Phil Bullock

So update on progress…. 
 

All scenic boards now ballasted and embankments grassed. Now on to adding fencing and starting on trees. 
 

Suffered a disaster when the wind blew board 3 over on to its scenic face …. The risk of working outside. That’s Norton Junction …. The signal box took a bit of a hit … although repairable … but the 3 signals on that board were wrecked. 
 

Oh well … had to build some new ones any way this winter as based on the diagram in the post above am adding splitting distants in the up direction and also relocating Abbotswoods down advanced starter and Pirton Sidings distant to the other side of the road bridge. Viv Moss has also kindly supplied a photo showing Abbotswoods up starter was on a bracket and there’s  was no distant for Spetchley. 
 

Also started work on home made trees … and Cousin Brian is looking at the Norton war memorial for me to see what might be possible with laser cutting.  John Peck at Precision Labels is working on 3D printed telegraph poles too … some need 12 and 14 cross arms! 
 

Plenty to do before the Redditch show in March then…. 

5 hours ago, Halvarras said:

I mentioned just a week ago that D6306 was a bit camera-shy, and what should pop up on today's Cornwall Railway Society update page but a last look at the loco at Cashmore's, parked in exactly the same spot as D6353 in the photo including a cab from D800. Note that the only place you'd see a '22' with all of its side valances missing is a scrapyard (just sayin'!)

 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/latest-input--news--old-pictures-etc

 

As luck would have it the second photo of a row of six also at Cashmore's shows the other '22' which went for scrap with the ugly boxes, D6317, displaying the collision damage I recall when I saw it on the Laira dump on 11/9/68 (a photo exists). The two blue ones must have been D6325 (small BR logos - the only other one like this, D6318, remained in traffic until 1971) and D6342, the only other BFYE example to be condemned in the 1968 cull. There are no significant identifying features on the rest although this consist may be on record somewhere. Again note that those visible have arrived for scrapping with all of their side valances attached!

 

Regarding D6306's camera avoidance, I did once find an excellent shot of it with the boxes in Truro Yard taken from the erstwhile Platform 4 and regret not saving it as I haven't seen it since. Perhaps someone else did.....?

 

PS Ooops, no, it's back! Dated 23rd August 1965 -note its good condition, indicating a works overhaul including box-fitting at Swindon earlier that year.

D6325 and D6342 were both from store at Worcester and as the other Class 22s from Worcester are in that line up it makes total sense for those two to be there too. Very sad! 

7 minutes ago, Covkid said:

In a moment of weakness i was hooked by an Accurascale email flyer and have ordered D6702 and an Accurathrash decoder to go in it

I think you won’t regret it!!!

On 18/11/2023 at 14:34, MarkSG said:

I'm thinking of taking the train all (or almost all) the way to Warley this year. Even with a change at New Street, Worcestershire Parkway to BIH is significantly quicker than my door to door driving route from home, and that's before taking into account roadworks. Although driving to Parkway first, rather than driving all the way to the NEC, does result in, at least theoretically, a longer overall door to door time from home to the NEC, I suspect that a fair bit of that will be offset by a shorter distance from the station to Hall 5 than from the car park to Hall 5, and if the traffic is as bad this year as it was last year then the headline time of using Parkway for park+ride will be quicker than the real world drive time.

 

That does, though, assume that the trains run on time. Given that I'll have to be going on the Sunday (as I have another event I need to be at on the Saturday), that may not necessarily be guaranteed. So I probably won't make the decision itself until that day, and I'll check the departure boards first before deciding whether to drive or ride.

4 of us meeting in Churchdown and then heading up to Worcestershire Parkway to get the train on Saturday. As you say has to be better than driving … as long as the 10.14 isn’t just a 2 car unit! 

I use an impact driver …. Admittedly for bolts …. For assembly and breakdown of Abbotswood and Norton Junctions . Set up = 116 bolts to undo (6mm with captive nuts) and 40 to do up. 
 

Decent nuts and bolts are key (not from B&Q) and have to endure torque isn’t set too high when tightening. Had a few seizures initially which meant hacking off bolt head with grinding disc in dremmel but now everything has been undone and tightened a few times no such issues. A squirt of wd40 on all the bolts before setup helps too…. 

40 minutes ago, No Decorum said:

What an odd idea of luck!

Well at least it isnt at 2.30 …. 

12 minutes ago, Porcy Mane said:

 

Free liquorice toffees will  available to the operators of one layout.  Should you stand in front of it for more than eight minutes I may throw one your way in feeding the sea lions at sea world fashion. 

 

 

Lucky I have a dentist appointment on 29th… 😀

See you there! Travelling up by train from with @Downendian @Pierre Le Brun and Digby. Can’t wait to hear and see the new Accurascale announcement.

Ha ha the filter keeps deleting the code for our boarding station! Worcestershire Parkway …. W O P

Great news are you there Saturday? 

