Philately

A nugget of marginally relevant information from darkest Northumberland: The Alnwick to Coldstream line (opened in 1887 and closed to passengers in 1930) was engineered for double track between Whittingham and Coldstream, and the actual single track was laid along the east side of the earthworks. This meant that the main line through stations that had platforms on the west side only (e.g. Akeld, Glanton and Hedgeley) had to go through a crossover wiggle at each end of the platform, while the "straight" sections (on the east side) had trap points installed. The reason for the quirk was that the NER catered for the possibility that the line would become part of a proposed artery between Newcastle and Kelso via Belsay, Scotsgap, Rothbury and Wooler, which was of course never built.

For me the Easterner represents BR as I remember it better than the Scotsman. Apropos secondary ex-LNER secondary routes, in the days before the 4-car Metro-Cammels, the Newcastle-Carlisle route was populated by B1s but V2s were not uncommon. There was a Haymarket turn for an A3 which travelled Edinburgh-Newcastle, then Newcastle-Carlisle, and corresponding return trips. Also, I remember a Kingmoor Britannia on the east-bound "Paddy" from Stranraer to Newcastle, leaving Carlisle at 1410. I also remember seeing A3s, A4s and Deltics being run in on Sundays, heading westwards to Hexham after maintenance at Gateshead, and of course traffic diverted via the Waverley route when the ECML north of Newcastle was unavailable. No doubt other classes got similar treatment but didn't catch the eye. So it should be possible to twist history sufficiently to run some unusual locos in unusual places. Anyway, Rule 1 applies! Oh, and 60004 William Whitelaw was the standby A4 at Waverley station. It didn't have a corridor tender, and could sometimes be seen late in the day on a stopping train to Newcastle.

One good reason to change is to lose the awful N Gauge couplings and allow some shunting without resorting to lifting wagons off the track. I have N Gauge stuff and I note that (a) Hattons seem to have abandoned new N Gauge and (b) that the range of available models is if anything shrinking except from specialists using crowd funding. Perhaps the easier handling qualities of TT120 will accelerate current downward trends in N? But let’s face it: TT120 is aimed at newcomers to model railways in an effort to grow the market, not at established modellers. The fact that the latter are taking an interest is a bonus to Hornby. So if you don’t like it, don’t buy it.

Many thanks, folks! I feel much encouraged to acquire a length of track and a couple of wagons. Richard

Thank you to all who were kind enough to reply to my earlier post, but I'm still a bit confused. I'm basically a train set operator rather than a modeller, who wants to have a railway that enables predictable and reasonably realistic shunting (and long-distance train runs). There's no point in jumping out of the N Gauge frying pan into the TT:120 fire if the Hornby couplers, of whatever provenance, aren't reliable and easy to work with. FWIW I don't do exhibition layouts, and I have zilch knowledge of Continental/American couplers. So I'm trying to find out whether the Hornby system, (a) on straight track couples up consistently, (b) on straight track, with the aid of an uncoupler rail/device uncouples reliably, and ( c) trains when coupled up stay that way. If Hornby are following Continental practice, then do Continental couplers measure up? This isn't an absolute yes/no thing. A score of 7/10 would be a win for me. Richard

Can anyone attest to the effectiveness or otherwise of the Hornby TT:120 couplings for (a) their propensity or otherwise to come apart when trains are running and (b) the ease of otherwise of uncoupling using the uncoupler rail while shunting? I have N Gauge at the moment and its worst aspect is the user-unfriendliness of its couplings. Richard

Many thanks gentlemen. I had wondered whether TransPennine were quoted a price for electricity that was uneconomic. Now I know it's a shortage of capacity in the OLE. I must say that the new Trans-Pennine stock seems to run very quietly for diesel.

Probably a stupid question: LNER Azumas run on the front pantograph, but TransPennine trains of apparently similar ilk (but of 5 coaches only) on the line north of Newcastle don't use the wires though they appear to have pantographs. Why?

There are no clips as such. In N Gauge each section has a hole in the centre of the sleepers at each end (not 100% sure about 00), designed to take Peco track pins. This works on Sundeala baseboard surfaces, not so good on plywood. If you are doubtful about Peco Setrack, why not look at Kato Unitrack? This comes in 00 as well as N Gauge sizes and I find it much easier to work with. Gaugemaster's website will give you further info. Richard

Reopening the Blyth/Ashington/Newbiggin route has been in the local news on and off for some time in Northumberland (my home County), and the County Council seems likely to publish a proposal at the end of the year. Double track (mostly) and semaphore signalling is still in place, albeit with electric illumination. Level crossings are fully operational as there's quite a lot of freight traffic. There are 2 platforms still intact at Ashington (covered in weeds), likewise at other places on the route. So it's not just an Election special but there will still be a lot of persuading to do...

