IWCR

The loco itself was air braked even when vaccum equiupment was fitted for the train brake. Some were converted to steam brake and the pump removed. The pipes on the front of Hecate do look like Vaccum. BR era terriers had a large Vaccum ejector in the front L/H corner of the cab with the exhaust being run along the tank top to the smokebox. This pipe is not visible in the Hecate photo but there is a small pipe to / from something in the middle front of the cab, this could relate to a small ejector. Pete

I have a vague memory of these when first imported as being related to a proposal to reopen Whitby to Scarborough as a tourist railway using 5' gauge. Pete

Light Railway Orders are history, all lines operates under more recent legislation now, the line speed is set for each line, 25 mph being a normal break point which is treated closer to a tramway with line of site operation. Above this much stricter requirements come in. (Better track maintenance, more rigorous Signalling/train control, more control of Crossings, central locking, etc). Network Rail requirements would not apply (The line is not Network Rail). The line could operate as a traditional manually signalled line with a higher linespeed for approved stock but this would be labour intensive and likely require many additional paid staff, there is a reason for the "Basic Railway". A public service over a Heritage Railway?, yes it could be done. Viable? depends on many factors. Passing the line to Network Rail as part of the National Network would effectively finish the Heritage Operation, if this was really wanted then a equivilant nearby length of closed line should be prepared and relaid as a replacement, (not going to happen). Pete

Not driven on the M25 for about 10 years now, used to hate it. Traffic all doing 90 or 5mph, nothing in between. If you leave anything like a safe gap ahead of you this will be promptly filled by an artic. Everybody lane dodging constantly just to try and make progress. Quite sure it has not improved. Pete

Tobacco brand advertising posters are now illegal. Yes commonplace in the past and a historic feature of many railway stations and streetscenes. The advice for preserved railways / museums etc is that advertising for currently available brands would fall under this but that obsolete brand adverts are acceptable. Possibly the same principle to use for a publically displayed model?. At home do whatever you want. Pete

Yes, not readily accessible though. From memory: both low cab and high cab side etches are included for the tanks. Also cab toolboxes are included (at the rear of the side tanks in the cab), these have a wood grain effect etched on the tops. Also included is the small tool cupboard mounted on the the rear cab wall above the coal hole. Different optional parts for chimney and smokebox door. Nothing in the kit to represent injectors and pipework behind the cab steps and nothing for the steam manifold in front of the cab. Pete

I was an Engineer Cadet with Denholms. Cast Puffin and the Dalma, still dont know what I had done to deserve these two. Pete

Careful with some of these old transformers, dont know about this brand but I have found Asbestos insulation in others. Pete

Heljan have produced all the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Manning Wardle locos including the modern replica. Not only that with the recent production of the Baldwin they have now done the railways entire loco fleet. Pete

For modelling purposes with ready to lay turnouts they effectively are the same, hence they are common. Most model turnouts can be tweaked to slightly adjust curves and straights to give variations to dead straight or equal Y. You will need to selectively cut some of the platic base between timbers to allow defelection. Dont overdo this and note the meaning of "slight", Pete

A relative was shown as Station Master at Port Carlisle on one of the census returns, I suspect this was a pretty quiet life. Pete

Wales is an imperial measurement of area. The metric equivalent is the Belgium. Pete

Ive heard of somebody who having an interest in a large Union Pacific loco recently restored made an internet search for "american big boy", they were rather surprised at the results. Pete

RAF Halton was served by a branch from Wendover station. Closed & lifted early 60's. Pete

Correct, Invincible named after the Battlecruiser. The Maroon livery is from Woolwich Arsenal days, the loco is better known in green as a resident at Farnborough in the 50's and 60's. Pete

I have seen a photo of bodies waiting to leave Ryde St Johns on the Isle of Wight in the 1930's, they had been placed on timber wagons which would have been pulled by horses or a tractor of some sort. These wagons comprised a wheelset fixed to a pole which had a further wheelset which was attached anywhere along the poles length as required. Known sites on the Island that bodies were sold from include Ryde St Johns Yard, Newport Freshwater Yard and St Helens Quay, all main goods yards. For an additional cost the carriage would be worked to a siding of your choice before being dismounted. Bogie carriages were often cut in half to aid transport but occasionally moved complete. Pete

I can remember travelling on the first morning train on the Kyle line in the 90s and seeing the post office van collecting items from the train at an intermediate station. Pete

Today looking much better. Opening topics quite quickly, no prolonged waiting whilst loading. Still goes to bottom of next page but at least in a few seconds rather than minutes, this can be lived with. Pete

For a long time now the forum has been almost unusable, very slow to open anything after the first 2 or 3 posts. I have to close firefox and open everything again to make any progress. Watching the load / read bar at the bottom it seems to be ad sites killing it, some of these take forever to load / read. Also when going to "next page" this (eventually) loads at the bottom of the next page having initially gone back to the top of the current page. Running windows 10 and firefox, clearing cookies etc every few days. Some months ago the National Preservation site was unusable like this, at this time Rmweb was fine, at the moment the other way round. Pete

For inside cylinder these would need to be higher so slidebars and conn rods are above the leading axle. Rear driving wheel would need moving forward to allow cranks & motion to clear the front of the firebox. Pete

Bit like a LBSC D1. However such large driving wheels would indicate a fast passenger engine, for this the coal and water capacity are far to small. Unlikely to be outside cylinder, the driving wheel is obstructing the location for a motion bracket needed to support the slide bars. It would work better as a 2-4-0. Pete

Grounded vans normally kept the underframe, most of them the body is built on this and it is not a separate item. The wheels, axle guides (w irons), brake gear, buffers and drawgear would be removed however just leaving a flat steel or timber base. Pete

Ebay dont want to know about crime. They wont even talk to you unless you are the police. Pete

Yes the Oldbury image carriages in the IWC trainpack are rather odd, a better bet would have been to omit the distinctive blue glass toplights in which case they would have been a better pass for some of the other varied collection of IWC stock. Actually Oldburys did run on the IWC with this loco livery, during WW1 the Central took over and ran some of those withdrawn by the IWR in 1914 for extra wartime trains to Cowes for the shipyards. The Oldburys however are very small and nothing like the generic Hornby carriages, likely they remained in the IWR livery possibly with the garters painted out. Pete

The "Heavy ring of metal" is a guide roller, the crane frame sits over a tapered cast iron post, this fits into the socket at the top of the frame (see middle picture). The tapered post is fixed to the ground and dosnt rotate, the frame rotates around it. The base of the tapered post has a flat section which forms a track for the guide roller. The visible roller will take most of the load when the crane is in use, there will be (likely) 2 further rollers at the back of the crane frame in a similar position which stop the frame tipping in this direction, they do not take much load and would be of a smaller size. Pete