mcowgill

They are both photos of #9982 L&BR dark green Lyn (1906-22) - in L&BR livery with the 1907 Avonside boiler fitted (no ash blowout covers either side of the smokebox) and with the Pilton 'home made' nameplate fitted. Martin

It's not a Boston Lodge project, the loco is being assembled at North Bay Engineering Services, Scarborough

Any chance of a Wisbech & Upwell carriage for the Titfield branch?

Beddgelert forest campsite, has it's own station on the Welsh Highland Railway https://www.beddgelertcampsite.co.uk/

Drawing and photos of Bryn y Felin bridge on the WHR at various stages from Barrie Hughes site that might help http://www.isengard.co.uk/images/JPEGS/UB174-display-landscape.pdf http://www.isengard.co.uk/images/JPEGS/S9_CP14-3-06BYFa.jpg http://www.isengard.co.uk/images/JPEGS/S9_BWH11-8-06BYF.jpg http://www.isengard.co.uk/images/JPEGS/S9_BWH15-10-06BYFdeck.jpg http://www.isengard.co.uk/images/JPEGS/S9_BWH26-11-06BYF.jpg Martin

Was looking to splash out on one to remember 55017 which was my last BR Deltic haulage north from Peterborough on the way home from University, packed train, deep snow outside, sitting on the floor of the BG behind the loco with a gap between the double doors letting the cold (and Napier wail) in. Unfortunately the lack of rivets on the back of the buffers is a game changer, might have to consider sticking with Lima... Martin

27006 at Mallaig in 1974 still with it's tablet recess after TOPS renumbering https://railphotoprints.uk/p582944081/h2547E801#h2547e801

Vic Mitchell was one of the last two surviving attendees of the 1951 Bristol meeting out of which the Ffestiniog restoration grew and was one of the earliest members of the Ffestiniog Railway Society. Martin

The layout used for some of the shots looks like Dick Wyatt's Dovey Valley Railway Martin

I was admitted to hospital a number of years back with kidney stones. The male Doctor and female senior nurse successfully took my mind off it a little by arguing between them whether he was qualified to describe it as the worst possible pain as he hadn't had first hand experience of childbirth

Steve, As far as operational compatibility is concerned you shouldn't have any problems, there is a standard coupler that all the manufacturers of UK 009 (and European H0e) stock use with a hinged loop dropping over a fixed hook. There can be minor compatibility issues between different manufacturer implementations of the coupler (not always coupling or remaining coupled when pushed together) but most recent models have NEM sockets so troublesome couplings can be easily changed to an alternative. Narrow gauge stock encompasses a wide range of sizes, remember that some were built as horse drawn tramways and then gained locomotives with a restricted loading gauge, many later lines were built to use larger stock that can look a little odd alongside older/smaller lines rolling stock. Generally the older the line the smaller it's rolling stock. However there's always a prototype for anything... The Vale of Rheidol used large stock as it wasn't built until the turn of the century and had no need to restrict it's loading gauge, the carriages are similar in size to the Lynton & Barnstaple and the GWR built locos (009 RTR coming from Model-Rail) are over 8 feet wide, the same width as the SR Hastings Line. On several occasions the VofR borrowed the Ffestiniog's much smaller Palmerston as seen here https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/media/images/77701000/jpg/_77701883_hr_pal1913.jpg The WD Baldwins are a little different, these were acquired by a number of lines as cheap war surplus locos with little use so could potentially have appeared anywhere. Martin

Aha - that looks just like my EFE 373 set - I'd been looking for photos but couldn't find one that matched. Thanks, Martin

I just checked my SR Green one and it's the same, I wonder if they are all like this as the photo on Kernow's site shows the same fault http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/p/68898/E86002-EFE-Rail-LSWR-Push-Pull-Gate-Set-number-373-in-SR-Olive as do Rails and Bachmann;s own images. The photos of red set 374 look like they were assembled correctly. Martin

I think I've got a bit of RMWeb content on the screen in amongst the adverts and video! Right clicking on any of the videos brings up the text 'About Connatix V82898' Martin

We have one at work (Ransomes, Ipswich), I wonder if it's installation was related to us being a private siding off the Felixstowe branch as we've never been railway property? Somewhere I have some photos of it, working from home at the moment so can't pop out and take a photo. Not far away is the remains of a scissors crossing embedded in the concrete at the end of the factory... Martin

The likelihood is that the Small Englands were probably outshopped in George England's standard blue livery, the order from the FR didn't specify the livery and other manufacturers quotes received suggest that it was down to the supplier. Jonathan Clay painting of Mountaineer in blue The Large England locos (Welsh Pony & Little Giant) were delivered in 1867 carrying a lined green livery which became the standard for over ten years, this was also carried by the Fairlie locos from Little Wonder right through to Merddin Emrys outshopped in 1879. It was only by the 1880s that the livery changed to the lined red now carried by most of the current FR Heritage fleet. Mountaineer was withdrawn by 1879 so probably never made it into red. I'd recommend Little Giants by Chris Jones & Peter Dennis as a mine of fascinating information on all the pre-preservation FR locomotives. Martin

Some views of the survivors from 2013/14 Martin

A significantly different beast, that's a "Large England" although Prince has grown during preservation to become something not too different. Princess and Palmerston are noticeably smaller

Don't forget Palmerston! 3 extant, Prince & Palmerston in working order Martin

The GWR is correct, sans-serif Grotesque as used by Caerphilly on a number of locos including some 56xx. There's a photo of 6697 at Didcot in this livery further up this page. There are other variants being released with the standard lettering Martin

Then there's the mess at Stratford. Got off a North London line train late at night some years back and saw the next train home along the GEML was due in platform 10 in a couple of minutes so I legged it down the subway and saw the steps marked platform 10a, went up there to find my train running in (and then departing) on the opposite platform. I now know that unlike everywhere else that 10A is not one end of 10 but a completely different platform to 10! How many other people get caught out by that? Apparently it couldn't be numbered 11 when it was brought into use as TFL wouldn't renumber their platforms which start at 11 Martin

As far as I know the first class compartments are in use on a (literally) first come first served basis with all compartments declassified for the moment Martin

I'm not aware of any 3' 6" versions but Tiger at Penmaenmawr was a 3' gauge version with inside frames and cylinders https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Welsh_slate_quarry_Hunslet_locomotives#/media/File:Tiger_works_photo.jpg Martin

Garraway Green, Alan Garraway considered Welsh Pony unfinished business, it was always next in line for restoration but was overtaken by the arrival of Linda, Blanche and Mountaineer and the growth in traffic led to it being put aside. The first donation to the restoration appeal came from Alan so it's going into 1950s/60s green as he would have outshopped it in the 60s. Martin

That's probably about to go up, revisions to the Highway Code for improved safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders were published for consultation today. Rule 163 to be changed to include: give motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 215). As a guide: leave a minimum distance of 1.5 metres at speeds under 30 mph leave a minimum distance of 2.0 metres at speeds over 30 mph for a large vehicle, leave a minimum distance of 2.0 metres in all conditions pass horse riders and horsedrawn vehicles at speeds under 15 mph and allow at least 2.0 metres space allow at least 2.0 metres space where a pedestrian is walking in the road (e.g. where there is no pavement) and you should pass them at low speed you should wait behind the motorcyclist, cyclist, horse rider, horse drawn vehicle or pedestrian and not overtake if it is unsafe or not possible to meet these clearances Details here Martin