simon b

A 4ft traverser will be fine, without a turntable you would still need to physically lift the larger engines off the rails to turn it round on a 5ft track anyway, so it's just a case of rolling the coaches along a little.

If you use setrack for the loops you can fit a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th radius loop inside a 4ft wide board. I have a layout plan on another thread that has the return loops underneath a minories like station, all on a 8 x 4ft board. It's not very portable though.

Dont know how I've not seen this thread till now, just my sort of thing a 70's suburban layout. What plans have you for the triangle of board in front of the station area?

Couldn't agree more with that, I've planned hundreds but only built a few.

Sad that Pendeford yard had to close, but I'm looking forward to seeing the new layout build progress. I'm just going to re-post these shots of my favorite part of the layout, Hickmans glass works sidings. That area certainly had an atmosphere about it.

Admittedly a diversion due to engineering works, but how about a HST on the Watford branch?

Thanks for that, they have just the sort of look I'd like to recreate. I shall have to shamelessly borrow your idea.

It does seem a little cramped upstairs doesn't it? Looking at that pic above has reminded me that some Q stock vehicles are being restored, so hopefully we might be able to ride them at some point.

Is that the Ratio LNER signal kit with ekon color light heads? I'd like to make something similar.

Thanks for that. Keeping no12 running is a worthy cause, but it would be great to see it operational again one day.

Hi all. Having seen Met no12 Sarah Siddons a few times on various trains, it got me wondering about the condition of it's sister no5. Does anyone know if it's still capable of running under it's own power, or is it now just a static exhibit? Just wondering how plausible it would be to get it back out on the main line.

Katherine street gets a mention on Jago's youtube channel today.

Hi Eric, the re-built layout looks so much better than it did before. Deleting the rear track in the station area to make room for scenery is a huge improvement. Is the line under the left bridge arch leading to the branch station?

Hopefully it will be let out on the main line again at some point in the future, when it passed you at speed the whistle did sound quite eerie.

No idea! Unless it's had an LU style one fitted at some point?

Watch from about 5:10 onwards.

That's the unique 6tc 601

I think they stopped being fitted in the mid 60's, the preserved 2BIL 2090 had a working one during it's runs at the woking 250 event. The last operating ones on the SR would probably have been the class 487 emu's on the W&C. Interestingly the 378 units on London Overground are fitted with LU style whistles, as are/were Chiltern 165 units.

I imagine I'm in the minority, but I always thought the lined blue and grey suited the 5BEL far better than umber and cream.

Certainly dont build them like that anymore, classic EMD's last for ever. They have been saying it's times almost up for quite a few years, I think it's earmarked for preservation.

Hopefully we'll see a mount pleasant mk2 at some point in the future, perhaps a micro layout of some sort? The pics of the original have certainly been an inspiration for me, many ideas centering around the enclosed station idea.

Another thing of interest were the "Greyhound" class 421 units, these had an extra field weakening position to help acceleration and were noticeably quicker than a normal unit. Official top speed was still kept at 90, but this was regularly exceeded.

I think it would have been around 87, the details used to be on the railUK website but seem to be no more. Basically the French engineers didn't think a 3rd rail system could be operated safely above 100mph, hence a demonstration. This was before the modified 33 was ever thought of. The main problem with that sort of speeds was impact damage where the conductor shoes came into contact with the ramps, this could of been solved by longer run up ramps but then normal 3rd rail trains had a greater risk of being gapped. The 4REP was used as they were known to be able to exceed 100mph, this being proved during braking trials to try to up their speed limit to 100mph.

They were quick, but not the quickest. The ultimate speed run of a REP was in connection with testing for the euro-star trains. Alsthom and SNCF engineers were skeptical of the current collection ability of the 3rd rail system for the new trains, so a special test was arranged. This was an overnight possession between Ashford and Tonbridge where a overhauled REP with maximum diameter wheels was run flat out. As it screamed past Staplehurst it was clocked at 117mph before the power was backed off. Apparently the ride in said unit at that speed was horrific.

They do hold the official record for the fastest 3rd rail EMU in the world, 109mph. (A REP has been faster but that was a special test train). Also the first use of automatic plug doors, the only EMU to be built with the "full size" mk3 shell, and the last example of the SR's recycling policy.