20 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

caption contest…

Cadburys 4MT

Dairy Milk Standard

Cadburys Milk Ash Tray

Standard Fudge

4MT flake

Fruit and Nut tank

Brighton Twirl

Cadburys Dairy Milk - Ash and Soot

Cadburys Dairy Milk - Whole coal

 

 

 

They should paint the wheels like Cadburys buttons,  the rods as Fingers and the buffers as mini eggs.

now sing along…

 

A 4MT is just enough to give the kids a treat.

 

 

 

Nothing about a dreamy Caramel then? 

The burning question is how many slices of millionaires shortbread are needed on the stand at Warley! 

1 hour ago, 55020 said:

Has anyone managed to fit the very nicely modelled frost grills?  If so, how did you manage to get them to stick?

 

 

Steve

The tiniest amount of gel superglue… applied with a pin …. On the edge of the grille recess. Just make sure they are on the right way around … rivets on the frame on the outside 

1 hour ago, Porcy Mane said:

 

A 25/2 was spotted out in the wild earlier today.

 

 

Thanks to all involved.

 

P

Ah where was that then? 

1 hour ago, ERIC ALLTORQUE said:

You will need the track grounded to the lightning rod to discharge and keep safe if your planning more loco,s,it might well be time to use the welder to power the system,is this why Aegis is coming from DCC concepts one wonders.......

And it’s why ECoS now chucks out 7 amps…

14 minutes ago, Stoke West said:

It didn't stop locos and units going where they shouldn't in peace time . Latest one i know of ,153 and 158's not permitted north of Radyr , but a 153 got to Treherbert in 2021 !  Which caused some problems on how to get it back . 

Caerphilly? 

28 minutes ago, meatloaf said:

No, but one another one i forgot about is the accurascale deltic and thats fine. Fairly sure that has one :)

Yes indeed the Deltic does …. Which makes it a better comparison 

14 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

I believe fish was carried between two stops on the Central Wales line under a local arrangement;; to save paperwork, the goods were issued with a single ticket.

 

 

Was that on an HST ? Plainly not an of - fish - ial arrangement then! 😉

Or was it from Llangammarch Wels? 
 

Wels fish
 

1 hour ago, meatloaf said:

Hmm i also have the sound cut out issue with the 37 sometimes. I also use a PE2 system.

 

However, i highly doubt the controller is at fault. If it was id have issues with other locos fitted with a Loksound 5. These all run fine and include : Bachmann 47 factory fitted, Class 20 with a plux22 LS5 from roads and rails

Do those locos have stay alives? 

Very nice! Wonder if the CBAs are any closer ? 

14 minutes ago, 55020 said:

 

Ahh, the font of all knowledge that is Wikipedia.  It it great until it isn't!  In this case it isn't too helpful, as the 37/0s were numbered 37001 to 37308.  Your model of 37305 is a 37/0.  The rebogied 37/3s started at 37310.

 

You are correct in stating that the 37300-308 locos were very much South Wales machines in the 70s.

 

 

Steve

Absolutely! Often seen on the triple headed iron ore trains to Llanwern …. Before that on Waterston to Albion tanks …. And they started off as lickey bankers when first delivered. 

1965 picture of the Worcester train on 

This page

There always seemed to be a redundant loco tender with this crane

12 minutes ago, nightstar.train said:

Got my D6700 today. Much joy, what a lovely model. And sounds soooo gooooddddd. Couple of questions though.

 

1. In the detail pack I've got a couple of spare grills along with the builders plates, where do they go and why? 

 

2. I see the spirax valves still aren't listed on the sheet as a separate function. Are they still on the decoder but hidden like the original releases? And if so does anyone know which sound slot they occupy? I am using Decoder Pro so it should be an easy fix. 

 

I now have 5 Accurascale 37s, with 2 more on order from run 2. Think I might have a problem 🤪

They are the frost grilles which go over the radiator slats. Name is self explanatory..

3 hours ago, Darius43 said:

Perhaps an email to Accurascale may help.  I find that I need to drill out the detail part location holes on many locos (all manufacturers*) as the parts may be a snug fit when unpainted but any painting on either the body or the detail part prevents them from fitting.

 

* apart from Heljan, who deliberately mould the detail parts larger than the holes they are supposed to fit into.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

 

There’s no need to enlarge any holes on my D6702 … all the pipe work is a snug fit and is easily secured with a tiny dab of cyanoacrylate.

With the buffer beam deeply recessed it is easier to fit the detailing with the body off … you can see what you are doing then. Fit the buffer beam end of the MU jumper too …. Then refit the body before plugging the jumper in to its body mounted receptacle. 
 

Whilst you have the body off fit your crew too… 

What a cracking model!

Would a merchandise wagon generally have drop sides and rigid ends? Whereas a mineral might generally have small side doors and an end tippler door?