Swindon 123

Maroon liveried 05 a figment of Heljans imagination I'm afraid. Paul J.

Beware of some class 11's in preservation, as they have had exhauster boxes added, look at the above photos of 12099, and so look more like 08's. The class 11's and 12's in BR use never had vacuum brakes fitted, although some Class 12's did have air brake capability fitted towards the end of thier lives. Paul J.

Well it just goes to show. Always check photos of locos before making general statements. Of the three Newport shunters in your list, 09105 & 09203 are bog standard dual braked 08's with LH & RH exhauster boxes, so the later style Dual braked 08 would do fine, as long as it has the two exhauster boxes. However, on checking up on 09107, it does in fact have high level air pipes. Must have been converted from a SR 08, some of which did have high level pipes. Therefore the proposed Gaugemaster class 09 model would be ideal for 09107, especially the 09012 "Dick Hardy" version in Grey. Paul James.

09/1 & 09/2didn't have high level pipes. These were only fitted to the original 09's, except 09024 & 09025. As all 09/1 & 09/2 started lives as 08's, an appropriate dual braked class 08 body would be a good stating point, as long as it isn't the 1st ones Dapol did with the external bonnet hinges. Paul J.

One of these, heavily modified. Paul J.

Pop down to Moreton-on-Lugg this Sunday Alan, and scan a few of the real things. We have some lying around. Paul J.

Not true I'm afraid. D4105 (09017) to D4114 (09026) all started their lives at LMR depots, with D4112 & D4113 (09024 & 09025) staying on the LMR until 1973, when they migrated to the SR in Jan 1976, via an 18 month spell at Bristol. Hence 09024 & 09025 didn't get high level pipes which all the others got at the beginning of the 1970's. Paul J.

08's originally had a top speed of 20MPH, but after a few instances of siezed traction motors and bent coupling rods, this was reduced to 15MPH in the early 80's. 09's tops speed was 27MPH from new and remained so thoughout their lives. They didn't all start off on the SR, with the LMR having some in the 60's up until the 70's. The 08 stabled at Hereford when I was there, came from Cardiff Canton, Worcester supplied it before that. When fuelling of locos was stopped at the depot at Hereford, they used to fuel from a road tanker, but had to go to Canton for major exams or repairs. This was a long days work, not made much easier when the 09's replaced to 08's to try and speed things up. Still took and 8 hour shift to get one from Canton to Hereford, mostly via all the goods loops en-route. Paul J.

I also saw that "25 on its side" demonstration at Stratford in 1983, and took some photos. I've been playing with one of them and came up with this, which in my book shows the cabside does have a taper. Paul J.

Yes Eggesford box, stabling the "Noddy" under the wall was the usual thing. Either 09001 or 09015, late 80's, early 90's. Last move of the day for the afternoon shunt driver was to put it there, and try and get 27MPH out of the 09 between the Brecon Curve GF Xover and the box. Great fun, and caused a few hard stares from the Traffic supervisors if they were out on the platform. Paul J.

Sorry can't help with lineside locations to take photos of the depot area Rob. Most of my photos of the depot area where taken from lineside when down there getting something "off shed" or putting something to bed. I took surprisingly few photos down there, and one of my friend who's photos I have on my Flickr pages, also took very few down there.

Never known as Edgar Street sidings in my day. Nowhere near Edgar Street. Known to railwaymen as Aylestone Hill sidings, Corporation siding, or simply "The Diesel Depot" or "The Depot". The last two giving the game away for their use after the steam shed closed. Used to be very busy at one time, with all roads filled with DMUs, and least one of the London trains, stabled there overnight, and fuelling locos. This all gradually tailed off in the early 90's, and now it is only used as a turn-back siding for the HST's/800's and the occasional Birmingham service, when not turning back from Platform 1. Below is a link to one of my photos, taken on a Sunday 4th November 1985, whilst preparing 50043 for that afternoons London train, showing the DMU's also stabled there. Paul J.

A shot of 55011, on my Flickr site, taken at Finsbury Park on 5th July 1980, showing the damage done to 55011 by the "Hull Incident". Paul J.

By that time the York semi-fast services where booked load 8 with a restaurant buffet for refreshments. That stated to change with the micro-buffets coming into service around 1981, when the buffet restaurant was removed, with a TSOT replacing a TSO, hence Loco + 7 wasn't unusual . On some services it just got left out, so no refreshments. I can remember working a couple like that. Paul J.

