stewartingram

Well I'm still hoping that Model Rail take up my suggestion for a follow up to the dep. Sentinel. As Chesterton Junction PW yard (in Cambridge) had their Sentinels replaced by 2 purpose-built 03 shunters (delivered as dep.91 & 92), one of these would make a good LE based on the new Bachmann 03 I reckon, a good stablemate for the Sentinel. Edit: footnote to add that I've seen 91 and 92 depart the PW yard to run up to Cambridge for servicing on the main line, so why not the Sentinel?

And don't forget, the term for doing this is sometimes known as 'modelling' I believe.

Causes me an expensive problem this one! I already have a pair of Hornby 21's, which I wish to replace. Thing is, I want them as before, D6110/12 as seen on delivery as light engines through Cambridge, with the communication doors connected. With the Hornby pair, I used the motor bogie elsewhere. Any chance that Dapol will do a dummy loco cheaper for the 2nd one I wonder?

That red is rust I rust I reckon. Mine is on order, ready for use on the Leicester-Norfolk weekend holiday train via the M&GN(!) a mixed rake of Hawksworth & Stanier stock.

Now I'm getting worried - there's got to be a cost to this?

Sorry but NO! The W&M's were based at Cambridge from new until withdrawn & stored there. 2 (may have been only 1?) were then moved to Derbyshire for a short period. They never worked anywhere else. Incidentally, Cambridge was a bit of a magnet for railbuses, as I saw 1 of most if not all types there (can't check numbers as I'm at work). We always thought this was for maintenance or comparison tests, as they were quite successfully used in the area until lines closed.

I stood on the ECML footbridge at Everton Crossing, north of Sandy one day with a tape recorder. Heard the sound of an approaching n/b Deltic, but all I could see was a Brush type 2 - which was piloting the Deltic. Wierd experience, great recording, I still have it on tape somewhere, must dig it out!

Impressive loft ladder, what about showing us the layout next?

I believe the notifications on 'in stock' & 'due dates' on the Bach webpage actually refer to the Barwell stores location? Having said that, I'm eagerly awaiting the 2 green versions of the Cravens unit (yes I know, its not an A2!) which I've pre-ordered with Trains4U; these have been reviewed in all the mags (presumably airfreighted) and are shown as delivered in the last 30 days, yet none of the dealers appears yet to have them delivered!

One of the Yahoo groups had a contributor who is a professional consultant in the rail industry. Though he couldn't give much away, he claimed a while back to have been approached to quote/consult/whatever on replacing the rail track, probably on top of the new concrete. Don't know any more than that, but his many postings on subjects seemed to point to him being genuine! Let's hope so anyway!

Be cheaper to lay some explosive down, bit like a big railway detonator...

Misguided busway, St.Ives to Cambridge line. How dare you post such rubbish on a respectable forum.....

No picture I'm afraid, but maybe a thought-provoking- er... thought? There I was yesterday, sitting on the Embankment (honest guv, I was working...) watching the Eye, the boats, the scenery (lol very pretty girls), and of course the occasional train crossing the bridge in the distance to Charing Cross. A 465 went over, it was in the shadow of the metalwork of the bridge, and looked stunning! The whole bodyside appeared to be in a Maunsell-ish shade of dark green, with yellow doors, white roof, and white cab ends. Now the normal South Eastern livery actually suits these units I reckon, being one of the less "trendy" styles, but can anyone do a photoshop in the style I described just to see the effect of what I appeared to see?

That 92028 reminds me of the old Triang Transcontinental loco for some strange reason!

Lime Green & Chestnut - stylish! Much better than the later insipid blue with the ends dunked in school custard!

