Only Connect

[LCDR]

Great question on an old version of the quiz show shown on late night TV the other night, which one team got wrong (they answered 'George') but the other actually got right.

 

What is the fourth word in this sequence - Thomas,  Edward, Henry, ?.

 

I am sure everyone reading this thread WILL get it straight away! (Shame on you if you don't!!)

[walkingthedog]

Sorry LC I wouldn't have got the correct answer.  

[olly]

 gordon ?

[ModelerXYZ]

George was the name of the steam roller. Gordon was number 4.

[LCDR]

 Of course,

 

THOMAS 1

EDWARD 2

HENRY 3

GORDON 4

 

Sorry - I mis-typed the list in the original post so that may have thrown some of you.

[96RAF]

Followed by:

James 5,

Percy 6,

Toby 7 and

Duck 8.

 

and your next task should you wish to take it is to state which locos these were based upon.

Clue - Thomas was supposed to be a Jinty but wasnt.

[LCDR]

 I shall cheat!

In front of me I have the good Reverend's book "The Island of Sodor, Its people, history and Railways", so I can quote his answers to that.

 

1 Thomas was in fact a Billington E2 purchased by the NWR from the LB&SCR in 1915.

2 Edward was a Sharp Stewart "Larger Seagull" class built for the Furness Railway in 1896 and sold to NWR  a few years later.

3 Henry was a Doncaster design small 4-6-2 built in 1919 by an unknown builder using stolen GNR drawings. He arrived on the NWR as a job lot, but was originally a very bad bargain, being most unreliable. After the Killdane accident in 1935 he was sent to Crewe, and was totally rebuilt, although very little if anything of the original Henry survived and came back as a Stanier 5MT 4-6-0.

4 Gordon was a 1920 prototype for the GNR Pacific, but had a number of defects so was never taken into GNR stock. He was sold to the NWR who were going through a motive power crisis at the time. In 1939 following the successful improvement of No 3 Henry Gordon was also sent to Crewe and rebuilt as a two cylinder machine, which surprisingly improved his performance, especially his hill climbing abilities.

5 James started life as a L&Y class 28 0-6-0 goods loco, but to improve riding at speed was lengthened and given a leading pony truck. However the LMS regarded him as non-standard and sold this unique loco to the NWR.

6 Percy is a hybrid Avonside / Hunslet industrial shunter.

7 Toby was Great Eastern 0-6-0 Tram engine (LNER J70), probably BR No 68221 purchased 1951.

8 Duck was a ex GWR 57xx 0-6-0PT 5741 purchased from BR in 1955.

9 & 10  Donald & Douglas were Caledonian Railway class 812 0-6-0 probably ex BR 57646 and 57647, but which is which has never been resolved.

11 Oliver is an ex GW  14xx 0-4-2T no 1436 purchased from BR in 1967. There is some suggestion that although he arrived with 1436 plates these were not originally his.

D1 is Daisy a unique Met-Cam diesel rail car single unit.

D2 is BoCo a Metropolitan Vickers Type 2 a type common in West Cunbria in the 1960s, arriving in 1965.

D3 is Bear a Hymek B-B diesel hydraulic ex BR D7101

All the rest are not part of the original stories and are not covered in this book.

 

According to the book there were 80 locomotives belonging to the NWR all no doubt varied second or third hand mainland types. One route never fully described was the Kildane to Peel Godred branch serving an aluminium smelter. This was reputedly an electrically worked line.

 

Livery policy seems to be strange. Blue appears to be the regular colour for locomotives, but red and green appear on selective types (James red, Henry, Percy, Duck, Oliver green).

[96RAF]

LC - well done - your score is 12/10 for adding those locos past Duck #8

Now for another brownie point, which Hornby models have been 'adjusted' to produce look-alikes of these fine locomotives...

Gordon looks like the Flying Scotsman to me...

[LCDR]

 Yes,

The Schools tender was used to  push 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The E2 became 1 Thomas

The D49 Shire became 2  Edward

The Black 5 became 3 Henry (mark 2)

The A3 became 4 Gordon

The Triang 3F 0-6-0 became  5 James

6 Percy is a new body on the 0-4-0 chassis

7 Toby is a new body on the A1X chassis

8 Duck is the old Triang 57xx

There has never been a Hornby model of  9 or 10 (cries of Shame!!)

11 Oliver was the Airfix 14xx

There is scope for a 'Daisy' by grafting another cab on to the Triang Met Cam.

Bear was the Triang Hymek.

Oh for the old Hornby Dublo type 2 for a BoCo !

You could motorise a Dapol 04 with a motor bogie, hiding behind a skirt (like Rev WA actually did for his layout.

Diesel was of course the Triang R152.

 

Now Hornby, what about Skarloey, Rhenas, Sir Handel and Peter Sam in OO9??

[Postman Prat]

This set-up sounds like something Col. Stephens would have been involved with !!!

[LCDR]

 Yes, that is pretty close to the truth. My own favourite railway, the impecunious London Chatham and Dover Railway was not  adverse to buying up other people 's cast offs! There was even a couple of locos they named 'Brigand' and 'Corsair' which it is doubtful they even paid for!  Colonel Holman F Stephens was also one with an eye for a bargain!

 

My own OO loco collection is a bit like that. I love buying clunkers at toyfairs and doing them up. I have boxes full of 'useful bits' containing parts that may come in useful one day to restore one of these.

[GWR LNER fan 4472]

 Now Hornby, what about Skarloey, Rhenas, Sir Handel and Peter Sam in OO9??

...and Rusty (5) and Duncan (6). 😛

[LCDR]

 Yes and 'Duke' too!

[GWR LNER fan 4472]

I remembered him just after I sent that post! You could count Christopher Awdry's No. 7 engine Ivo Hugh based on the Talyllyn's Tom Rolt although there hasn't been a story about this loco as he only appears at the end of book 40/41 'New Little Engine'. Other narrow guage engines include Bertram, Mighty Mac, Luke and Fearless Freddie that only appear in the TV series... I'm a nerd (or rather an enthusiast)!  😆