woodenhead

Correct I did!

Aren’t the LSL ones still ‘traditional’

But he’s leaving a team at the pinnacle thanks to him so I don’t think he really has any unfinished business or regrets.

For the 47 I would guess the 56 had a big impact on MGRs as that's where the 56s first went. HSTs on Cross Country and Midland routes displaced Peaks and steam heat stock leading to 46s and 45/0 with not a lot to do, even the 45/1 was then onto just Trans Pennine. At the same time the 47s were actually stretched when it came to ETH services so BR began converting 47/0 to 47/4 and then they began range extending too with the later 47/7 & 47/8 derivatives. So rather than finding themselves with less for the 47 to do, it rather focussed them on long distance ETH passenger services with all the older Type 4s going to scrap. The 47 even pushed 50s out in some respects with lots of Network rail 47s working out of Paddington and even on the services out of Waterloo at the end before the 159s were introduced. The 47 really was and is a useful engine.

A nice couple of days financially has seen me able to purchase the remaining three John Hodge Welsh Valley Lines series of books I needed. £40 for talking to a tech company, £20 from Avanti and then £5 from Amazon for simply adding another credit card - so the bill was £4.99. Hold on, I buy lots of books about the Welsh Valleys and then I model the North West of England, something wrong there isn't there.

Thanks @Revolution Mike B I guess I am rather impatient - I've become the @The Johnster with his 94xx. There aint a lot I buy these days, it's not a money thing it's a simple I have enough on my layout and it has to be the right model for me to want to purchase. I've not even ordered a Rapido 44 yet and how long have they been available to pre-order but I did bite on 10001 with the small yellow ends.

Tesla CyberTruck export model

Brilliant - this is not a spoof

It's easy to blame TfW but the reality is that the UK central Goverment c0cked up the GWML electrification massively, just as it c0cked up the north west electrification and latterly HS2. Doing grand political gestures, promising so much then finding it can no longer afford things, or simply seeing the project so poorly managed that costs spiral out of control lays firmly at the door of Westminster. Westminster needs to be wiring down to Plymouth or even Penzance plus to Swansea but it isn't in a position to do so now, even with a wave of funds from the apparent savings of cancelling the 2 and 2a elements of HS2 it didn't take the opportunity to fix the GWML, no it spent the money on roads in the South East instead leaving Wales with a mess that it probably wants the Welsh assembly to pick up but it's not actually it's job in this case.

A twist on the old over production of BSk and BFK coaches.

Don't think it's Verstappen junior that he takes issue with, he is wanting out of the political side of the business with the infighting between all those non technical, non driving elements and their vested interests. Newey is so highly regarded and highly sought after that clearly he was able to command his own terms when employed by Red Bull and equally when he chooses to leave he gets to choose the manner and the timing and how long a sabattical (sounds like zero). There cannot be many people in such a technically driven sport that have that sort of power. The question is when did other teams begin earnestly courting him, did for example Hamilton have an idea when he jumped ship. Would be most ironic if he went to Mercedes, but Ferrari, Aston or McLaren would love to have him. Curveball - he goes back to Williams and Albon is leading the F1 tables in 2026!

So think I can take from the replies that there is nothing beyond a CAD that will be at x level of completion against prototype drawings. The digital interface is the digital interface, I'll leave RevolutioN to decide what the best one is for the 'price'. But given the time it takes to develop a tooling, go through EPs and get a production slot and I am going to assume it will be sometime in 2026 when these might land in the UK shores. Whilst it's great we know there is a model being developed, perhaps announcing it 18 months ago with a promise of delivery early 2024 was not the correct one, the progress is glacial and maybe waiting until you had an EP would have generated lots of excitement without then disappointing us with a lack of progress because it was in CAD in late 2022, it's now the 2nd quarter of 2024. There's not someone else doing this model is there and that's why it's not progressing.....

My spidey senses are tingling and I've a real hunch that this quarter we will see: An OO gauge Palvan An N gauge tanker A new scale for Bachmann linked to 7mm, maybe building on their 009 developments More buildings I'll go out on a limb maybe some more N gauge 47s Tops era or earlier.

In the timeframe the OP is referring to BR had a lot of other traction it could use for the last of any unfitted duties. The northwest had ample class 25s and 40s. Yorkshire had 40s and 37s, the Northeast had plenty of 37s, South Wales was a 37 stronghold and the southwest had 25s, 31s or the last 52s, the midlands was full of class 20s. No doubt there will have been times to put a 47 on when there was nothing more suitable available. I used to live by a railway line, the freight workings between Trafford Park and Dewsnap or Ashburys would see all kinds of wagons in a consist plus there were regular Freightliners heading out to Holyhead or the North East. It wasn't until the mid 1980s that I would regularly see 47s on the liners, it was 40s, Peaks or 37s with 25s or 40s doing the trip workings. With an abundance of suitable locos BR would keep the 47s for passenger, some liner services, petro chemicals or MGR workings. It was only as the 25s, 40s and Peaks were scrapped that I began to see 47s on lesser duties.

