Forward!

9' wide, 12'11" high, 60' length over the body. Nothing particularly large. They just LOOK like absolute behemoths because the slab-sided North-American inspired styling. Barnums were indeed 'built-out' to the width of the GCR's loading gauge (which was 9'3'' x 13'4")- the guards compartment didn't have side duckets for instance- but the idea the GCR's gauge was "continental" or unusually large is a myth that seems to persist. Indeed, the GCR's was actually lower than the GNR's. There wouldn't be many lines that a Barnum couldn't venture on to. The ex-GCR locomotives that got cut down were to meet the new LNER composite loading gauge. Various batches of post-grouping GCR locos were built to the new gauge from the outset. The same was true of many other classes of locos from the other consitutent companies. Will

Hi all, I was wondering if there are any sources of information for how the part of Bristol docks that was served by the extention from Temple Meads Goods Station was operated? I have long though the area around the surviving Fairburn steam crane would make an interesting cameo layout (see image attached). In the early part of the 20th century, were steam engines working on the south side of the harbour here? Did the GWR have any that were assigned specifically to dock duties? Or was it all done by horse/capstans? I'm just curious.

That sounds absolutely spot on. Will seek it out. Thanks! Will

Hi all, I was in a second hand bookshop recently and stumbled on a book published in the 1920s that outlined the way British Railways were owned, organized, regulated and operated, clearly aimed at the general reader. It got me thinking. Is there anything like a contemporary equivalent available in a single volume? I only really have a passing interest in modern railways, but would like to know more about how it all works. Will

I haven't used Fox transfers for a while. Do they react to decal-setting solution such as 'Microsol'? Perhaps an application lessen the thickness issue?

The Romans didn't put height restrictions on their arches. The result of their lack of foresight was inevitable:

The footprints appear to match up substantially on the historic mapping, although the current building is longer. (1964 OS 1:1250 map and 2023 OS)

Taking measurements from the postwar 1:2500 OS Map, the building described as engine maintenance shed is 52 metres in length (total, including offices) and 19 metres wide (shed) widening to 28.7 metres wide (offices).

Well that's pre-order gone in then! Will

What livery were these originally outshopped in? I model the immediate nationalisation period, so could just about justify purchasing one. Not sure if I'm trying to find an excuse to buy one, or, at £150, an excuse not to buy one! Will

If capacity at St Pancras is a problem this new 'competitor' could always go back to plan A and carry on up the West Coast Mainline to let everyone get off at Manchester Picadilly? I'll get my coat....

Very common practice in the Eastern US, despite the government attempting to prevent the practice. The eastern coal-carrying railroads sought to control the supplies of the coal they carried (and therefore set the price). Directors of each railroad company sat on each others' boards- effectively creating a railroad-coal cartel.

Here's the paint stores at Swindon. https://www.steampicturelibrary.com/swindon-works/carriage-wagon-works-24-shop/24-shop-paint-stores-1938-19983666.html No bathtubs in sight!

Completely indecipherable monograms seems to have been something of an LMS speciality! https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co216718/ceramic-chamber-pot-london-midland-scottish-railway-chamber-pot https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8229203/lms-royal-train-dining-car-attendants-uniform-royal-train-uniform

There's an A4 apprentice model in the blue scheme at NRM York. As an apprentice piece I would hazard a guess that it would be finised in the same paint the that was used on the real thing? https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co212376/model-steam-locomotive-mallard-model-locomotive. Caveat that the LNER is not my specialism at all, but the subject of what colour to paint the A4s as top link engines was unlikely to have been decided on a whim. Industry standards were emerging in this period, and beginning to be adopted beyond government (i.e. military) use by private companies to protect 'their' colours as part of corporate branding. I would have thought the LNER would have given it some considerable thought. Consequently, I would be surprised if there was nothing at all recorded in company papers about specifying the precise colour from a paint manufacturer, or instructions for making the colour up in-house. It's probably a question of who's got the inclination and time to bother looking for it! Will

The SG and the NG was initially laid sometime after 1877 and before 1890 as a very simply siding serving a transhipment shed via a wagon turntable. It was then expanded to its more extensive layout during WWI.

There has been significant redevelopment of Weedon Depot in recent years- it was for a long time an intractable "heritage at risk" site. Anyone interested in the site should have a look on the local councils' planning website. There will be scale drawings of the site accompanying applications for listed building consent, which are probably quicker to access than searching for the original architectural drawings in the Public Record Office. It also forms its own conservation area, and there was a very good outline of the historic development of the site conducted when it was designated back in the 2000s. https://www.daventrydc.gov.uk/living/planning-policy/conservation-areas/weedon-conservation-plan/

The only tragedy is they cut them up in France, which means I'm now very unlikely to get myself a 58 cab/summer house for the garden!

Or paint your house GWR Green?

Given Churchward's interest in American practice, I imagine they were referred to initially as the Consolidations in the same manner the GWR's 2-6-0s were referred to as Moguls.

A few were removed earlier- those that clashed with Castle and King class locos. As for the confused travelling public of 1930, you've got to wonder who might have thought they'd be riding a train to the "Isle of Jersey" or "Eddystone"!)

A few of the class had the hockey-stick shaped cab spectacles, either in combination with portholes, or with plated over portholes (as appears to be the case here). I suspect it was done when they received Belpaire boilers- I've seen photographs with that shape as early as 1905. The shape of those windows seems to subtly differ between engines, further suggesting it was connected to reboilering on an engine-by-engine basis. 3262 St. Ives, and 3273 Mount's Bay both being examples. 3269 Dartmoor also had them, but kept her name plates until at least 1935. All those ended up on the Cambrian and a few were at Oswestry on withdrawal later in the 30s. I'm sure there's plenty of others with a similar identifying feature. I doubt you'll ever work it out as all these diagnostic features changed during an engine's lifetime. Great picture, by the way! Will

A few other diagostic features are wide cab side sheets, blocked cab portholes, churchward smokebox door, no cab roof diagonal rainstrips. You might get lucky and narrow it down, but it's a fairly typical configuration for a late 20s Duke.

Hi all, I know the area at Paddington known as the Lawn was widely used as a distribution point for all sorts of luggage, parcels and special traffic during the early 20th century, sometimes resembling a fly tip, but can anyone tell me if that usage stopped after the extensive late 30s regeneration scheme? Will

I suspect it's more a question perceptions. If you feel unsafe in unenclosed spaces you can simply move to somewhere else or indeed avoid them entirely. When you are within a station complex or on a train and perceive a threat or are confronted by anti-social behaviour you cannot really avoid it so easily.