billy_anorak59

If we're talking about on-train annoucements: From the BBC Kent website - commuters who have written in to complain about Connex .... (2003) Andy, Gillingham "It just gets better and better. Having shortformed peak time units on the Kent Coast routes yesterday (one of the busiest days of the year as most of the UK returned to work) I arrived at Gillingham Station this morning to witness a sea of commuters. Apparently all London bound services were subject to unspecified delays due to 'adverse weather conditions' i.e. approx 1" of snow and a broken down train blocking the London line atTeynham. Fortunately there was a rather ramshackle eight-car slam door unit standing at platform one which the station announcer informed us would constitute to 7:07am slow service to Victoria. We were all advised to board it as Connex could give no undertaking as to when another service would be available. The train ground through Rochester before seizing up completely and catching fire at Cuxton. As the acrid smell of burning filled the carriages a 'Corporal Jones' sound-alike advised us several times over the tannoy 'not to panic'. There followed an interval of several minutes before Corporal Jones announced that we were to 'de-train'into the Kent countryside. I didn't have my Connexspeak to English translation guide with me but I took this to mean we all had to disembark. An interesting situation this. They only managed to run one service this morning and it spontaneously combusted. After several more minutes Corporal Jones announced that they had to remove a fence for us to walk over a footbridge and away from the line and, oh did anyone on the train have a bolt-cutter? I work for a Bank and the only reason that I would have a bolt-cutter in my briefcase would be if I were weeks from retirement and decided to have a go at the vault. However, I made a mental note in future to carry bolt cutters, a fire extinguisher, bottled water and copious amounts of Kendal Mint cake on all Connex journeys. All were then amused for some 20 minutes watching Laurel and Hardy through the train windows trying to demolish a fence with what looked like a rusty knife and a lump of wood. The confused milling of several hundred freezing passengers on the pavement adjacent to the A289 soon attracted the attention of the Kent Constabulary who arrived in force, 'Excuse me sir but you can't park that train 'ere'. We were subsequently directed to the local Sports Centre away from rubber necking motorists and another potential transport disaster. Corporal Jones announced that buses had been arranged to take us back to Medway until some wag pointed out that the whole point of boarding the train in the first place was to travel to London (if that was alright with Connex). This was followed by much muttering into a mobile phone before Corporal Jones announced that a bus would be provided to get us to Dartford after which we were on our own. My day would have been complete had 'revenue protection staff' demanded to see our tickets as we scrambled along the snow lined embankment."

If it's any use, there is a station announcer soundbite just about halfway through the Supertramp song 'Rudy' which was on the Album 'Crime of the Century'. I reckon that the album was dated 1974, so the recording was probably round about then too. The station sounds to be Paddington, given the destinations in the announcement: "The 19.45 train to Bristol Temple Meads will depart from Platform 2, calling at Reading, Didcot, Swindon, Chippenham, Bath Spa, and Bristol Temple Meads. Passengers for Radley, change at Didcot". As a bonus, the track starts with a brief sound clip of what sounds like a Class 50 too!

Can you post them, or are they copyright? Thanks for the info anyway.

I must admit when I saw your post that that was the area I wasn't 100% sure of either, so I've taken a look at the photos I have. The 'early' condition of the loco (2 grills on each nose side, central 'window' on one (or both sides), and outwardly as a 4-8-4), actually has a panel over this area, so they were no help. The 'later' ('exhibition train' condition and possibly to withdrawal) are inconclusive in some cases, but the exhaust end 'upturn' looks to face left on most pictures that are clear. I see what you mean, but as the engine layout was identical from one end to the other, I can't see why the upturn would face left on one side, right on the other. If it was the case it would be an easy fix, I don't think tooling would be affected too much. Interesting though - perhaps others might have better photographs of this area.

Judging by the last pictures I saw of the livery samples, here: IF the locomotive is the same both sides, and they lose the centre connecting rod (I know its removeable anyway) - I think they've nailed it, and it doesn't need a tooling change anyway?

Can't help there I'm afraid Les - I'm late to the party, as usual.

For what it's worth - I'm about 95% sure that the 'Exhibition Train' shown in the first pair of photographs is en-route to the International Railway Congress Exhibition at Willesden, held May 26th-28th 1954. (The position of the Standard Class 5 in the cavalcade fits too, along with the pristine van - I reckon that's 73050 (later to become 'City of Peterborough' - see http://73050.co.uk/page15.html) The upshot of all this rambling is that I'm now pretty sure that this gives us a known condition of the locomotive (on both sides), and at a known date - and hence an accurate basis for any model of 10100. ...Personal opinion of course!

Thanks Mike - it was worth posting then. I was going to add '4-4-4-4 (outwardly)' to the post as I knew it was still a 4-8-4 or 2-D-2 (inwardly) , but forgot...

