Pandora

How about the Pioneer Diesels on the Southern? The LMS Twins and Bulleid triplets, and any others such as the unsuccessful North British 10800 "Wonder Engine".

Do not forget the WR Warships which worked out of Waterloo

Power supplies such as in the links below are usually adjustable for voltage by a potentiometer to set voltage above or below nominal rating ( 15V ) Are they suitable as replacements or substitutes for power to DCC command station such as the NCE Powercab? 15V DC nominal 4 Amps: https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/15-Volt-DC-Power-Supply-Enclosed-Switch-Mode-15v-4a-60w/1739644437?iid=221294938075 15V DC nominal 2.8 Amps: https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/15-Volt-DC-Power-Supply-Enclosed-Switch-Mode-15v-2-8a-40w/1444927705?iid=221015558070

A link to a topic Mr Garratt considered worthy of his camera.......Scarecrows https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/mar/29/colin-garratt-scarecrow-photography-geddes-gallery

As late as 1965 I recall seeing a wagon stil with faded but visible PO markings on a train a t Doncaster, I cannot recall the name on the wagon but as young "spotters" we were all very puzzled by the sighting

As an alternative to a screwdriver to scrape away the Mazak to enlarge the axle slot, could the slot be ground away with valve grinding paste ( motor cars) and a scrap axle or a dowel of the suitable diameter. Hornby retailers sell a tool for crank axle nuts, the part number has slipped my memory

These sets are for the general public, the general public will buy them from bricks and mortar outlets as safe choice christmas and birthday presents for children and will not be delving into the specialised world of Hattons or Rails etc. Slow moving items in the sets? Probably, but a welcome change from when Hornby would have a retailer fire sale, then once the retailers shelves were groaning with fire sale stock, dropping the online prices to undercut the retailers who have been lumbered with stock they could not move.

Lima issued 20088 in triple grey livery and more recently Bachmann issued a DCC sound 20088 in the triple grey as part of the Permanent Way train set pack catalogue number 30-049

The Tunnels were closed for a year for a major civil engineering project to sort out the collapsing roof, after which thye line sped was raised

If the compatibility fix is a software upgrade by Hornby. Is there a way of reading the software version loaded into the decoder?

Bachmann EZ Command Centres, 36-500 "Grey-case " vs 36-501 "Blue-case ", the latter the current model in the 2018 catalogue. From an e-mail from Bachmann, the software code is identical in both grey or blue case units, the difference is the power supply input has changed from AC to DC. Useful information if offered an old 36-500 at a bargain price and there are concerns as to compatibilty with the latest DCC components etc.

The loose gear issue on the Ringfield shaft is an old problem resurfaced. The Class 86 was also affected, I was warned of this by the owner of an exhibition layout, he sent his large fleet of class 86 locos back to Hornby to have a the gear replaced on each loco. I am struggling to recall the details, but I think the 5-pole Ringfield motors were mentioned, 3-pole Ringfields being "safe".

The condition of the magnet is very fundamental to the operation of a DC motor, therefore I would not discount the advice of the very old magnet having lost most of its strength, I had a Mainline Warship which demagnetised in only 10 years. Is it possible to temporarily "piggyback" another magnet, such as a Neo magnet, onto the failing motor as a diagnostic test to see if things improve?

I agree with your observation, the advances in capacity/size/cost of rechargeable batteries make self powered stock feasible, internal battery power is compatible with DCC, requiring a Wifi method of transmission of control signals as opposed to using the rails.

It is correct that 10000 has a 16 cylinder engine and the 37 a 12 cylinder engine, from the Handford recording of 10000 on Shap, opinions give the 37 as a valid choice, remember that 10000 was only 1600 bhp and not the 2000 bhp of a class 40, plus the turbo chargers are very different ( Brown Boveri)? Pete Waterman's choice of the 37 for his 10000 was based upon his assessment of the Handford recording. Of course one day in the distant future we may hear the real thing, the Ivatt 10000 Society have a vintage 10000 diesel engine that had been a standby diesel generator

To achieve the same level of control offered by a DCC layout with 2, 3 or more in number of l locomotives on track a DC layout would require considerable number of wires, isolation switches and insulated rail joiners. I tend to support the "two wires only " claims

The bank of batteries would probably be the DC supply of 130 Volts nominal ( B130 in S&T talk ) to operate the motorised point machines local to the signal box.

Those wagons were used to transport Diggers, JCB type digging units to and from engineers possessions. The Catford loop was under an engineers possession, the wagons were stabled on the line while work in progress, unfortunately an engineering train movement in the block being hauled by a class 37 struck the wagons and knocked them off the track, the wagons have been abandoned ever since

The BR Pension scheme is believed to healthy and is one of the few final salary schemes left in place for ordinary workers as opposed to the gold-plated pensions of the self-entitled such as MP's. In the run up to privatisation in 1994, the Govt was attempting a "cash grab" of the funds of the BR scheme but were foiled by the House of Lords, Lord Peyton was a major player ii opposition to the Govt scheming. The BR Pension is long closed to new entrants, a weaker money purchase scheme by Network Rail has been in existence since around 2002 or even earlier

Perhaps our dear friends of the EU can give Hornby a nice 18m loan to set up a manufacturing plant in non-EU Turkey, just as they gave Ford 80m to close the Transit factory in Southampton and move Transit production to Turkey. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10020273.Ford_s___80m_EU_loan_to_boost_Turkey_factory___and_close_ours/

I travelled out of Kings Cross today and on-train announcement PA included, "Thank you for travelling with LNER Trains"

I was a passenger on the tour, the Mersey Rat-catcher" still have the commemorative ticket, " There is many a good tune played on an old fiddle" the express train speeds of those two rusty old 25 's bucking and rolling down to Euston would have put an 85 to shame

When Track is forced together and interlaced, I believe that is referred to as Gauntlet Track, There was an idea to Gauntlet the double tracks through the restricted Tunnels on the Hastings Line in the 1990's. The idea was dropped after the head-on collision between trains at Cowden. the Tunnels are single tracked with S&C back to double track at the portals

It is a delicate problem, on one side the trees stabilise the lineside with their root structures and capacity to extract water from the soil, on the other side a round-the-clock operation of railhead treatment trains during leaf fall season to keep the service operationally safe

M28249M was in store at Hellifield steam shed in 1967, along with several important steam locos of the National Collection, or is the unit an Oerlikon?