leslie10646

A special treat (as usual badly filmed) today - a DIFFERENT Class in heavy rain at Goring: The Branch Line Society's tour Return of the Shedi, proceeds to the Martin House Childrens' Hospice (catering by the Mos Eisley Cantina). The Star Wars theme continues with a May the Fourth be With You tour tomorrow. The trainset is the LT 4TC set (previously used on the Southern with the push-pull Class 33.1s (I cleared that class for haulage - did I really admit that?). D6515 in original BRCW Class 3 colours - a "Crompton" (referring to the electric motors, the diesel is a 1550hp Sulzer). She was shown as topping and tailing with a Class 66, but that obviously came on the back later. No less than FIVE diesels planned for use at some point during the day. Certainly a novelty for Goring - everything else ( I saw eight loco-hauled trains in an hour or so) was Class 66s. MAQ03962.MP4 Now, not to let the Container Anoraks down (are you awake in the Canaries, DJD?) - a Class 66 doing the work of forty lorries! MAQ03968.MP4

Thanks, George for the pointers to DECENT film of the train I tried to video on my "Stills" camera! Much better with a video thingy. Yes, an Accurascale all bells and whistles (and lights) version would be hard to resist. For younger viewers - the Bulleid Pacifics as built had lighting all round the motion and working parts so that the crew to see the motion at night when oiling round, or just checking that all was well. It was "all mod cons" in 1941. The story goes that as a Southern crew came into Exeter St Davids at night off the LSWR line to the West (SR used the same tracks as GWR for a couple of miles), they made a point of SWITCHING ON ALL THE LIGHTS to make the GWR men jealous! The GWR guys had to go round with an oil lamp!

Sad news to hear of Neil's death. We in the London Area of the IRRS published his definitive history of the SLNCR in 1970 and then produced a second edition (in 1981) - not many Irish railway books have been accorded that honour? I only met Neil a few times, but he is omnipresent in my life, as a painting, based on one of Neil's photographs, of a VS climbing over the Bessbrook viaduct on a Dublin-bound express hangs on the wall at the end of my bed!

I thought I recognised these - I used two in Steaming in Three Centuries. The Islandbridge one was considered as a Frontispiece, but is in the colour section, along with the Athy shot. I've still got a few copies! And, no, Ernie, I am not going to pay you retrospective royalties!

Not to be outdone, I returned to the lineside tonight in POURING RAIN - you can hear the rain beating on my hood! Not every day a Bulleid Pacific passes within a mile of the house! Like @Galteemore, this is my "home line" - where I timed engine doing 97mph in 1967. A very grey scene, but not lacking in atmosphere - she was four minutes early with over 400 tons behind the tender. At least it shows that SMOKE DEFLECTORS REALLY DO WORK! MAQ03960 copy.m4v

Ten o'clock this morning saw me risking my life on the single lane bridge over the railway at the summit of the long climb to Mile Post 31 on the London and South Western Railway mainline. Why, well, the Engine of Engines, "Merchant Navy" Class 35028 was heading a VSOE Pullman to Bath. This is the last 20 seconds to the top - I filmed her for the previous minute as the line is straight here. You may wonder why I didn't show the whole train. I stopped videoing, hoping to get a "going away" shot, but when I turned round, the deep cutting was literally filled with steam from the hard-working loco!!! Enjoy, it's worth 20 seconds! MAQ03957 copy.m4v

Hear, hear! A lot of (interesting) wagon for your Bucks!

Under ones like these at Clara, I assume. The Ranks siding. IRRS St Pat's Day Tour 1963. Lance King Collection Copyright Irish Railway Record Society

Emm? Thinking out loud ......... This is a "H" Van with bits. I had thoughts of doing one as an easy win based on my H Van kit. BUT, I did the H van first! Have I missed an announcement? So, we know what's next ..... I wanted them, so: Order in, 9 minutes after announcement - am I the first? Good luck with them. Good choice.

Definitely! That was the non-stop schedule some years ago (might have been the 1980s when the track wasn't as good as now?). Then they added in all the stops! I footplated an 071 with the late Willie Graham, when, despite his reputation as a bit of a tearway, he drove with exemplary professionalism, even slowing where he knew there were bad bits of track. We did it easily. Bring back the 071s?

Indeed! An interloper in 1963! Lance King Colllection, Copyright IRRS

Thanks, Derek, for the good reference! The layout is coming on very well! Keep it up. Leslie

Thanks for these lovely views. John D saw things others ignored. Enjoy "Port" - my family spent endless holidays there when I had no money. Not sure about the caravan - we used a flat on South Harbour - 50 yards from breakfast table to the first coach of the 10am train! Happy (often very wet) days!

