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Blandford1969

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Posts posted by Blandford1969

    Severn Valley Railway

    in Preservation

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:


    Will be there ….. supporting the railway as much as possible in 2024 as I did in 2023. Might be nice to say hello … what are you doing today? 
     

    It’s also probably worth pointing out bearing in mind the issues reported above with catering that the previous management regime seemed very focused on employing paid staff in public facing roles at the expense of railway operation. Current management seem to be reverting to something more like the previous model but that will inevitably take time to train more volunteers…. That is if they haven’t been disenfranchised under the previous model . 

    Sorry, I've only just caught up on here. I was not fit enough to drive so just did the Photo fair. 

    • Friendly/supportive 2

    Severn Valley Railway

    in Preservation

    Posted

    If you are visting this weekend. 

     

    2253 Ohama is not available due to a fault which it has not been possible to sort out since the paid staff returned to work on Tuesday. Through a lot of hard work though 7714 is now available for traffic as of this lunch time. 

     

    2968 is standing in on some diagrams and the order locos were originally working trains has now altered. 

     

    Also on Saturday is the Kidderminster Railway Museum Photo fair in the building behind the museum on the other side of the roadway to the car park. There are over 20 dealers with all sorts of subjects and areas. 

     

    Who knows maybe see you there tomorrow. 

    • Like 2

    Severn Valley Railway

    in Preservation

    Posted

    10 hours ago, Andy Kirkham said:

    Thanks.

    But what are those vehicles doing on the SVR?

    HSTs are being prepared for export to Mexico. We are also storing some other vehicles on a commercial contract

    • Like 1
    • Informative/Useful 1

    Severn Valley Railway

    in Preservation

    Posted · Edited by Blandford1969
    adding detail

    4 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

    I've heard of this change of management, apparently the railway is still suffering from the fallout from the previous one?

    On Thurs 28th Dec my family & friends had what could only be described as an "authentic 1960s railway experience" - over-crowded trains, late departures, lack of variety of food & slow service at the cafes, and not even an announcement that the first train of the day was leaving Kidderminster - meaning one of our group was left stranded as she was still in the ticket office queue to exchange her advance-purchased e-tickets for 'proper' cardboard ones (WHY??????!!!!) Her distress at missing the train was matched only by the distress of her elderly mother who was with the rest of us but suffers from dementia. Only one of the staff at Kidderminster showed any sympathy to her or tried to help.

    A horrible experience all round and a reminder of just why the railways were in freefall decline in the 60s as the public went in droves for the convenience of the private motor car. 🙄🙄🙄

    Both mine & my friend's letters of complaint to the SVR make for entertaining reading. If I didn't live relatively local, & wasn't a railway enthusiast anyway, I would never bother visiting the SVR again.

    To answer your a number of your points. I understand and am sorry you did not have a good time. However some of what you have written is unfair. 

     

    We no longer have paid staff in the buffets and are totally reliant on volunteers. I remember that it was made clear before Christmas that due to lack of staff there would be a very basic service over new year.  There were only limited numbers of volunteers who knowing who is involved would have been doing their best to go as quickly as possible. 

     

    For the overcrowding I'd always recommend if trains are running from Bridgnorth to start from there. The trains were 7 and 8 coach sets and that is the limit for our line based on passing loops. In an ideal world people would be evenly spread out over all days, however we do not live in a perfect world. The railway has been putting on additional trains from the original service to take account of higher demand.  The first service from Kidderminster is always heavily loaded having said that. The largest delay of the day was 14 minutes and I can see from the notes the TTIs were going through one of the three trains appologising for being held at Highley.

     

    On the 28th we had a high winds which meant that at times speed restrictions were put on first servces, plus additional desiel inspection trains run in front of the first serivce  to ensure there were no trees down after we had a neighbouring tree come down on the line recently. On the 28th an engine had to be failed due to a boiler fault, which I am sure you would prefer was sorted rather than putting peoples lives at risk.

     

    On the 26th an engine was failed on shed and another loco had to be prepared which takes time, we cannot afford to keep spare engines in steam.   On the 2nd of January the firebrigade requested a line block due to responding to a vehicle stuck in floodwater which resulted in delays whilst that was in place and also afterwards when a caution was in place. Apart from those all other days ran without issues on times. 

     

    No idea why the booking office at Kidder would not have announced the first train, that sounds unusual. I did not know you even had to exchange the e tickets.  I would always say to anyone who is waiting for someone to tell the gaurd, how is the train crew to know if someone from a party is not on the train. 

     

    Your experience is not what any of us as volunteers who have given many years or decades would want and on behalf of us I appologise for the things that have gone wrong, although we  dont have control over the weather nor a loco developing a fault.  I get you are upset but feel posting as you have is perhaps a bit unfair as you have not by the sounds of it even given the railway the opportunity to look at your letters or respond. 

    • Like 1
    • Agree 2
    • Friendly/supportive 8

    WR ‘15XX’ 0-6-0PT - 00 Gauge

    in Rapido Trains

    Posted

    20 hours ago, Budgie said:

    "Ugly" is a subjective opinion, and should not appear in a review.

    It is a term though I have heard said of the class by some enthusiasts, compared to the traditional Pannier they are brutal. That being said they are easier and quicker to prep and being Walsherts accellerate more quickly than a traditional Pannier. However you cannot pull a 15 up to one notch off mid gear due to the 15 having a fixed lead compared to the normal one with Stephensons which has an increasing lead as the engine is pulled up, so giving an increased amount of steam as pre admission before the full Live main steam is admitted. 

    • Like 2
    • Informative/Useful 2

    Five volunteers SUSPENDED from NYMR

    in Preservation

    Posted

    1 hour ago, 009 micro modeller said:


    Is this perhaps another argument for having a volunteer manager? DBS checks etc. are the sort of admin that can be missed (or not correctly processed), especially if it has to be done for a large number of volunteers or employees.

