westerner

8749 arrives at Blackney with the morning empties for the colliery.

Thought you might like another look at 8749

As it's the best part of 3 weeks since I last posted, playing with boats, I took advantage of the rain to take a new set of photos of 8749 arriving with the coal empties sort of based on Ben Ashworth's photoos of 8749 at Soudly crossing.

The Iron Man wa one of the books I read to the children I taught, it always went down well.

I visited Bletchley Park in Oct 2019 some 50 yeras after I left college in july 1969. I was a bit saddened that therew asno mention of the history of the post war history of the site. Indeed there had been two teacher traing colleges on the site. Initially a womens only college which move to Wheatley near Oxford in the early sixties, It reopened as North Bucks College of Education in 1966 when there was a call from the Wison governmentf or more teachers and that all teachers should be trainedteacher and they were planning to raise the school leaving age. I was there from Sept 1966 10 July 1969. I believe it only stayed as ateacher training college for a few more years before I think becoming for a time part of the Open University. It would have been nice to see a mention of that history.

Strangely enough, I trained as a teacher at Bletchley park

Crane now bedded in and some growth about the base.

" Safety Elves wont get their knickers in a twist. " Did Safety Elves exist in the mid sixties?

Now with safety rope attached to hook.

Phil, a rope will be made to secure the hook.

This last week I have been finishing off a yard crane I started several weeks ago. I'm not sure how appropriate it is for the layout. The thoughts are that at one time timber in the form of trunks was loaded here, and that Frank Drake has to occasionally load and unload bits of unweildy machinery. It is now not often used. It still needs bedding in to the lauout and the brickwork around the edge of the circular paltform needs a few weeds etc. The problem with using string as the cable with a light plastic hook is that it will not lie straight down, as the crane is not going to be a working model I clipped a small clamp on the hook, which kept the cord tight, and then ran thin superglue down it, when dry this was painted with weathered balck and frame dirt.

I agree but in the sixities totally rusty ones were relativly rare,

My layout is DC(just 2 feeds) the sound fitting is in my head where I go BRMMM, BRMMM. or if it's the panniers chuf, chuff chuff.

Good to some minerals that still have plenty of grey on them and are not all rust, as I think too many are modelled.

A Wyvern????

AC Railcar being tried out on the Blackney branch after being axed from the Kemble branches.

The Railcar arrives at Blackney still with the Kemble destintion panel.

Now weathered, perhaps alittle overdone, but it is almost time fo the passenger service to be taken away. All I need now is a driver and 1 or2 passengers and to change the destination blinds (any one any ideas).

Something entirely different from Brass and Pullmans, the old siding gate to the colliery, unused for several years, slowly returning to nature. The gate was scratch built from balsa wood.

Yes Paul it arrived yesterday, excellent service from Tower Models, ordered at 12ish on Moday and arrived at 10.30ish on Tuesday.

After being axed from the kemble brabches BR(WR) decided to experiment with AC Railcar W79977 on the Blackney branch running a shuttle servic between Gloucester Central and Blackney. Our erstwhile Photographer happened to capture the first trial run.

More undergrowth has gone in, under the trees and around the new gte and its posts.