clean. Today though my modelling time was replaced by rig-tying for my carp fishing trip tomorrow. My next set of works will be the MSV rake, shortly followed by a centre car for my 2H to become a 3H. excuse the photography -poor lighting and an iPad camera/editing. Must get the SLR out and proper lighting rig. Neil

Hi David its more of a video format issue- will need to convert. I don’t have a YouTube account yet. Neil

Well a stunning sighting on Tuesday for me. An Osprey on my normal fishing venue, and catching fish too. Alas too far away/late to capture with my phone camera, but the markings were very obviously an Osprey (and much bigger than the red kites and buzzards I normally see). It was eventually chased away by a red kite. I suspected that I saw one before here (Lyneham Wilts.) but this was hunting for over an hour and I saw it fairly clearly a few times. Highlight of the fishing trip as I caught zilch! I shot some video on my phone camera, alas too large to upload. neil

5th October 1974, a day late. Sightings at Bristol Parkway on an early autumn Saturday 48 years ago, I was there all day. 1974 give or take a few years is my chosen layout timescale, so I find my personal sightings valuable if only to jog the memory. It provides useful gen to number and personalise my fleet - several of these locos are now in my roster. Unfortunately no recorded workings which would have been very useful- headcodes were still very much in use. 08 824 - probably working as Stoke Gifford spoil tip pilot 37 256 & 303 invariably workings to or from South Wales peaks galore 45 003/010/020 and yet to be renumbered 30, 44, 48, 121 and 134; 46 001/003/028/048 class 47s 47 006/027/052/054/055/089/104/147/151/214/265/342/479/493/503/508/509 (twice)/530/532/534/535 47 052 was recorded as two tone green, and 47 089 Amazon was the last but one WR (original) namer I needed. Next to last but not least Westerns D1016/D1029/D1049 - probably on Tytherington stone trains or South Wales expresses. It was one of the last times I saw D1029 in service. Gladiator in particular was a regular performer on the stone trains that year. I do vividly remember Amazon arriving in one of the up loops in Stoke Gifford yard on a mixed freight from South Wales from my embankment viewing spot. PWM 650 was pottering around in Stoke Gifford yard (it stayed there until at least 19 October), plus bubble car route learner TDB975023 put in an appearance. No other DMUs were seen, nor class 25s or 31s which normally put in a daily appearance but more likely on weekdays. Happy days indeed. Neil

Hopefully you’ve seen this recent thread Rick, I found it very useful Neil

Thanks Andy for your comments and for looking in, Of course I’m modelling 40-50 years ago when Sharks were used to spread ballast, dropped by Herrings and other ballast wagons. One shark photo I have even has “return to Yate” marked, almost certainly used on the Tytherington branch which I’m modelling, and Herrings were used on the branch with ballast from the quarry there. I’m pretty sure a shark is behind this Hymek, and the look I’m after. (Chris Williams, Flickr). Note another brake van at the other end. A few other ballast spreading brake vans were in use also in this period with ex-SECR and LNER ballast brakes making it well into the 1970s. Eg. Curly42 on Flickr a Hymek at Horton road, a lovely shot of a Hymek with Herrings in tow.

D7026 and D7029 approaching bodywork completion. Still a few tasks to do, add wipers, a few handrails/ window struts plus some touch up to the paintwork (note to self, fitting flush glazing and headcodes can cause damage) they both probably should have had another coat of varnish. The Hornby window surrounds were especially problematic as they are a pig to get paint to key properly to. I’ve fitted some Heljan cab inserts at the far ends of the models, only slight surgery needed to get them to fit the Hornby bodyshell. D7029 is my Hornby D7063 conversion of 1974 vintage, whilst it does not have the finesse of the Heljan bodyshell I’m generally quite pleased with it. Now to the chassis, I’ve just fitted screw couplings and realised that one of my spare chassis has the original grubby brass wheels, I might have a source of new wheels, assuming the Heljan class 26/33 wheelsets are the same as the Hymek. Time to move back to wagonry, the next batch of MSVs arrived a couple of days ago. Neil

Yes I’ve done this one - Ken Gibbons method which appeared in Railway modeller when the first Bachmann 40s were released. Neil

Class 40s were rare beasts indeed in the Bristol area in the 1970s, but the most likely workings were on NE-SW services when the normal motive power of peaks or class 47s were not available. I recall several workings in the period 1974-9, but alas missed them all. This one cropped up on eBay a few months ago with copyright which I now own. 40024 seen waiting to leave Bristol Temple Meads with the 1M26 12.45 Weymouth-Derby Saturday 30th June 1979. not a sighting I’d heard of in the period I was an active spotter. In the early 1980s the 3S15 Bristol-Sighthill parcels was rerouted over the marches line, and was a regular 40 diagram- alas missed all of them as girlfriend took precedence. They were regular visitors at Severn Tunnel junction, of which I saw a few too. Neil

I completely agree Bernard. order placed 6/9/22 received 20/9/22 and considering Royal Mail strikes and a bank holiday in between perfectly acceptable. The kits were also £2 cheaper than all other suppliers I could find, so effectively buy 4 get one free. On a broader point, smaller suppliers invariably will have suffered disproportionately more the affects of the pandemic. The supplier in question has explained this in another thread. I for one will be supporting them with my business in the future. Neil

Well contrary to other posts, I’ve had good service from Osborns. I’ve recently ordered 10 Parkside Dundas PC63 26T MSVs for my stone train in two batches of 5. Delivery within 10-14 days which I’m quite happy with, plus they’re the cheapest I’ve found - important when I need a rake of 25. Neil