    DBS checks can only be carried out in certain circumstances where the person will be a:

    Teacher

    Childminder

    Social Worker

    Medical professional

    Foster Carer

     

    Most people on railways do not come into contact with minors so this is a bit of a red herring. Its worth adding you that on many railways the structure means volunteers do have a 'manager' be that Station Master, Gaurds/Signaling/Loco Inspector etc. 

    • Like 1

    Copyright - some innocent questions.

    in Photography

    Posted · Edited by Blandford1969

    6 hours ago, ikcdab said:

    When the company's assets were disposed of, then the copyright would have been accounted for then. And if the business of the company was selling images, then they will have made sure that the copyright issue was covered.  If you have bought the slides, then there will be a copyright marking on the slides. It's tough, but if you want you reproduce them commercially (ie not for private use) then you will need to track down the current owner. 

    This is a very difficult situation if the current owner cannot be found.  You could just take the approach that you will use the slides as you wish, and if anyone challenges you then deal with it then.  Most people are reasonable and will understand the situation if you do it sensibly. It all depends on what you want to do with the images. 

    It can be a bit more complicated than that sadly. I purchased a load of original slides of three deceased photographers. I did not know at the time the delaer had 'lent' them to a third party who copied them and sold them on their website claiming to be selling with reproduction rights, they also still appear in their books in which they claim they are their copyright despite never having been their copyright. When challenged they got very umpty.  Buyer beware seems to be more and more the case now and will only get more complicated as we move forwards in time.  

    57xx Pannier Tank Family, By Accurascale

    in Accurascale / Irish Railway Models

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

     

    Boiler came from the scrapper I think. 3612.

     

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffytank/3777970193

     

     

     

    Jason

    The boiler from 3612 is indeed pooled. The idea being a Pannier could always be in service with the spare boiler being restored and ready to go. It carried on for a while but then was dropped. The spare boiler not sure which one is currently in the yard at Bridgnorth. 

    • Like 2
    • Informative/Useful 1

    Modelling mojo and state of mind

    in Modelling musings & miscellany

    Posted · Edited by Blandford1969
    My awful spelling

    Yup, crappy end to the year. No profits, big losses. Worked really hard to put together a fair redundancy process. The Sales Director ignored it and told one person they were redundant in the first meeting (becasue the customer has given notice) what part of consultation and ideas to aovid does he not get. 

     

    Each manaager had a pack of invitations, Q&A, script to ensure fairness, which went to the entire board. FD leaves it till the morning before the seond one to say have you got the invitation - he gets the original email resent - then on the day 'have you got the Q&A' He really just acts like all he wants to do is undermine me. I was so cross I said as much on teams to him - his response was a bully boy response of 'explain yourself' that is not happening. I had fought this horrible bug doing the rounds all week and just though sod it and went off Friday afternoon. Not sure how I feel about Monday at the moment. 

     

    No modelling, the bench and study are even more of a disaster zone (death trap my wife said last night) and spent most of today asleep as exhausted so tomorrow has to be mad clearing as the Out Laws arrive on Monday. 


    Still the one light is not so much modelling as having had a cracking turn on 75069 last Saturday and a first reaquantence with 2968 next Saturday. They are keeping me sane as I really worry about what next year will bring with the jobs market at my level so rubbish - not many roles and obsessed by having the exact match on sector! Grrrrrr

    • Friendly/supportive 15

    Clark Railworks 4mm OO WD Austerity 2-10-0

    in Ellis Clark Trains

    Posted

    2 hours ago, atom3624 said:

    Is there any sign / chance of Gordon returning to steam?

     

    Al.

    No. Why, becuase the railway has just spent 1.3 million on restoring Hagley. The railway is as you know struggling off the back of the pandemic and massive rise in the cost of coal from about 100 to over £500 per ton and the average engine burns 2 tons per day. The cold hard reality is smaller locos cost less to restore and are more economical. The best size being around a class 4.  Gordon is very, very big would ne at least a 1 million pound overhaul whereas to say restore something like 1501 might only be 500,000. 

     

    Lots of footplate crews that worked on it are very glad it stays nice and warm in the Engine House, its a pig to get to steam, awful to get coal down in the tender and inveriably the hydrostatic needed refilling part way through the day and trying to do that is one heck of a job with lots and lots of cold water. 

    • Like 2
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    • Thanks 1
    • Informative/Useful 4

    Midland Railway Company

    in Pre-Grouping - Modelling & Prototype

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

    By the time your tender is going to be depicted the footsteps would have had turned up ends. Also, on tenders fitted with water pick up gear, the cross stretcher between middle and trailing axles was moved to make way for the scoop so the rivets below the cutouts were not central to the cut outs. Hope this helps.

     

    Dave

    Thanks, I had copied the original drawing as the stating point and not paid attention to one of my negatives of her (as shown below). Certainly the footsteps are turned up as well. I appreciate the help. 

    image.png.4f8d42c531939ae9e7f937848ea8c4d7.png

    • Like 2

    Midland Railway Company

    in Pre-Grouping - Modelling & Prototype

    Posted

    A while ago I asked if anyone knew of a drawing for the rebuilt tender from a 3P which eneded up with 3f 43435. With a good supply of photos, none side on and a drawing of the frames I decided to put a drawing together and hopefully its of interest. 

     

    There has been quite a bit of chopping and changing with trying to get angles and points in the right place. Overall its pretty good and enough to turn into a scratchbuilt version.  You can see how the drawing was built up especially with the frames. Still not totally happy with the steps.

    image.png.10d3ba59a0a03483289dad8163a90fe0.png

    • Like 2
    • Craftsmanship/clever 2
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