As I've heard it, there is no EU directive at present requiring headlights to be on in this country. However, interpretation of "Elf & Safety" by bus garages (initially, followed by their parent companies making it "official") has led to all London buses adopting the idea. It has also been mooted that the EU is considering making it a legal requirement for all vehicles to have them on in the not too distant future, though how true this is I don't know. A sore point with me on 2 counts. Firstly I've had an eye op, which means my left eye doesn't "shut down" as normal so I suffer greatly from dazzle off these lights, particularly from vehicles following me, and secondly, I belong to the school of thought that if everyone has lights on, you actually see less of the surrounding objects, as your eyes ( & half of mine!) shut down with all the bright lights present, so you miss the adjacent unlit objects. Have you noticed btw, the drivers that insist on having them on are usually a) poor drivers; B) the ones more likely to have poorly adjusted lights?

7F2-8-0 on enthusiasts special trying to recrate a historic scene aka todays photographic specials? I'll get my coat...

Anything GE section that lasted into BR, also W&U tram coaches

Yes that's the one. I've built up to a dozen of them over the years, still use my original "bodge" trial version now and again!

From memory - I don't have the circuit in front of me, and I'm trying to sort out a PC problem (read one message in Outlook and it freezes, needs CTRL/ALT/DEL to stop it then restart, worse problem than the old RMWeb!) - I believe the circuit to be a PWM with adjustable feedback. Based on the then new drill speed controllers. Has the option of adding accelaration and decceleration. Built in overload protection (simple bulb). For my uses I've "designed" (if thats the word) a veroboard layout, with a handheld contoller box (speed control, direction switch) coupled to a fixed main unit (the majority of the circuit). Components such as transistors are dated, but modern equivalents are available. I've plenty of stocks so haven't needed to source new. There is a 2nd potentiometer, mounted on the main unit, which the article describes as a "max speed" setting, but I find it better to fine tune the "min speed" setting with this. Seems to work ok over a range of motors, though the pedantic might adjust it with every different motor! To be honest I'm not up to speed with the latest types available, I've found this one suited my needs for all these years, if it ain't broke don't fix it, so I've not bothered to look elsewhere. You're welcome to a copy of my notes, if it suits you, fine, if not, well nothing lost.

I use a DIY circuit from Wireless World 1973, have built quite a few of these over the years. Fairly complex, but very good. My Wills J69, with a 5 pole motor and 60:1 gearing takes 30 minutes to traverse a 1/2 circle of Hornby track. My old Triang 0-6-0 chassis as built can been seen, with the body off, to show the motor "cogging" over between poles. I've scanned & rewritten the article to aid me to construct the units on a production (!) basis if you want a copy?

And all those lovely GER kits......?

1B66 Cambridge Buffet Express: BR mk 1, with usually a Gresley buffet car, sometimes a Thompson, later on eventually a Mk1. Don't forget that for at least one season, 1964?, the CBE was extended to Ely. The Mk1's in general replaced Thompson or Gresley vehicles. Suburban trains had "lesser quality" ie older stock for distance runs such as Cmbridge, but more usually the suburbans didn't get as far and would be Quad-Art sets or non-corridor Mk 1's. Yes they did revenue freight; I have memories of them on goods trains at Sandy and Peterborough North. They were also used on engineer's trains; don't forget Hitchin was their base for a long while (the present-day engineer's yard is the purpose built diesel depot). There was a pw depot at Hitchin in those days; I think it worked in collaboration with the rail depot at Chesterton Junction north of Cambridge (pioneer of long-welded rail). I remember 20's working between the 2 depots.

You forgot to add - remotor/regear/strip chassis/whatever if it uses Clayton parts....

I've thought for a long time that these sites should be better "organised", if that is the word. Take locos; Those locos available for traffic (call them category 1) should be the ones that are available to the public gaze, though restrictions of access for safety reasons may apply. Category 2 would be "out of ticket" locos, ie now effectively museum pieces, available for much closer inspection. Category 3 are those actually going through the works process, with category 4 the "reserve" collection which would be all kept together, more out of sight than now because of the scrapyard appearance, but available to view on request if possible. Same applies to coaches and wagons. I'm sure that this would improve the "satisfaction value" at all sites for punters, and probably railway staff as well. A better environment all round.