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Post by rogere on Jul 21, 2016 15:02:02 GMT
There is an image of Metropolitan Railway Trailer Control Unit, former Class 438 4TC vehicle, Number 76324 at Amersham in "teak" on Wikipedia (copyright Oxyman):
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Post by rogere on Feb 25, 2016 13:14:14 GMT
I built one of these Keysers kits many years ago as a P4 loco, using the, then available, Mike Sharman wheels.
I still have another, obtained unbuilt, second hand, but without the box.
I had to replace the white metal sliders and bars after one season of running. I originally made my own, but they wwere not too successful. I then managed to obtain an underframe kit from IKB (do they still exist?), and this is still running perfectly.
John Redrup (London Road Models) modified one to run on London Road as the LNWR version, and I understand he scratchbuilt the chassis.
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Post by rogere on Mar 17, 2014 22:03:24 GMT
It was the late Joe Brook Smith. He produced the Chesham set in vac-formed plasticard. He also did some excellent vac-formed brickwork mouldings.
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Post by rogere on Dec 9, 2013 13:39:25 GMT
Very nice - slight anomaly on the eastern end of the District though.
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Post by rogere on Aug 11, 2013 20:38:30 GMT
I haven't made any pregress with the BTH loco yet but on the suggestion of phil radley I have been working on my next model of a Met 14Ton Ballast Brake. This is how ist currently going. Link to model on shapeways
Hopefully it is of interest so someone. I will be interested in one (or more if my wife isn't paying attention ) for my P4 Met/GC layout!
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Post by rogere on Apr 30, 2013 9:00:27 GMT
When building my model of Gt Missenden I managed to scrounge several pictures from locals (some have ended up in various collections now held by Buckinghamshire Library at Aylesbury).
For the period I model (early 1920s), cast nameplates seemed to be the normal, but I did come across one taken in the late 1920s that appears to show a "Met diamond" sign on one of the fences backing onto the goods yard (the subject of the picture was a PomPom in the goods yard and the sign was out of focus), however another picture taken at the same time still had cast signs in place.
There are pictures taken in the 1940s that show LT roundals, together with cast name plates.
There are also pictures taken in the 1950s that show the roundals - I think some appear in the Edwards/Pilgrim books. In these the cast signs appear to have been replaced.
Later the roundals were replaced with BR lozenges - not sure whether these were Eastern of Midland coloured as the pictures were B&W.
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Post by rogere on Apr 24, 2013 13:15:32 GMT
I am sure this must have been posted before - but can't find it. so here goes! Live Map
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Post by rogere on Apr 5, 2013 11:10:59 GMT
The map shows Heathrow Central. Until late 1958 (the renaming of Gatwick airport to London Gatwick) The official name was London Airport - Civilian (code LAP). After that it became London Heathrow (code LHR).
The map shows the Heathrow extension as "Under Construction". I thought that started in 1971.
edit - OOPS please ignore - just noticed that I was commenting on the wrong bit of map!!!!!
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Post by rogere on Feb 5, 2013 9:51:56 GMT
Many years ago (well about 1963) when in the Scouts we camped quite close to Helsingor (Elsinore as Shakespeare would have it), and that railway/tramway ran through a wooded area past the field we were camped in.
The drivers were quite happy to make unofficial stops of the trams to pick us up to take us into the town, and return us to the campsite.
Four years ago I was sent out to work at Helsingor for a few days and decided to find the site only to find it had been developed into a golf course, although the trams still run past it.
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Post by rogere on Jan 29, 2013 9:03:22 GMT
At the weekend the papers were full of the "leaks", about the double decker trains and the fact that, once phase1 was completed, the high speed trains would run north of Birmingham on existing trackwork at "normal speeds" until phase 2 was completed.
Now I am not a railway person, but surely some of those lines will already be OH electrified, and will have difficulty accommodating 2 height catenary (not to mention bridge height etc).
