31A

Thanks for the heads up Andrew, I'll expect a call from Monk Bar Models sometime soon then!

I don't have much experience of the Reading-Birmingham section but would add to that the Birmingham-Derby-Sheffield-Leeds part of the XC route. The scrums and bun fights over that section (seemingly almost any time of day) puts me off travelling from York to Birmingham, especially as there aren't so many of the "faster" ones via Doncaster any more (roughly two hourly, formerly hourly). In contrast if I happen to go north from York on one they are usually much more comfortable. Although I rarely do as I (back on topic!) much prefer an LNER Azuma if doing that kind of journey.

In fact not a Thompson one but a steel panelled Gresley type BG - note for example the domed roof ends. Another difference is that there is a Guard's ducket, but it is on the side which isn't visible in the picture. Bachmann are actually bringing out a completely retooled Thompson BG which will no doubt be streets ahead of the current, dated, model.

I've just brought this Bachmann Thompson Brake 2nd into service. I bought it some time ago, when the maroon ones first came out, but have just got around to doing the necessary modifications to suit my purposes. I say "necessary" but in reality these are such beautiful models there's very little that can be done to improve them. So, my modifications are: Remove the copper bearing / pick up strips from the bogies and replace with conventional bearings. This is necessary to stop the bogies bridging section gaps which can lead to all sorts of electrical problems with conventional cab control. Fit MJT 'folded paper' gangways. Shorten the NEM coupling mountings. Weathering of underframe, ends and roof. Another Hornby BCK bites the dust. I just need to do some of those things to the Mk 1 that it's coupled to!

The signal might have reverted after the loco passed it? Or could just be the effects of a zoom lens?

I've always thought mine was a bit fast, so out of interest I went and timed it. It takes about 42 seconds to turn through 180 degrees. It's driven by a home made gearbox using Meccano gears and a 9v motor from an old reel-to-reel tape recorder. It's supposed to represent a vacuum driven turntable although I haven't got around to making the vacuum bits (or the handrails). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI53GOhwJZM

Does this help at all (from 0:30 secs approx); it doesn't look like a constant rate of revolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnBrKC5BFdI

That looks like a brilliant trip Graham - not AT ALL jealous! Interesting that you got a 'proper' train on the Albula; I've never done the restaurant car but would love to!

The real sky is like that sometimes, but I think I prefer the one in the first picture, with the clouds.

Thanks Tony. My "method" goes back to the days before cyanos and thread locks were available, or at least not available to me. and I got fed up with the crankpins unwinding themselves when I thought I'd screwed them in tightly. I didn't anticipate a situation where I'd have to remove them, and neither do I think I've ever needed to!

The engineers on here probably aren't going to like this, but after I've screwed the crankpins in tightly I turn the wheel over and put the crankpin between the jaws of a vice, then hit the back of the crankpin with a centre punch! I aim to hit it slightly off centre which deforms the thread and stops it unscrewing....

There was some stuff about this on Facebook groups including from the man behind the Mangapps railway, and apparently various interested bodies had looked into saving it but came up against insurmountable difficulties. Mostly due to the proximity to a live railway with live overhead wires. I think it was said that it would have needed a possession and partial dismantling of the overheads to crane it out. Apparently there were obstacles to getting it out by road on the side of the station where it was (overhead line structures in the way I think, not being too familiar with Shenfield station by road myself I’m not in a position to say). There had been a proposal years ago to get it out on wheel skates to Chelmsford low level yard for taking by road from there, and that would have meant finding a long enough gap in traffic, but apparently the price wanted by EWS as it then was was the killer. The general consensus seemed to be that it was now too far gone to justify the effort, especially as there are other Sharks on heritage railways already anyway.

Not a large town, but Gobowen station had a coal yard that was served until relatively recently using air braked hopper wagons; I’m not sure when it actually finished.

I don't know to be honest but I was under the impression that they used the same sign regardless whether or not there was a hand lever; such signs seemed to be quite normal at catch points on the GN lineside at one time!

This one was by the flat crossing at Retford. You can see the hand point lever to hold it closed for movements in the wrong direction.

I seem to remember on the GN some such signs were actually lettered "SWITCH".

I think they are Catch Points, as they have the sign next to them to indicate that they are.

I made a model representation of one of the CCTs that was converted from a Great Eastern suburban coach back in 2021, using an old Graham Farish (Grafar) suburban coach as the basis. It comes out about 4mm too long unfortunately, but is pretty close in other dimensions. I did put some more photos of how I did it on my layout thread "Train Spotting at Finsbury Square" but unfortunately they were lost in the server crash! I don't know what other book references you've got, but apart from the photos you've found on line I also got information from "BR Parcels and Passenger-Rated Stock" Vol 1, David Larkin, (Kestrel Railway Books, 2014) p66 (photo of E71038E at Exeter Central, and running number info), and the Great Eastern Society Journal no 185 (good photo but probably not much else you don't already know). I don't know of a decent drawing unfortunately, although there's an 'outline drawing' in "British Railways Pre-Nationalisation Coaching Stock" Vol 1 (Longworth); it is reproduced very small and includes several inaccuracies such as spurious GER-style panelling and windows in each door rather than just the LH one of the pair, but it does at least show where the doors were!

I may be wrong, then. Just something I had in the back of my mind!

I think the windscreens were slightly different too, not as tall?

I agree; I had to look several times to convince myself it was there. As you say, they are usually much more apparent. I don't think I've seen a colour picture of a clean one before; going by what I've seen in B&W photos I would have thought the fairing was painted green, but it may just have been dirty in those pictures and appeared to be the same tone as the green bodywork. It's a lovey photo, anyway!

Are they? They've got the jumper cable sockets beneath the windscreens and the fairing below the buffer beam which I always thought indicated the Lightweight Met-Camms, numbered in the E79xxx series.

Hopefully for the residents of Matylebone then, perhaps Chiltern might be able to arrange a shore supply in the station so that the locos can be shut down, but TPE never seemed to be able to do it. I always think a risk of shore supplies in situations like that (terminal passenger stations) is that sooner or later someone will start the train without disconnecting the supply first....!

Is the difference that the 68s when coupled to the Mk5 coaches need to be left running, to provide power to the coaches, and can't be shut down? That was the case with the way Trans Pennine used them; it has been explained that there was a technical reason why they couldn't be shut down but I can't remember the details at the moment. The noise certainly was deafening if you were on the platform at Scarborough and a 68 was under the train shed roof, or when one was standing in Platform 2 at York station; it was impossible to hold a conversation over a pint in The Tap pub on the station! I shouldn't think they'd have been very popular in the station hotel either. I'm not very familiar with 67s, but doubt they would be as loud as 68s.

See this thread for a source of a new motor from Tramfabriek: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/119213-oxford-n7/page/47/