Whilst perusing this thread, it struck me how difficult it is to work out the configuration of this locomotive, and therefore how it should best be modelled. Mike Edge, (probably the main authority on the Fell given his research) has constantly stated how difficult it is to determine which side of the locomotive we are looking at, and, in the absence of views of the other side on known dates, how indeed do the sides actually differ to each other at a certain point in time? How can we know a fixed state of the locomotive at a fixed time in order to model it? KR have had my sympathies trying to decide… I then remembered that I had snaffled a few photos off FB some time ago that I hadn't seen before then, and so I took a look at them to see if they could shed any further light on the subject. There are 4 in total, taken in two pairs, but obviously a few years apart – and both pairs of photos show both sides of the locomotive at the same date! (Whatever that was - unfortunately there was no attribution with the pictures) From them we can glean what the condition the locomotive was in at least twice in its life, which may help to nail a ‘default’ or 'safe' codition in which to model the loco in? I’d be interested in the response… see what you all think. The first pair of photos show the locomotive in pristine black, probably in cavalcade to/from an exhibition - so we should be able to tie down a few possible dates, but obviously early 50’s. It does show however that Mike E is quite correct – the locomotive looks to be absolutely identical from one side to the next. It’s got ‘all the fours’ – configured as a 4-4-4-4, 4 large grills at each of the 4 corners of the nose, 4 inlets on the cab roofs. There is a central grill too, on both sides (no ‘window’ either side). Left-facing lions on both sides. Even the position of the worksplates don’t help. The second pair of photos look although they were taken a few years later, as the exhibition finish has now gone, to be replaced by a far more weary one, but still looks to be black (no lining). No location again, but could be Derby? (- if the presence of the Bullied 1020x diesel behind it is anything to go by. Incidentally, the Bullied looks to be in (shiny) green, so that might give an indication of the date? Is the Fell in the works being prepared for a green coat too? – certainly seems ready for one - patch painted?). The interesting thing here is that, although some years later, the loco is still in the same condition as the earlier ‘exhibition train’, i.e. a 4-4-4-4, 4 large grills at each of the 4 corners of the nose, 4 inlets on the cab roofs, plus central grilles too - both sides. So it must have lasted like this for quite a while. So it would seem that this particular configuration lasted quite a few years – indeed, photographs taken of it in the scrap line at Derby match this configuration too… What do we think? Any use?

Consist. Not easily replaced by anything that doesn't sound clunky in a sentence, but it just offends my ears in a 'from the get go' sort of way.

Interesting article here: http://www.merseytart.com/2021/06/ Remembering Birkenhead as a busy place in the 60s, I too would love to see some attempt at regeneration. Don't suppose it will happen (it never does), but I just thought the above link provides food for thought on the opening up of the old dock branch through the heart of town. I'd be interested to hear what others think, good or bad.

Two from me: Latchford (Warrington) in 1983 ...and Chester (No 5, I think?) in 1981

Many thanks! That's a mystery solved. Thought you would have had something to do with it...

Probably one for LNERGE, but the photos in this post reminded me of it... does anyone know where the signal box cabin in Patrick Brothers reclamation yard at Murrow comes from? Often wondered whenever I've seen it, but I have Wisbech in mind for some reason? This one: Of course, there's the old Murrow box just across the road there too (converted into a house).

Thanks for the info re: the Supermarket Bernard, appreciated. Yes, that's a Britains tree, nicked from my sisters' 'Floral Garden' set, and all those MINIX cars meant that there was an empty Triang-Hornby Cartic car carrier circulating the layout somwhere! Note too, the (somewhat blurred) back end of a Dublo Dinky Volkswagen Van disappearing off stage, bottom left. Just looking at the photo now, 50 years on (), I recall that that erm, 'landscape feature' painted green in the foreground was made from a spare dollop of actual concrete that my Dad was mixing for building a brick wall. All good fun!

My first attempt at a 'proper' layout (off the carpet) in 1971 - Superquick to the fore, including the country shops and a (later?) supermarket.

Dockside remains at the filled-in Bromborough Dock, Wirral - including a crossing and location of a wagon turntable. Line (Lever Brothers internal) closed to this location late-60s/early-70s. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Bromborough,+Birkenhead,+Wirral/@53.3556335,-2.9772804,94m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487ad8cf8fd355eb:0x9bb55bbd9f9556cc!8m2!3d53.3321915!4d-2.9772937

Class 503 plunges into the gloom of the short tunnel on the approach to Dacre Hill. (Yes, I know, there is an 'elephant in the room' here - 3rd rail will appear eventually... honest!)

I'm 99% sure it's Hooton South Bruce - I grew up about 3 miles from it. The station can just be made out in the background, and the pylons around there are a dead giveaway (there are no pylons around the Chester No 1 area that I can recall). Still, there are more versed persons on here than I. This is a view from flyingsignalman's post on 'Merseyside Signal Diagrams' (here: Same?

I'm pretty sure that your Chester No1 is actually Hooton. I expect Beast or TheFlyingSignalman will be along soon to confirm (or not).

Brand new EE Type4 D368 rumbles (or whistles) into Dacre Hill.

Some great modelling on this thread! Just a quick question if I may, as I intend to place at least one pylon on my layout? I've just had a quick trawl through the thread, and the pictures reveal that most of the towers are painted in anything from a light grey to dark grey - however, all the towers that I recall from my youth (mid-60s) were very definately a light green. Can anyone tell me if that was a 60s thing, or even a regional variation (I grew up on Wirral)? I can't see any refererence to the colour of the steelwork on (my addmittedly brief) skim through the many pages of the thread. Thanks.

<Adenoidal nasal voice> "....I think you'll find, that that is not Hornby Dublo, but Tri-ang" <As you were>

From the KDH Archive - this link is for the LMS shed at Chester - is that the one you're after? https://www.flickr.com/photos/96859208@N07/10542929146 The GWR shed was rebuilt in 1957 and looked like this by 1982 (my photo):

Yes, neglected somewhat! - just part of the bottom half of the front wall around the entrance door exists. Can only see it nowadays due to the removal of some avertising hoardings a few years back.