I can't remember when Rebuilt Scots and Jubilees were taken off but can remember A3s with German "blinkers" and then Class 44/45/46s. Richard

A few months ago I abandoned all pretence at being a railway modeller and decided that what I wanted was something to play trains on. N gauge is my chosen size so I bought some Kato Unitrack track packs. As a medium to enable one to set up a layout easily it is brilliant, if a bit limited in pointwork. Things like single slips are alien to it, though it does an absolutely brilliant scissors crossover. At the moment I am using the Kato controller as a power unit for the Kato 2-wire solenoid point switches that came in the track packs I bought. Motive power is controlled via a Z21 and an iPad, which is likewise very user-friendly, but unsuitable for powering the points without an adapter. You may well ask why bother, seeing that Kato wiring is so easy to use, with plugs and sockets pre-fitted, and extender cables readily available; the answer is I'm aiming for computer control, and in any case want to integrate signals so that when visitors come, one can act as signalman. Foolishly I bought an 8-way decoder for stall motors, thinking that Kato N Gauge points worked this way - they emphatically don't! I'm now advised that I need a DCC Concepts 8-way accessory decoder with adapters for 2-wire point control. Does anyone know of any other DCC alternative I could use? Just to allow choice. Richard

As of 16.15 today I accessed the Zimo site without difficulty. If it was unavailable earlier it was probably being updated - a not unusual occurrence at weekends. Richard

What about the Gresley V1s and V3s, succeeded by Thompson's L1 2-6-4T. Seemingly the Gresley 3-cyl locos were less inclined to slip than the 2-cyl L1s.

On the Alnwick to Cornhill/Coldstream line (closed to passengers in 1930) the stations on the west of the track between Whittingham and Coldstream (e.g. Hedgeley and Wooperton) had their single platform faces on the loop, with trap points on the "straight" line. Those on the east side (like Ilderton) had their platforms on the "straight"line. When it was built, this section had a double track spec with but a single track actually laid, to allow for the possibility that a line from Newcastle upon Tyne to Edinburgh via Kelso might be built via Ponteland, Belsay, Scotsgap, Rothbury, and Whittingham. Of course it never happened. At one time, there was a Saturday timetable that had an "autocar"(i.e. Sentinel steam carriage) and a standard Branch train to cross at Hedgeley and, I believe at Mindrum, which only had one platform. This confounds all our expectations of what's "normal" but gives one lots of operating licence! Richard

Hope this isn't teaching Granny to suck eggs, but is the operating system of the iPad as up to date as possible? It may be that the new app doesn't like an old version of iOS.

How about Eyemouth? No run-round loop - fly-shunting the rule. As I recall, about 3 sidings including one with a platform face for loading fish vans. You would need to have a slight gradient for the fly-shunting to work! Or North Sunderland Railway - at Seahouses. Needs 4 points, includes engine shed, passenger platform, run-round loop and 2 sidings, once with fish platform. HTH Richard

If you can find a suitable parking slot, the A69 road runs beside the Newcastle-Carlisle line between Haltwhistle (i.e.west of) and Blenkinsopp/Greenhead. Properly planned, you could get a fair length of movie footage there. Another spot is Brampton Fell crossing on the road from Brampton to Castle Carrock - there's an embankment just west of the L/C that should let you get piccies of the loco and train going away from you. Brampton and Wetheral stations have limited views (curves and cuttings) though the road bridge a short distance west of Brampton station might work. Just thoughts from childhood memories! Richard

Further to the above post, platform lengths were approx. 100 yards, enough for a loco and12wagons, so trains would have been short. North Northumberland was/is sparsely populated inland, and in any case the gradient was very steep over Alnwick Moor. So short trainscould easily have been accommodated in the over-generous goods yards. This would make shunting a relatively easy business.

Having found this topic by accident, herewith my fourpenn'orth. John Addyman and John Mallon's book "The Alnwick and Cornhill Railway", published by NERA, has most of the answers, including siding layout and signalling diagram. There are a couple of things that might help, viz: 1. There were 3 passenger trains each way until 1930, when they were withdrawn. So passenger trains wouldn't have got in the way of shunting movements, as the closest timewise would have left at 11.15; see below. 2. There was only one through goods per day in each direction and these crossed at Wooler at about 12.30. This I found from analysing the working timetable.)There were others, mostly between Tweedmouth and Wooler. One assumes that train crews swapped locos and worked back to their parent sheds. There were quirks and extras on market days - think cattle trains to Tweedmouth wth steam"auto cars" for the cattlemen. Hoping this may be of interest if not help!

