justin

I would like to buy one of the LMS Society's Monographs but clicking on the contact link doesn't lead me anywhere. Does anyone have an email contact for the Society Thanks Justin

I've found a print of 3817 taken in 1968 at Barry that does show the same spring hangers as well as the rust patch at the bottom of the cab so it looks like it is 3817 even if the date is incorrect.

There is a picture currently on ebay that seems to show 3817 being cut up at Barry https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BARRY-WOODHAMS-YARD-2-8-0-NO-3817-DISMANTLED-2ND-JUNE-1971-6X4/123589074435?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 It is a bit grainy (it is the sort of appearance I get when scanning from a magazine or book but the seller says it is scanned from his Dad's photo) The date given is, I think wrong, as the Barry List gives March 1973 and the RCTS Railway Observer magazine for May 1973 says it was being broken up on 24/3/1973. However it may well show 3817 being cut up. The biggest clue is the tender spring hangers which aren't a common design, however I can't find a good quality picture of 3817 at Woodham's to confirm that the tender had this style of spring hangers. Has anyone out there got a good picture showing 3817's tender at Woodham's or even better a picture of the loco/ tender being cut up. Failing a picture can anyone confirm if the tender of 3817 was scrapped at the same time as the loco.

In that case given the very harsh environment the chassis were working in they may have just disintegrated even if they had been fitted in the first place.

Thanks for the input everyone. My hunches were for SECR, MR or GCR with the latter being the most likely. Some early SECR tenders did have an opening in the frame at the front but they didn't have the steps at both ends, later SECR had steps at both ends but no frame opening at the front. MR tenders look very similar to the picture but all MR tenders have spring hangers with a rectangular/square cross section rather than a round section as on the Duport chassis. Since my original post I have being looking in Yeadon's Register of LNER Locomotives Appendix Two which covers GCR tenders and this shows the axle box in the picture fitted to GCR Robinson 3250 (albeit with a shorter spring hanger) and 4000 gallon tenders. The only thing I can't see on this tender are the large blocks at the bottom of the spring hangers that are a noticeable feature of many Robinson 4000 gallon tenders. I would therefore go with it being a GCR Robinson chassis. Pinning down where it came from is more difficult as it could have come from almost anywhere. The LNER sold tenders for scrap after the war and there are records of the steel works at Briton Ferry buying tender chassis from the GWR in 1947 and from the Western Region in 1949 as well as later purchases. The LMS/LMR also had a stock of Robinson 4000 gallon tenders many of which in later life were used as sludge carriers. The other possibility remains purchase from a private scrap company who had bought complete locomotives and tenders. This would exclude ex GWR ROD locos which were all disposed of at Swindon. Justin

In the Industrial Railway Society's magazine Industrial Railway Record no 232 there was an article about the former tender chassis converted to ingot carriers at Duport Briton Ferry and Llanelli. Following on from this Sydney Leleux submitted two pictures published in Industrial Railway Record 235 taken in July 1961 of tender chassis at Briton Ferry. One is easily identified but the other has me a bit puzzled. I am grateful to Sydney for allowing me to post a cropped picture here in the hope someone can confirm its origin. Only one axle box has survived intact which isn't a design I can find in my usual reference books. Other features from its mainline days are steps at both ends and, nearest the camera, a cutout in the frame in addition to those between the axle boxes. I have got some possible contenders for its origin but would like people to make up their own minds before I add in my two pennyworth. Justin

I've ordered a London Road radial truck so we'll have to see how it goes

Do you think this will fit a non London road kit?

Thanks for the comments. Think I'll build it as the designer intended without a pony truck. Any cranking in of the frames would have to be at the back due to the LNWR putting a gap in front of the smokebox which would look odd if the frames could be seen through it. Justin

Just starting an Alan Gibson kit of the LNWR 5'6" 2-4-2T in EM. The chassis has no provision for a pony truck at either end (I believe the prototype just had a radial truck at the back). This gives a fixed wheelbase of about 85mm though obviously there will be some lateral movement of the leading and trailing wheels in the axleboxes on the model. Can anyone give me any idea of what radius this is likely to negotiate before it derails. No layout built at present but if it needs mega big radius curves to go round I might think about changing the back to a pony truck

Thanks for the suggestion. Was that definitely 1976? I've searched on the internet and can find several pictures of an open day in June 1980 which show 118 (or 673 as she was numbered then) and 4F 4027 but nothing for 1976. Also I would have thought they would have moved the two locos together rather than singularly

I have the following 9 HST formations in a Guard's book. The Guard seems to have been based at Edinbugh Waverley. I would question his diligence as there are some obvious errors but everything below is exactly as written in the book. Mon 18/12/78 13.10 Edinburgh Waverley-Kings Cross 43076 41077 41078 40511 42151 42152 40028 42153 42154 43077 Tue 19/12/78 13.10 Edinburgh Waverley-Kings Cross 43093 42189 42190 40037 42188 42187 40520 41096 41095 43092 Thur 21/12/78 13.10 Edinburgh Waverley-Kings Cross 43092 41095 41096 40520 42187 42188 40037 42190 42187 43093 NB 42187 appears twice but probably means 42189 next to 43093-see 19/12/78 Fri 22/12/78 13.10 Edinburgh Waverley-Kings Cross 43060 41113 41074 40509 42143 42144 40026 42145 42146 43072 Fri 5/1/79 08.10 Edinburgh Waverley-Kings Cross 43082 42146 42145 40026 42144 42143 40509 41074 41113 43060 NB No idea if 43082 is a power car swap or incompetence-see 22/12/78 Sun 7/1/79 12.00 Kings Cross-Edinburgh Waverley 43056 41057 41058 40501 42112 40015 42113 42114 43056 NB Two power cars with the same number & only 3TS Mon 5/2/79 17.55 Edinburgh Waverley-Leeds 43100 41065 41066 40505 42127 42128 40032 42129 42130 43065 Thur 8/2/79 11.10 Edinburgh Waverley-Newcastle 43095 41095 41096 40520 42187 42188 40037 42190 42189 43894 NB 43894 (the 8 is a very distinct 8 rather than a badly written 0) Thur 22/3/79 Unknown working 43070 42190 42172 40034 42188 42187 40520 41096 41095 43059 The Guard worked all these services either Waverley-Newcastle or Newcastle-Waverley Regards Justin

Recently picked up this picture of the preserved Midland Rly no. 118 4-2-2 apparently being moved by green class 47364. The slide was processed in August 1976. I thought it might show the delivery of the loco to the Midland Railway Centre but according to Summerson's history of Midland locos this happened in June 1975. Over a year seems along time to wait for a film to be processed though obviously not impossible. Can anyone confirm if this is what it shows or is it a later movement? Not many clues on the location but if anyone knows that would be a bonus. Thanks Justin

Could anyone tell me if the tanks are moulded separate to the boiler please. Could anyone post a good quality picture of the model from above showing the relationship of the tanks and boiler and also one of the front of the tank showing how it fits to the boiler. Thanks Justin

The buildings that have been demolished at Temple Meads were Herbert House and the telephone exchange building