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stevex59

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Everything posted by stevex59

  1. I was fortunate enough to watch Kestrel pass My school on Lincoln Avoiding line twice a day for a few months. It always got my attention and I had to write its number down every time I saw it....usually on school books. It seemed a quiet loco to me, but I cant recall the sound as often the speed seemed to be around 20mph which did not make it work hard at all. As far as I know I did not take any photos. I seem to remember it went south in the morning and returned early or mid afternoon. It did visit Holmes yard at least once on MGR empties as part of tests. Interestingly around the same time I noted 2 class 15s being towed north on separate days, 8200 and 8218. I think they ended up at Crewe for stripping. Loco classes typical of the time were 03, 08, 20, 25, 31, 37, 40, 44, 45, 46, 47. Dmus included the 125`s which came to Lincoln for repairs. I spotted all the power cars but no centre cars. Of course all the Locos were pre tops numbers,
  2. As a spotter who frequented such places, i would suggest a few locations to look at like, Leyton, Chesterton junction, Beighton, Nothampton , Crewe gresty green, Three Bridges, Horsham, Tonbridge, Guide Bridge. Most of these were termed CCE yards or PADs There was no better place on a hot day to smell tar and creosote. Usually most place were quiet on saturday as the trains had already gone for weekend trackwork. Late sunday and into the next week arrivals would be old track coming into the depots for stripping into various components some were scrap others re used. Track assembly of points and crossovers would take place on large flat sleeper covered areas, usually with rails inset to allow component parts to be brought in, Usually a depot crane would assist in heavy lifting. Chairs would arrive in open trucks, usually 13t opens Sleepers would arrive in similar opens and Grampus or large loads on Sturgeons. Rails would arrive on Salmons or Borails. Assembled track would depart on Dolphins, Sturgeons and Salmons Point work would be made on site, then disassembled for transport and re assembled on site. At Leyton Yard, East London.. I once came across a pop group making a video, prancing around over piles of sleepers and rails. Not my cup of tea. At another shed I knocked on a door to a shed where I could hear staff working, thinking I would ask to look around the yard. A rather sheepish man opened the door and inside he was spraying his van a nice shade of Yellow... the same as a track machine. The yards were excellent places to spot old or odd types of wagons, some were in internal use only. I hope that gives you some inspiration for your intended layout.
  3. According to my notes at the Toton Rail Fair of 29-8-98 the numbers were, 08994, 511, 569 26004, 27001..this could have been A 77 or a 27, 31452, 31466 33030 37417, 073, 403, 383, 216, 408, 350. 702, 211, 380, 258 47799, 798, 825, 484, 114, 004, 822, 145, 348, 308, 596, 624, 016, 839, 851, 052 56091, 095 57001 58050, 012, 033, 037, 040, 002 59101, 203 60083, 006, 097, 056, 66001, 003, 004, 005 73131 86631 87101 90028 92001 preserved..D8000, D345, D9019, D1023, D444, D5580, D172, D200, D821 50015, 50033 , 44004, 45060 Steam...80098, 48773 On shuttles to the fair, 47976, 47766, 58028, 58029, 47761, 47624, 47767, 47475 Toton Rail compound... 37111, 278, 045, 137, 048, 213 08723, 773, 594, 20154, 177 31149 Toton Yard. 31181, 230, 209, 569, 187, 180, 219, 547, 205, 268, 276, 531, 184 37174, 671 47744, 776, 711 58025, 016, 011, 020, 025, 034, 023, 047, 032, 031, 019, 048 60022 08528, 776 31110 I have numbers for 1979, but they are all jumbled up with Nottingham and derby spottings
  4. Hi Paul, I assume you mean wagon plates. well I had a very large collection of those, in excess of two and a half ton. Some were restored the others were ex wagon. Most collectors like myself prefer ex wagon, however some will only buy them restored. I prefer all those years of muck and paint and the smell of the tar backing that most had. I have since sold around half of my plates and now collect different ones from each diagram number. As for the value, it does not make any difference if restored or ex wagon. The value is in its rarity as in some cases 7500 wagons were built to a lot number, where as sometimes it was just one. The builders name also plays a part in its value, ie. Pressed Steel, Shildon and Darlington can almost be worthless, whilst Barrasie, St Rollox and Crewe can be worth a fair bit. My first plate cost 50p...I still have it, whilst my most expensive was £85. Prices have come down a bit of late so for those who have the knowledge there are some good buys.
  5. According to my books, B870073 still survives at Bodmin and Wenford railway. It was previously numbered 083315 which was a southern allocated internal user although I can not remember where it was based. so its probably the one Aberdeen Bill remembers.
