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Bon Accord

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  1. I was delighted that a preservation era Maude was produced simply because that era alone holds many happy memories for me. The livery itself isn't modern per se. A few post rebuild C/J36 did carry lined NB black as per Maude and there is photographic evidence to prove it. Not all were fitted with air brakes either.
  2. See a picture in GSWR colours here (embedded link): Lined green it would seem, including brass dome and copper cap chimney. There was a thread about this very engine a decade ago, see here: It would seem ian@stenochs did make a model as per the thread, but the pictures have been lost after various server dramas.
  3. As far as I'm aware amongst the 'heritage' operators only LSL has fitted CDL to their coaches. Everyone else has an exemption, at least for the moment.
  4. Got mine within a few days of ordering. Might be worth chasing BCC in your case.
  5. It can't have been special funding though. One of the first things the SNP administration did on entering office in 2007 was to hold a vote to cancel the Edinburgh Trams project in order to use the money elsewhere in the overall budget. If it had been special funding specifically for light rail from London then it would surely have been ring fenced to some degree. Interestingly in 2015 Darling said this about the Edinburgh trams: "I’m not going to pretend I was always in favour of the tram because people know I wasn’t. It’s built now and I’ve been on it a few times, but 
Edinburgh has one of the best bus networks in the country. What worries me is if the bus service is tied into the trams and the debt for the trams, that will have consequences.” On the subject of trams he said this: “I stopped most tram projects in England because they all had the same features that the Edinburgh trams has – you start off with a price which is hopelessly unrealistic, you then discover nobody knows what’s under the ground, and the whole thing has to be rethought."
  6. Transport in Scotland has been devolved to Holyrood since 1999. Neither Darling or Brown have ever been members of the Scottish Parliament.
  7. The fact she came in too fast is not in doubt, but you - nor anyone else here - has any definite knowledge as to precisely why that was the case, be that misjudgement, mechanical issue, medical issue etc. Yet there seems to be a mad rush to damn the individuals concerned.
  8. What it suggests is irrelevant without the full facts and has only led to some rather damning speculation, something which usually gets such threads locked long before now.
  9. The Royal Scotsman set also looks to have been overhanging the end of the platform by about three coach lengths. That means the stopping point in this case prior to moving in to couple up would have been significantly further out than what their crews would be used to for the coach rakes in normal use on the Strathspey; with their own rakes the last coach is normally always inside the platform by at least a length or so. That then means the required stopping point in this case would have been about 4-5 coach lengths further out than is normal routine. If the crew were on autopilot and simply doing what they'd done a thousand times before that might explain the speed. The RS set visits the Strathspey regularly, but it is diesel hauled by one of their own diesels up to Boat of Garten so a diesel crew rather than a steam crew would do the job.
  10. It could well have been number 7. I'm sure there was another somewhat damp OL49 - maybe 100? I think that was the one which was sent for overhaul and dismantled but never came back. I do remember one day leaving Wolsztyn in a loco with leaking side stays only for the driver to ask me to stop at the level crossing just before the shed, he then clambered down and ran inside, returning moments later with a sheet of thin copper. We then got underway again. He then spent the next wee while trying to hold it against the side of the box in an attempt to "fuse" it over the site of the leak.
  11. The first time I went, our first turn was the morning commuter service to Poznan. So one murky morning Howard took me and my pal down to the engine, shown to the cab, Howard quickly pointed out some of the various controls and gauges and then left us to it. I was sat in the drivers seat somewhat nervous, there was a whistle then a shout of "Odjaz" from across the cab, I turned to look and this was followed up with "go, GO" and a point of the finger ahead. I pushed the regulator open, she slipped, I yanked it back and then the Polish crew burst out laughing as I tried again to get us moving, successfully this time. This was on one of the OL's - 59 I think - and the crew were none other than Janus and Andre, two of Wolszytn's greatest characters and regular partners in crime. Once the crews realised you had some idea what you were doing you were generally left to get on with it with little interference. One of the best runs I ever had was with "Bum" (those who went will know who I mean) and he'd had a massive falling out with his fireman that day, so was very much in the huff. We ran from Wolsztyn-Leszno-Wolsztyn-Zbasynek-Wolsztyn and he never said a word beyond the odd jab in the ribs to let me know if I'd passed the braking point, otherwise he gave everyone a thorough ignoring. The crazy things that used to go on at every single visit would be unbelievable to most, that is unless you'd been lucky enough to do it yourself. Just a few I remember were: running a loco in service with a firebox that looked like a water feature, the Polish fireman on the running plate hammering the Westinghouse pump as we raced home to Wolsztyn one snowy winters night, derailing a loco over little used points and just "getting on with it" with some very heath robinson gear to rerail, stopping the loco alongside a pub for a quick piwo or two and then heading off, lassoing a tree that was uprooted and leaning gently against the OHLE then commandeering the local farmer and his tractor to pull it clear in exchange for vodka with the line still open. The aforementioned Janus was an excellent engineman and the only time I can recall him losing his cool was when the Pacific had returned to service, albeit with a speedometer which also had a monitoring/recording device; she was the only steam loco with a speedo in Poland as I recall. At that time she couldn't fit on the turntable at Wolsztyn so ran tender first at times. Some manager then analysed the data and scolded Janus on running over the speed limit tender first. His response was to attack said speedometer with a hammer, then once detached throw it at said manager along with a request in Polish to stick it somewhere uncomfortable. To explain for those unaware: the Polish crews were paid bonuses for timekeeping, hence rules and the odd speed limit were occasionally bent to make sure we got where we should on time. The Blues Express was one of those turns which had to be done but probably never repeated by most; absolutely exhausting, lots of beer, emergency break applications galore etc and nearly 24 hours continuously on the footplate. I suppose it really was all a bit insane. Happy, fun, unrepeatable times with some wonderful people and all thanks to Howard.