Hi Ian - I’ve had problems in the past with Humbrol acrylic varnish blooming. I’ve recently used Vallejo acrylic gloss/satin/Matt varnish in combination with Railtec transfers with no problems. Fast drying and a joy to airbrush. They also work well with John’s transfers too. Neil

It’s a shame that no class 120 units are being considered in any gauge. They were next to class 101/116/117/119 the most common sightings in the Bristol area, and of course were also based at Derby/Haymarket/Inverness I think. Apart from the Swindon cabs they were very similar to class 119s of which 3 vehicles survive. I have some kits (Craftsman and Silver fox) to build them on the roundtuit pile, but was vaguely hoping for one to appear RTR before attempting them. I’ve always been puzzled by the gaping holes in the first generation DMU offerings RTR, tooling costs and lack of prototypes being major obstacles I assume. I have a Swindon class 123 already on the kit building pile. Neil

PM sent Mike

When you’re in England Mike an invite is always there.

Running trials of the rake of 18 black Herrings this afternoon/evening. Two further gulf red wagons await completing. I’m pleased to say that despite some pointwork requiring attention (stalling on frog-juiced frogs??), just two wagons were put on the naughty step. One has been resolved, ( brake rodding was rubbing against an axle)and the other appears to have the same issue. Both had a pronounced wobble when running. D6314 did the honours of which I’m yet to complete, just requiring painting of green buffer cowls to blue and buffer beams to black and a bit of weathering. Pretty pleasing, and the whole rake is fitted with instanters, which are a pig to couple up but I’m getting quite adept at doing so now. They behaved impeccably, and the close coupling achieved is an absolute joy to behold once the derailing was cured. The rake is now running much more sweetly as I guess the bearings have bedded into the weathering grot that inevitably penetrated them. I’ll add a black or gulf red shark to the tail of the rake too. Excuse the detritus in the back and foreground, layout still much in progress. I and my lovely wife had the great pleasure of the company of Phil and Teri Bullock for dinner last night. Phil has witnessed my chaotic layout room which is slowly taking shape since retiring four years ago. A thoroughly enjoyable weekend. Neil

Very useful gen gentlemen, many thanks . To Brian, also I hadn’t realised so many unfitted MSOs were at Stoke Gifford, unfortunately not too many photos exist of them there, and those that do you couldn’t tell if they were MSO or MSV. Neil

Another rake started, coinciding with the arrival of a new airbrush which has stalled the completion of the two Hymeks above. Stone branded MSVs were a staple in the Bristol area, and worked various flows from Tytherington quarry in South Glos., and a rake or two was almost always sat in Stoke Gifford yard in the 1970s. I’d begun to purchase the Bachmann RTR version of this wagon, but at close on £30 a unit, it was going to be pricey to build a rake of 25 going this route. I hadn’t realised until quite recently (via a thread on this venerable forum) that Parkside offer a diag 1/185 26T vac fitted MSV so five were purchased for a test build, just a tad over £50. Now to try and get shot of the awful Hornby versions that I’d bought as a rake many moons ago. Here’s the result of work over the past 3 days only a few hours really when factoring in glue cure and paint drying times. They absolutely flew together, and would recommend a similar build to anyone contemplating having a go a wagon kit bashing. They are considerably easier to build than Herrings/Catfish/Dogfish. All the undergubbins yet to be fitted, but I’ve got them to the critical axle fitting and test run to make sure all is true. They will receive railtec stone branded MSV transfers, hopefully with the same pool number for rakes that frequented Tytherington. Another 15 or so to go, after finishing the first batch of 5, which is something to keep me going whilst the nights draw in. My layout has several storage loops in an effort to recreate a scene reminiscent of Bristol Parkway in the mid 1970s. This rake will one that will visit on a frequent basis. Neil

Thanks for posting this Halvarras - yes my first sighting of D1026 was July 1974. It’s a Western modification (and a simple touch up with white/silver paint) that I rarely see modelled. A few of my fleet will be so treated, they did look stunning, and at the time we hoped that Laira could keep these wonderful machines running a lot longer - which they did for a few years. Neil

A couple more added this week. D1026 Western Centurion at Westbury July 1975 My prototypical memories of this particular loco start the previous summer. Laira were repainting Westerns at a very late stage in their careers, and included silver embellishments to valance footsteps and window surrounds. D1026 had this treatment in July 1974, no sign of it here a year later, and if it wasn’t for a single photo I’ve found and one of Adrian Curtis’s fine studies on these repaints I would have believed my memory was wrong. I remember it looked absolutely stunning, and very different to her work worn sisters seen in the same period. Next D1043 at the classic 52 location of Reading. Neil

On doing some construction work at one of our fishing lakes we needed to move breeze blocks from a pile stashed in the woods. To my surprise and delight we discovered a colony of what I think are smooth newts, five of them. Block which they were found under duly returned. Lovely haven’t seen wild newts for ages. Neil

In a word, delighted. I love my brake van collection - they were very diverse origins on BR even in the 1970s. I’ve got two of the Cambrian kits, one almost completed in engineers olive, fortunately I chose to model the modified version with a single veranda that found its way into departmental service. I’ll certainly be getting two more when these arrive. Neil

Indeed 2123 Apparently cut up there (Birds scrapyard, Bristol) as late as 1978, that surprises me as I didn’t think it was there that long. Neil