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OCTOBER 2019 UPDATE
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This is an appeal to prevent Queensbury Tunnel from being filled in with rock and concrete.
Please go to "tiny.cc/queensburytunnel"
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KARL CROWTHER *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
GREG BROOKES *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
HYWEL THOMAS
Please sign the online petition to prevent this from happening. There's no doubt it will
never see another train pass through, but the tunnel can be saved for future generations.
to petition against the demise of this wonderful piece of architectural heritage
Hebble Vale is changing hands! After careful consideration the layout passes to a new owner
after the Newtown Show on October 26th. With the layout now complete (at least as far as
I wanted to take it), it will allow time to concentrate on the new ‘Kentside Branch’ project.
Hebble Vale was always meant to be a ‘quickie’ project though it was started over 10 years
ago! After Newtown you should still have a chance to see HV as the new owner plans to keep
it on the show circuit. This photo is from the York Show earlier in the year and features
one of the SLW class 24s from the Mostyn P4 layout (24 082), kindly loaned and temporarily
re-gauged to EM by Philip Sutton. Moving forward, Kier has very kindly said he’d like to
feature the ‘Kentside Branch’ as it develops……
At expoEM Autumn, Wakefield (September 7th/8th), another SLW Class 24 – namely 97 201
“Experiment”, caused quite a stir when it appeared on the layout. Again, thanks to Philip
Sutton for bringing the loco along for us to have a play with. I have to say the quality
of the sound and the driving response from these locos is the best I’ve yet experienced
in 4mm scale diesels.
Another view of “Experiment” making a guest appearance at expoEM Autumn 2019.
Paul has been out and about capturing the events around Hornsey Broadway, starting off
with his pair of Eastwell Brush 4s 1516 & 1628.
English Electric type 4 number 236 from the Shenston Road fleet on a hopper train.
Another Class 40 number 229 Saxonia finished by Greg, at the head of a freightliner
service snaking through platform 1. The PW gang have been busy around the station area
fitting new 3rd rail conductors and insulators which are now awaiting painting.
The Class 74 is progressing slowly and is seen here at the fitting out stage. The jumpers
and air horns are from DCC Supplies, utilising parts from the Dapol Class 73 detail kit.
All the bufferbeam detail has been fitted, some parts from the donor Class 71, and other
made from bits of tube and wire. A drop buckeye has been fitted to the drawhook and the
buffing plate is yet to be fitted. The headcode at this end of the loco probably doesn't
make much sense to the signalmen around London, but was inspired by the regular sight of
some Class 33 blinds displaying GB when working the Cardiff - Crewe services. You knew that
Greg Brookes had been driving that loco! Later note - I've just been shown a photograph of a
Class 74 with a KH headcode!
Posed on shed after running in trials.
Well on it's way to completion, awaiting buffing plates, cab interior with driver and
secondman, kick plates, data panels and some work on the
5 mesh grills. Here the side grills are just test fitted and the trimming process has taken
some of the paint off the edges, so they will be finished off with a felt marker pen before
the final fit.
Following on from last month's tour of the Shenston Road environs with pocket camera to hand,
here are a few more snaps highlighting some of the recent developments around the steelworks.
This building is made up from Tri-ang Arkitex sections, similar to those found at Hornsey Broadway.
With some basic weathering to match that of a 1960s concrete building, this administration block
will be mounted on a plinth before being planted in place.
Looking towards the locomotive shed, this ready to plonk tank is ideally suited for the location.
You can almost taste the air at this spot adjacent to the steelworks, with the gasworks in the
background. An ex-BR Class 04 is kept company by a trio of Yorkshire Janus.
Meanwhile another Class 04 is being worked on by a couple of fitters, most likely
component recovery to keep the others running.
North British D6300er makes a rare appearance at the steelworks reception sidings with an
equally rare grain wagon in tow.
A brace of BR Class 08s in the form of Worcester allocated D4120 & D4118.
English Electric type 3 6776 is captured running light towards Wolverhampton.
And heading in the opposite direction is Brush type 4 1655 at the head of a Shell BP tanker train.
An aerial view of the station area looking north.....
.... and looking south towards Birmingham across the residential area of the town.
BR Swindon built D9524 waits at the signals just south of the station.
A view of the completed AW&T foam board built fiddle yard including the tail end of
the 18-inch gauge line off the quay. The sector plate is a card/foam board/cork board
laminate running on a PTFE non-stick baking sheet from Lakeland. The yard has a
capacity for about 40 wagons.
A close up of the sector plate with the magnetic strip that keeps the lines aligned correctly.
The bigger main yard as described last month, now in use with a train ready to head
onto the layout. Empty spoil wagons can be seen at the ‘CCE Tip’ storage area on the
slower level and also the card operating system is now in action.
Again made of foam board and card (along with the remains of a lever-arch file), this
is the drop down card system that tells me what wagons are required on the two daily
trips from Margam and the moves directly from the steel works.
The frame that holds the cards once the dice has let me know how many wagons are required
for each customer. The ‘wagons received’ cards sit in front as they arrive on the trips.
And these are the cards in their storage holders.
As a result of the card system I realised that the workings from the steel works over
the BR lines to Morfa Bank should have a brake van. So a very old Parkside LNE kit was
dug out of the stash (when I say very old it had a £2.00 price sticker on it!) and
built with a few ‘steelworks’ mods to the bodywork.
Here is the new van about to depart after it’s first working behind BSC ALco 803.
Another view before departure from across the road. The engine is banned from most
sidings in the yard due to the immense size of the beast!
