APOLLO

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

Wonderful layout & stock. Liverpool & Manchester Leipzig and Munich ? Brit15

I'm off to Liverpool (Hattons !!) love. Oh, I'll come with you. ---- Quick think ------ OK, I'll drop you off at the Chinese Supermarket, I'll only be half an hour !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Worked more than once !! Brit15

Quick update. Less than 1 hour this afternoon had this loco purring around my layout like a kitten. 4 small screws released the motor & chassis unit. I used fairy liquid and a kitchen sponge to refresh the body paintwork and switch cleaner with cotton buds to clean the commutator, lots of slots so I presume it's 5 or 7 pole. The motor runs very smoothly. The mechanism was oiled and the steel wheels brightened up with an emery board. A touch of WD40 here and there and that's it, just couplings to fit now. She seems to be a good hauler too. I found lights fitted that work, just need some diodes fitting & reconnecting. I'll detail her up in the spring. Livery will be as is, maroon as she will be a Rock Island loco, (50 shades of Maroon any will do !!). My most satisfying "restoration" to date, aided by the 1948 "built like a brick ****house" construction (as we say in Wigan) !! Oh if some of my other locos had the same easy to remove and work on, solid and long lasting mechanisms. May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Brit15

I bought a tatty but serviceable 1970 J Reg VW 1302S Beetle for £350 (It had a 1600 engine so I never understood the 1302 bit). I bought it as a second car for a couple of years, sold it to a mate who resold it to another mate. He did it up in my garage with new wings, footboards, respray etc and resold it to me for £600. I ran it for a couple of years and sold it to yet another mate for £500 and bought my 1973 Rover P5B saloon for £800 back in 1982. I still have and run the Rover, superb car. The VW soldiered on, engine blew up & was replaced, (easy job as mentioned), beetled on and was sold on yet again !! Wonderfull cars (Beetles) ? - Not really, but mine was fun to drive and reliable. Would I run another ? - NO !! A car once as common as muck but very rare these days. Yes the BW 3 speed auto box coupled to the Rover 3.5 Litre V8 is allways a pleasure to drive. Brit15

I still have my old Trix and Hornby Dubblo (City of London) 2 rail pacifics that still run well and fly around with 12 on occasionally. A very old 3 rail Hornby Dubblo Duchess has pride of place in my model of Ince Central Wagon Works scrap line, been there for years !! Nice to have / run the (very) old stuff on occasions. Brit15

Back around 1970 as an apprentice with The North Western Gas Board I had just passed my driving test, and was driving my Dad's old Daimler Majestic 3.8 Auto (having learned in a Mini). The boss found out I could drive, and arranged for me to take the Gas Board driving test in a Morris J van with trailer such as the one below. What a difference, an absolute pig to drive, all ours were old and knackered, the gearbox & clutch were a nightmare, no wonder they were nicknamed "Leaping Lena's" !! - I had to back van and trailer into a parking bay etc. I passed, right said the boss, be at Wigan Gas Works at 11.45 each day, my job was to collect the "Gas Works pie order" from the bakery a mile away. I soon "graduated" to a Ford Escort van - Happy days. Brit15

Interesting story here. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/25/us/ohio-train-derailment-bearing-vibration/index.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11754485/Why-East-Palestine-bomb-train-not-stopped-fire-broke-out.html Question, Did the flat wheel / false flange stop the wheel rotating and caused the subsequent derailment at Petrill Bridge, so no "hot boxes" were detectable ? Brit15

English grammar and Latin, hated subjects when I attended Wigan Grammar School. The sciences for me !! As to heavy old locos, I picked this old girl up the other week for a song on ebay, sold as spares or repairs, doesn't run said the advert, it does though, just. It's a 2 rail O Scale die cast EMD NW-2 switcher (shunter), made just after WW2 by a small concern previously unknown to me, General Models Corp. (GMC) in 1943 of Wheaton, Illinois. Interesting history here (go to main page for more history of various makes of model railways). http://www.tcawestern.org/gmc.htm I'm looking forward to overhauling and detailing this heavy and simple but well engineered model. I'm not sure if this was factory or kit built but it is well assembled. The German sticker easily peeled off. The motor and drive are interesting Bit of weathering removal required. Makers plate. It's a pleasure to find, restore and run historic old stuff like this. Well made, and no electronics. Brit15

I agree re pay. On "senior level" travel, at this time of year Her Late Majesty the Queen was known to travel on a normal service train from Kings Cross to Kings Lynn for her Christmas break at Sandringham. https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/20/queen-elizabeth-joins-commuters-train-begin-christmas-break-sandringham-11939951/ Nuff said. Brit15

I strongly disagree with your first point, but fully agree with your last one. When The British Gas Corporation was privatised by Thatcher back in 1986 she wanted it split up and sold off. The then head was Sir Dennis Rooke, a proven and capable gas engineer of many years, who stood up against Thatcher and won. His team of senior management were mostly engineers also. The customer, and customer service remained king. British Gas was a success and remained intact for quite a few years after. Of course "market forces" (The city and it's £Billions) eventually won the day. Shell wanted the exploration and production, and eventually got it, the rest was (later) split into Centrica and The National Grid (who really wanted & got the high pressure gas grid). Now gas is the enemy, a fossil fuel and everybody is jumping ship (NG selling off transmission / distribution etc). The reason most (all ?) large corporations are so distant from their customers these days is totally out of touch (to the customer) management, most not able to tell the difference from Gas & Paraffin (as we gas engineers used to say !!). Just able to count beans and feather their own nests. This reflects all the way down to customer facing staff etc. Staff morale everywhere is at an all time low. Our railways are no different, an absolute customer disaster area these days. And things WILL get worse, and worse, for us all, as AI takes over etc. Corporations, Institutions and Government (of all colours) simply are not interested in "we the people" and are busy with "other" agendas these days. Brit15

For DCC sound aficicionados the relevant sound function button for the above is usually next to the "Frying breakfast on the shovel" one !!!! Brit15

Back to reality. The Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank alongside the Manchester to Crewe railway was electronically affected when the railway was electrified. It was soon sorted though. Brit15

Time to dig the 2020 Callendar out !!

Lovely trains (when they run / ran), but https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/10/its-chaos-ruined-plans-lost-hours-at-uks-worst-station-for-cancelled-trains And poor old Felix has gone. R.I.P. Brit15

A good looking new loco - makes a change !! Brit15

Marylebone 2030 !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brit15

So no more pie jokes (or the eating thereof) of us Wiganers !!!!!!!!!!!!! Brit15

Any of these on the list ? Brit15

Quick question. Who actually PAID for these locomotives and coach sets ? Brit15

The world is going backwards. Brit15

https://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/methane_bate.html Brit15