However, has any further work been done on Newcastle Uni's work on the effects of a train entering a tunnel at high speed?
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Post by rogere on Jan 23, 2013 14:11:25 GMT
I once went to a hospital lecture about Transorbital Leucotomy, and seem to remember the first ones were reported in Germany in the 1880s. It was stated that they went out of favour until the 1930s, although they were still practiced at various private institutions throughout the world.
So it is quite possible that someone did perform one in London at that time.
However as stated above, it is an entertainment programme, not a factual one.
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Post by rogere on Dec 4, 2012 13:27:55 GMT
and soon you'll have a whole empty shop next to it to build a layout in... Funny thing I was in the pet shop next door on Friday, and thought I should investigate it when it opened, and yesterday popped into the M&S food store and completely forgot about it!
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Post by rogere on Nov 28, 2012 12:09:09 GMT
In the past there have been many discussions about extending from Uxbridge/Ruislip to High Wycombe, but this is just a bit different.
I have been re-reading the Alan Jackson Metropolitan Railway book, and in it I have just found a quote that states (to summarise it) "The people of High Wycombe approached the Metropolitan to get an extension to Wycombe, but the railway proposed a branch from Great Missenden to Wycombe. This was scrapped when the cost of buying-up the necessary land would have proved to be too expensive"
I have not been able to find anything out about this proposed route - in fact I would have thought the gradient would have been too much (unless it took the scenic route via the Hampdens and Hughenden)
Does anyone have any info. on this branch proposal?
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Post by rogere on Nov 20, 2012 16:39:28 GMT
With regard to LTI taxi spares, I understand that Unipart manage that side of the business and are able to continue to supply them, so the iconic taxi will be able to continue on our streets for some time.
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Post by rogere on Nov 20, 2012 16:35:30 GMT
This is one of those rare occurrences when one feels sympathy for both sides.
However, I don't know the trains in question, but do they have the "doors closing" sounds that seem to be on most non-slam door trains nowadays?
If so then surely that is enough to absolve the guard?
If not then every railway that uses such trains is seriously going to have to think about employing more platform staff to ensure people keep clear of the train, or introduce some mechanical system to keep people of the platform clear of the trains.
In any case it will mean delays and cost rises.
Then the complaints will really start...
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Post by rogere on Oct 11, 2012 13:49:16 GMT
The OO Works locos aren't too bad. It's certainly cheaper than building a kit! I just hope my budget can run to one. I missed out on thier 'Black Motor'! Now to start on my Chesham set of bogie stock! Is that the brass kit or are you about to embark on another major D-I-Y adventure? I know the London Road Chesham Stock is available as complete sets, but does anyone know if anyone took-on the Joe Brook-Smith plasticard formed body kits for the Chesham set he used to produce? They were not at all bad.
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Post by rogere on Oct 10, 2012 11:14:23 GMT
Liked the caption to the picture: BR C13 No. 67418 at Chesham on May 3, 1956 with a train of Metropolitan 'Dreadnought' coaches on the Chesham shuttle service pre-electrification
Surely Ashbury coaches.
Also why oh why a milled chassis block? Not good if you model in EM or P4
<edit> I know it is OO, but a non-milled chassis opens the possibilities of further sales!
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Post by rogere on Aug 21, 2012 11:40:45 GMT
The SC wagons are Stephenson Clarke coal wagons. SC was one of the largest coal factors with thousands of wagons. They originally owned collieries, but sold them in the late 1920, to concentrate on the coal factor business.
They were also a shipping business, but that has just gone into liquidation
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Post by rogere on Jul 31, 2012 11:55:18 GMT
I hope this happens.
I went to the Centenary parade, and was taken there a couple of times by my dad back in the 1950s (including getting a cab ride in an F class - can't imagine that happening nowadays)
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Post by rogere on May 2, 2012 10:46:35 GMT
As much as I love the A-Stock I did have a sigh and a chuckle when reading the post about stale urine... It is so true! These poor trains smell like the stairwell of a council car park now. Stale bleach with the smell of vomit or urine in the background. Grubby seats, windows so badly scratched you can hardly see out of them, dirty seats - Lets just hope they have a good deep clean of the heritage unit whichever unit that may be! Give the S Stock a couple of years of rostering the late night services...