  6. I agree with Highpeakman with his comments about the new footbridge, It seems to have taken an awful long time to build such a small footbridge, you would think that simple structures like this could be almost bought "off the peg" and just lifted into place, after all its only a double track span, not the river severn. I can see that it should be built with the disabled in mind but I just wonder when the barriers go down and a disabled person presses the button for the lift to come, then waits while it rises to the upper level, crosses the bridge, has to wait for the lift to come and descend, how long will that take ? and it will be even longer if a similar disabled person is coming the other way and not to mention the youngsters having a ride for a little fun and maybe the elderly too., but then probably the lift is so big half of Lincoln can fit in it at one go, but it wont matter anyway because the train will be gone and the barriers up again. But once again the town planners have missed an opportunity , as the bridge should have also gone over wigford way with an exit / entrance on the high street, that way it would have been far more benefit crossing road and rail in one go. Avonside1563 asked about the young lad I have at work and his requirement to read the highway code. Well I will ask, it does seem that new drivers are "encouraged" to read it as of course no one can tell what question may come up in the theory test, but you would imagine that questions on level crossings would come up fairly frequently bearing in mind the accidents and incidents that seem to regularly occur, but so far not in the tests he has sat and driving instructors it seems don't teach the highway code either. I did wonder also if questions are asked about trams that have become more common, I cant remember anyone saying about that in the theory test, but trams do need to be given consideration even if they do run on a set route as some people think they just steer out of the way. The one thing that is missing in life is common sense, younger people seem to need to be told everything and have a bit of paper. The young lad at work is now 18, but as I do part of his training, he comes across more like a 15 year old. I was doing more than he can at 14 and able to earn money which paid for some of my model railways. I put this down to parents....NO I am not blaming parents...but when I was little I learned from my dad and granddad. they taught me in a practical way which also they knew I had interest in...I still have a very basic toy train made of wood which was made one Saturday night. It taught me, measurement, sawing straight, how to fret saw circles, drilling, sanding, painting and nailing without splitting wood...all of which I can do today without thinking, later it was model engineering, electrics, gardening, motor mechanics, plumbing, building and many more things that would give health and safety a heart attack...like melting lead and pouring hot tar...and all of this done from around age 6 to 16. Sadly todays parents neither have those skills themselves or have the time to teach in the evenings or weekends. Sorry for digressing, it is a Level crossing thread
  7. At work I currently have a young lad who is trying to pass his Theory test, apparently he has now sat and failed it 4 or 5 times. So as this young man is the next generation of motorists who will soon be amongst us and with your post in mind about reading the highway code, I asked him today if he had any questions about level crossings or barriers in his tests or had his driving instructor mentioned anything. His answer was NO....so its no use people like yourself just saying read the highway code as most new drivers it seems may never be assessed on their knowledge of such requirements and as we all know many older drivers would not pass a current test should they be asked to do so. The majority of replies to this thread regarding the Lincoln incident seem only to be having a go at lady drivers which in my view are no different to male drivers, as both will make mistakes......The man who never made a mistake never made anything was the old saying..
  8. I also remember this statement, however it was aimed at the many freight services that used to creep through. Since it was signalled freight trains generally travel through much faster, but not mainline speeds. This was achieved by easing the curve near Pelham bridge and the improvements to the track on other approaches. Arrivals from say Nottingham are different, the problem here is the signaller / signal system sets a clear route but the sections seem so long that I frequently sit at crossings and try to imagine at the speed it is travelling where would it have been when the barriers went down and just how many more crossings were people also held up. When I travel to work early in the morning there can be many cars waiting and as the train passes you cant spot more than 2 passengers, although it may be different on its return journey. We now have more timetabled freightliner services which are, by lincoln`s standards very long, however the speeds maintained mean they do not hold up the traffic too long. Tank trains are a little slower because of the curves. It has been a long term view by local residents that the avoiding line should not have been closed, however most of the problems caused are by trains that would not have used this route, currently it is mainly just the freightliners that could have used that old route on the way to Peterborough.. From my point of view the hold ups are the passenger services, the main problem being the barriers are put down well in advance of the train leaving. I was told at Christmas whilst waiting for the steam specials that some train crew have a little fun as they press a train ready to depart button early, of course this ensures the train departs on time but they don't care just how long the barriers are down prior to the train actually leaving the platform. There is no easy answer to this problem the crossings cause, other than to close them. It is the town planners who have let Lincoln down in not having a long term plan...at the end of the day the railway has been here over 150 years.
