westerner

Reading this thread recently it has seemed a bit like a playground discussion/arguement along the lines of my favourite mainline is longer than yours and it has more models of the stations that are on it, so there, poke tongue out. What does it matter. Very little in my humble opinion.

Well said!

Took advantage of yesterdays Hiatus and did a bit of modelling. I made yet another load for the double bolster. A load of cut tree trunks.

I too am very lucky, My first christmas present from her after marrying was a Hornby train set this was 51 years ago from Pages in Barking side. She has always supported my interest in the hobby. Thank goodness she likes model railways to look used. She does not like layouts that are clean and unweathered, which is good as one my pleasures in the hobby is weathereing.

The fact that the NAS was only open to men and the guy who came o talk to us from the NAS gave the impression that women teachers should be paid less than men (this was 1969) was why I joined the NUT.

Smashing work SAD

Ben's been at Blackney again.

Ewe would not need many wagons or locos on a small O gauge layout

Excellent work as always Rob.

I'm quite happy at my present height thank you.

Brilliant, I was going to go write a similarity based reply, but I suspect I might have been even more b Orisal.

I'll remember that if ever I do want to scrap it. But I have no intention of doing so for the foreseeable future.

A pet hate of mine is seeing wagons always with the same loads no matter where or in which direction they are going. As you may have noticed I do fill and empty my wagons depending on what duty they are on eg mineral wagons going to the colliery or leaving the colliery. I thought I'd take a photo of the removable loads to date. From te left the coal loads, in the centre the sleepers and spent ballast and nearest the camera the double bolster loads and the empty bolsters. There may be more to come. Ads you can see looking at the coal loads they are constructed in such a way thet by pushing down on one end they can be lifted out of the wagon.

The demolition train arrives to take away track and ballast from a disused siding up the branch. After collecting rail , ballast and sleepers 3775 arrives back at Blackney ready to shunt its way to the front of its train. And the finally leaves for Bullo. As I still had another set of bolster I made up the load of rails which you can see in a couple of the shots above. As with the tree trunk load the rails are glued to the bolsters, so that when the wagon is empty the load can be lifted off, chains, bolsters and all and replaced with the empty bolsters apart from the chain as in the first photo

I think JPR was JPR to distinguish from JJ Williams. They represented Wales at the same time.

Continuing the sequence. Later that morning 8749 arrives back with two full coal wagons uncouples and runs round its train. It then shunts its train(coal wagons and break van) under the bridge, allowing to room to pick up the Vanwide. and then leaving for Bullo.

I've been re-reading Bob Barnett's "Dean Forest Footplate Memories" and have been trying to match the dates in his accounts up and down the the two Forest Branches with photos in Ben Ashworth's "BR Steam in Dean" and eventually I came across a correlation. He describes a trip on Prairie 4564 on a very hot 28th August 1964, The loco was not in good condition, it was so poor that going through the 209 yard Bradley Hill Tunnel conditions were so bad on the footplate he wanted to get off but was stopped by his driver. Remembering there was a photo in Ben Ashworth's book featuring a small prairie I leafed through and found the photo and discovered that it was taken on the 28th August 1964 so I must assume it was during the described trip. It sounded incredibly unpleasant with Bob laying on the floor of the footplate to avoid passing out through the heat, fumes and gasses that were filling the cab. It certainly gives a completely different view of the Forest Branches than do the almost idyllic photos.

After running round its train 8749 shunts the Vanwide for the Drakes to un load into their van. It then couples up with the brake van to proceed to the colliery to pick up some full wagons, before returning to Blackney to pick up the by then unloaded Vanwide.

Ben's been visiting again. A couple of shots of 8749 arriving with the afternoon goods from Bullo.

Couldn't resist it. Todays effort at making something I'd not before, A bit of a change from wagons, scenery and vehicles----------------------------------- ---------------------------- Apricot and Walnut bread And luckily it was even better than my railway modelling.

As there are less than four hours to go tin 2021 I thought I'd wish all Tony's followers a happy New Year with a photo of a few of the things that have changed at Blackney in the last year. A crane has appeared, a wall and gates around the goods yard, a new Brake van, shrubbery has grown next to the railway (after all it will be shut within 2 years) and lastly the Morris PV van is finished. Have a good and safe night and evening.

As it is the last day of 2021 I thought I'd wish everyone Happy New Year and post a couple of photos of the now finished Morris van with a few other things that have been built or finished in 2021i.e. the crane , the break van, the goods yard wall and gates and the extra shrubbery on the railway banks.

Some signage on the van and it is parked in front of the bolster now without its load. I bought some extra bolsters as the log load is actually glued to the bolsters so that i can take it off, replace with the ones you see with chains and return empty as it were.

As we are now one week away from Christ mas Day I would like to wish all of you seasons greetings with this card, the photo obviously taken during the winter of 1963 at Blackney.

Searching through my archives I came across this B&W photo possibly taken in the appalling winter of 1963 at Blackney. I decided to make a Christmas card from it. Seasonal wishes to you all.