If you want "A1 gen", get a copy of "Rails in the Fells" by David Jenkinson, published by Peco Publications, ISBN 0 900586 53 2 in 1973, revised 1980. Has station diagrams, traffic receipts, locos used, photos of everything between Kirtley 0-6-0s to Class 45s. Three things: first, goods sheds were mostly on loops so that wagons could be moved at either end. Second, cattle bays tended to be situated* at bays next to one end of a passenger platform, but fenced off and with a platform on the opposite side of the siding for the cattle. This presumably was so that slurry etc was contained in as compact a space as possible, near the public entrance to Company land, and not spread all over the station yard. Unlike some other lines, on the Settle and Carlisle pickup goods trains could access station yards in both Up and Down directions. Third: the only facing points between Settle and Carlisle were at Appleby, northbound, for the connection with the line between Penrith and Darlington. *i.e. at Armathwaite, Lazonby& Kirkoswald, Langwathby, New Biggin, Long Marton, Appleby West, Crosby Garret, Kirkby Stephen & Ravenstonedale, Horton-in-Ribbledale and Settle. Hope this is of some help Richard

In fairness to DCC Concepts, I.'ve just made seen their ad in BRM and it's fine by me.

Having used my Prodigy2 for all control up until recently, I find it's much better to have points and signals controlled separately. Much of DCC Concepts' paperwork is very good; sadly, the Cobalt Alpha blurb is an exception, but I'm pleased with the kit itself. I do wonder whether yet-to-be-announced goodies will alter our perceptions if/when they eventually arrive, and how far preoccupation on the part of the"blurbists" with the unannounced has affected what they publish. It's a very short step from Cobalt Alpha to a full DCC system... Richard

I agree with you Chris. I suspect it's because DCC Concepts are overloaded (press button and hold for 3 seconds to reset ), what with simultaneously developing and releasing Alpha products, and moving DCC Concepts' head office to the UK (see announcement on Gaugemaster web site). The video is basically the same as what's in the Cobalt Alpha user manual. I've decided that confusion will reign until the autumn when all will suddenly become clearer! Richard

DCC Concepts Cobalt Alpha The DCC Concepts Cobalt Alpha range is not – as at 2 April 2016 at any rate – a complete DCC system. Some of the early publicity has been somewhat confusing, so this is intended to help readers to decide whether what’s on offer is worth investigating, noting on the way that DCC Concept prices on the Gaugemaster (the importer) web site have recently been reduced. The intentions behind Cobalt Alpha seem to be as follows: · To provide extra power to a starter DCC system, and enable the creation of one or more extra operating zones · To improve the smoothness of the power delivery. · To simplify the operation of points and signals, either via a pre-made-up box (Alpha Central) or by enabling the user to create a track diagram and install operation buttons thereon. · To safeguard delicate components with a superior short circuit protection system. · To minimise wiring for points and signals on systems that retain DC control for traction rather than DCC. I have a Cobalt Alpha Central, a Cobalt Alpha Box, a Gaugemaster/MRC 3.5A PSU and a set of adapter cables to connect to my Gaugemaster Prodigy2 DCC system. My point motors are Cobalt iP Digital, designed to be operated by DCC without external decoders. I also have some Dapol signals controlled via Traintech DCC decoders. I didn’t have to do anything to my layout wiring beyond connections into the Alpha Box from the Prodigy2 and output from the Alpha Box, instead of the Prodigy2, to track and points. You may legitimately ask why I don’t use solenoid motors and switches in the conventional way to achieve the same result more cheaply. The answer is as much to do with laziness, stinking pride and cack-handedness as any technical merit, though I do have the advantage of slow-moving servo point motors, each with 2 built-in SPDT switches that I can use for subsidiary bells and whistles. Does it work? Yes – much easier than with the Prodigy2; there is only one button to press to change a point on the Alpha Central, whereas you have at least 4 button presses on the Prodigy2, and you can see from the illuminated buttons on the Alpha Central the position of each point. So – if you wish to introduce DCC onto your pointwork (on a DC or DCC layout) , or expand your existing DCC system, Cobalt Alpha may do the trick, provided you use the correct adapter leads. Don’t kid yourself (as I did) that you can save money and omit the Box, and do look at the manual carefully when connecting everything up.