APOLLO

I'm a fan of tatty old run down industrial areas with their canals, railways etc, Wigan was full of them and by the 70's most were gone. All gone nowadays. Tat Bank is an apt name. We had in and around the North West some ""wonderful"" names / areas. Slag Lane (Leigh), Slutchers Lane (Warrington), Nob End (Bolton), Sod Hall (Little Hulton). I'm making a model of the old "New Springs" industrial branch line in Ince Wigan. I have read that this was the first industrial branch line in the world built by the Wigan Branch Railway (off the Liverpool & Manchester). Lots of industrial choice as shown on the interesting map below. The Hun were after the steel works but were blown off course and caused mayhem elsewhere !! Springs Branch (The junction and Loco Shed) were just off the map at the bottom. As to your track I use Peco foam inlay, pre sprayed & weathered. The pre painted track pins in place and by not using glue is easy to alter. I never permanently fix track / points these days. Pins might not work for you on cardboard though. Brit15

Tat bank sounded interesting, Google brought this up. Some nice photos of "Tat" !! https://captainahabswaterytales.blogspot.com/2020/05/tat-bank-branch-titford.html Brit15

I have several Hornby Railroad Black 5's and 9F's from several years ago. Good runners and good value back then. Easy to renumber etc. The Railroad class 40 also. We (well I) would like a similar affordable Black 8. They would sell be the bucket load. Brit15

I do hope you are correct Andy, and I will leave the subject there. Brit15

Just wait until the cashess society comes in, CBDC (Central bank digital currencies) are introduced along with "programmable" money. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/the-digital-pound https://www.ibm.com/blog/central-bank-digital-currency-cbdc-and-blockchain-enable-the-future-of-payments/ CBDC has the potential to transform the future of payments. It can be used to create programmable money that can be spent only on specific things. For example, a government could issue a stimulus package that can only be spent on certain goods and services. This would ensure that the money is spent in the intended manner and would reduce the risk of fraud. Brit15

Cars / Classic cars are exempt even if they rise in value https://www.georgehay.co.uk/blogs/2019/09/will-pay-capital-gains-tax-classic-car/ But if you trade in them etc you pay tax. Brit15

What about a deceased persons spouse / children selling a (say model railway collection) on ebay etc. May affect a lot of people on here. Brit15

I trust our public transport systems so little these days that I (and my family) have our own contingency plans in place. Always have a plan B ( and perhaps a plan C) if and when things go wrong when travelling. Sods Law states that one day this contingency planning will come into play. My daughter in her new job travels by rail occasionally, London, Coventry, Leeds, York, etc for short meetings. Her company encourages the use of public transport. All Cities mentioned (should) be an easy return journey from Wigan by train in a day. She has a list of hotels / taxis (Uber App) etc on her phone just in case she gets stranded. Also a bit of pre journey research into alternative routes etc does no harm. The rail operators these days just simply do not care one jot re the passenger. Long distance air passengers (in my personal experience) seem to fare far better than rail passengers when incidents etc happen. Yes my plane has been cancelled / long delayed more than once, we were looked after and not abandoned. (Major airlines, hotels, alternative flights etc organised). Brit15

Said it before, say it again. "They" (Governments (many), EU leaders, WEF, UN, WB, etc etc etc) simply do not want you to travel freely and as we all did (pre covid), especially by 2030, 50 etc. They have targets, lots of them. Barriers are slowly being put in place to slowly enact this. EV's mandatory that most cannot afford, a whole subject in itself (Charging, Elec costs, Insurance, Safety) This article re the Chanel Tunnel & Ebbsfleet says a lot. Sorry, no trains due to XYZ, Go ""home"" and come again perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps in a few days !!! 15 Minute City & the like (Not a theory anymore, Khan etc are members and are quite open with it). Mentioning Khan, ULEZ road pricing etc etc (coming to you and me soon in one form or another) UK (and other) Govs not sorting out our Railways (etc etc) on many counts - they simply are not interested, a part solution to their no travel mandate. Take Avanti trains at Preston last week - Quite simply no one gives a flying **** anymore. Sorry, no service today, go away, we have your money. Call me a tin foil hatter if you wish, I just do a bit of research and join the (very many) dots together. It's all quite alarming as we sleep walk into Dystopia. Another subject is the Nations energy, both supply and dependability etc - but that (although linked to Transport) is a whole subject for another thread. Happy New Year all, off for a walk soon before they put a tax on that !!!!! Brit15

Won't let me post a photo, but I clicked at the wrong end and reloaded, but no dice. Just testing with this text post. I'm from Wigan, yes the Martians land here every Friday for a night out, but I am a Human, (sometimes) !!! Brit15