  12. Yes my 2005 doesn't have them either, although all other parts are there. Did you ask Hornby directly about it?
  13. My 2005 arrived a few minutes ago. Taken with the 'phone camera on the kitchen table, but just to give an idea what it looks like.
  14. Same system applies with the despatch of LNER services at ScotRail stations north of Edinburgh (i.e. to Aberdeen and Inverness); it's all booking office staff with the exception of the larger stations like Aberdeen.
  15. For the non coupling end on mine I cut the NEM pocket down to about 1/4 of it's size, then clipped the NEM tail on the plough back a similar amount and glued them together. This then puts the ploughs roughly in the correct position with their extremities level with the buffer beam. The guard irons on the bogie - which seem to portrude too far for my eyes - are therefore touching the inside of the ploughs. As you say, I think it'll still be very difficult to fit the bufferbeam detail unless the intention for the model is to remain entire static which is no use for most of us. For the (other) coupling end I cut some outer ploughs from the snowplough assembly and glued them onto the sides of a standard Bachmann short NEM pocket/coupling. These do portrude slightly ahead of the bufferbeam but nowhere near as bad as supplied and does make that end workable. Some trial and error may be required with bracing the blades slightly to make them robust for use and I think I'll have to do a bit more there in that regard. I've one of the original release railfreight 37/5's from 2004 which not only has all three ploughs fitted at the non coupling end (and two fitted at the coupling end) plus all the bufferbeam detail added and it's still able to work on the layout; the current state of affairs with what is supposed to be a "top end" model is therefore particularly frustrating and poorly thought out by the designers.
  16. Thanks. That is really exceptionally poor design on Bachmann's part considering how many will want to have the 'ploughs and the other bufferbeam detail. Particularly considering it was possible on the older models.
  17. Some retailers had them in stock on their websites last week. I bought one myself at the Perth show and having got it home have a query for anyone who might help. The factory supplied snowploughs go into the NEM pocket, however it looks to me as if they sit far too proud of the bogie such that fitting any of the other factory supplied details (couplings, hoses etc) seems near impossible. Has anyone else found this with this new model? I have checked that the snowploughs are fully home in the supplied NEM pocket. The only two solutions I can see is removing the NEM mount and fixing the 'ploughs directly onto the bogie front or simply doing without.
  18. Received my sound fitted SPTE example today, going to give it a test tomorrow. It'll run nicely with my other Provinicial liveried Scottish example. Some of the stamps on the package were interesting; I'm no Philatelist, but some of them looked to be of some vintage? A nice touch regardless. Thanks to Charlie and all the fellows at Realtrack.
  19. I thought that was the entire point of playing with trains?
  20. Both are still there and both are still in use. The resignalling project removed the semaphores, the boxes however remain with their respective responsibilities. Stirling North even still has a few manually operated discs amongst all the colour lights and electric point motors under the OHLE.
  21. Stirling again. Stirling North (48 levers) and Stirling Middle (96 levers) are both visible from the station as they're sited directly North/South.
  22. Not in England, but Stirling must have been one of the last large and busy stations to be near totally signalled with semaphores; four through platforms, four bays and one terminating platform. All swept away alas circa 2010. Both large mechanical boxes are still there and in use; Stirling Middle controlled most of the station and had approx. 100 levers.
  23. A few of them did, there were also a few examples that ran around with white Inverness stags.
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