Axlebox

You don't see many pictures of the Brampton railway...apart fromt he same 2 dozen or so photographs, until now.... https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/albums/72157665810570739 These views are all held in the Armstrong Trust and they have another series taken at Kirkhouse just before the line closed...if you catch one of Dave Dunn's talks (hes at the Mining Institute in Newcastle this weekend) you can get to see them projected onto a large screen. Duncan

...I was hoping to get my hands on Uncle Porsea's legendary 5 wheeled class 05...

The Stephenson Locomotive Society and the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers present their 2018 Exhibition of Coal Carrying Model Railways this very weekend...at the Mining Institute Newcastle. The Institute is located at Neville Hall on Westgate Road and is right next to the Royal Station Hotel. Exhibition times are Saturday 16th June 10am to 5pm Sunday 17th June 10am to 4pm Layouts include... Keiper Colliery (00) by John Cook St. George's Dock (0) by Alan Gray Croft Depot (P4) by Duncan Wilcock Wansbeck Road (2mm FS) by Mick Simpson Burnard's Drift at Rainton Colliery (00) by the late Jack Burnard (presented by Neil Glencross abd Melvin Heslop) Brown's Coal Yard (N) by Joe Brown Marine Park Yard (00) by Ian Blenkinsop and presented by its current owner Les Paul Blyth (N) by Ed Orwin Also present will be Colin Laidler with 16mm Narrow Gauge live steam David Fraser with an exhibition of NER Coal Staithes David Dunn with the Armstrong Railway Photographic Trust Admission Free (donations welcome) Please note the Neville Hall has no wheelchair access...however the Institute will be redeveloping over the next couple of years making the building fit for the 21st century with full wheelchair access. The Institute is one of Newcastle's hidden gems and well worth the entrance fee (!) just to look round (so says my mum). More info here... http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/events/16755-NorthofEnglandInstituteofMiningandMechanicalEngineersExhibition

Thanks to everyone who stopped by at Croft over the weekend and thanks to David, Ant and the Stewards for looking after us...its was good to catch up with some old friends and to get inspiration from some of the best model railways around...finally got home at half one this morning after having been stuck in the flash floods in Northamptonshire somewhere...oh, and a quick stop in Leicester to pick up a curry! Duncan

...as ever Mr Maine your replies are right 'on song'...and as a special tweet treat I've put the top box on the motor car just to accomdate your extra pants...

...looks like somethings turned up just in time for Railex. To celebrate the forth coming launch of Peco's latest addition to the Parkside range...we've gone and scratchbuilt a trio of 13 ton hoppers...if only I'd waited we could have saved hours of fun... Also my Great Uncle Poursea (of this parish and don't call him Uncle) has been 'larking' around with something that most of us take for granted and no one ever seems to add into a model railway...yet its always there...stop by at Croft this weekend and you'll see what we mean...if you can't make it I'll ask Poorcy to make one of his famous videos...

This journey started when Hornby introduced their Sentinel diesel shunter...one of these had been based in my local quarry (Raisby in County Durham...Hornby even made a model of this very locomotive!)...and then, more recently, Hattons announced their Andrew Barclay tank engine, again one of these had been based at Raisby...you can see where this was going...it just took me sometime to get there... My previous attempt at building a model railway was a bit on the small size...so with bigger ambitions and a burning desire to create soemthing I got back into my comfy armchair and did nowt for ages...although I did buy a book on Jackson couplings and another on Cameo layouts... My good friend Mr Pourcy Mane introduced me to the Cameo competition with his 'Effit works' madness, not to be out done I got out of the armchair and sat back down at the computer chair and decided to start with some research... My results can be seen here...https://www.flickr.com/photos/159486954@N02/favorites...as you can see I've done a lot of looking at pictures...including this trio... https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/39399904845/in/album-72157690450489312/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/26424904628/in/album-72157690450489312/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/39399904535/in/album-72157690450489312/ A model based on Raisby with the quarry loco shed at its centre was slowly developing in my head and I would have continued with the reseach had it not been a reminder from the Cameo competition organisers asking if I was still on the planet...Having done nothing but research I had to get out of the computer chair...so I stuck some sheets of paper together, drew some lines on them...and proud of my result, I rolled it up and took it down the pub. The pub wasn't that impressed so more paper, more lines and more sticky tape has resulted in the following plan... ...lets see how long I can stare at this before the gaffer wants the kitchen table back and I decide to start cutting some wood... ...to be continued (I hope)...Garmondsway btw is the posh name for Raisby which is the posh name for Kelloe (Kella) Bank Foot...hopefully all will be explained.

