Caledonian Railway Association Forum

No need to apologise, Mike.
This is a great forum for fascinating angles. Sometimes we don't change the headings enough, but so what? It is all interesting.

JimS

May you get a chance to get on with the body over Christmas, Alan.
That chassis looks really good with the chunky effect which I well remember on those. The effort with the rivets was well worthwhile.

Season's greetings,

JimS

Looking worth all the effort, Paul.

Good wishes for the season and the year to come,

Jim

Just to re-assure Allan and anyone else that a) I was listening, and b) that list has been in our official lists for some time. The identifications, incidentally, were by the late Richard Chown, a very experienced BR civil engineer with amazing knowledge of locations on railways in Scotland and fart...

I am impressed too. Unfortunately I cannot help with a description of the lineside houses. The Directors seem to have referred to them as 'dwelling houses' or 'accommodation'. An expression such as 'lineman's house' implies a signal and telegraph lineman, and such staff would be the least likely to ...

I confess I had not noticed this mark before and do not really know what it means. But I would suggest one or two things. It might be by a wagon examiner. He would have labels for wagons needing repair or being stopped, but the chalk mark, e.g a bad brake, or that the fault had been rectified and ap...

And the book is intended to be launched at the Glasgow Show 2020 - scarily close.

Jim

A quick answer to Douglas's points to me:

I certainly hope the 'out-takes' will be made available to members, most likely through TTL.

Funnily enough, I find I am giving a talk in Biggar soon, which a certain J. Watt has had something to do with!

JimS

Douglas, Looking again at the material I have been accumulating, I had forgotten that the make-up of four trains, showing the CR and the traders' wagons by name, is included in Arnold Tortorella's article "Appendix to Mineral Train Control" in "The Caledonian Journal" of August 1986. That should be ...

Alan, I built one years ago and, like you, decided on split axles. All went well till I glued up the some of the gears inadvertently and had to dismantle everything. The split frame arrangement didn't survive that. It was still built, and is one of my favourites. I look forward to seeing more of you...

Since my name has come up, Volume Two of "Operating the Caledonian Railway" was intended to have a decent section on mineral traffic. The text for Volume Two is about to go to the publisher and it has had to be brought down to a sensible size. As a result the section on mineral traffic is smaller th...

Impressive, Mike, and shows what 3D can achieve.
Richard Chown would have been delighted.

JimS

As it happens, Mike, the Caledonian did have Flying Squads, and not on the ticket fraud side.
All will be explained (I hope) in Volume Two of 'Operating the Caledonian Railway'.

Must remember to put Flying Squad in the index.


JimS

Alan, I am not sure why that reference is not opening up, but will check with our industrious webmaster. However, below is the list for the 498 class. Lovely wee engines, well actually rather big wee engines. JimS Class: 0-6-0T, Class 498 Archive No. Title/Description/Notes Drawing No Date Link 42/1...

Members may care to note this message below, just released from the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway, andto support the event, of course. JimS Join us at B&KR on Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th August for our Summer Steam Up; a NEW event for 2019! Star of the event, our 'Caley Special' features Caledonian Rail...

I have nothing to contribute in this matter, but would like to thank David for sharing his researches. They do cast an interesting light on the role of the well-connected, informed enthusiast in the environment of those times. Public relations was not a term in those days, but clearly played a part....

That all sounds much more plausible, Allan.

Jim

That all sounds much more plausible, Allan.

Jim

i have found that fascinating, David, mainly because of this idea of a design consultant being involved. I cannot contribute any research on the matter in hand, but I have always wondered to what extent the old-time engineers really had an eye for aesthetics. Or not. Was there really someone else wh...

And in addition to the carriages book, if I can just mention the sad death of Driver Fenwick in the Operations book, that refers to the locomotive end of things.

JimS

I haven't come across such a trolley on the Caley, but logically there must surely have been. There is little doubt that the process involved a ground man throwing lamps up.
JimS

Thanks, David.
Clearly Scuds were a well-established concept which we have overlooked.

Jim

Lovely work in all respects, Alan. The Ambis chain does the job beautifully. Oddly enough I was admiring their whole range of chain at Scalefour North this year and thinking what wonderful pieces of work they were and how lucky we are to have such products. You thank us for looking, but thank you fo...

Thanks, David, and everyone. I was basing my inquiry on the 1904 Mineral TT and hadn't picked them up in the WTT, as David has, but they seem similar things. My feeling is that they were quick, no-messing trips run conditionally, and perhaps as add-ons for crews who had finished early or were spare....

I have come across the expression 'scuds' used in the Caley's Mineral Timetable of 1918, though not in earlier editions. The term is known to me in the context of US railways, but I have only a dim recollection of hearing it in terms of the Caley. Can anyone explain its meaning, please? I have some ...