Swindon 123

Just came across a very early map of the Kings Cross area,(The copyright is unknown) with only two lines into the station, but showing both the York Rd and Hotel Curve tunnels. The interesting thing is that a large part of the Hotel Curve was open to the elements and not in a tunnel. i have shown the map below, but like i said, i have no idea of the copyright, so if it is going to infringe any rights, I'll remove it from the post. Paul J.

Some photos of some recent action at Canada Street docks. Class 15 stabled in Canada Street sidings Tea time at Dee's for the crew of D2294. Paul J.

Staying with 504's, I don't know if this shot has appeared before, but the 2nd unit looks to be SYP here. 1973 date so a late example if so? https://flic.kr/p/ER93ZG Paul J.

Another shot, possibly of the same sets. https://flic.kr/p/21UaoG3 Paul J.

2018 has started and a bit later than I had wanted, here by popular request are some more shots taken of Gregs locos on Shenston Road. A couple of new locos for the thread and a few oldies that have had a bit of reworking done to them. Greg, and myself have discovered military modelling, or at least the painting and weathering side of it. We have discovered the various paints and washes that are now available to military modellers and found that they have equally good results on railway locos and stock. There are two makes of paint/washes that we have used so far. One is Vallejo and the following link will take you to their website, http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/model-paints which has a lot of info, and tutorials which are well worth looking at. Look in the Model Wash and Weathering sections, which also have downloadable paint charts and techniques. I particularly like Wet Effects (73.828) and some of the engine grime and oil effect colours. They also have a very fine "Plastic Putty", code 70.400 in a small plastic bottle, which I have had very good results with and would recommend for fine line/crack filling. The other paint is by AK Interactive, link here https://ak-interactive.com/ They do sets as well as individual paints. They do a nice Engine and Metal Weathering Set that I have used. Yet again their website is extensive with lots of downloadable help and guides which are well worth a look. Both being military modelling site they have a lot of paints designed to enhance road vehicles which are equally effective when used on model railway road vehicles. One to the trains. Greg has been going slowly through his 37 fleet and one of the latest to join it is 6731, seen below. 6731 on mixed freight. D1057 has featured before, but is a recent addition to his Western fleet that has recieved some additional attention to its grills using the washes from the paint ranges mentioned above. D1057 light engine. Class 31, 5809 is another recent reworking with paint washes, this time to highlight the nose areas, especially arround the connecting doors. 5809 on van train. Class 22, D6320 has been in the back catalogue of photos for a while, and I don't think it has appeared before? So I decided to include it in this post. D6320 +BV. As well as a collection of Pre-TOPS locos, both Greg and myself sometimes indulge ourselves in modelling TOPS numbered locos, generally ones we have worked on over the years. One such loco was 08951, which Greg remembers working on as the pilot at Hereford, and I have a photo of it as such in 1979. I round off this post with a couple of shots of his model of the loco, doing what shunters do, on Shenston Road. 08951 + BV. Station pilot, 08951. I hope that satisfies peoples withdrawl symptoms for the moment. Hopefully it won't be as long until the next post as this time. Paul J.

At one time we did have a diagram at Hereford that involved changing over locos on the Waterston-Albion tanks at Canton, as the loco didn't have the range to do the round trip. The train would be left on the Up Goods at C221 signal. The inward loco would then have to run up to central station to access Canton Depot, and we aould have to do the same to get onto the front of the train. it could be a similar move that was captured in the photo. C221 signal is the one that the back of can be seen adjacent to the 08 in the photo in post 253. Paul J.

The number of the 31/0 will eventually be whittled down from the original 20 by virtue of the position of the electrification flash. i just haven't got time to do so at the moment. Paul J.

BR had a lot of problems with leaf fall and DMU's slipping to a stand on certain parts of the route out of Marylebone, so fitted a number of 115's with sandboxes in 1981, to see if that would improve things. I don't know how many where so fitted or how successful they were. Paul J.

Also captured one in use at Ferm Park CS. a couple of times in the early 80's. ADM 1629. [A281B-002] by Paul James, on Flickr Paul J.

Doohhhh. Came bottom of class when it came to spelling. Paul J.

Very nice set of photos from my neck of the woods. Especially like the shots of Cider Queen (note the spelling) now preserved as D2578, and No1 "Woodpecker", John Fowler Wks No 22871, built 1939, as shots of these locos in the early 70's are not common. Most people took photos of KGV or whatever other steam loco was at the Bulmer Railway Centre that day. Just another correction for photo J3627, the locoation is Maindy North Junction, not Maerdy. I drove over it enough times. Many thanks for sharing with us. Paul J. Edited to correct a couple of silly spelling mishtakes.

Absolutely correct Roy, it was dual braked from conversion. I shall correct my original post. Thanks for the correction. Paul J.

