Caledonian Railway Association Forum

David, There is not a Caley one on the market yet, but South West Digital are progressing one actively, with our encouragement and the kind donation of sounds from Victorian Lad. It was hoped by the manufacturer that these would be supplemented by recordings at the Caley weekend in Bo'ness, but I ha...

This might be a more helpful size, if it works - it used to be so easy getting the right size for an attachment, until Microsoft brought out their new program- 10 times more complicated, 10 times less useful.

JimS

Can anyone offer a suggestion as to this location, please?
The siding on the right is presumably level (well, they should be), meaning the train is climbing.

JimS

Welcome, Bill.
Another one interested in the Oban line cannot be a bad thing!

JimS

Dave, That is a lovely scene of the train on the viaduct. Trains are all too rarely photographed tender or bunker first. The smoke trails beautifully. You ask if it could have been a mixed train. My quick look at the 1883 timetable does not indicate any mixed trains on that route, but that is not to...

Tony,
I would wish:
Loco coal wagon - 1
Open (with sheep facilities) - 2
Empty cask wagon - 1
6-ton roof van - 2
Brake van - 1

Jim

That's good news, Kris.

The internal timetable shows the two locomotives working together when hauling public trains. The photo charter day will presumably have them singly.

I hope your guys enjoy their weekend.

JimS

Folk might be interested to know that I have today seen 419 take her first steps under steam. She looks and sounds simply splendid. Some little details still to complete on the locomotive, but she should be a real delight at the Caledonian weekend coming up. That light blue is far more attractive th...

You've certainly captured that, Jim.

JimS

And thanks as ever to you for posting, Alan.
You are so right about the quoins defining the location and period.

JimS

The photograph is indeed Luncarty, and rounds off my Signalling book. It is from the John Alsop collection.
I wrote then, and I still believe, that- although it was taken in early LMS days - it shows the Caledonian living on in almost every part of a wonderfully harmonious picture.

JimS

John has beaten me to it. Mr Lewis is indeed the authority, whom I was about to consult once again. He did indeed work for the Caledonian, and I have always found it interesting that they seem to have condoned/encouraged his post as a lecturer at the college. His diagrams of layouts are fundamentall...

Thanks for highlighting that matter for the benefit of everyone, Steve.
It puzzled me too for years, until that nice Mike Williams took time off one day to explain it.
Mind you, I still think the name leads to the confusion.

JimS

Impressive as usual, Kris. Someone has mentioned the signals, and they are indeed an anachronism. SInce signals inevitably feature a lot and add so much to your splendid scenes, I wonder if it would be worth your while doing some work on Caledonian-style signals. If you are so minded, I can provide ...

Great stuff, Alan, and I look forward to hearing - and seeing - more.

JImS

Ian,
I recall the Wisbech traffic in the 1980s, and it had started before that.

JimS

Not I, I regret, Robert.

JImS

John, Looking at Simon Lowe's splendid C&O website on the signalling ( http://www.oban-line.info/obs1/obs1.html ), you will find a summary of the Inspecting Officer's remarks when they shortened the passenger loop to get a bigger length on the goods end. He particularly mentions the run-off arrangem...

John, My thoughts are that the dropflap controlled entrance from the yard to the single line. What you are thinking is a headshunt is probably not, but is simply the trapping arrangement to protect anything escaping on to the single line inadvertently. In my view, any shunting would be done by a tra...

John, Anent your question 1, I do not think the Caledonian used any yellow dropflaps. Anent your question 2, I expect that two signals would be provided, one for shunting ahead and one for entry to the main line. As a matter of interest (I hope) here is a model of a signal in Fife dealing with such ...

Still mulling these pictures over, but I can say definitely that C is not Alloa, which had the entrance from street level parallel to the track, and there was a two-road bay (used by Caley trains) inset into the island platform.

Jim S

I'm intrigued by the light colour of the inner end (see the second of Jim's photos).

Jim S

It worked for me. Thank you.
As to location, it could be approaching Balquhidder, which perhaps is more likely as it seems quite a hefty train for one engine up Glencruitten, though I would need to check some documents to prove that.

JimS

David, We have had ideas for some time, which we wanted to discuss at the committee last week to pull together. Some I had already developed with the SRPS people individually, but I am now remitted to try to pull it all together via the SRPS Marketing Director, who is not so far replying to me. So I...

I think I would go along with Tom on this one.
JimS