TheSignalEngineer

Stanier 2-6-4 Tanks did appear at Cambridge. Bletchley had nine at that time and Shedbash has a Nuneaton one recorded on Cambridge shed in 1949.

Vintage Trains have announced that they are refocussing on a core brand of GWR locos with Choc and cream stock. They will also retain two main line diesels. They are offering Kolhapur and one of their three panniers for sale. Their core fleet will be 4965, 5043, 5080 and 7029. 7752 and 9600 are also being retained for "future opportunities". The main line diesels are 47773 and recently purchased 37240. https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2024/01/steam-locomotive-changes-at-vintage-trains-as-growth-plans-announced.html They have agreed a CDL fitment progrmme with ORR. All stock has been fitted with toilet tanks and will be dual braked.

Vintage Trains have agreed a CDL fitment programme with ORR and their stock now has retention tanks fitted. They are also fitting / reactivating air brakes on their stock according to their latest press release.

This is one I prepared earlier. It is suitable for all bodies produced for LMS D2111 through to BR 1/242

The van next to the containers is either LMS D2111, or BR 1/240, 1/241 or 1/242 with the steam pipe casing still in place on the end. The Peco ex Ratio 4mm kit is quite good for the earlier lots of 1/242 on a 10ft underframe, as modified to remove the steam pipes and provide better insulation hence becoming a 'Yellow Spot' van. (Note to self:- don't forget to change the brake pipe) 1/240 and 1/241 retained the old 9ft underframe while later 1/242 lots, 1/243 and 1/244 had modified strapping.

The 'Legals' could probably have a field day (or a few hundred) arguing about the distinction between Railway Companies, Rolling Stock owners and Train Operating Companies. From memory, the only TOCs currently operating Heritage passenger trains on the main line are LSL, WCRC, DB Cargo, GBRF, Vintage Trains, and in the case of NYMR only permitted between Battersby Junction, Grosmont and Whitby at 25mph max. Tour promoters don't necessarily own the rolling stock and locos, and need not be TOCs. The TOCs don't always own the stock and locos involved although Vintage Trains do and trying to track your way through the Hoskings Empire would take too long to explain.

WARNING:- Serious Tread Drift alert Although the range of goods has now expanded, when I first went to Gorran Haven in Cornwall the Mr Cakebread who traded from this shop was a baker. </kml>

Possibly my advacing age but I can only take in about 30 layouts in one go. Last show I went to was Manchester 2023. About 25 layouts and a similar number of traders, some demonstrations etc. May try to get to Pontefract next week, weather and energy permitting. That has about 20 layouts plus a similar number of other stands. These seem to be the common size for many of the shows I vsit these days. I have found in recent times that there has been a big drop off in the number of specialist items available, e.g. 51L/Comet/MSE, Dave Franks, etc. but these are still available on the web, so other than being able tpo see the product before purchase not a problem.

We're beyond that already. We passed Ant and Dec on Tuersday.

Riviera reportedly sold their Mk1s except for catering and staff coaches to WCRC just over a year ago. Eleven coaches moved to Carnforth on 10/01/2023, namely 3097, 3119, 3121, 3123, 3141, 3146, 3147, 3149, 4991, 4998 and 5009. Railways Illustrated reported that WCRC were to fit retention tanks and CDL modifications Riviera was unwilling to fund.

I was at Crewe Works followed by working on the Shrewsbuiry and Chester lines Sept'67 to Aug'68. I think they were up to about D438 in traffic or on test by the end of that spell. Back in 1970 working in Rail House with a panoramic view from Coal Yard and Sydney Bridge to almost Basford Hall from my desk.

That seemed to be the standard at the time. Derby used to test new classes of diesel with 20 coaches running down through Bromsgrove then doing an unassisted climb up Lickey with a stop and restart at Vigo IB signals. In April 1960 I went on a walking trip from school to the Yorkshire Dales. We stayed one night in Stainforth Youth Hostel which was almost on top of the S&C tunnel. You could feel the vibrations when an 8f or 9F went through towards Carlisle. Two days later weclimbed Whernside and sat watching the trains struggle up over Ribblehead against a northwesterly gale. It used to convey the vans from Cadburys to the north. The trip from the factory to Water Orton was the only freight to be regulary booked through New Street. A great site. It's useful to look at what was in the works as well. I'm modelling the Black Country so checking Wolverhampton Works I found lots of tank engines from all around the old GWR lines under attention there. A lot got onto running in turns on trip freights including Condenser Panniers, and a 15xx was photographed at Worcester on a passenger train after attention there. Several Fowler locos allocated to the West of Scotland got back to Derby, so presumably via the G&SW and S&C.

Just looking for something on Shedbash and I found 1503 listed at Oswestry Works in September 1958. I bet that's the furthest north one got in BR days. Currently working on the solitary LMS 100HP Sentinel 47184. Customised 3D printed body from Hardy Hobbies to fit the Hornby Ruston 48DS. I found a picture of it at Monument Lane shed when I believe it was on hire to M&B Brewery after their Aveling Porter 'John Barleycorn' expired and they were waiting for the replacement to arrive. Also on the workbench is adding some Judith Edge etches to a Hornby Fowler 4P tank to create the Stanier 'Limo Cab' batch. My next target is another interloper, the 9700 Condenser Tank. I found a nice picture of 9710 on a trip working at Swan Village, West Bromwich. I believe that at least another four of those got to Wolverhampton Works.