There will be no intermediate stations on HS2, factor in reduced capacity due to deceleration and acceleration, 4 tracking of sections required, rural population, etc etc. Won't happen. Dare I mention Woodhead ? Yes, it slowly lost it's main traffic, coal & freight but if the line was open today, with a high (ish) speed all electric service from Manchester to Sheffield (and perhaps beyond) the trains line would be very well used. Going forward with net zero, unaffordable (by most) EV's, chronic bus services (everywhere) etc we will soon need every mile of existing railway we have, and more, all electrified (or Hybrid etc). Good to see a Hybrid train in the works. The GC line did lose its reason to live in the 60's but would be highly useful today, electrified etc, and would solve the WCML capacity issue with a few extra connections etc. HS2 (borrowed !!) money could have been spent upgrading the network as a whole. By the way I am a GC fan, and a member of the GC Rly Society. Who killed the GC ? I, said the accountant, I, with my myopic eye, I killed the GC. Brit15

Sounds like Avanti trains !!! Brit15

The HST fleet has travelled nearly a Billion miles (850 million according to Google). Yes there have been a handful of serious incidents and loss of life. Brit15

Good question. According to this article they (or some) do. London to Glasgow. https://www.lep.co.uk/news/transport/preston-based-train-driver-will-attempt-to-break-fastest-london-to-glasgow-rail-journey-record-3275699 This from a September episode, happens regularly. https://www.lep.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/it-was-a-huge-buzz-what-preston-cabbies-thought-about-8-hour-round-trips-to-glasgow-edinburgh-and-dundee-to-get-stranded-avanti-train-passengers-home-4350916 It's getting to be a lottery travelling long distance by train. https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/national/passengers-advised-by-avanti-west-coast-not-to-travel-north-of-lancaster-due-to-severe-weather-4458969 Brit15

I hope "They" get all our railways sorted out operationally well before HS2 opens or it WILL be a waste of money. Many problems today, ECML & WCML. Flooding in south Scotland earlier today had Avanti issue a DO NOT TRAVEL warning between Preston & Carlisle - reason (not given) is that train crews exchange at Preston so no northern section trains (with presumably Glasgow crew) could get through south Scotland & down to Preston. So, just cancel THE LOT north of Preston. Why not run to Carlisle & Terminate ? A total farce, not industrial action this time. I do hope this is raised to a high level, but I doubt any action even if it is. Never mind, 4% fare rise in April shoul sort things out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brit15

