cessna152towser

When the heritage centre tracks were laid it was a stated intention at the time that this would be done to Network Rail standards, ready for main line use if/when the southern section of the Waverley line would be re-instated. However the heritage centre track is sixty foot panels, recovered when the Settle-Carlisle line was re-laid with continuous welded rail, so would need re-placing. There have also been other proposals which would see a new build route south of Hawick which would bypass Whitrope. There is currently a Borderlands Growth Deal in place, involving the Westminster and Scottish governments along with Northumbria and Cumbria County Councils, Carlisle City Council, Scottish Borders Council and Dumfries & Galloway Council and I understand that £15 million of that funding deal has been earmarked for a feasability study re the route between Tweedbank and Carlisle.

Saturday was a busy day when our monthly open day at Whitrope co-incided with superb weather. Demand was sufficient to justify running an hourly service from 10am till 4pm and since each train trip covers two round trips, we ran the full line 14 times each way with 142 020. I was train guard and after a few runs, on completion of the next run as soon as I pressed the door release buttons the door at the other end of the coach was already opening before I had time to press the nearest passenger operated "Open Doors" button. A consultation with our driver quickly showed that the passenger operated button at the other end had jammed in the pushed in condition, easily solved by a firm thump on its console. Just goes to show how little things can stiffen up or seize if lying out of use for a week or two.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03735884 Ayup Steve I think it’s fictitious anyway; doing some admittedly limited research when I first got mine about 10 years ago as a teenager, the only results were of the Skaledale related products! If it does end up being a real company it’d be an interesting twist and an odd choice by Hornby; it’s not exactly Railfreight is it? Been a part of the Railroad range for ages now!

That's why we stopped going as well. I know the feeling. As a Great Central Railway shareholder I was always happy to spend a day there and use my annual Day Rover pass. Never been back since they stopped the members' free travel one day in the year. Their loss because I am no longer spending money in their catering outlets and souvenir shops.

Congratulations Mike.

Yes, there's more. Probably lots more! The Red Arrows van had different designs on opposite sides.

None. My only A4 is an old Wrenn Mallard, re-named and re-numbered as 60009 Union of South Africa.

Last time something similar happened to me, only difference being the bidder B waited till just over 24 hours before end of auction until he cancelled his bids, I cancelled all bids and relisted, as I felt that over the four or five days that that highest bid had stood, many others could have viewed the item and been discouraged by the high bids. I notified the other bidders of why I was cancelling and relisting. However it cost extra as by my cancelling bids I lost the 80% fee discount and was charged full fees by eBay on the current highest bid, and further fees when the relisted item eventually sold. I would now be inclined to agree with Chris P. Bacon above, and wait and see what the item eventually sells for.

Difficult one to call. Living in the south of Scotland near the English border I am prone to buying everything Scotrail or Northern Rail as there is a limited market up here in the north and it is a case of use it or lose it, they won't make any more northern prototypes if we don't keep buying. I am not sure about this one though. Could only run it with a Realtrack 156 alongside which it would look rather toylike, or with the long discontinued Hornby Scotrail Saltire liveried 156.

My Accurascale Siphon G arrived today, seen here behind another recent acquisition, a second hand Bachmann 6937 Conyngham Hall.

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I have to confess to preferring state run co-ordinated transport. In the old days British Railways ran the trains and the state owned Scottish Bus Group ran the buses. So travelling from Hawick to Preston using the Waverley Route replacement bus would take me to the station forecourt at Carlisle and if the bus ran late and missed the connecting train there was no problem to catch the next train without penalty. Now they are all different operators. Last time I made that trip, the bus got stuck in traffic and I just missed my Trans-Pennine connection. The Avanti lady on the platform said don't worry, our train will be along in two minutes. I told her I had a Trans-Pennine only ticket, so I would need to wait an hour for the next one. Left Carlisle an hour late. On train ticket inspector checked my ticket and said your reservation is for the previous train so pay an extra £17.50 please. I paid up with good grace because I know how the system works nowadays but many people don't and I suspect some folk would have given him abuse and been reluctant to pay in similar circumstances. I wouldn't envy him his job. To add insult to injury the train lost another hour between Carlisle and Preston due to "freight train breakdown ahead of us".

Yes indeed. The truncated Elderslie Junction to Greenock Princes Pier line was latterly converted to a six mile siding from Elderslie through Houston and Bridge of Weir to Kilmacolm. Here is a view from 1975 showing the end of the line at Kilmacolm. The track on the left was already out of use as was the signal box but the single line remained available for DMUs only until 1983. Nowadays this is a cycle track.

