Poggy1165

Sorry to come in late to this, but I think the deployment of N5s to Peterborough may have had something to do with the Stamford branch. The N5s were certainly used on this, and a diesel shunter wouldn't have been suitable. At a guess the clutch of N5s was sufficient to provide for this branch, for the Peterborough pilots, and whatever other bits of jobs the C12s formerly carried out. The project is already impressive and should be superb when complete - congratulations!

Simply awesome! I spent many happy hours on that station as a lad. I would never have dreamed that someone would have the bottle to model it.

That's a definite GC chimney. I bet someone out there would be glad to buy it off you. Anyway, it captures the feel of the real thing. Wish I had a GC tender to give you but I passed on the last of my 4mm stuff a year or so back.

That bridge is a fantastic bit of work! Bridges are such an important part of the real railways but they are rarely well-modelled. (I am as bad as anyone in this respect.)

I remember that the Caledonian in late steam times was a 'mile a minute' express, and this was boasted about. (I'm not sure whether or not it averaged 60 mph the whole way; if it did that would imply some much faster sectional times to make up for Shap and Beattock.) Point is, obviously, if your 'crack' train averages 60 mph ordinary trains will run quite a bit slower. OTOH not all good trains hung about. The Annesley-Woodford 'runners' or 'windcutters' did quite amazing speeds for unfitted trains.

Morning from me chaps. Up at an amazing 7-00 am this morning, bright and bushy tailed. Despite being awoken at 3-00 am by a cat that had climbed onto our lean-to greenhouse and was making miowing noises outside the bedroom window. Give me a greyhound any day. Unfortunately not got one on the roster at the moment, or 'foreign' cats might be less keen to invade the territory.

Wow, that valve gear is really something! But a very nice job, as ever.

There's a very positive illustrated review of this kit in the current edition of the GOG Gazette. My experience of Jim's kits generally is that they're first class.

I am just so grateful the WHR is back and functioning. Even if its trains were diesel multiple units I'd still thank the Lord on a regular basis for the people and organisations who have made it possible. I first saw the WHR trackbed in 1962 when I was 9. I used to fantasise about what it would have been like to travel over such a wonderful railway. Now it's a fantasy no more. I wish the two sides could smoke a pipe of peace. However, the disputes do not really surprise me as my experience of railway orientated organisations is that sooner or later cliques form and start arguing with one another. I suspect it's just part of the human condition. There is never enough power to go around all the people who want a piece of it. Rights and wrongs don't enter into it, except as fuel for debates.

For Lowton St. Mary's it might be worth enquiring at the Great Central Railway Society. (Though research is not their strongest card, IMHO.) Another suggestion I would make for this location is the Wigan Borough Library. I know for a fact they hold many items of railway interest, including documents around a proposed GCR extension from Wigan to Heysham that very few people seem to have heard of. So they might have something on LSM as it is in their area. Also worth checking if there is a local history society in the area, or for that matter a local paper. Enquiries through this route may turn up a local bod with a collection of photos or at least memories. Certainly worth a try. Good luck, you have certainly picked a very interesting prototype.

Railway history is full of locomotive designs that were contemplated but never built. I have in mind the gigantic GCR loco proposed to haul coal between Wath and Immingham - essentially it was an American concept and they planned to open out a tunnel or two to accommodate it. (How they would have serviced it is another matter as they certainly couldn't have opened up Woodhead to get it to Gorton.) They also toyed briefly with the idea of electrifying Worsbrough Bank, long before it actually was electrified. Either of these projects would have produced fascinating machines. I don't see why models of never-built but considered locos shouldn't be built, if the owner wants to build them. It's really only a step beyond having a model of Decapod, which was more or less a whimsy made flesh. Some imaginary locations really need imaginary locos. For example, what if the Leek and Manifold had extended to Buxton. They couldn't have managed with just the two they had. Maybe it would have been a 4-8-4t like the Barsi had. Who knows?

A cracking loco running on a cracking layout. Great pictures that look like a real railway.

There was an article in one of those annuals that used to appear every Christmas, but I am am talking a long time ago, circa 1964. Trains Illustrated, Railway World, something like that. I recall it definitely had a full track plan in it. (By the way, you would need an awful lot of points.) I still have that book somewhere, but I really am not sure where. Maybe someone else can provide the full reference. Failing that, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Society might be a good bet. I'm pretty sure they have published a book on Victoria, but whether it has the desired track plan I couldn't say.

I am delighted to see that this layout is being revived. I always thought it was rather special.