Colossus

Looking forward to Ponty this weekend. I live in London but a Knottingley lad and am heading north to the show for the first time in a couple of years and of course, a nice weekend at home. Always been a splendid show in the past.

I've watched this project develop and for the record, been gazing at my beloved class 55 in total awe since the early 70s. So I want to add my voice to the positivity and excitement - the video and stills of the EP version in 'works grey' are nothing short of eye watering. Two examples from the lovely pre TOPS transition period (9021 in blue, D9014 in green with yellow nose) will soon be ordered. May I say one thing about the overall look? The various details throughout the magnificent length of this Deltic model are rightly being drooled over but to me, as long she looks like a Deltic in terms of overall shape it'll be job done. It's certainly not been done before. The shape of the body, the elusive curvature around nose, bonnet and windscreens look perfect. But key to me, is ensuring she sits low enough on the bogies. In the line up shot that has been on the Accurascale sight since the inception, the body/bogie proximity looks 'cock on', but in the new snaps by Andy York, the loco body looks a tad higher. All I ask is the body sits- or can be made to sit- correctly and finally a model showing the full impression of the mixture of power, bulk and sleekness can live! What a model this can be..I fully believe Fran and team you're taking comments into account where possible and am sure you'll do a great job. All power to you.

George, a popular choice of flatbed lorry in the late 50s and 60s with brewery back was the Thames Trader. This picture (hopefully visible) is Thames Trader belonging to Bass delivering in Coventry early 60s. Introduced 1957 the Trader seems to have been a very popular choice of dray from then on into the 1960s. There's a 1:64 scale model of one in Truman's livery on eBay currently so I expect they (Truman's) used them too. Guinness too as there are Corgi models of one and of the Bass liveried one available too I think in 1:76. An image search just threw up a pic of an AEC Mandator tractor unit pictured at Newark showground in Truman's livery but as an articulated rig, these would have been 'trunking' ale probably between Burton and London rather than on local deliveries. Hope this of interest George. For my up and coming project 'the back streets of Burton on Trent' circa 1962, the Thames Trader is a must. Loving your model making- thanks.

It's in 'Deltics: a Symposium' and I think he said something like, 'for what we had here was a racehorse, not a Goliath'. I think it was no 11 that damaged its traction motors on test 'for which a speed of something approaching 130 might have been needed' as it was reported. One loco as late as 1981 was called to substitute for an HST on a Sunday working and the driver apparently was somewhat sporting as, on a train still timed for 125 traction, took the view,'well, it's my job to try to keep time using the equipment provided'. Fortunately a very experienced logger of Deltic running and who had this chat with driver was also on board. Speeds of 120mph + (with I think load9) were recorded in a highly unofficial capacity but, with an exhibition of Deltic prowess that might well have been the ultimate in performance from these unique locos. But as those close to these engines know, their career was full of runs which had observers proclaiming 'surely the ultimate run' only to see it smashed on an ensuing occasion. Another 'unofficial' tour de force timed by experienced railman and author John Heaton in 1978 appeared in Railway World (his column) recording a run where a long serving outgoing Gateshead man went out in style on his last turn, with with a dash to 125mph down from Stoke Summit - with Deltic 55008.

I've just noticed that the prototype is back on the table- very interesting. Do people think the livery of the model (the mainline testing period one rather than research era) will be with post-TOPS 252001 on the ends or the original with just 41001/2 on power cars?

Very interesting news of the proposed class 128. That blue MR version will give a much needed fillip to the transition era/pre TOPS period modeller and as a result, "I'm in". Bring it on!

Very much looking forward to the show. A luxurious full day there for me tomorrow and still time for a few hours in the fleshpots of Leamington Spa before a train back down into Marylebone. Good luck to all exhibitors and organisers.

Thanks chaps, both. A tad irritating I managed to come away, having bought all the pointwork and saying ' let me know what I need', I came away with half the job done. A second a DCC80 will be acquired. Presumably then, they are wired independent of each other one to each frog?

I'm working gingerly towards my first proper layout since I was a teen ( and that's a while back) and unravelling the dark arts of tracklaying as I go. I'm building a relatively simple N gauge layout plan which includes a diamond crossing (Peco code 55 long crossing). At a well known Sussex based model shop, the helpful chaps sold me a Gaugemaster DCC Autofrog for the diamond crossing when I asked advice on polarity switching. Looking at how others have used frog juicers I see something called a 'dual frog juicer' is in use for some. My question, as the diamond crossing has two frogs, should I have been advised to get a dual frog juicer- or is the Gaugemaster DCC80 fine in which case, do I solder BOTH the frog wires on the crossing top terminal 'F'? The instructions with it show it's use on a turnout, not a diamond crossing. Any simply explained help appreciated.

I'm sure you make some good points G and yes, the most recent 'Peak' was fairly modern, certainly no lumpen effigy. Heck, I'd even settle for a re-run of the existing model made DCC ready.But given the rate that the quality of models is improving I'd reckon a bells & whistles version of class 45 with headcode variants would be a sure fire winner. By the time it came out the older tooling might be ancient anyway

My greatest desire is to see a re-tooled class 45/46 'Peak' become available...split box and split centre headcode 45s especially. Desperate for this. Such a prominent part of the motive power scene of 70s-based layouts. Farish- you'd shift loads. I was surprised not to see this feature prominently in last year's wish list.

Hi jonas Have just stumbled across this amidst searching for info about parcels van withdrawal dates - and I got dragged back into RMweb and your blog. Really lovely work, very inspiring for the n gauger. I'd like to know a bit more about your techniques but can't seem to find enough. All the best.

