great northern

In my experience, very rarely. I only saw most of them on visits to Doncaster Plant, and the rest on the Elizabethan. I can't recall ever seeing one on an ordinary service. Three times in1958 both Up and Down Elizabethans were worked by Haymarket engines, so a very small percentage, and in the several years I spent at the lineside I never had the good fortune to experience that. I have two, 60012 which was the regular Lizzy engine from August onwards, and 60031, which appeared twice on the Lizzy in August, failed at KX on one occasion, and was run in to Peterborough and back before going back to Scotland. A very tenuous excuse indeed! As to Gateshead engines, by 58 they were more regularly used on through trains to and from London, and so are easier to justify. I do remember seeing 60018/19/20 on three successive Up trains one Saturday at Grantham, but that was a one off experience.

Back to one again tonight, as today's light went elsewhere. 60010 is at rest,and with ten on doesn't quite obstruct the barrow crossing. Just an attempt at something a bit different again.

I agree John, but it would not surprise me if, in the crazy world we now inhabit, there is some "ist" group, probably with a very small membership, which would like to make a lot of negative noise about it.

..........beautiful lady walking across it, I presume you were going to say. It would have been considered OK to say that in 1958 anyway.

60010 is still at the far end of the canopy, but some judicious cropping brings it closer. I quite like this. Shortly it emerges, and passes our nice lady, who has remarkable staying power.

Desperate measures this morning, as I pulled all the blinds back to catch what light there was. I was rewarded with occasional brightness, and managed to get quite a few shots, so we can go back to the normal two images. Next in is the 8.05 FO KX-Newcastle, a train composed entirely of end door seconds, topped and tailed by four compartment brakes. It will stop here, and Dominion of Canada has the brakes on as it comes towards Platform 3.

Rationing again, I'm afraid. Still no light. But at least it is another one for the V2 Appreciation Society.

More of 60983, one of Top Shed's pet V2s, and turned out accordingly.

Definitely not Jonathan, as the book clearly states which trains are formed of LMS stock.Photos seem to confirm that the PN trains, with one exception, were entirely composed of LNER stock.

Last look at 60924. But those who are partial to a V2 need not be sad, as there is another one coming into view on the Up. 60983 has the Delaval sidings to Holloway ECS.

We contunue to follow the progress of 60924. I now have a new screen, but it doesn't seem to be removing the problems which have beset my photography for some time. I now suspect that the overhead lighting is to blame. The alternative is that the culprit is the camera, but I don't even want to think about that until all alternatives have been exhausted.

I have encountered an interesting conundrum, and wonder if anyone can help with answers, or can point me in the direction of someone who could. I shall soon be receiving a Gresley locker composite to Dia 8, which Steve @31A has built for me as a conversion from a Hornby donor. When built, these carriages had two first class compartments seating six passengers in each, plus a "coupe" compartment seating a further three first class. There were also four third class compartments, each seating eight, so in all Harris shows the seating as 15/32. There is then a little asterix, which until now I had missed which shows below the following:- "some later with intermediate armrests and seating reduced by eight". That would at first sight mean 15/24. However, when I consult the 1958 CWN I find a CK 2-four and a half, seating 12 first and 36 second class passengers. The only way that can be explained, as I see it, is that the first class coupe has been changed to second class, seating four passengers. That would indeed make 12/36. I have also found entries for CK two/four and a half with an annotation stating "First class compartment to be labelled for use of second class passengers." The total seating is then given as 39 second class. That must mean surely 2 compartments seating 12, and four and a half seating 6 in the four second class compartments, and three in the former first coupe. That would be consistent with the annotation in Harris. Then I turned to the Express Publications M&GN passenger services 1954, which has long puzzled me, as it shows a large number of trains with Composite corridor (2-4), and a few with Composite corridor (2-5). As built, relying on Harris, there were none of either of these. I'm afraid I assumed Express had got it wrong. But, based on my earlier calculations , it would appear that the first coupe was in some cases altered to second class. In that case 2-5 becomes more understandable, if the coupe is counted as one compartment. 2-4 though is, to me, more of a problem, unless the coupe was no longer in use. The sticking point is that Harris says nothing about later conversion of the coupe to second class, or indeed put out of use. I've searched the internet, but can find nothing at all to support that. I just can't see what else can be reconciled with the entries in the CWN and Express though. Any comments, suggestions, explaining how I've got the whole thing round my neck, or giving me the identity of a man or woman who can throw light on this would be gratefully received.

