mattingleycustom

To The End - Blur

Ghetto Child - Detroit Spinners

Do I detect corridor connections that actually meet between the Hawksworth coaches?, very impressed.

Glenn

She Said - Longpigs

Going Underground - The Jam

Get it on - T Rex

The Message - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

On 20/01/2023 at 22:11, Cofga said:

The Hornby models have 2 different chimney surrounds. On some the opening around the chimney is for a better word “squared” off and flat on the bottom. However on others it gently slopes up towards the rear creating a “ramp” around the chimney. I assume the squared off version was the original design and the sloped version was introduced in an attempt to help direct smoke up over the locomotive and improve visibility.  I can see a few shots in the Derry book with both versions but there is nothing in the text describing it, when it was introduced, and when various locos were changed over in spite of the detailed notes included on each loco. And since there are very few top down photos of these locos it is hard to determine when a specific loco had which version. Does anyone know anything about this feature? 

I have found one reference to them, although I am sure I have seen another: Referred to as 'fairings' in: Bulleid Power, The Merchant Navy Class by A J Fry (Alan Sutton Pubishing Ltd 1990) p126. The fairing behind the chimney was introduced with the second batch of MNs in 1944/45 and retrofitted to some of the first batch later. However the third batch were built without them. From the early 1950s the fairings became standard for the class, however a few oddities did exist.

As I understood it for the WC/BBs they were all built with the fairing behind the chimney, however around the time of nationalisation in 1948 these were removed from many of the class passing through the shops for overhaul, photos of locos around this time (usually with the locos in SR malachite but no BR emblem) support this. Despite this the new builds: 34071 - 34110 look like they were all built new with the fairing arrangement.

In concurrence with Fry's account of the MNs, the light pacifics regained this feature from the early 1950s, although (again) there are oddities, including a photo of 34105 around 1958 on the S&D, without this feature.

The timing makes sense, the Bulleid Pacifics whether large or small all had a similar design of casing. The removal of the chimney fairings in 1948/49 coincides with the change from the original short to the longer 'standard size' smoke deflectors and I would hazard a guess that the fairing removal was another attempt to improve smoke deflection. Clearly this either didn't work or had little discernible effect and so the fairings remained as a standard feature of the air smoothed Bulleids until withdrawal or rebuilding.

Glenn

I groaned when the guy was increasing the depth of the boiler bands on the TT version of Flying Scotsman. Just the thickness of the paint used for lining is sufficient ... and that goes for models in 00 also, the ribbed look of a boiler is not pleasing or prototypical.

Other than that a fascinating look into what goes on at a major model manufacturer and you can't help but love Simon Kohler; his story alone would make an interesting tv programme or two.

Glenn

Sunday Girl - Blondie

Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles

Flying Scotsman is definitely worth celebrating, simply as the sole surviving A3.

What I find hard to stomach is the hype around the locomotive: 'The most famous steam locomotive in the world' (only because 'you' keep telling me it is) and the first loco to achieve 100mph (was it, really?), It has certainly stirred the enthusiasm among 'Joe Public', so the publicity machine has certainly worked. The only real reason it is famous is because it was named after a (more famous at the time) express train.

Glenn

Some Girls - Racey (it's your own fault!)

There is some sort of mad 'we know best' logic at work here with Bachmann's omission of the D2406 Bulleid BCK; I can't imagine you have to be a CAD wizard to produce one when you have already gone to the trouble of making the D2405 example.

At the same time they go ahead with the rare D2019 Corridor 3rd with shallow vents; just 5 examples! To be fair Hornby have done something similar with their Maunsell coaches producing the low window (R4) 6-Compartment Brake 3rd (4 examples) and D2652 Dining Saloon 3rd (6 examples).

I don't want to appear ungrateful to Bachmann but this is not rocket science and if you want to shift boxes, the D2406 BCK was an obvious goal to hit.

(and where's my bl**dy U Class 2-6-0!)

Glenn (done ranting)

Shiny buffers and wheel rims on the Hornby model are the only real let-down (aren't they on all of their models?). However the RH cabside number on 92220 is not central within the lining panel.

I will purchase a black one and look forward to seeing it pulling a 'proper' load of wagons.

Glenn

How Can I Make It OK - Wolf Alice

Your Loves Whore - Wolf Alice

Turn To Dust - Wolf Alice

Thank You For The Music - Abba

Help! - The Beatles

Somebody Else - The 1975

The Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett

Doctorin' the House - Coldcut

On 17/08/2022 at 00:03, JamesSpooner said:

Tony,

 

This is quoted as a photo of Manston apparently when new and the wrinkles are quite clearly apparent in it.  I know Bulleid was a comparatively early exponent of welding and even in the 1970’s BREL was building wrinkles into its Mk3 coach sides, due to welding distortion, so maybe there was an element of that in addition to the hand formed sheets?
 

best wishes

 

Nigel
 

Not quite 'when new' as it wouldn't have had the addition of the 's' to the number or 'British Railways' on the tender when completed for the Southern in October 1947.

Thankfully Manston is still with us and will be 75 in a couple of months ... LNER 4472 will be 100 next year; making it an antique!

Glenn

There is a light and it never goes out - The Smiths