It's a real problem for peope with gluten intolerance/allergies because they used to be able to enjoy a coffee with almond, soya or coconut at a coffee shop but now that oat has become popular you can no longer be safe in knowing your non dairy choice is not contaminated. And the likes of Costa, Starbucks, Nero, Pret etc don't care. I would imagine most independent coffee shops are the same, but some might make the effort to source gluten free oats, there aren't enough gluten free cafes sadly.

@Revolution Ben any progress on the model?

We dont, all into one bin of recyclable plastic, metal and glass - guess it all goes onto a conveyor that might be able to pre-sort some of it off weight and whether it is magnetic. As long as it is gluten free - Oat milk at coffee shops means Mrs W can no longer enjoy any milk in her coffees - because the gluten in oat milk can contaminate the Almond, cocunut and blend options. She likes Oat Milk, but it has to be Gluten Free and most are not. Shouldn't need to change the number, those days are long gone or should be where the number range denotes the type of card. The classification of the service level should be assigned to the account (which has it's own number) not the card number which is assigned to the account. The only time you should need to change the card number is in the case of a lost card.

So another eventful trip but £20 coming my way care of a late arrival home. At midnight last night I got a message from Avanti - my return train was cancelled, I should get the one before (1853) or the one after (1933). You can guess what I and most other people who got that message did - we went for the earlier service. What did Avanti turn out for a train they knew was going to be busy, the first off peak to Manchester in the evening knowing the next one had been cancelled, a 9 coach Pendolino! They played games, said it was platform 14 (and there was a Pendo parked in 14 at 18:30) but decided to swap to the Pendo that had just arrived at platform 1 at 18:40 instead. So I had arrived at Euston from Euston Square at 18:28, I went to the loo (near platform 1) because I expected the train to be busy, so off to platform one for the loo, then returned to platform 14 for the train and joined a polite queue (barriers open, no Avanti staff manning it). After 5 minutes standing the platform changed, so back all the way to platform one again so really getting the steps in today. Got onto the train on the unreserved coach C and the train filled and filled, people crowding outside trying to get on. The guard politely suggests those standing might like to catch the 19:33 and when that doesn't work pulls a new stunt - if you don't get off then the train will have to go slowly to Manchester. Yes the guard actually tried to guilt standing passengers into getting off the train because it would be their fault sitting passengers will be late getting home - unbelievable. Me, I spy a partial refund voucher, there was already trouble at Tring, and the train though scheduled to depart at 18:53 actually left 15 minutes late, so I was looking at the positives. In the event it arrived 20 minutes late back at Manchester having got stuck behind a stopper I think between Colwich and Stockport, then held at Ardwick. Certainly I did not notice the train going 'slowly' as threatened by the guard. One pizza later, it's time for bed. Night all.

Early rise, didn’t go to bed to 23:30. Off to the big smoke for a long day. Getting light early now

@PhilouCardiff station is wired but west of Cardiff isn’t I believe. I would imagine as it is the GWML the Welsh Government expect the UK Government to foot the bill to Swansea and they will pay for the local lines(I.e. as they are doing). So when Network Rail get it sorted there will be wires to Swansea.

Bit of low level flying by bombers in WW2.

All sorts to pick from this image - it's a diversion on the ECML, it's running vans first so it arrives vans last after reversing at Carlisle, it's a Motorail service and the DVT is mid-marshalled due to the vans having to be at the 'wrong' end. Here's how a normal Motorail operated in the DVT times: Edit, of course Northbound they would be hanging off the DVT otherwise how would the driver see!!!

This is quite a sad story - imagine being told your babies had died when in fact they were being sold on an adoption black market. Even when reunited there is no happy happy ending as there is no family bond beyond knowing they are family, even the adoptive parents appear innocents in this. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68055420

@Dagworth Thanks for that, exactly the sort of anxiety inducing crowd I avoid.

Interesting on the 08, I've read plenty that say the opposite, but I guess that's where a choice of models is good, you pick the one you like the most. I reckon a 153 will come from Heljan, perhaps with a 155 off the back of that too seeing as they've put a lot of effort into a 7mm one. The HST is not something I reckon anyone will touch except Accurascale. Though Bachmann might be doing the prototype (and so far only the surviving one) with no coaches proposed then unless they are about to surprise us all I think they are doing just the single power car. Accurascale if I recall have a HST fan in their team. The 67 might be a future Dapol item, they like their bo-bo diesels and the N model may be due a refresh so why not do both. We know what happened with the 91 when someone came along to offer one, I don't think they will be trying again but Accurascale do have someone modelling the ECML in modern times but that's not enough to say there is a market for another one just yet and the HST surely would come first with many more regional applications / livery variations.