Lots of parcels traffic by this time of evening, the next being a KX-Leeds Class C, which had a reputation for a time in the 50s for ending up in the sand drag at Arlesey. Not today though, as it swings under the bridge behind one of our own V2s. The light was strange when I took these, and the next one looked peculiar in colour despite all my efforts, so we get some moody black and white.

The possible sunny periods that ceased being possible were in fact occasionally about after all, so the image store is replenished, but not yet photoshopped. This evening has just the one image again, and is for those who prefer close ups to distant views.

Possible sunny periods are apparently no longer possible. If this carries on I shall have to resort to artificial light. In fact I shall definitely have to, as there are only two images left. Here's 60016 again, my favourite panorama from under the bridge.

This evening we feature the driver's side of 60016. Still no light, but today was a hospital check up anyway, and that takes up quite a while, as I park three miles away and walk there and back. Still all clear, and only two more check ups to go. Possible sunny periods tomorrow.

Silver King gain, photographed from the very far end of Platform 2. I thought I might have found a way to disguise the end of the bridge, but sadly it didn't work.

Another wet and rather dismal day, so a single image again, showing the other side of Silver King.

The 9F had six minutes to get through the station and out of the way onto the Up slow, which it has done successfully, as signals are clear for Silver King to run through with the Talisman. Dark all day yesterday, and pouring with rain again this morning, so still no more photos taken. Good news though is that I get my screen swopped on Friday, and hopefully get a better colour balance.

The 9F is now in gloom, and has been photographed further back than normal, so that with some cropping we can see details normally not in view. Some very good news today. My NCE Powerpro is more than 25 years old, and has started to do some peculiar things. NCE are very helpful, but had to tell me its mechanical parts are about life expired, so I've been looking for a replacement. That, however, is easier said than done. NCE only produce stocks to order, and owing to the world shortage of electronic gubbins have not been able to keep up with demand. I've been on a waiting list, but no closer to a solution, so I contacted NCE again to see what chance there was of one being available any time soon. They could only advise me to try to find somewhere in the world where one might be in stock. I've been trying for over a year, but everywhere has been sold out, nevertheless I gave it another go. Predictably, out of stock kept coming up until I tried E Bay, where to my surprise and delight I found TMC had had three in stock. One had already gone, and I didn't expect the other two to be there much longer, so I got in first. Very pleased indeed, as I didn't want to contemplate starting again with a different system. We just have to reprogramme all 126 route setting macros now.

Very shortly afterwards the 9F is heading on towards the gloom under the roof, while 60143 is still awaiting the guard's whistle.

Yet another 9F passes North box on its way to Ferme Park.

I couldn't resist further investigation. With help from Steve and Clive I have established that during the HMRS survey between 4th and 10th July 1958, the following were recorded:- 2 Bogie brake vans. 1 2 axle brake. At least 9 PMVs. All were in either KX-Peterborough or KX-Grantham stopping trains, a couple of which had one on every day seen. As Jonathan says, the four wheel PMVs seem to have been very common sights on the Eastern in the 50s. There may, of course, have been others in either parcels trains or in other local services. I have a photo of an Immingham B1 with Class B lamp shunting a PMV at PN, so probably an E. LIncs train, and I know I've seen plenty of others.

No sun forecast for the next week, so we are down to one image again, while I try to find a way to get sufficient light to allow reasonable results. Sir Walter is ready to depart with the Colchester-Glasgow, but there is still parcels work going on further down the train.

On the Up, more mineral wagons are rattling through behind a 9F.