Recent content by grumpyxch

Well I did mention my memory was unreliable so I was wrong with the scrapper. I had also forgotten about the MoD fuel depot. As for the Holes Bay - Wimborne section closure, I was there on the last day, at the side of the track. I had moved from Essex to Poole 6 months before when I got a job...

Thankyou Gloster. My memory had been of at least a Standard 2-6-4T being cut up there (Kings of Norwich, if I remember correctly) but I had always thought the Christchurch-Ringwood line was still open for freight (the Poole - Wimborne line was open until 1977 for a firm at Wimborne that fitted...

The other day I was reading an article about the railway that was built from Bournemouth to Ringwood via Christchurch, and it stated that the section between Christchurch and Ringwood closed in 1935. However, my unreliable memory tells me that back in the mid-1960s, when they were clearing steam...

No. I mean a full size boiler, for an A4 or a Coronation or a Black 5, or whatever. When the big railway works such as Crewe or Doncaster built a steam loco, how did they make the boiler and firebox. The normal diagrams or photos I see are always of a fully assembled boiler. What I am after is...

Does anyone know of a book that talks about how to make a steam loco boiler or firebox? I would like to see a kit of parts (not fitted together but ready for assembly). If it also contained a description of how the parts are made, and how they are then put together, that would be very helpful...

That was brilliant. It answered everything. Thankyou

Thankyou John. One of my theories seems to agree with you. I suppose the screwthread wouldn't attach to the scoop but would have a small platform that would be raised or lowered along the screwthread. This platform would be under a flat ledge on the scoop so would able to lift the scoop - that...

Not sure which section this post should be in, but as water troughs are ancient history now, I will try this one. A few weeks ago I was reading one of the various railway magazines thast are on the market, and it had an article about water troughs. There was little technical information on them...

I regret not riding on the Bournemouth Belle from Bournemouth to Southampton. I did do Bournemouth to Waterloo, and I did do Southampton to Bournemouth. The reason for wanting the Bournemouth to Southampton - on The Belle you bought an ordinary ticket plus a Pullman Supplementary ticket that was...

Perhaps they were too busy dealing with the water to check the loco at Redbridge, so I wonder how long it had been excessively hot before Weymouth. I guess we will never know

Aah! My assumption of the 25 minute stop at Redbridge wasn't because of the hot box (sorry about that), and so the loco being towed at speed through Christchurch was safe. It would be interesting to know just where the loco was when they discovered the hot box.

I would have assumed that they knew what they were doing too, BUT that doesn't mean they don't ever get it wrong. With my limited knowledge of hot boxes, I would have put the loco in a local siding, but while there it may have attracted the attention of thieves and/or vandals

I went to see 45212 on its way from Southampton to Weymouth. Before it got to Southampton I was monitoring it on Real Time Trains. It was supposed to come down from Salisbury, go through Southampton Central, spend 20 minutes in a loop, presumably to take on water, then get towed at the back of...

Thankyou. I hadn't ever heard of Carto Maps 1751831896 Thankyou. I knew the history of the line, particularly the ex-GER tracks out towards Epping. What I couldn't find confirmation of was the path the Central trains took through Stratford station, though I knew that I had seen Central Line...

I have spent some time looking at aerial photos of Stratford Station in East London, trying to find out if the Central Line tracks come to the surface, go through the station, then go underground under the four Norwich and Shenfield tracks. I know the Central Line is underground at Bethnal...