My Deltic memories go back to a rainy evening at Doncaster station in late summer 1973 and my first known sighting when 9010 'The King's Own Scottish Borderer' rolled magnificently in. I'd already acquired a knowledge of Deltics thanks to a fellow schoolboy who'd pressed an Ian Allan "Combined Volume" into my hand. Little did he know that, in showing me the page on Class 55, like some sleezy drug pusher, he'd stirred something in me that would see me totally addicted to this elite, glamorous class of locos - an addiction that remains to this day. A few memories. My first visit to London and therefore to King's Cross in November 1973, when Dad had taken me on a day 'Merrymaker' excursion from Pontefract. We were Peak hauled into St Pancras but before catching the return home, we visited The Mecca. As I hurried up the steps from the KX underground for that very first time, I remember the concourse was quiet as I excitedly crossed to see what might be found at the buffers. Fairly quiet there too but standing, engines silent at the platform 4 'stops' was 9007 'Pinza'. Finding our way to the country end of platform 10, we had a view of the King's Cross loco inspection point. Here, two more of the enormous Napier engined beauties were parked buffer to buffer with a third nearby and I recall my panic at being unable, in the darkness, to read their numbers - the first time I found I was shortsighted. Dad's much older eyes told me they were 9004 'Queen's Own Highlander' and shedmate 9021 'Argyll & Sutherland Highlander" with 9020 "Nimbus" adjacent. These were some of the very first Deltics I ever saw, and such a highly developed sense of nostalgia and sentimentality do I possess, I still summon up that same electrical tingle of excitement in the stomach when I think about that first visit to 'The Cross' or even when, today, I alight from an underground train at King's Cross St.Pancras as me and Dad had done all those years ago. Another. One freezing Saturday night I think, in 1979, I had word that engineers had possession of the ECML route through Selby and that traffic would be diverted through my home town Knottingley. I arranged to stay at my Nanna's house which overlooked the Doncaster line near Knottingley South Jn. Rather than sit upstairs as I would normally with a view of the lines from her cold front bedroom, I decided to walk down the approach road into Knottingley depot which was right by the trackside to get a bit closer to the action. But was there to be any action? I began to wonder as, by 11pm, I'd seen nothing to suggest any East Coast traffic was being sent through. Picture me there that night, a sixteen year old standing in the shadows by Knottingley depot, worried that some car entering or leaving the depot would pull up and the driver tell me to clear off out of it, staring into the gloom as the snow fell heavily to give that special kind of silence you only really hear when snow lies thick. Then from the south, faintly at first and after fading and coming back now stronger, yes, there it was. Even though the northbound signal, not twenty five yards from where i stood remained its usual red, there was the unmistakable sound, that throbbing mixture of drone, hum and rumble and my favourite sound of all. It was almost shocking that on this most silent of snowy nights, the peace was being shattered on this lonely backwater line - my very own hometown backwater line - by a Deltic. Incredibly, memorably, instead of passing by on the groaning tracks at 20mph, the twin yellow headcode 'eyes' and the amazing, curvaceous bodyside came to rest rest right in front of me, halted at the signal. The din of a Deltic with that inviting yellow glow from the clearly illuminated engine room cutting through the still blackness of this December night was extraordinary. After standing maybe 30 seconds and allowing a crew member to jump down and trot across into the Knottingley messroom, 55021 'Argyll & Sutherland Highlander' got 1S60 the 20.00 King's Cross- Edinburgh, sleeping cars within the consist, underway again towards Ferrybridge Curve, York and beyond. A recent memory - from only last Saturday June 23rd actually - is from timing 55022 'Royal Scots Grey". I watched as the readout on two side by side GPSs climbed past 99 onto 100 mph as we streaked across the Somerset Levels with no less that 520 tons in tow. With power unwaveringly on, we passed Taunton at 95 and tore into Whiteball, going over the summit at 68. Then descending towards Exeter somewere near Cullompton and doing 103mph, she was throttled back for the first time since Bedminster, Bristol and, with almost 40 years of loving Deltics under my belt, all seemed well with the world.

Nidge, 9009 Alycidon was definitely done in advance of the others being given her headcode 'dots' in late 72 /early 73 - it' s thought that one end was done before the other with a couple of months in between. It was the only Deltic so fitted for quite a while. I don't know which the next loco was to be fitted - they all appeared in a flurry in late 1974/early 75. There was some non-standardisation in detail which may account for other locos lingering in the memory. 55018 Ballymoss stood out as having smaller than average dots which may have been commented on in the article you saw. When plating over of panels became the fashion, No.15 Tulyar retained her black panel with dots later than many and I recall in 1978, the dots at one end were a tad close together giving No 15 a rather 'cross-eyed' effect!

Hi Phill Without wanting to deflect the course, too much, of this otherwise fascinating thread on Gresley Buffets, could I press you about your experience of Merrymakers in W.Yorkshire in the mid 70s please? I wondered if you had any dates/locos/destinations for some I travelled on? As a young 'un, I went on trips to London, Edinburgh and a "Mystery Tour" which took us to Tynemouth and Whitley Bay, all from Pontefract or Castleford. On the London trip from Ponte Monkhill in late 1973, we were hauled. I think by, 'Peak' no.27 or 28 and arrived into St Pancras. The Edinburgh merrymaker, probably early 74, was from Castleford; don't know the northbound loco but we came back behind "Peak" 89 "Hon. Artillery Co." I think the "Mystery tour" which deposited us at a very closed Whitley Bay I think, in 1972 or 73, was 40 hauled but I'd love to find out more about the dates, locos and possibility of Gresley Buffets on these trips. If I get "moderated", I'll start a new thread in "prototype" area. Thanks.