Keep them out of the box ex works, and put something unusual on the front. FBR4-116 by Paul James, on Flickr Paul J.

Another of my shots from the footplate, taken in the same place as one of yours David. Taken from the footplate of 55013 working 1L44 the 1605 KX -York on the 11th September 1981, approaching the southern portal of Peascliffe Tunnel, roughly about half way down the train in your photo. Many thanks for sharing your vast collection of photos with us. Paul J.

Just going back to the Greatford photos, this is the view from the footplate on that streach of line, heading north between Tallington and Greatford level crossings on 55013 working 1L44 the 1605 KX -York. 11th September 1981. Also below my old route map showing Greatford LC was monitored with CCTV by Tallington LC, if I remember rightly. Paul J.

I've used a brakestick to get a rather reluctant boiler to work on a Class 47. The fact that one was already in the boiler compartment was proof that I wasn't the 1st person to have trouble with that particular boiler. Paul J.

Any vehicle with a handbrake wheel, as opposed to a handbrake lever, can take a long time to apply the handbrake, I know from personal experience. But dropping a handbrake lever down, meant a pretty instant brake application, admittedly only a light one, but enough usually to retard a wagon, which doesn't then have a chance of running away from you at great speed, giving you time to apply the brake even more. By the time you had got the brakes even rubbing using a handbrake wheel, the wagon would have got away from you. Paul J.

For the great yellow debate, heres my shot fo the first one I ever came across at Harwich Parkeston Quay in April 1984. The Dapol Yellow seems a good match to my eyeCBR-5-126 by Paul James, on Flickre. And a couple more at Temple Mills a couple of months later. The yellow did seem to weather down quickly. CBR8-031 by Paul James, on Flickr Paul J. Edited to correct a couple of silly spelling mistakes.

I didn't actually take any photos of the mod in progress, but borrowing a photo of the dismantled loco from Porcy Mane's, post, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/126141-andrew-barclay-14-16-0-4-0st-in-oo-gauge/page-42&do=findComment&comment=3136657, I did it by taking off the smokebox front, which will come off with a bit of care, and just repainting it black. You could remove the smokebox front and paint the front of the tank if so inclined, and leave the stripes on the smokebox door only. Photo by Porcy Mane The modified paint job being test run on Hornsey Broadway. I hope this helps in swaying you into buying one. They are a very nice model. Paul J.

With the final preperations taking place for this Sundays appearance at the Weston Super Mare show (See this link https://www.westonsupermaretrainshow.com/january-2019-information.html ), I thought I'd show you some of the other items of rolling stock new to Blowers Green. Following on from my last post featuring 16t minerals, here is 08555 shunting a rake of those wagons. To compliment the new mineral wagons, two of Dapols latest offerings in the form of 2 X 20t brakevans will feature. CAO B951771. And CAP B951224. Also making its 1st appearance on the exhibition circuit on Blowers Green, Heljans class 128 DPU, in the guise of M99554. My own contribution to the new stock is in the form of Heljans class 25/3, which after modification, will appear as 25211. It is still in the final stages of weathering, but here are a couple of shots of it, in the painting booth. As I couldn't get an exact colour match to the Heljan blue, despite many paint mixes, it is appearing in a very weathered state. Now looking forward to getting some pics of it running on Blowers Green. Paul J.

I remember seeing a couple of 71's in Temple Mills Yard when I was on my Traction Trainee course in June 1979, might have been those two. I have a couple of fuses liberated from one of them. About 10 times the size of you 13 amp ones. Paul J.

I had originally hoped to make the fit as clean as possible, with very little filling required afterwards and therefore also little repainting. It would also give me a chance to see if the paints would match. As with all (good?) plans, this didn't work out and more filler than originally intended was required, mainly due to the patch not being applied very level by me. However when it came to smothing out the join, the fact that it was already painted, aided me in spotting any high or low spots requiring further attention. It was a bit of an experiment on my part and the jury is still out on wether it was a success or not. Paul J.

A look at some more of Bills latest additions to the Blowers Green wagon fleet, this time 16t mineral wagons. B257486. B257598. B258623. B259772. B551679. On the locomotive front, my alterations to the latest Heljan model have continued, with the hole resulting from cutting out the small grill at No2 end, being filled with a piece of plasticard, which was initially painted in Rail Blue before fixing to the model. Any imperfections in the fitting were filled and then sanded back repeatedly, until a smooth finish was achieved. The photos below show the process. Paul J.