  9. While I am not a big steam fan , I would like to think Hornby could produce a re bodied tender for a West Country
  10. Hi Coombe Martin, I understand the model may not be to your liking, but you don't tell us what model you may be interested in been produced. For me I can see 2 current locos I want to buy...a Heljan class 16 and this APT. For once I used my common sense and pre ordered the APT...unlike the first run of the Blue Pullman when I left it too late. There are many models I find boring....so at shows I never look or while shopping I never buy one...its a free world. Tell us what you would like to see produced
  11. without wanting to cause any offence here, some rules are clear and some are not. For instance, just assuming the poster has written all the rules and not omitted any by accident. It does state....you must stop behind the white line....correct Keep going if you have passed the white line..... But it doesn't say anything about making sure you can exit.....so a little grey area. Also probably a rule needs to be written about what to do if you are caught in that situation, as if you have passed the white line but can not clear the crossing most people will panic as the driver did in the video. There was no yellow box. Perhaps network rail could advise what to do in such cases as this is certainly not the first case and have involved most types of road users. But it does have to be asked why the signaller who could see that the crossing was not clear lowered the barriers. Surely if had set the lights going he had control of the barriers to lower them once the crossing was clear. As long as the lights were showing that would stop new traffic entering the crossing and it would only take a while for the obstruction to exit the crossing. having watched the video it is clear the video is not all it seems as it has been edited to show the worst and not all that led up to the incident. One poster said that public information films seemed to be none existant...he is correct. That was one way we all learned...Tuffty...Green cross code and even clunk click...things that still stick in my mind. Just on a light note... when the barriers were first installed here my friend who worked nearby noted a man who put his dog lead on the barrier red light. Of course the barrier went up taking his small dog with it...at the time they were large barriers and not half type as they are now.
  12. You are perfectly correct here, however the current road works divert traffic into places they would prefer not to go. As for the new link road we wait to see how traffic will emerge on to the foot of Pelham Bridge as even before there were long queues and no traffic signals to help with traffic control....only time will tell.
  13. What the video does not show is that just after the crossing is a turn into a car park. All you need is 1 car to make a late indication and stop, and the woman would have no chance to stop prior to the crossing. Whilst of course i can see this should not happen Lincoln must have the most crossings on its main roads of any city in the country. Frequently barriers come down for many minutes and then rise only to come down again after just letting a handful of cars through. I remember an incident reported somewhere near Taunton where an old man drove around half barriers. At the court case i think network rail said he would have only had 30 seconds to wait for the train to clear. In Lincoln the barriers go down for many minutes and cause major hold ups with no alternatives for road users. I can remember when we had signal boxes with signal men and the hold ups were far less than this automated system. The only solution is to put bridges over or under the railway, but in this location the river level means it would have to be over. But no one wants to pay for it and it would seem not even for some yellow paint box markings on this crossing. I was almost caught out today on the next crossing to this one as I was following 2 buses and could not see that the first had stopped, The second then stopped and I was left on the edge of the crossing. As I sat there held up by road works, not just 1 set of roadworks but 2 including 1 of I assume network rail, the barriers came down. Luckily I only have a small car and could get clear. I would not have been there at all had I not been diverted by another set of roadworks. The moral to this story is do not come to Lincoln and avoid it like the plague.....unless of course your a traffic jam enthusiast.
  14. This was the photo I was thinking of in my previous post.
  15. This thread was one of the most interesting to me. As it is a while since there was any activity I would just like to ask any member if any new information had come to light. The questions I have are, 1, Did the prototype with "humps" have a diagram number as it was very different to others. 2, I have found information of tests been carried out on the Eastern, Midland and Scottish regions, but were there other places. 3, Why did the prototype have a "Return to Acton " instruction on it when most of the tenders were used in other places first and Acton seems to have had them later on. 4, Does any one know of a photo website that has Brake Tenders on other than a general search of Flickr. 5, Does any one know of a register of Brake Tender information, I have all running numbers and lot numbers. I did note that on all the "York" built Brake Tenders the wagon number plate or "D" Plate was located in a set place, but on a photo of a Brake Tender at Ayr that Tender looks like a "York" built , but the plate is much lower down. Could this be one of the Prototypes from the "Cowlairs" Lot number ? I think the photo is on this thread, possibly from "Barking Bill".
  16. 99200 became 083636 and is currently on the East Somerset Railway 99201 became 889301 and is currently on the Northampton and Lamport Railway 99202 became 977692 and is currently on the Strathspey Railway. 99203 became 083637 and is at Stewarts Lane with the VSOE stock 99204 became 889302, the 025030 and is currently at Peak Rail at Rowsley. I can not find any trace of the "Flats", maybe they were cut up.
  17. There were 5 Bullion Vans that resembled mk1 stock and painted in blue and white to match passenger carrying coaches. They were numbered M99200, M99201, M99202, W99203, E99204, they were converted from mk1 coaches 35020, 35021, 35000,34994 and 34995 which were all BSK type and the conversion was done 1965/66, these were coded SLB As can be seen 3 were allocated to the Midland, 1 for the Western and 1 for the Eastern regions. Additionally there were 4 Bullion Bogie Flats that resembled a freightliner wagon, E99500, E99501, M99502 and M99503 they were built at Derby in 1971 and were coded BFB. As they became withdrawn they ended up at various places like Radyr Yard in wales and Peterborough Yard, some made it through to the Departmental Coach Stock. I think 1 or 2 have been preserved.
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