Trevellan

This contribution is, I regret to say, technically poor. However, I thought these two images might be of interest to fans of the hydraulics. The first image dates from November 1973 and was shot through the window of a Mk2 coach passing Swindon at speed. It is, of course, Glory awaiting its fate and I'm afraid the original slide is rather grubby. The second image shows Western Duke passing Dawlish. It was a rather less than successful attempt at panning, yet I think it still conveys the power and grace of the Westerns.

I'm not sure on dimensions Tim, but they certainly look very similar. I well recall the Wills kit, many years ago, which was designed to fit the Hornby Dublo/Wrenn R1 chassis.

Here's another of my shots which I managed to scrape off an old hard drive today. Western Dragoon acts as a super-shunter at Lostwithiel in June 1974. Offhand, I can't recall whether it was picking up or dropping off vehicles, but the driver was certainly giving it some stick - presumably because the train was blocking the down Cornish main line!

My lined maroon version arrived yesterday and I am quite pleased with it, although I agree with others that the floor looks odd. However, there is also a feeling of something which is not particularly good value for money. I already have the Airfix and Hornby autocoaches and, when comparing the three of them, there doesn't seem to be the major step-change in quality and detail that has occurred with other models to current standards. I'm aware of development and tooling costs, but the price tag on this coach seems odd. The Bachmann 64xx is a superb model and well worth the £72.99 I paid for it. However, the Hawksworth autocoach set me back £62.61 with postage, which seems wrong for a model which is not particularly complex, especially in comparison with the ex-LMS inspection saloon. I rarely feel dissatisfied when it comes to the high quality models we now enjoy and the bottom line, I suppose, is that I should just be grateful Bachmann have produced something I couldn't. But despite all the foregoing, the ambivalent feeling persists....

I've heard these called "switched diamonds". As others have said, it allows higher running speeds because the gap in an ordinary diamond is closed.

Mostly good news, I'd say. The only addition I would have liked is a model of the driving trailers built to partner the 121s, but I suspect this might not be commercially feasible.

I installed W10 about a fortnight ago and, as yet, I have seen few improvements over W7. W10 is faster when cold booting, but having closely monitored Task Manager since upgrading I think W10 uses more memory and there appears to be noticeably higher CPU usage.

I photographed D1034 at Laira in April '74, fresh out of shops. I don't have time to dig out the images now, but will do so after the weekend.

Somebody wake me up when the consignment is on the A30 please...

I've heard similar stories from a former seafarer who retired as the captain of a North Sea ferry. Earlier in his career he'd been an officer on a tanker and described incidents in the Solent involving what he called WAFIs - Wind Assisted Flipping Idiots (or words to that effect).

Given some of the comments to date, I thought it might be helpful to look at driving standards as part of wider transport policy. I apologise in advance if I duplicate points made in previous posts. First, a bit of context. I passed my driving test in June 1972, going on to add motorcycle entitlement in 1981, PCV (then PSV) in 1982 and LGV C+E (HGV class 1) in 2001. I have covered many thousands of miles as a professional driver, but have also been heavily involved in transport policy work. These days I work as a freelance, both self-employed and PAYE, the latter currently being part-time bus driving. It is my belief that driving standards in Britain have declined noticeably over many years. At present I estimate that 30-40% of all drivers require some sort of remedial training, though mostly those without any advanced training, e.g. PCV, LGV or IAMs. I also believe there is no such thing as a perfect driver. We all make errors of judgement on occasions, for a variety of reasons. What advanced training does is to lessen the chances of this happening, largely through greater hazard perception and awareness. There is currently a policy debate going on about shortages of professional drivers, both PCV and LGV, but this comes as no surprise to me. In the last decade I have witnessed an increasing trend to raise standards through initiatives like the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) and on-board telemetry, e.g. Isotrak, RIBAS etc. Professional drivers are under increasing pressure and not all of this is for the right reasons. To add insult to injury there is currently a consultation being undertaken by DfT which will formalise expectations of professional driver conduct and the consequences of breaches: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/vocational-driver-conduct-revised-statutory-document. I have no problem with raising standards, but to concentrate on professional drivers while other road users are not subject to similar principles is, I believe, a flawed approach. In virtually every form of public transport, whether it be buses and coaches, railways, aviation or shipping, where traffic increases there tends to be an exponential rise in regulation. In the case of private motoring, I would say the opposite is true. When I am driving buses I always aim to be a true professional, offering my customers a smooth and comfortable journey while attempting to be a true knight of the road. I try to be patient with other road users, but it is not an exaggeration to say that I can point to a number of incidents on every trip where these people (mostly private motorists) fall below acceptable standards. I could write an article on this topic, but will conclude this piece by stating that driving standards will not be raised across the board until there is a cross-party political approach to the issue. Given that politicians are usually afraid of offending the motoring vote, this is unlikely to happen, yet it could yield significant benefits. Every road traffic incident has an economic cost by delaying goods and people, as well as tying up the police and other emergency services. A real crackdown on bad driving would therefore save money for an increasingly cash-strapped police service and NHS. All it will take is common sense and the will to do it, and therein lies the rub.

Back in the early 1990s I was talking regularly to people at the local TOC (WAGN) and there was general agreement that if the Buntingford branch had been able to soldier on for a few more years it would have been electrified, a la the Braintree branch. This would have included the possibility of direct peak-hour services to Liverpool Street. Some stations would have had to close and another problem would have been the level crossing over the A120 at Standon, the latter now carrying heavy traffic. As with many rail closures, the local road network has never really kept up with residential development along the former alignment.