I can remember standing at Clifton Road bridge south of Rugby and seeing some like that, aluminium paint IIRC, straight out of Wolverton in 1960.

A bit like a BR 'Life in Mars' series?

I can remember a lot of places having a loco fired up ready to go as either a pilot of swap in case of failure. At sheds it also acted as the breakdown train loco if required. In later days of steam at Snow Hill the 'Big Pilot' was usually a Hall or sometimes a Grange. It stood in the New Yard by the turntable and did a bit of shunting as required if not needed for anything else. I once remember a diesel struggling in with the 3pm to Paddington. A Castle was on the Shrewsbury - Paddington Parcels waiting to follow. The Castle pulled the diesel and its train to London whilst the pilot followed with the parcels. The Bank Pilot on the LNW side of New Street was usually a tank loco, later a 350 then a 204HP shunter. The spare big loco on that side was usually off the early train from Crewe after it had disposed of the ECS at Vauxhall. That's how I copped Britannia hauling about 30 LMS 3-planks full of brick ends to the tip during New Street rebuilding. The Midland side would have a loco standing in the siding between 9 and 10 facing Bristol and another in the Parlour siding at No.2 box facing Derby. There was also frquently a small engine in the Fish Dock, later to be replaced by a 350. Of course up to the start of the LMR electrification work there was a turntable with stabling sidings for locos not needing to go back to shed before the next working after engine changes.

Some did have a much more prominent rib from an earlier date. Nice one behind a blue Crompton at Reading. Hairstyle and flares suggest pre-Punk era, probably early to mid 1970s. I've got a more recent one amongst my pictures which is very similar. I wonder if it's anything to do with the reduction in roof crud since the end of steam?

I always found it more interesting to be about the railway at night when I worked at Crewe around 1967/8. I also clearly remember the bustle of freight and parcels activity when we used to catch the overnight train from Snow Hill to the West Country in the 1950s. Oh for my electronic vlogging camera of today with its ASA setting up to 12800 and 1/32000 shutter speed.

Gloucester Barnwood had some of the last Johnson 2P 4-4-0 locos in service. I remember watching them race through Selly Oak on a Class B working to New Street, usually three or four coaches. We also had them at Saltley and Bournville. I saw them on Derby workings and standing pilot on the Midland side at New Street, where they ofthen got called upon to give heavyweight Bristol trains a shove up to Church Road, particularly on wet days. The Fowler 4Fs that replaced them on the stoppers were hardly a match and soon gave way to Standard 5s.

I think I put my track down 10 years ago. I still need to finish the ballast and build a permanent control panel. I had to buy one, but have the advantage that at least three visited Wolverhampton Works for attention. 84A/84B used ex-works locos on local workings before sending home. A 15xx was photographed on passenger stock at Worcester.

We still had some GWR Spagnoletti Blocks around Birmingham when I worked at Tyseley in the 1960s and beyond. Aditionally the Spagnoletti Indicator mechanism is still in use at mechanical boxes on Network Rail as well as preserved lines. Not only in signalling was he active in his GWR days. He is credited with designing a communication cord system in the 1860s where passengers could attract the attention of the train staff by turning a handle which rang a bell. It also showed a red indicator on the coach in which it had been activated.

A bit of musing whilst watching the snow at coffee time this morning took me back to winter scenes gone by. Iced up trains, digging out points, gloves frozen to a signal ladder were some of the old railway memories. I was lucky enough to see just about all of the Big Four front line classes still in service and to ride behind many of the express classes, particularly LMS and GWR in my local area. The oldest loco I remember seeing in traffic was a Johnson 2F dating from 1875. My first footplate experience I can remember was my great aunt's husband taking me on the footplate of a train he was about to drive from New Street to Euston in 1950. The abiding memories were the intense heat and being lifted up to sound the whistle when the guard waved his flag and being handed back down to my Dad who had already climbed back onto the platform. The only train I can remember in pre-BR livery was on a holiday to Swanage at the age of four where the coaches were all still SR green in the early 1950s. Around that time was also my first signal box visit to New Street No.2 when waiting for a train with my Grandad. A few things I missed and would like to have done and would go back there if I had time travel, so I'll start the ball rolling with two from the LNER. Although I saw a few on there I never managed to ride the ECML behind a Pacific, my first trip was with a Deltic from York to Edinburgh. The second was although I saw them at London Road, Gorton, Reddish and Sheffield, then later when I was working at Crewe Works I never managed to get a ride behind a Woodhead Electric. Given the chance what railway experience would you go back in time to do?

Any thread getting as low as Ant and Dec definitely needs a rest until there is some hard news from WCRC. Will we survive that long?

Although wear and possibly repairs do show up with age.

It looks like the malaise amongst the Leisure / Heritage Railway sector is claiming a few more staff. The Great Central is asking permanent employees to apply for redundancy as part of a programme to save £250,000. https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2024/01/leicestershires-great-central-railway-announces-voluntary-redundancies.html Thoughts are with those affected by the current economic climate.