Back in 1969, when I first joined Clydeside Model Railway Club I got involved in helping to build their Cardean layout, which was first exhibited at Model Rail in Glasgow in 1970. The branch line ran to a station called Allt-na-Bob and the branch ended at a bricked up tunnel mouth, leading the viewer to envisualise that the branch line had gone further pre-Beeching.

Looks like KR are competing with Modelmaster to keep us guessing as to when and what for the promised big announcement.

Our first open day of the season. Unusually quiet due to lots of competing attractions, with the local rugby club competing in a cup final in Edinburgh, a ride out by the local horsemen, and a retro car rally in the adjacent forest, not to mention the Coronation. However we did achieve 15 to 20 visitors during the day and managed to run a Coronation Express on the Waverley Route between the south portal of Whitrope Tunnel and the north end of Ninestanerigg Cutting.

I know the feeling. Took a big sack of mags to a heritage railway and said would you like these as a donation. Was met by a very abrupt "No" from the volunteer on their sales stall. I took all the mags back home and put them in the next week's re-cycling.

I know the feeling. I had one like that recently. Some weeks after selling, I left positive feedback. In response I received a short message "No sign of item". Postal tracking showed no proof of delivery so I immediately refunded. I also replied that I would take the matter up with the post office but for what it is worth here's a copy of the post office receipt with tracking number in case he wanted to make enquiries at his end and that if the item turns up later I would trust his honesty as a fellow model train collector to let me know. Never the courtesy of an acknowledgement, nor any feedback thanking me for the very quick refund.

Absolutely true. I can't understand why though. Last month a Hornby ZBA Rudd in Loadhaul livery sold at auction on eBay for £21.00, yet my Dutch liveried example boxed mint only fetched £6.00 a few hours later on the same day receiving only two bidders. Personally I have always disliked the Loadhaul livery and it is not something I would buy.

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This advice proved extremely helpful when my 37 423 arrived this morning, as I would never have guessed that the roof section could be so easily detached and would probably have thought it necessary to remove the whole body to access the blanking plate. Loco runs beautifully, has been along all my track without stalling or derailling, no bits broken off, and I am delighted with it. One question re the lighting. Main headlight and the smaller right hand one light up in direction of travel while both cabs also light up. Should the tail lights also work on analogue?

So I got fed up and frustrated of waiting for my first Accurascale 37 to arrive and after Friday evening wine I bought a second hand Lima 37 184 in Railfreight petroleum grey on eBay for 33 quid. It arrived on Monday and by Lima standards is a good runner and has been running up and down my layout all day Monday and Tuesday but will probably be sidelined once my Accurascale 37 423 Spirit of the Lakes arrives later this week.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115752042063?hash=item1af35bfe4f:g:J1YAAOSwu75kJxh6&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4E5YcD7fr2v949jfmABO3i6%2F79GPj3uxN3To9MrangGX9PHZcTT9D55lxpFZlAfkonhX99HJPC9iQen5h171IggQ63xQIxusI3lknRfJIGihnG71KgDOruoqzsY3E1PAh40jR1%2B4agWQ8bpGPUhhLW7h3JmC%2BeOkcRW%2B4i3javmxGP5r5NJUA0JvRExpwqbfs7fPHhtaqiJbtZqDi63%2BdOhGEumWh1gAhk2Kequ7UD5VcUwMTGD86k4swI6LJcu7%2BzRGtmH3p412Uiu9dr6QZv3xZtwTzmeA2Pgvk0D0tYgl|tkp%3ABk9SR9qovYP2YQ From the same seller as offered us:- This one is equally disgusting. Looks like it has lost its glazing, also it is Playcraft HO although described as Hornby-Dublo.

My thoughts entirely. All this week I have been visiting this thread several times per day hoping for clues as to when I might receive my analogue 37423 Spirit of the Lakes. Every day I have waded through comments on sound function and references to different types of decoders/speakers which I as a luddite can never comprehend. Just as another week seemed about to end with no news, the retailer phoned me after 5 o'clock this evening to confirm he had just received my loco and requested me to pay the balance. I am promised it will be posted on Monday so hopefully next week I will at last have the opportunity to compare the new Accurascale model with my older Lima and Bachmann 37s.

The pandemic, almost immediately followed by the increased cost of living has certainly deterred retired people such as myself from travelling as much as before. I'm now at home a lot more extracting better value from running my model trains and running the household heating, compared to 2019 and previous. My car mileage between the April 2022 to April 2023 MoT tests was just 1,260 miles and during that period I have made probably about only a dozen train or bus journeys.