LNER Heaven ?

[60800]

Right then, it looks like I'm gonna really upset you guys who couldn't make it

Arrived 10:15 Saturday morning and immediately went up to Tornado and she looks beautiful in BR green. I then managed to get up on her footplate and took a couple of piccies
Got a tour of D9009 and 89001s 'cabs.
Saw 1744 getting switched for 61994 and decided to have a ride behind her. Filmed the ride and got off to find my Mum asking if I could have a cab ride. The staff obliged and let me on. That cab ride (of which was my first ever and I have a video of) was at that point the greatest five minutes of my life
Wandered round a bit more, photographing the majority of the locos there and got some brilliant still and video shots of the lineup.
I then heard that 61994 was being swapped for 4464 on the running line. I waited in anticipation for Bittern and got some brilliant video shots of her and then we decided to go have a ride behind her. You can probably guess what happened next, yep my Mum asked if I could have a cab ride in Bittern and I got one (which I also vidoed). It was absoloutely amazing
Then came the best part of the day. On the return run I was allowed to toot her chime whistle

To top it all off I came home with the DPS ltd Bachmann Deltic D9008 'The Green Howards'

[2002EarlMarischal]

Could have done with your Mum being on hand when I took a friend's son on Friday - the crew of the N2 weren't so obliging then!

Glad to hear you had such a great day Blackout!

[60800]

Sure did
The bacchy Deltic is being a right b####r to get it to run smootly though. I don't know why bachmann thought it would be a good idea to reduce the back to backs on the leading axles, it runs better with them widened!

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

The first cab ride is always the best. Until the next cabride. And the next. You get the message. Anyway, look forward to the piccies.

As for the Bachy Deltic, drizzle a touch of oil down the back of the drivers into the bearings. BEst tool for this is a Precision Oiler such as the dort sold by Gaugemaster amongst others. I've had a couple of locos, Bachy and Hornby, that were assembled innocent of oil.

I bought one off a customer, a nice, new, weathered 9F with a 1F tender. Fills a gap!

[60800]

I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant about going up in Bittern, becasue I didn't want to spoil the ride in The Great Marquess.

I'll just tweak the deltic here and there, she seems to run quite nicely with my MK1's

[60800]

From the long wait for Bittern to set off when it rained:

[2002EarlMarischal]

Just realised something which has amused me.

I've spent a few months um'ing and ah'ing over the fact that the A4 de-valancing method I am using is leaving me with BR garter blue A4s but minus the very front hatch which had been added to the A4s by 1949 for access, just behind the curve of the smokebox.

So Bittern, with its hatches, is wrong for its livery with valances, and Mallard - which doesn't have them - is correct for that livery, because she was restored like that originally when withdrawn from BR!

Just goes to show that the minor details we pick out as modellers don't necessarily translate to the real thing.

On the subject of hatches in Bittern's valences, I was chatting to Peter Neesam (formerly of the A1 Trust) but now based at Southall, and with 4464 at Barrow Hill. He explained to me that he had enlarged the hatch doors on Bittern for ease of maintenance and inspection. He hoped that these measures would ensure that she might remain valenced for longer. He did not rule out the possibility of other liveries down the line including apple green!

The following picture shows the larger hatch doors on 4464 vs 4468:

[2002EarlMarischal]

Couldn't resist posting a couple more from Friday. You really get the sense of power looking up from track level:

[60800]

You chaps are gonna have to wait a while for the video with the cab rides. I'm uploading it on youtube at 1080p HD and it's got 469 minutes left until it's finished. It's already been going for two hours!

EDIT: It's now at 43% with 1267 minutes of upload time remaining

[Blink Bonny]

(slobber)

[Trafford Park]

Was there Friday. Super day. Enjoyed seeing the visitors from York in a working steam setting even though they were not in running order.

[60800]

Photos of Butler Hendersons Tender top if possible would be good , so we can see what is actually fitted !!

I meant to reply sooner, but this photo was taken with that wish in mind: