West End Workbench

[jwealleans]

Just a couple of pictures from Southwold - Thurston's last show and I managed to forget my camera. These are on my phone and the quality isn't quite what I might have hoped.

Roughly ten years after the idea was floated, we ran a Hunt Special:



I also liked the sight of multiple J15s - my Gibson one on the coal passing the Hornby one shunting.



Come the first shows for Wickham Market we'll have enough of these and D16s to run the whole layout, but we shouldn't complain.

[LNER4479]

Very nice - I instinctively went to press the 'like' button before realising that there aren't any on this channel

I hope the layout enjoys an active retirement

[65447]

Just a couple of pictures from Southwold - Thurston's last show and I managed to forget my camera.

Come the first shows for Wickham Market we'll have enough of these [J15s] and D16s to run the whole layout, but we shouldn't complain.

I didn't take my camera either, but it was really good to see Thurston again for the last time and a most appropriate time too with the cereal crop in the field in one corner being harvested, and of course to catch up with JW.

As to Wickham Market, you may well have the J15s and D16s, but what about the F3 and F6 tanks, the B12 (without mentioning the various diseasles), the Gresley steel-panelled non-vestibuled carriages (especially the TL) and the ex-GC Framlingham branch goods brake van?

[jwealleans]

It was good to catch up with you too, '47. I think farmers all over the country must have been waiting for a spell of decent weather as there were combines all over the place as I drove home and I'm surrounded by them here too. We cut our hay yesterday so we're all watching the sky slightly anxiously.

For WM, we have the Framlingham brake van:



as well as the branch set, with steps on the BTK.





I have a B12 although a more powerful one would be very welcome. The F6 is unstarted, the F3 is currently running frames only. For carriages we have a set which will contain a number of ex-NER types, but I haven't as yet put my hands on any carriage working documents for the East Suffolk. Would you know where such a thing might be found?

The steel TLs I don't know much about - I have basic diagrams but almost nothing on their use. Is there anything published outside Harris?

[65447]

...I have a B12 although a more powerful one would be very welcome. The F6 is unstarted, the F3 is currently running frames only. For carriages we have a set which will contain a number of ex-NER types, but I haven't as yet put my hands on any carriage working documents for the East Suffolk. Would you know where such a thing might be found?

The steel TLs I don't know much about - I have basic diagrams but almost nothing on their use. Is there anything published outside Harris?

I will see what CWs are available, but the one I have to hand is late 50s, after closure of the branch.

Referencing Harris pp99-100 the Gresley steel-panelled non-vestibuled carriages were built substantially for the GE Section, with the TL being built specifically for it - the diagram is at the top of p100. The TL was slightly longer than the remaining contemporary carriages, having a lavatory at one end (with white window glazing), reached by a side corridor passing the compartments - this, together with the CL, is a classic example of how a corridor carriage is not a 'corridor' carriage because it is actually non-gangwayed (or non-vestibuled in LNER parlance)! The compartment side has individual doors whilst the corridor side has the appearance of a main-line vehicle.

Looking through any Dr Ian Allen or Dick Riley album will show plenty of examples where the set includes a BT of some sort, a CL and/or TL (or more than one), and possibly a T. These steel-panelled Gresley carriages are often mistaken for Thompson types; Peter Paye in his Oakwood Press books on the Framlingham Branch (sometimes) and Aldeburgh Branch (in almost every case) generally erroneously labels them as such. The steel-panelled Gresley brakes still have the recessed van compartment whereas the Thompson brakes do not, and the Thompsons have a lower bottom line for the windows, deeper underframe trussing and a slightly different side profile which, with the oval lavatory window, all help distinguish them in a formation of mixed types.

If you refer to the Oakwood Press Framlingham Branch p64, lower, the second vehicle following the ex-GC carriage is one such Gresley TL and so is the leading carriage behind the J15 on p65, lower. You will note that in both instances Peter Paye incorrectly (i) captions these as Thompsons and (ii) refers to these types of carriage as 'suburban'!

I'm not aware of a 4mm scale kit for the Dia. 265 TL, but would be pleased to be corrected.

PS a TL or T would become an SL or S respectively after third class was changed to second class by BR during June 1956.

Keep an eye on your inbox...

[jwealleans]

That's all useful stuff which I've circulated within the club, '47, thanks for your trouble.

I have a non-corridor set under way, with some ex-NE carriages and a couple of Gresleys (D244, anyone?). If we can beef up another set then some of those steel 54' vehicles would be a sensible and authentic way to go. Bill does etches for a number of the steel carriages including the TL you mention. Andy Edgson also does a drawing for it so i shall probably relieve him of one of those the next time I see him.

I looked at the photos you mention and also flicked through some of Dr Allen's collections and i do indeed see quite a number of those steel vehicles.

[jwealleans]

Thanks to 60526 (good to meet you, by the way) for this, which I've been sent this morning.

[60526]

Jonathan, you're all in the middle of the photo so for me that's not too bad, you couldn't finish without a last group shot. I couldn't put a name to the face before but we briefly chatted at Hartlepool last year I think and possibly at Nottingham. Having the Borchester and Thurston fyards next to each other gave us a chance to look closer at the Thurston locos and stock, you had some lovely models on there. I don't know if you noticed but we both had blue and yellow collapsible boxes, we nearly ended up with a D16 running on Borchester. Need a bit of info, I assume that your Thompson BY is a part Comet kit, how did you finish off the underframe/chassis and can you remember who's springs you used
Best Regards Charlie

[jwealleans]

One of the best parts of exhibiting is getting to nose around other people's fiddle yards, I find. There's some very nice stock on Borchester too.

The BZ is from Electrifying Trains, now MARC Models. Mike Radford goes to Nottingham show, I'm not sure what other he might attend. It was a complete kit, which he still sells. I gather (he told me, it clearly still smarts) that it was crucified by Tim Shackleton in MRJ when released, but I had no problems building it - there were no instructions, but it still went together - and as far as I'm concerned it looks like what it's supposed to be.

If you have a Comet one he might do the castings separately, it's always worth asking.

[jwealleans]

As someone elsewhere helpfully keeps reminding us all, there are only two and a half weeks to our first show with Grantham. This creates a modicum of pressure to finish all those things we foolishly volunteered to have ready by then. So there's been quite a bit of catching up and finishing off, not to mention outscoping (for those of you up to speed with today's business-friendly excuses for not doing something).

Following Mr King's lead, we should have plenty of dirty black locomotives to remind everyone what the railway is really about. The two O4s were renumbered for Barrow Hill, but that was all that was done at the time.





This one is 4479's own, suitably renumbered and upgraded to O4/3.



Bachmann's lovely J11 as well, now brought down to a more workaday appearance.





A last minute addition to the loco roster this week:



Following the arrival of suitable components, a number of carriages have been rebogied:



A number of Bachmann bogies have been prepared with NEM mountings so we can swap Kadees in as required.



One of the promised vehicles, a 52'6" PBV, almost complete (just needs handrails and handles). This is detached/attached somewhere, I'm sure 4479 will remember where.



The weathering shop has also been busy on some older items.



Wagons have also been weathered:



Others have been loaded:



and there is still an ongoing programme of building and refurbishing. These will probably be the last to make the cut as I'm off to Telford a week on Friday, so don't have any more free weekends.

[Dave]

Who's been a busy boy then.......very nice

[manna]

G'day Gents

Some wonderful looking stock there..................have you got enough though

manna

[jwealleans]

700 wagons per loco? Nowhere near.

[Danby Wiske]

I'd like to see that Sentinel pull 700 wagons...

[jwealleans]

Oh, it will, but no more than 20 at a time.