Swindon 123

Its Nottingham London Road. See link below to Flickr for a similar shot. https://flic.kr/p/7qzHEf It was the building far right with "COWIES" on it that pointed me in the right direction. See http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM002729&pos=2&action=zoom Paul J.

The handbrake on a DMU was in the cabs at both ends. I would have expected they would have been the same. Only a setter would have been needed for the guard, if at all? Interesting that the first design incorporates a Commonwealth bogie. Perhaps a bog standard DMU version wasn't a smooth enough ride for the management. Paul J.

Way, way back in the mists of time, late 70's early 80's, and the Hereford-Birmingham services went up the Lickey, and stopped at Bromsgrove. They were generally WR based 3 car units. I only worked over there a couple of times before the Hereford-Brums were diverted to run via Stourbridge. It was a long haul up the Lickey in 1st gear, and all the drivers warned me to use the banker if you only had 3 engines. That said going via Stourbridge wasn't much better, as the climb up Old Hill was a brute, especially if you were booked to stop at Old Hill station. It sometimes seemed like an age before a unit would start away from there sometimes. In later years with the Tyseley hybrid 4 car units with the "big engined" 115 power cars, you could stop at Old Hill if you had a "small" engine out, but not if you had a "big" engine out. You had to miss the Old Hill stop if that happened, unless you were lucky to find the banker at Stourbridge. Paul J.

During my time working out of Kings Cross (1979-84), I only remember the station being completely closed once, and that was by floodwater in the bottom of Gasworks Tunnel. I was sat out at Hornsey carriage sidings waiting to work into KX with ECS for one of the evening Peterborough services. Just before leaving for "The Cross" there was a tremendous cloudburst, that just about blotted everything out. Trains running past on adjacent lines looked like a tube of water on the move. We got to the end of the UP Goods, just about opposite where FP depot used to be and waited for our slot into KX. And waited, and waited. After a while, realising we had seen nothing coming out of, or going into KX whilst waiting at the signal, got in touch with the power box to be told that Gasworks Tunnel was flooded to a depth of 6ft and our train was being diverted into KX Goods yard, where it was to be stabled until they figured out what to do, or the floodwater receded, whichever came first. As it was the last trip of the day, I don't know how it all ended, except that it was there was widespread flooding on the underground and the roads, and getting home took some time. Paul J.

A few of my photos showing how steep the short gradient out of Gasworks Tunnel was. 45103 [A681C-010(HR)] by Paul James, on Flickr 31247 [A880C-006] by Paul James, on Flickr 55004. [A181C-011] by Paul James, on Flickr Paul J.

I've just noticed that D9000 had a couple of footsteps in the top L & R corners of the buffer beam cutaway. I don't remember seeing them on any other Deltic. Was D9000 the only Deltic to have them? This photo from John Turner also shows it with them. https://flic.kr/p/6KNSFb It seemed to have lost them on being air braked, unless it lost them before that? Paul J.

Yes the size of the nameplate is a giveaway. It must be MELD. Seriously though, the 47 in J2034 is a generator. The numbers and spacing suggest it is 1508, but it could be 1518, although I favour 1508 personally. Paul J.

If my photos below are anything to go by, the last use in South Wales was in 1986, as the second photo of the pair below shows quite a collection of them in the sidings at Barry in July 1986. I can't remember seeing many in use after this in South Wales, which was the last place they were regularly use, I think! EBR7-016 by Paul James, on Flickr EBR7-017 by Paul James, on Flickr Paul J.

I've just uploaded a couple more shots of HUO's during their last days in South Wales onto my Flickr site, so I'd better post them here as well. Barry, 11th July 1986. EBR7-016 by Paul James, on Flickr EBR7-017 by Paul James, on Flickr Paul J.

There were at least 3 WR Met-Cam 101's in Blue/Grey livery around 1975, initially allocated to Plymouth and later Bristol. The vehicles I have on record are as follows. P/B800- W51445, W59549, W51515. P/B802- W51449, W59550, W51521. P/B803- W51450, W59546, W51522. Photo's of them, ( at least one photo of B802 in a combine), show that they retained their headcode boxes and had not been refurbished in any way. As you say, "a Western Region thing". Paul J.

47528 is a good possibility, but definitely not 47525 as it was still in green until Aug 74 at least. Paul J.

It's actually just after what was Parkeston Goods Junction. The signal featured in the two photos can just be made out on the RH middle edge of the full size version of the photo below. CBR-5-123 by Paul James, on Flickr Paul J.

Best I can do is these from Flickr. (Tardis OOU, awaiting spares). https://flic.kr/p/dqQWLK https://flic.kr/p/eavsYA Paul J.

If you look very carefully at the box diagram, on signals 8 & 54 it shows only one lever number applying to both arms, indicating both arms are worked by the one lever, indicating co-acting arms, as noted by others. On signals 56 & 57 and also 58 & 59, the two arms have separate numbers next to them, indicating the signals are cleared by different levers, indicating separate routes. The GE was very fond of stacking main semaphore on one post, Ipswich having quite a few as seen below. CBR 2-103 by Paul James, on Flickr They weren't afraid of stacking miniature arms either, sometimes on multiple dolls, as seen below at Harwich. CBR-5-124 by Paul James, on Flickr CBR-5-125 by Paul James, on Flickr I did most of my MP12 driver training on the GE out of Liverpool Strret, so quickly has to get use to this style of signalling. Paul J.

These are obviously Australian Westerns? Paul J.

I have just posted a couple of shots of a couple of tanks used in the CCE Drain Train, on my Flickr site. But here they are to stop you having to find them. EBR6-007 by Paul James, on Flickr EBR6-008 by Paul James, on Flickr I have just noticed posting these, that in the first photo, there is a small tank to the left of the photo, which might be the ICI Chlorine tank the original poster, w124bob, was on about in his first post. It's certainly smaller than the others. Unfortunately I omitted to take a shot of it for some reason. Paul J.

Later than 82 Clive, as one photo has a Blue/Grey motorail GUV in it. I definitely didn't see one like that before I left KX in 84. Your first and third photos show some old buildings going away from the photographer, to the left of the large gable end wall with the windows in. There were training rooms and other bits and pieces tucked away in there, used by BR. I did my Traction Trainee course in one of the rooms. Lovely dingy old Victorian building in what looked like a colour scheme left over from LNER days. Fascinating place, all now long demolished. Paul J.

Better photos than mine Clive, showing the two adjoining loading roads. The LH one was for the Car Carriers, note the ramp at the end, and the RH one for loading GUV's. It was very complicated getting all the right vehicles in and loaded, and involved some quite intricate moves that a chess player would be proud of. Another point to watch when shunting here was, because of all the sharp reverse curves, buffer locking was a real possibility and both the TCV car carriers and the GUV's had screw couplings, so easing up onto them to couple up/uncouple was carried out with some delicacy. Oh happy days. Paul J.

I can remember exhibiting "Eastwell Ironstone Company" in that shed, sometime around 1999, but i cannot remember the exact year. Paul J.

The Motorail loading dock at Kings Cross was behind the suburban platforms, at what was known as the milk dock. The two lines they were loaded on can be see to the left in this photo under the canopy. One line loaded the car carriers and the other GUV's. 31402. [A181C-016] by Paul James, on Flickr Paul J.

Have a look in the Transition Diesel Liveries forum in the Special Interests Zone. Plenty of discussion in there on early blue Diesel liveries, you just have to hunt it out. Link below. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/forum/138-transition-diesel-liveries/ Paul J.

First of all Phil, a big thanks for supplying some background noises for Blowers Green at the Swansea Exhibition. It seemed that whenever we ran a Class 20, there was always something whistling away on Abbotswood for effect. Also thank you for the food donations in the form of SWMBO's millionaire's shortbread. It was very nice. I did manage to get a couple of pics of Abbotswood on its final outing as a memento. I post them below for your viewing. best of luck with version 2. May it be a quick and smooth gestation. I will look forward to seeing it on the circuit. D236 waits for the road at Abbotswood Junction D6506 waits at Abbotswood Junction. Paul J.

Feel free to post some Wayne. It's always nice to see other peoples take on a layout. Meanwhile here are some I managed to take during the odd 5 mins away from operating whilst at the Swansea Exhibition. First up a couple of shots taken perched up on the hill, through which Dudley Tunnel was driven. View of the Blackcountry Industrial Lubricants Limited compound, with Blowers Green sidings below, in the background. Moving around to the other side of the Warehouse, another view of the sidings from "the grassy knoll". Taken off the overbridge at the opposite end to the tunnel, 31193 waits for its train to be formed up. Silly hour at the end of Sunday, saw Heljans latest offering tested out. The hill the "grassy knoll" photo was taken from, can be seen top right. Finally 08083 takes a breather from shunting. (I have tried to loose the background Leisure Center wall in this shot. With mixed success). Hope the above photos do justice to Bills layout. It ran extremely well, and went up and came down easily as well. Practice makes perfect. Paul J. Edited to put a photo in its right place, after background Leisure Center wall had been photo shopped out by Mr Wibble during my lesson on how to do it.

Thanks for the offer Regularity, but my modelling period requires them to have connecting doors. I'll just have to wait until Phil brings the new ones out. Paul J.

Nice Grassington photos David. As always thank you for sharing with us. according to my 1982 IRS 1982 book, the ANO in C6250 should be 08054. Paul J.