...Or a Manning Wardle...

...I still have those desert wellies, and trust you to get a lampshade in the pic (hardcore RM webbanistas will know just how long Mr Mane has lobbied for a half decent Revo). ...also, by the look of that wall paper and just how well your purple pulling pants stick to it, I reckon that pic was taken in Ma Mackinnen's boarding house in Aberdeen in 1978. (Ma Mackinnen btw claimed she could throw a dinner plate clean across the harbour in Aberdeen)

...best to pack your 90s stylie pulling pants Mr Mane...as Shootpool (Aylesbury's finest music venue) has a Bon Jovi tribute band on on Friday 25th and a Nirvana tribute band on on Saturday 26th. ...also, you could easily pass for Dave Grohl's dad... ...and, I've heard there is a damn fine model show on all weekend, with a vintage bus service from the town, a collection of some of the countries finest model railways and a plethora of people selling everything you will ever need to make trains with. ...and lastly...both bands are free as is the vintage bus service...oh yeah, and Aylesbury has the best taxi's this side of Jupiter (flat rate fairs)...handy for when the power of the pulling pants wears off...

oup north we have a word for this sort of ad-hoc cab realignment...'dunch'...(its onomatopoeic)

number 37...Croft Depot Looking forward to a weekend in the deep south, we've got our visas sorted so were not expecting any trouble on our way thru Yorkshire. I've bought a brand new analog satnav from the OS...https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/mapsheetfinder.html#mapsheet-viewer...and the trains are being cleaned, polished and then dirtied again...

with some thanks to Milton Jones... i'll tell you a dangerous place to swim, that hepatitus C I'll tell you whats a dangerous insect, that hepatitus B I'll tell you whats dangerous to feed to your horse...

BR standard(ish) 21t hopper

...you can still buy them (like this one, available from a Liverpool based model train retailer...2nd hand of course)...

...the thing that worries me is why does that bloke have 2 handbags...nobody but nobody ever goes out with 2 identical handbags ...am I reading too much into this? ...nice shade of pink mind...

J25 (the market for which would be twice as big) ...thats my 3rd guess (so if someone replies quoting this post...)

...or even better, given the Scottish connections...and as we all now know TMC almost overlooks the NYMR...a K4. (sadly thats my 2nd guess so desn't count)

...so with my deer stalker firmly on my head...its an engine...launched at the Scottish show...by a company with BR era tendancies, who are offering a 9F as a prize... my money is on a Clan ...or a 2nd guess would be a BR standard 3MT (TMC are northern based and a 3MT has southern, Scottish and northern appeal) A/box .

my money is on a class 25 (of some kind)...as the saying goes...if you wait long enough, 3 come along at once!

Nice pics Mr Maine ...also in the mix this nice compare and contrast shot... https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/39329687635/in/dateposted/ ...and this rust pattern which is seen again and again in 16t minerals... https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/39329688855/in/dateposted/ ...also some proper fluffy slides for once. A/box

No chance Uncle Poorsea...you don't have a spinning table or a half finished layout to film them on...and your music choice can be a little eccentric... ...worried now that you'll see this as a challange...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/front_curtain/4276879986/in/photolist-gv3W1v-Y572p2-8AWTG8-7vW8q7-FdEFM1-ncs8ZS-d9GHki-iEqrS-9YUFCQ-NqLGSM

Rex Ask Dave direct as he'll know if someone has done one before... https://traders.scalefour.org/DaveBradwell/contact/ Duncan

...back from their French adventures... http://www.transporttreasury.com/p56561916/e25f7649c A/box