I have thought (just thought) a few times of selling the Rover - but then what do I buy as a "hobby" car ? Having owned the old girl for forty years I know exactly what is right (most) and what is wrong (very little) with her. Every little groan & squeak (usually me !!) etc. She has had oil changes every year, even if I've only done 200 miles or so. This is the secret of the Rover V8, oil & filter changes. Also keep the anti freeze at a good strength and use Bluecol rated for the aluminium engine etc. The clock has never run since I bought her (as I isolate the battery when in the garage not a problem). The rear heater motor also has never run but the coolant flow is there (there is a flow isolator under the bonnet) - this helps engine cooling on a hot summers day, which is when I run her. She is NEVER put in the garage if wet - I learned this the hard way with my Dad's cars, nice when he bought them but soon became rusty wrecks, he only used them weekends then put them in a garage, wet or dry, till the following weekend. The garage was half a mile away on a pig farm, so rats became a problem also but never did any damage as far as I remember. It was fun in winter starting these cars with a handle, especially the Daimler. More than one rat was dispatched with the handle !! Dad's car list includes an Austin Princess Sheerline, Riley Pathfinder, Humber Hawk, Alltin (Austin) A40, Jaguar Mk 7 and his last, the Daimler Majestic which I learned to drive in (along with a Mini). What a list !! I traded the Daimler in 1974 for a 1973 Morris Marina 1.8HL - a fast car but NOT in corners !! Not big enough I traded that in 1975 for a brand new BL Princess 1800HL which I ran till 1982. A much maligned car, but mine was fine and had brilliant road holding. 1982 was the year the old beetle went, replaced by the Rover and later that year in August the Princess was sold to a workmate and a new Ford Capri 1,6 Cabaret bought - nice car in Ming Blue. I was saving for a house deposit so later I sold the Capri and bought an Audi 100 GL5E 2.3 Auto - an absolute (to me) Flying machine. Warrington Gas Works to home in Wigan, 11 miles, 10 minutes, faster than a Pendolino !! The Audi was a superb drive but cost a bit in spares / repairs, The engine & gearbox were sound, mainly daft things like a CV joint right next to the engine exhust header kept drying up & wearing out. After two at £100 each mate suggested buying CV grease and a syringe, inject into the joint and job done (every two months !!). A new BL 1.6 Montego followed, reliable but boring, and the Audi bug bit again, this time a 2 litre Audi 90 Auto. Again engine & box were superb, but again many niggles not least a water leak into the cabin etc. Had to go so traded for a car that took my breath away - yes a Peugeot 405 diesel. A lovley car, 45/50mpg (no turbo), no silly DPF /EGR etc. That car never missed a beat, never needed money other than servicing / tyres / brakes. I was soon to get married, and wanted to move house so I sold the Peugeot to a Taxi firm for cash (nearly got what I paid for it) and got a company car, another Peugeot 405 GTDT - a turbo, a lot less mpg or was it the way I drove. That was another superb & reliable car. Not many (if any) around today. Company cars followed untill I retired were mainly Citroens (Xantia, 3 synergys, Picasso) and a Ford Focus Ghia (Very nice car) - All were good reliable 90's cars. Edited to add, when my wife learned to drive I bought her a Rover 213 (old shape), in "Hearing Aid" beige !! - Quite a good reliable car, traded in for the Galaxy. When the twins were born in 2001 I bought an 18 month old Ford Galaxy 2.3 Petrol, I still have this but getting on a bit and starting to cost - her days are numbered (though I have just changed the oil & fitted 2 budget tyres) Other second cars (The Rover is the third car these days) have been a 96 Polo saloon, 1.6 Petrol bought off a mate for a Grand, that I got 12 years out of and gave it to my son for a year to learn in and currently an 08 Seat Leon Mk 2 1.6 Petrol (same VW Engine) which is in suprisingly good condition and very dependable. So with the Galaxys days numbered (Tatty paint, rust starting but that 2.3 engine will run for ever), I will be looking soon for a replacement. Not a clue at the moment though. The Seat will stay, as will the Rover. Jags have crossed my mind, but my local mechanic has warned me away from diesels, ALL diesels as he says I just do not do the mileage or longish runs the DPF EGR etc need. Modern motoring is no fun anymore, and all the electronickery etc is just a PITA, as is ULEZ etc etc. Insurance and road tax needs to be taken into acount also. Are Dacia Dusters any good as a replacement for the Galaxy (I only need 5 seats) ? They get good reviews etc and have a 1.6 Petrol engine as an option. BANG - Down to earth, From a Daimler to a Dacia !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brit15

The coachline was "missing" when I bought the car, it had new front wings fitted and a respray at nine years old !! Just after I bought it I had new outer sills fitted and I had the whole underbody steam cleaned. I sprayed a couple of gallons of genuine Waxoyl under and wrapped the springs with Denso grease tape. Still no rust at all. I had a full respray done around ten years ago, using 2 pack and it's not Rover Zircon blue but a similar, slightly darker Nissan colour which I really like. The original coachlines were hand painted so a skilled job - not for me. Brit15

My P5B saloon has always been garaged since I bought her in 1982 for around £800 In the garage behind me as I type, along with the gas boiler, nice and warm(ish). A handy thing with the P5 is the boot mounted battery. Mine is fitted with a battery mounted isolator so the car is not permanently live. Yes the main reason I bought her & keep her is the driving experience, nicknamed "The Flying Armchair" An easy car to keep on the road too, many parts are (old) Land Rover, especially service parts. Easy to get & not expensive. AS to her value, I don't really know, she is insured for an agreed £10,000. About right as she is good and roadworthy but not perfect - then again is any 40 year old car perfect ? Brit15

I always fancied a V8 P6, very modern shape for the day. Brit15

I have fixed some problems on my O gauge bogie freight cars by having one bogie "tight" (swivels OK but little / no roll) and one loose to allow easy swivel and roll. Done by tightening one and slackening the other bogie mount. Not 100% successful but helps a lot. Brit15

I bought a few back when Hattons were flogging them off cheap and mine also continuously derailed. It seems a slight track twist / curve etc caused my problems. I eventually sorted it by changing the couplings with plug in magnetic ones. Forgot the make, they just plugged straight in. I left the rake outer couplings tension lock. Brit15

I have read the PRR Duplexes were very slip prone so I doubt that claim. The New York Central perhaps had a contender, The mighty Niagara, sadly all were scrapped. We will never know. Mallard it is, her run was authenticated with a dynamometer car. Brit15

A nice late Christmas Eve sound recording of times past far away. Have a drink and listen. Have a merry Christmas everyone. Brit15

Interesting video here. After gaining his Ordinary National Certificate ONC at Doncaster Tech he attended Wigan Mining & Technical College to get his Higher National Certificate (HNC) in a 6 month intensive course. Brit15

Scots ought to be carefull what they wish for or ALL Pendolinos (etc) will terminate at Carlisle !!!! Brit15