I'm currently in the process of selling a batch of models to Hattons - 18 coaches and two locomotives. All items are as new, and were only removed from the packaging for inspection or, in the case of the locomotives, for testing. They have all been carefully stored since. Hattons offer was around 25% lower than my valuation (which allowed for their mark-up). I only accepted because selling items individually on eBay or RMweb Buy & Sell would have been more time-consuming; time which I don't currently have. I had considered taking the store credit option, but this has to be spent in one go and cannot be used for part or pre-orders, thereby largely negating the benefit. The models were collected today (at no cost to me) and I await acceptance and payment from Hattons. Even if the rest of the transaction goes well, I very much doubt I'll use this service again. Selling items individually takes longer, but I'd suggest this is the better option.

Don't worry Gilbert, they'll look splendid once you've finished wiring them all up

Agreed. 7017 received a repaint and transfer numbers in 1974. I photographed it inside the Factory at Old Oak Common, but unfortunately I've just discovered the negative has yet to be scanned. I'll try to do it a.s.a.p.

Yes, and I wish everyone a good show. I'll be working about 150 miles south of you today, doing my bit for local tourism!

Another angle is that when traffic increases on any form of public transport, standards of regulation tend to rise in proportion. If anything, private road transport has gone the opposite way. Similarly, accidents and serious incidents in the aviation, maritime and rail sectors are investigated by AAIB, MAIB and RAIB so that lessons can be learned. When it comes to private motoring, there seems to be an assumption that holding and using a driving licence is an inalienable birthright, rather than a privilege whgich carries responsibilities.

What's the date of the Sawston gig Geraint?

Thanks for the link Brian. I love the superb portrait of D7025 at Tyseley. As for Gareth's excellent collection of class 14 pictures, all I can say is that it's the first time I have seen such extensive evidence that the class did actually do some useful work!

I wrote coupling rods, then for some reason changed it. Now amended to assist your blood pressure

The workshops in Ryde have a long history of keeping ageing assets going, which continues to this day. I used to think of the O2s as a standard class, but the closer you look, the more you realise there are subtle differences, e.g. the steel patches welded over corroding side tanks and, yes, coupling rods. To my knowledge, there were only two Drummond boilers on the island, but they were swapped between locos on overhaul. Numbers 22 and 31 were the last recipients before withdrawal. I would be very surprised indeed if it would be commercially viable to produce this version r-t-r.

If Bankfield is half as good as Blackmill, you'll have a fantastic layout. I look forward to seeing progress.

I've said this many times before, but I'll say it again. The Taunton meet is unique in many ways and the best model railway event I have ever attended. It has all the elements of a large exhibition, but on a smaller scale and with a friendly, informal atmosphere. You're right about the humour Jock. It's a constant part of the event, but there's also the opportunity to swap ideas and techniques. This was the third time I have attended and on every occasion I have learned something to enhance my own modelling. It also provides motivation and inspiration - well, it does for me anyway. It's like a club meet (which, of course, it is), but with extra attractions. Trade support is good and many of us went home with various goodies! Tim does a grand job as organiser, but others also make the event what it is. The catering is actually better than some tourist venues I have visited, both in range and value. I only wish that some of the ****wits and trolls on this forum, who relentlessly carp and criticise, could see what can be achieved when members actively co-operate outside cyberspace. As for Andy Y, "a therapeutic experience" might be pushing it a bit! Still, he gets to see a good number of his flock in one place, rather like a Care in the Community reunion...

I've finally found time to edit a few snaps in between other things. This year felt a little different, with CK deploying two enforcers in the car park to deter gatecrashers and paparazzi. In the end I think they managed to scare off a couple of Brownies Here are a few interior shots in chronological order, starting with a rather quiet Abercynon. The "bus on the bridge" scene is somewhat different to the norm. I could almost hear the scraping noise... An urgent phone call to Chris Trerise last week secured a supply of Doncaster Green acrylic to "lush up" my grass on the day. Thanks Chris! The shot below shows it half done and the jury's still out on whether it's an improvement or not. There's definitely some weathering to do on the retaining wall and track. Godfrey's superb container terminal once again drew well-deserved praise. This shot shows the slightly anarchic nature of the modular layout, with a 57xx and two B sets passing in a sort of time warp. Even CK took time out from his supervising/cajoling/announcing to sit and admire Godfrey's dexterity with 4mm containers. Here's another shot of Rick with his layout, effectively claiming longest distance travelled for a layout for all time. Simon's rather nice diorama was ideal to showcase his 3D printed range of detailing products. And finally, a view of the modular layout during a quiet spell in the afternoon. Some of the banter and choice of language to describe train moves would have given the Railway Inspectorate apoplexy. We had fun though. Mike (Stationmaster) is receiving a train from Stu, who waits to see if it makes it. Thanks again to Tim, Andy and everyone else involved in running the event. It was well worth the trip. Thanks also to Bob, Steve and the other Taunton MRG members for their hospitality on Saturday, including allowing me to run-in a couple of DMUs on Tamerig Central. On Sunday Bob produced a starter kit for home-made corridor connections which I must now tackle!

Now home safely, having caught my ferry with a few minutes to spare! Pictures to be downloaded, edited and posted tomorrow - too tired tonight. Thanks to Tim for another superb event. As Cilla might say: worra lorra laffs.