Poor Old Bruce

I've posted this before under different topics but in the bitter winter of 1963, when diesel boilers were frost damaged, I once saw a peak coming into Derby off the West Road with a Mickey Mouse 2-6-0 coupled inside to provide the train heating. Richard

Sorry Max, I should have replied to your question earlier (much earlier!). Yes, you are correct. When the coupling rods are at the bottom, the return crank should lean forwards not backwards as shown. Many manufacturers seem to get it wrong on one side or t'other so that the cranks lean to the left (or right) on both sides. Richard

I'd go for a 498 0-6-0 Dock Tank. One even made it down to Burton-on-Trent, it would make a cracking loco for a C&HP area layout. Richard

I've got one 50, which is 50050 in large logo blue with yellow cabs to represent it as ex Doncaster works in 1984. It hauled me from Leeds to Derby as a sustitute for a failed HST from York. I was surprised to be the only one interested in photographing it at Derby but have since found that they were not that rare at the time. I have that one because I know for certain that it ran through Duffield and can therefore run it at our exhibition days (plug - first weekend in October). Stock provided by Flood of this parish. Richard

Photographed this Midland Railway 10T van at Matlock Bath this morning. Best (only!) shots I could get through the fence. Richard

I think some were still running about in the mid 1960s but they may have been confined to specific traffic in specific areas by then. I seem to remember a photo of several of them in a train somewhere round Oldham way. Richard

29 December 2009 at 11:26am i.e. before the snow, there's quite a bit up there now and I wouldn't get near it! Richard

Spotted this one in a field near Longcliffe (C&HPR): Don't remember seeing it before. It looks like a BR Standard van except for the cross bracing on the ends which could suggest GWR but it appears to have been recently re-clad with plywood retaining all the original ironwork. Richard

The only major items to be mixed about at overhauls would be the boilers. All the mechanical gubbins was supposed to stay with the same loco throughout. All the motion parts were stamped with their individual loco number. That was the method used to identify locos when going round Barry scrapyard c1970. Not necessarily foolproof though as even the Gas Works Railway got things mixed up occasionally. Duke of Gloucester is the classic case of inferior air flow through the ashpan giving less than sparkling performance in BR service. Richard

Wot!!! Plastic with a big hole in ther floor Seriously, I think we have been round this paticular lump before on the old site. The Tri-ang one was based on a GWR example with flat sides and tumblehome ends, not the other way round as pictured. The Wrenn HB was initially a Hornby Dublo Product based on a BR prototype. Richard

I see from Ramrig's pictures that BB's return crank is "reverse polarity". Richard

I too would rather see them right than rushed out to some arbitrary and meaningless deadline. Richard

This Midland/LMS brake van is at Newhaven (that's the Derbyshire one between Ashbourne and Buxton) The first reaction is that it is similar to the Parkside ducket-less kit but it has the flush end boards of the ducketted one.

I think you will find that the LMS (ex LNWR) wagons come in pairs of kits, one being slightly longer than the other. I have not built any of these for some time. Go back and check your parts (so to speak), you may find that the floor for the other wagon is too short. Alternatively read the instructions to see if they tell you to shorten the floor. Richard