ZiderHead

That would make annual circulation about 1.2m copies. Considering Top Gear mag did about 240,000 last year I would say thats highly unlikely …

Interesting. If UK sales are 70% of PECO's turnover, surely the bulk of that will be their HO track products sold to UK OO modellers? From reading this thread (yes, all of it!) I wouldn't say there was anything like consensus on what OO modellers would like to see in RTR OO track products, however I do get the impression that many would be happy enough to see the Streamline code 75 HO range duplicated entirely, but with UK sleeper size and spacing. I have to disagree with Bill Bedford's assessment that only 20% of the UK OO market would switch to a new PECO OO range. If the existing Streamline range was correctly marked as HO and the new range marked as OO, almost all modellers building a new UK OO layout would use the OO range. Those adding to their existing layout would presumably buy from the HO range for consistency. Over time, as layouts get rebuilt, more and more UK OO modellers would buy into the OO range.

Is there a donations page where we can chip in to buy that guy a tripod?

Great stuff, really like the rake of Dogfish near the end of the vid with a Shark at either end

It said they will be using their Cat loader, I'm surprised that has enough traction for the job TBH having driven a bunch of them in farm yards. But I guess it can't really run away at such low speed on less than 1% slope with a load of blokes hanging around ready to chock it. And they aren't driving in the rain on a mix of diluted diesel and cow …

Witnesses report that the driver drove onto the crossing, stopped on the tracks and refused to move. She has now been detained by police under the Mental Health Act ... http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/10804058.Rail_firm_faces_questions_in_wake_of_new_crossing_crash/ http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2013-11-12/train-thought-to-have-hit-car/

Hi Dave The incoming Eastleigh ballast was mixed opens (not sure of the exact composition, just a few were fitted with instanters, the rest screw link if that helps at all). I'm almost certain that they were loaded with spoil and old ballast. Not sure about the mixed opens in S1 and S2, I think they were all empties. The opens sitting in T3 were empty, autoballasters in T4, T5 were loaded. I saw similar operations the few times I happened to pass this way over the summer on weekday afternoons, fascinating to watch if you like that kind of thing ... and I do! Jon (Edited as strong coffee has jogged my memory)

OK here goes … Last time I was there T4 and T5 had rakes of autoballasters, T3, S1, S2 rakes of opens (MFA/MHA/MTA?), and possibly some more wagons in S7. Eastleigh ballast (opens) arrives down via Down Main, R1, R2, stops to pick up the yardman before 11 and parks up in T1. Loco uncouples, moves forward beyond 18 (which yardman hops out to switch), reverses back via 21, T6, 13, ?, ?, 14, 15, S2 and proceeds to sort the wagons between S2 and S1. Quite a bit of shuffling around here, he must have passed over 14 7 times reordering those opens. While the ballast loco is sorting the wagons in S1 and S2 above, there is a gap in the timetabled mainline services and the Morris Cowley car train arrives down the Up Main (that should raise a few comments from the punters at a show ), crosses the Down Main via 25, 24 and into R1. He heads up to the N yard to run around, but you don't have that option so park in R1, detach loco and run around via 3, R2, 11, 24, R1, then back up so the loco is roughly in line with the yardman's cabin. After the ballast loco has finished sorting wagons in S1, S2 he heads back with the whole rake in S1 via the same path to beyond 18, then reverses back and couples to the rake of opens he brought from Eastleigh. You don't have the N part of the yard to work with here that he did so you could either use that path with a short enough rake from S1 to fit the headhunt beyond 18, or move forward into T6 and reverse back over 13, ?, ?, 15, 10, 11, 24, pull forward into R2 beyond 4 then reverse onto the rake in T1. Now you need to get the ballast train into R2 ready to head off to Bescot. I have no idea why but our intrepid ballast driver pulled forward beyond 18 then reversed all the way round via T6 to beyond 11 before pulling forward into R2. Again you don't have that option so just reverse back over 10, 11, 24 until you clear 11, then pull forward into R2 level with the car loco and the cabin. Phew! Time for a well deserved brew in the yardman's cabin The ballast has to leave first because its fouling 24, followed by the cars which will also need a path across the Down Main onto the Up Main.

