Oldddudders

And nary a mention of Prussian forests!

It worked for me in froggy France. Heartwarming.

The Mk 2 rolling road is eminently saleable, Martyn, as an affordable alternative to all those complex and expensive roller and so on things. Brilliant. I do enjoy lateral thinking, but perhaps this is actually longitudinal?

As an irrelevant aside, I must admit to some puzzlement that another member seemed slightly unsure of Ken W's role on the railway. His avatar shows an ASLEF badge with 40 years, and he notes the dates of his driving career there as well - which I make 42 years. To the best of my knowledge, ASLEF membership is only open to footplate staff, and at the time Ken must have joined access to footplate jobs was highly restrictive - I think you needed to be in the footplate line of promotion by age 18, or maybe even less, otherwise you were not allowed to join. These days drivers are a scarce resource, and the age limit for joining is a thing of the past. Not every boy now grows up wanting to be an engine driver, apparently. Times change.

I think we used to talk about examining centre-castings, whatever they are, in the wake of a collision.

I think it's painting by numbers.

To Rumanian orphans?

Or whether it lists to port or starboard.

Once an engineer, always an engineer. Sigh.

Acronyms are a PITA, FFS. Discuss.

Not a 66 then?

So buckeyes have always helped practical safety in overtaking accidents. Given that the 8xx vehicles are 26 metres in length, nearly one-third longer than the typical 20 metre length of most Big 4 and earlier BR coaches, we can understand why an alternative connecting mechanism within set was needed having regard to end-throw etc, but prima facie there may be a downside. All this must surely come out in the wash currently in the investigation machine.

Your collection is impressive - but which part of Southern Region are you seeking to model? Going back to 1923 and Grouping, the Southern Railway was formed from three distinct companies - SECR, LBSCR and LSWR. By the time 1948 came and Southern Region was created, the Pre-Grouping locos were in many cases still mainly working on their former District. So 700s seldom ventured far off the South Western, and Terriers in revenue service were few and far between off the Brighton. There were only 8 ex-SECR P Class, and so they weren't widespread. N15s on the Central District had 6-wheel tenders. Classes 33 and 73 (not 70) were 1960s creations, of course, and by the time electro-diesels were about, the South Eastern had no steam. Furthermore it was some years before the later, JB version of the ED appeared, and I think that is the version modelled. The B2 0-4-0 is presumably actually B4, so mainly South Western, and seldom seen on a main line, being a dock tank. The MLV - not PLV - was used mainly on the South Eastern, but only after steam had disappeared. If you are just a collector, then you are doing fine, but if you seek to make a plausible Southern Region layout, some of your locos might be hard to justify, wherever you locate it.

I assume that like all modern trains, the 8xxs have vehicles of integral construction. Cars have been like that for many decades - and the slightest crease in the roof of a car otherwise repairable is enough to condemn it. Is the same true here?

The final pic shows the station after the electric sting had been installed. Newcastle station is Grade II listed. When the OLE was going to be installed, the LA showed very considerable interest, and detailed discussions took place with the Project Team and engineers on what and where. One Monday morning my boss had a call from the LA, saying that one of the uprights erected over the weekend was in the wrong place - and they were right!