This sub-class 08/9 is a little more complicated that I first realised. 08991 was originally 08203 and along with 08992 (08259) & 08993 (08592) had curved cab roofs. See the following links. https://flic.kr/p/chBbrJ https://flic.kr/p/yJHeDi https://flic.kr/p/rLrbv2 https://flic.kr/p/spo8bp https://flic.kr/p/KQ2upW https://flic.kr/p/rNM69V 08992 also had the distinction of carrying its original number as a cut down loco. See following links. https://flic.kr/p/dDLZMe https://flic.kr/p/maTMkD Now it becomes interesting as it would seem that 08993 had its cab roof altered to the angular type around the time 08994/5 where converted, for some reason. See photos in link below. https://flic.kr/p/brtHKM https://flic.kr/p/XsEw41 Now we come to 08994 and 08995, converted from 08462 and 08687 respectively. Both had algular cut down cabs, as seen in the photos in the links below. https://flic.kr/p/TEx78q https://flic.kr/p/aZAhP8 https://flic.kr/p/H7j3Tw However one thing to note with 08994 & 08995 is that they didn't keep their original bonnet doors. Both had bonnet doors with outside hinges, which I suspect they inherited the bonnet doors from the withdrawn 08991 & 08992, saving the cost of altering their original ones. 08993 had doors with inside hinges, that it kept all its life. All 5 locos had wooden cab doors. And there was me thinking it was a simple class 08 sub class! Paul J. Edited to correct info on 08993 being dual braked from conversion.

Equally as tempting. With regards to the LMS one differences, I have the bits to convert a chassis, its always been the body that was the stumbling block. Paul J.

How about a nice LMS class 11 DE, 12033-12138 body to the same high standard, to fit on a chassis. Now I would be interested in a couple of them! Paul J.

Interesting project. I wish you success and although only found in deepest South Wales initially, they did get to spread their wings in later EWS days. For anyone who didn't realise just how much cutting down had to be done on the prototype,which includes me, have a look at Paul Bettanys photo on Flickr in the link. https://flic.kr/p/7vvJpd Paul J.

The Class 158 in photo C25969, is in the "Central Trains" green livery, although most probably de-branded, as the line had been transferred to the Wales & Borders franchise the previous year to your photo. Paul J.

Although Electrics have never "floated my boat" with regards to modelling, your photos of them in the 70's are really nice to see David. thank you for sharing. There is a right mix of parcels stock in photo J4367, the 4th vehicle in being one of the rare LMS BG's painted in Blue/Grey livery. Paul J.

Another fantastic set of ECML photos David. Thank you for posting. I love the cement train in J4087. A right old mix of wagon types. With regards to the 47 in C676, I don't think it is 1581. There is a suggestion of ETH fittings on the buffer beam, which would indicate one of the first 20 "Westinghouse" generator locos. Could it be a transposition error on the number and it is 1518 instead? I also think the 47 in J035 is a generator one as well, as there is a suggestion of an ETH cable beneath the RH buffer, but as to the number?????????? Thank you once again for sharing the photos with us, and best wishes for 2018, and even more photos. Paul J.

Peterborough men worked that particular service. Kings Cross men didn't know 25's but Peterborough men did. All the other Parleys in the evening where worked by KX traincrew, only the 17.18 wasn't. Paul J.

I can remember travelling in the cab of a 105 to Felixstowe and back whilst "route training" on my MP12, and collecting the token at Westerfield, and being surprised to find the panel behind the cab door on the 105. On asking the driver about it, he said it was a rubber pad for protecting the cab side when they used to pick up the staff hoops on the move originally. Although only travelling slowly they would give the cabside a hell of a clout if not protected. I distinctly remember he said it was rubber, which is also born out by the Railcar website on the 105's. ( http://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-105/variations ). . I notice in photos that a lot of them lost the panel during later refurbishments. Talking of photos, here are some links to shots showing the panel, which is white. I can only assume the rubber was a white colour for some reason. https://flic.kr/p/9zzWMC https://flic.kr/p/9r86RE The white is showing under the damaged blue paint. Paul J.

I used to travel in from Chingford to Liverpool St when I worked at KX, generally with the driver, especially the Chingford drivers, and a few of them remembered the days of the steam jazz trains. They said the trains could turn around inside of two minutes, with a outward engine coupling up to the rear coach, the front one on the outward train, almost as fast as the fireman could uncouple the incoming loco from the train. When the EMU service started they had to allow more turnaround time for the trains, as it took longer for the driver to walk from one end of a 9 car train, especially in rush hour, than it did to couple/uncouple the steam locos. Paul J. Edited to correct some spelling mistakes and correct some grammar.

Perhaps it was this one, as shown in this photo on Flickr, and dated 1980. https://flic.kr/p/wVwutv And also to be seen in this photo but taken 12 years earlier. https://flic.kr/p/dMz5Ug And without going through all of Dave F's photos, here's a 31 with a tablet catcher on Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/fdNz5c Paul J.

31243 still had the tablet catcher recesses in 1982. 31243 [bW151-029] by Paul James, on Flickr And 31247 in 1980. 31247 [A880C-007] by Paul James, on Flickr Paul J.

As already mentioned there was a silver-grey colour that was used, mainly on colour lights, especially on the WR. Semaphores still seemed predominantly white posts although I have seen the odd one or two in grey, as have I seen some colour lights with grey posts The LM still seemed to persevere with white posts on their colour lights, at least in the early days, but most of the recent installations I saw had grey posts. The only rule seemed to be there was no hard and fast rule. Regions seemed to have their own ideas as to what to paint the post, especially when they got around to repainting them in later years. Paul J.