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I assume the other thing that made climbing round on these tiny spaces a little easier is that these drivers would be underweight and a lot smaller than we are. Good reason to keep on eating! Rob

I have the new version AND the option to send feedback! They must be scanning what I said above and noted that I didn't say I hated it yet. Maybe I should say I hate it and see if the feedback option disappears. Rob Rob

Seems they are testing a new interface design on a "small" number of users - https://www.wfla.com/news/national/youtube-is-testing-a-new-layout-the-internet-hates-it/ The URL of the above link says what most people who got it think of it. I am one of the small number as well. Can't say I hate it (not used to it though) yet but I am not liking the growing number of adverts and poor choice of suggestions these days. Rob

According to the Michael Harris MK 2 book - appendix C. There were 5 early MK2's assigned to the London - East Anglia services (along with 180 MK1) in mid-1972. He doesn't state that they were FK's but I assume that is what they would be. Don't know when they moved over but, of course, they would be repainted by 1972. Towards the end of the 70's he says a lot more of this stock moved over to the GE lines. Rob

Anyone know what happened when the train was put back together in the up direction? That would involve more shunting I presume. Rob

Hands (assuming you still have them) up those who want to work like the guy in the first few seconds of this video https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0lFs4DVC2kY Thinking back to when I was around 9 or 10 (early 70's) there certainly were deaths due to misadventure. In my class (not just my school - in the 30 kids in my class) I can remember two kids who died. One got caught on something while swimming in a canal lock and drowned. Another died while playing chicken running in front of cars on a fast road. The thing that strikes me now about it was there was little fuss made - just an announcement at the start of class and nothing more. If that was the norm then you are unlikely to have heard about these deaths unless you were in that class. Rob

On further research in the RCTS book 92023 and 92050 were on tests going north to Kilmarnock. The tests were to compare the standard 9F with a Crosti version. These were road trails after tests in the Rugby Testing Station. The test trains consisted of 600 tons of empty passenger stock - which sounds like an expensive train to model! But there was another road trail with 92013 between Skipton and Carlisle in September/October 1954. This was a shorter train but would be unique as it consisted of a Dynamometer car and Mobile Test Units. Crewe did send them north for testing on completion. But I don't know how far north. Other than that it seems 9F's didn't start appearing in general use until 1958 when they started to run on the Settle and Carlisle. Rob

Seems 92023 (a Crosti) and 92050 were allocated (for a month) to Kingmoor in 1955. There were there for tests - no clue what tests though. Edit to add - the RCTS book on the 9F's says 92015-7 and 92161/2 were allocated to Newton Heath in June 58 and used on fitted freights from Manchester to Carlisle via the Settle and Carlisle route. Rob

To me this sounds like a triplet not a pair of coaches. 90 people would be hard to fit in two coaches along with the Restaurant facilities. No. 209 - Stock - TOV (Alexandra Laundry party), G. W. Articulated Restaurant Car (30 seats, Alexandra Laundry party; 60 Pioneer Spiritualist party) ; TOV (Pioneer Spiritualist party) ; 2 TKL ; 2 BTKL Rob

Yep - i worked with him in the 90's. The dart incident itself happened around 77 long before I met him. Rob

Back in the early 90's I worked with the guy who got the dart in his head. He said he didn't know it had happened and was wondering why everyone was staring at him - eventually his friend did tell him. Luckily he had a lot more hair at the time than the above guy in the cartoon. He brought in all the newspaper clipping about it. Strangely enough no one had pointed out that there was a big picture of his face on the front page underneath the headline 'The ugly face of football'. He did not appreciate me bringing up that point! He seemed to be a person beset by strange problems. I remember him coming into work a little late and a little wide eyed. On his way to work he was just coming out the newsagent when the house next door just collapsed all over his car. Rob

The Modern Railways mag of the time has a number of articles about this topic at the time. They start with rumours and gossip and end up with what actually happened. The gossip was that in 1962 the SR was getting concerned with the losses west of Exeter so were considering refocusing their efforts into a diesel semi-fast service to serve the stations up to Exeter (not sure if single line or not). Then comes the discussion mentioned above - should the Westbury line be closed and all traffic diverted by the SR route. Then the rumours really start - if the West of England is going to the SR and the old GW lines were going to the LM is there any need for the WR at all. Could the remains be combined into the LM? Of course that didn't happen. They kept the Westbury route - reasons, not sure Waterloo could handle the extra traffic on a weekday, too slow to reverse at Exeter, Taunton was too big a place to abandon and most existing passengers were used to going to Paddington. I am sure the WR folks were happy with that decision! Edit - just to add. None of the articles mention anything about the SR line being closed. Modified yes - but not closed. Rob

Actually I think they would look at that and think "Cut down an entire forest and get $20?? - way too much like hard work. I wouldn't get off the couch for $20!" Rob

That land was used by the up and down goods lines which avoided the station and sidings. The goods lines were taken out in 1968 during the changes in preparation of Trent Power box. J1544 also shows some of the work in preparation for Trent. The layout has been changed and the semaphores changed to match. The biggest change seen here is the distant signals added to the gantry. These were only added in 1968 - they just look like they have always been there! Rob

Scenes from the Past: 33 Bury to Heywood and Rawntenstall has a photo of the BP in Bolton Street station. It is on platform 3 (train 1Z65) in the evening and is signaled to go towards Castleton. Rob