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Post by rogere on Apr 13, 2012 12:45:59 GMT
Used to live at Southall in the 1950s/60s. Used to get a childs priv from Southall to Upton Park (via Ealing Broadway of course) to visit Grandparent. Like revupminster's, the ticket was always written as far as I can remember.
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Post by rogere on Jan 3, 2012 13:02:19 GMT
Although the station scenes were TCR, the chase scenes in the station tunnels were filmed at Charing Cross. I only know this because my sister was part of the production team. Anyway any film that includes Jenny Agutter had to be worth watching
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Post by rogere on Jan 3, 2012 12:52:15 GMT
Up until a year or so ago you could still see "pickling" being done to new lock gates for the canals.
At Bulbourne, on the Grand Union near Marsworth, there were a couple of semi-sunken steel barges that were filled with creosote and the finished lock gates were dropped into them for a few weeks.
That depot has now closed, but I am reliably informed it still happens at other depots on the system.
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Post by rogere on Sept 8, 2011 18:13:24 GMT
Have a 2006 Mondeo Estate 2.0 Diesel.
Travel Great Missenden to Cowley every day -
In morning go in via Wycombe/Stokenchurch then M40. Return via Thame/Princes Risborough/Prestwood. Round trip is about 60 miles takes about 45 minutes each way, and am currently averaging 55.2 mpg.
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Post by rogere on Jul 26, 2011 12:47:56 GMT
We have recently had a couple of vitreous enamelled signs produced by a company called Trico ( www.trico-ve.co.uk) that has been used by London Transport. <edit> just remembered that the company in the Isle of Wight mentioned above is A J Wells ( www.ajwells.com). They also have produced stuff or LT and TfL etc.
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Post by rogere on Jul 3, 2011 13:43:47 GMT
OK,
Started to build a P4 model of Gt. Missenden circa 1921. (Wanted to run GC as well), however changes of circumstances meant a change of plans, so have taken the completed buildings (Station building, goods yard office and signal box) and have started to build a model of the proposed branch from Missenden to Wycombe (see the Alan A Jackson book).
It is a slow project, as I have a full-time(37+ hours/week) job, and a full time (45 hours/week) hobby of sports coaching.
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Post by rogere on Jul 1, 2011 10:37:54 GMT
The model itself is produced by Smallbrook Studios www.smallbrookstudio.com/page3.php. As someone who models Met/GC 1922 they are what I need (easier to convert to P4 than the SE Finecast white metal kit of the standard Met Brake Van.). However, as stated above, the duckets were removed as time went on (I have seen a picture of a crowded Chesham Goods Yard in the late 1920s with 3 such vans - 2 with no duckets).
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Post by rogere on Jun 29, 2011 11:14:33 GMT
Looks like it is a "publicity" exercise for a design house.
In my view having a geographic River Thames, but a more diagramatic lines diagram doesn't work - especially when longer lines are truncated, as per the Metropolitan on the map.
Also, nitpicking, I see the "spiral" is still shown as a "circle"
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Post by rogere on Jun 28, 2011 13:20:06 GMT
Just before the Great Missenden Signalbox was boarded-up, I managed to get a good look round it, at the invitation of the guy who, nominally, operated it.
It still had Metropolitan/Great Central on the signal layout diagram above the levers, and had a London Transport rule book in one of the shelves - that appeared to be the only documents I noticed other than a few copies of Mayfair!
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Post by rogere on Jun 20, 2011 13:34:00 GMT
Brilliant piece of work.
One petty comment I have is that the insert showing Met north of Amersham has opening and closing dates, which might indicate line closed, rather than end of London Transport running to Aylesbury.
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