Excellent, I'll have a crack at it after work this evening

Hi Dave No problem, pretty sure I can remember the moves (and Big Jim can correct me if required). The Cowley cars loco runs around at the N end of the yard which you dont have so I'll adjust that, otherwise it should be about right. ZH

It must have been a still night - I'm 2 miles from Hinksey and I heard you around 11 last night ya noisy !

Earlier in the thread someone asked for details of operation in the yard, Ive seen the same kind of movements a few times now and I'm told something similar happens most afternoons so if you could post a bigger version of the control panel so I can read the road numbers I'll walk you through them ... or it could just be a shunting puzzle Eastleigh to Bescot ballast arrives from S and parks up, loco detaches and runs around back to the middle yard where it shunts a few wagons around, then takes some of the wagons back and attaches to the front of the ballast train. Meanwhile the Morris Cowley to Southampton cars gets a path across the mainlines from the Cowley sidings into the yard, loco runs around so it can head S after crossing the mainlines again and both trains end up cab to cab adjacent to the shunter's hut where both drivers jump out for a brew

I always enjoy this thread, keep the photos coming I'm guessing most of us would rather see Brit diesels operating on the network but I'd be interested what your day to day experience as a driver is comparing say the 56 to the 66 - I mean in terms of drivability, comfort etc?

Thanks for posting the videos, what a fantastic project

Well it is a virtual quarry! By chance Ive just spent half the afternoon there, I was going to just stop for 5mins and watch the Eastleigh ballast arrive but he foiled my plan to get some well-needed exercise by shunting wagons around for 45mins, then the cowley train arrived and had to run around ... so my cycle turn was delayed by an hour One thing did strike me and that was how tidy the sidings are - neat ballasting, well trimmed vegetation and no rubbish to be seen. It must be one of the neatest parts of the network!

CCTV and witness reported the vehicle braking, it then crashed through the barrier onto the crossing. The vehicle was therefore travelling to fast to stop fully before the barrier given the conditions (vehicle braking performance, reaction time, wet road surface, reduced visibility due to low sun and glare and poor eyesight*). The driver we assume did not do this intentionally so they were not taking account of the prevailing conditions. "Barrelling" is an entirely appropriate choice of word to describe it: * I'm going to throw this back in, purely because the witness in the following vehicle did see the lights from 600m away.

Fair comment - she was wearing glasses so please read it without the eyesight section. Personally I'm very short sighted so wear contacts. Occasionally I have to wear glasses and the difference in vision is striking, especially in bright, glary conditions so I drive very much more defensively to compensate.

Indeed, but they make far fewer mistakes and those mistakes are less costly. This case does not appear to involve a careful individual, if it had they would have taken their poor eyesight and the prevailing conditions into account and made sure the crossing was clear to cross rather than barreling through the barrier into the path of an oncoming train.

Thanks, that does make some sense. Cant have been much fun travelling/working in them in the winter though!

ok this may be a stupid question, but why would a milk van be built with corridor connections?

Interesting working. Is there nowhere to run around to avoid propelling? It seems like a lot of traction for not much wagon. It looks like Chopper and the Tractor are both working there, are they all worked with 2 drivers?

I worked in Gastown for a couple of months in '99, there was a little food shack by the tracks run by some Mexicans so I used to grab lunch there sometimes - the burritos were ok, the trains were great

Wow ... that is massively underinsured. To put it in context, if I was a self-employed contractor (plumber/sparky/roofer etc) and wanted to do work for a local council in the UK, many of them require £5m ($8m) cover ...

There was a fatality at a crossing on the Cherwell Valley Line earlier this year. I always make a point of detouring over this crossing if I can on the offchance of being stopped for one of the many freight trains, almost always 66s but you never know (I cant be the only one here who does this ) Now I usually quite like Michael Crick's work, but this piece (http://blogs.channel4.com/michael-crick-on-politics/technical-problems-for-years-at-oxfordshire-level-crossing-where-man-died/2084) just beggars belief. According to Mr Crick's "source in the railway industry": I wasnt aware that you could ignore the crossing lights and sirens as long as you are in a queue of traffic and you've been waiting there for a while ...