100% Authenticity

I had got Commomweath bogies, Mini Buffet car is out of period (introduced 1962), Bardic lamp on the loco and the engine is really 45407, 44966 was a post war engine and should have fluted coupling rods, a forward mounted topfeed on the boiler ( it later had this type of boiler but with later BR crest on the tender) and flat beading to the cab windows rather than half round. Mk 1s were used on the WHL but it would have been unusual to see a whole train of them. Going further, if you include the location then you wouldn't have seen a Black 5, they only worked south from Fort William and this is Lochailort on the line to Mallaig. Having said that when it comes to a convincing scene on NR this is probably as good as it gets. The lineside fencing or what's left of it is at the bottom of the embankment, much of the WHL is virtually unfenced

 

No PO coal wagons as well as too few open wagons and the lack of other railways wagons

 

The Black Fives were not fitted with speedometers in BR days. The photo of 44996(45407) shows a return crank and speedometer drive.

 

Did Black 5s work to Mallaig? I know they got to Fort William.

 

Can I just say that a bit of wee has escaped...!!

 

Snap! Funniest thing I've read in ages!

 

Should we start a thread "the (mis) adventures of Paul the Quixotic Reactionary engine?,

 

What livery would he wear though?!

 

The train left the previous station at 11.43am on a Saturday, and we all know there was no such departure time in the "good old days".

 

Stroudly's new improved engine green of course, what else is there ?

 

A number were fitted but according to available records not 44996

Fort William had an allocation of them but they didn't work to Mallaig, the 52' turntable was too small for them. B1s only started to appear towards the end of steam, they could just fit and could be turned if the adjacent siding was empty.

 

Out of interest, how many Black 5s had speedometers? It can't have been many, as I cannot recall ever seeing one so fitted.

 

According to the multi volume Book of the Black 5s 99 were authorised for fitting of speedometers but this decision was reversed in 1964 after a 'few' were done. Short of ploughing through all of the record pages and counting I can't say how many but casually thumbing through I wouldn't suggest about 30

 

Many thanks for your reply. I thought that the total number might be small. I have always associated speedometers with BR Standard locos and Pacifics of various sorts.

 

This location was a favorite of WJV Anderson. There were indeed telegraph poles here, a lineside fence up the hillside hidden by the exhaust, Lochailort up distant signal and associate signal wiring and a gradient post although this latter was incomplete even in his photo of the Jacobite special of 1/6/63. All minor details but even today the site is very recognisable.

Peter

 

Thank you, glad it amused you. It was a fun way to waste time when I should have been marking.

There would be many. I did consider Paul's argument that the only coaches on the Island should be Anna, Clarabel and Henrietta and his arguments against the Culdee Fell new build 'Godred'. His claim that Percy and Toby are the perfect locos to haul all the services. His anger when Duck, James and Toby are parked in his yard to await their overhauls leading to a linear scrapyard appearing in his yard. And of course his constant refusal to run down to the pier to pick up the passengers from the boats that come from the big island.

I am not sure what type of engine Paul would be. I am sure he would be an authentic engine, either that or he would be an engine that wasn't authentic but would have been authentic had the island continued with steam (and hence a perfectly acceptable loco to work in his yard)

 

Or he gets sick, has to go to the Island Hospital, the staff are puzzled, they can't find anything wrong, except every time one of the big engines from the big island , on the city tour specials go past his window he sneezes, and can't stop, the doctor watches and says, it must be bigchufferitis look as Sammy spancan with a sunny south special rolls past and Paul erupts again sneezing, couthing, eyes watering.

 

Not photographable at present due to tree growth, needs a visit from the Colliers again. Was that 44871 that set fire to the hillside above Loch Eilt last week btw?

 

You are right, priority was given to express passenger locos, I think all the LMS Pacifics were fitted

 

Re: Paul the tank engine....

Perhaps it is time to just stop before going to far?