Ernie, please forgive my impertinence in correcting the account of the Dunlavin photo. The train REALLY was stock run down for a a cattle special from Baltinglass on the Monday, 16th. The coaches were for the IRRS members who travelled down on Sunday 15h March with the empty train of wagons ("The Last Train to Tullow"). Most members returned home that evening but on 16th the Fair was held in Baltinglass and the cattle were duly loaded at the bank: Baltinglass 16.3.1959 Lance King collection, Copyright IRRS Thanks for the super JGD photo of No.207!

It was great to meet up with Andy and David today. It was the 13th on one respect that I missed a photo of the Great Britain tour having failed to find the watering point near Wantage (now grotesquely build up!). Linda, though, had the Winner in the National! Here's the three of them admiring the Forbesian Cavalade to end all n arrow gauge cavalcades with Andy's CDRJC railcars in numerical order No.1 (two versions of No.2) right through to No.12, so Phoenix was there as No.11 - being admired by @Galteemore, @Andy Cundick and my Chauffeuse! Then as the line grew! Quite show of narrow gauge delights! Brilliant Andy and thnaks for getting them out for @Galteemore

Well done for finding this, Nelson - a real gem, especially the shipping. My shipping books are not beside me, otherwise I'd have a go at identifying the Cross Channel ships which are about the size of the lifeboats on the Ulysses! The shunter is NCC No.16 a 0-4-0ST built by Bowman Malcolm in 1916 at York Road. She lasted until 1951. (Info Bill Scott's Bible and Northern Counties Railway Vol 3). The newer GNR vans were built 1922 on, so that helps date it?/

If the Flirts resemble the Swiss ones, fine, but if like UK ones, it's still time to think of a move.

You poor souls - @Galteemore is almost certainly right - you're going to get the AWFUL Intercity Express Trains (IETs) which we suffer here on the "Other" (Unimportant) Island. Even worse than Vomiters (sorry, mistype, Voyagers). Emigrate before it happens! I'm too old, or I would have done it already.

Too late, Cathal, they have already done that sneakily on the "Borris" thread! I was certain they were mine (as Fergal had bought a couple of my kits in the past) but they are the pristine "as built in 1958" version. I should have noted the lettering below the solebar - I never provided transfers! Very well done.

BRUCKLESS ALERT! Mind you you have to be Wiltshire this weekend (so no excuse @Galteemore). Bruckless is at Calne, see below! https://www.calnemrs.org.uk/ Come and see a narrow gauge line which was almost as good as the Rhaetian Railway (was - EMUs everywhere these days!)!

Ah, the Turbostars? He may get a loco and coaches in the future if the Railway Press is correct, as Chiltern Railways are looking at running the (Accurascale) Mark V coaches behind Class 68s. Good news for The Lads and Dapol, who do the Class 68.

Really, Noel? You obviously haven't travelled on an IET in the UK - not for nothing are the seats referred to as "Ironing Boards". In fact we call the Trains that and avoid them like the plague. Travelling into Paddington, I carefully seek out the semi-fasts operated with 387 EMUs which take a only slightly longer - being capable of and do achieve 110mph.

I will retell the story of when I first saw this layout at the Guildford exhibition some years ago. The show was at the Methodiist Church Hall and I managed to park my Smart Car in a tiny space in front of the church (on the Main Road, you can't any more). I had two hours free parking. I sent "The Boss" off into the Town Centre to have a mooch around the shops and told her to come back two hours later, as the Show wasn't that large. I saw this layout listed as "Ballyconnell Road" and assumed that it was (another) Co Donegal layout or the like. Everyone knows my pathological dislike of the Irish narrow gauge, but I thought I'd have a quick look just to show support for Ireland. Ninety minutes later, I was still walking round this vision of Heaven on Earth, chatting all the while with Steve and Mick. I rang The Boss and told her I was moving the car into the Multi-Storey and to come back another hour later, so that I could have a glance at the rest of the Show!! I followed the Lads to Southampton a few weeks later, to have another "fix"! Thanks for sharing these photos, David. I see that the threatened VS Class hasn't appeared yet! You never tire of seeing this.

Ah, yes, but what wonderful wagons they are (but I would say that, wouldn't I?). Oops, the new IRM ones are nearly as good as mine, as modelled by Michael. My records show that I've sold you a couple of mine, Fergal - but I didn't realise that you were hiring out Mott's Line for trials of new rolling stock! Apologies. The dustbin Zinc colour has been well captured by IRM's Chinese accomplises. Lovely.

WEBSITE UPDATED (AT LAST!) No, my ability to update using Wordpress, is no better, but I have managed to to list (with photos) all my present offerings. See: https://provincialwagons.com READY TO RUN: In particular, can I mention that I have a very few RTR Open wagons built from my GNR Open wagon kit, a couple of UTA Brown vans and painted and decorated examples of all six bakery containers. Photos of the actual wagons are dotted about on the website. The latest CIE vans are, of course, still available. Have a look, please.