Peterborough North

[St Enodoc]

I will pick Massingham, in memory of dear old Colin of that ilk.

[great northern]

4 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Ooh, Tenterden is stretching it a bit. Your requirement implied the main lines to the Kent coast...

But when we get this far south we are at the limits of my knowledge, or in this case, it seems, beyond them.

[thegreenhowards]

1 hour ago, bigwordsmith said:

 

IF my railway wasn't;t all boxed up I'd send a bunch of the Bachman pipes over - they are awful!

What's wrong with the pipes? For trains with NEM pockets all at the correct height, I think they work well. They're a pain if one needs to separate the train but for a layout that never leaves home, they look OK and work well IMHO.

[St Enodoc]

5 minutes ago, thegreenhowards said:

What's wrong with the pipes? For trains with NEM pockets all at the correct height, I think they work well. They're a pain if one needs to separate the train but for a layout that never leaves home, they look OK and work well IMHO.

They are usually hard to separate but, in my experience, the manufacturing tolerances are inconsistent so some pull out too easily in service.

[great northern]

8 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

They are usually hard to separate but, in my experience, the manufacturing tolerances are inconsistent so some pull out too easily in service.

If the train derails, they can become a nightmare. My experiences were in the old loft layout, where I had put storage loops and the route into and out of them in really daft and inaccessible places, so that has probably affected my views about them.

[bigwordsmith]

12 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

They are usually hard to separate but, in my experience, the manufacturing tolerances are inconsistent so some pull out too easily in service.

 

I got them because I wanted a much more prototypical separation  ( blimey that's hard to write when your fingers are stiff!)  However I found they didn't really seem to close the coaches up more han the standard tension locks, and they still didn't like corners. I probably should have tried them on the Mk1 Pullman set which kept uncoupling, but as others have pointed out an 8 coach rake permanently coupled is a night mare to handle.

 

I tried doing them in four car sets with tension lock in the middle, but that wasn't a lot better, so I bought load of Kadees that I've not yet fitted!

[TrevorP1]

30 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

They are usually hard to separate but, in my experience, the manufacturing tolerances are inconsistent so some pull out too easily in service.

 

I've found them a workable medium term solution for Bachmann coaches in groups of no more than four - which suits me because that's what my cassettes will take. I agree about the manufacturing tolerances though but whether this is in the pipes or sockets I'm not sure. 

[Metropolitan H]

2 hours ago, great northern said:

Several choices for the poll, but very few got more than one. Tenterden made a late run, and won with 3.

 

Today the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, anywhere from Saxby to Yarmouth Beach, but not Melton Constable, as it has had its moment of glory already. The Norwich branch is included though.

Reading the spec in detail suggests my preference - "Eye Green for Crowland" - is excluded along with the rest of the Muddle & Go Nowhere from Sutton Bridge to Wisbech Junction (P'Boro).

 

So I'll vote for "Weybourne" - at least I know I've been there and it is a pleasent station on the now North Norfolk Railway.

 

Regards

Chris H

[St Enodoc]

30 minutes ago, great northern said:

If the train derails, they can become a nightmare. My experiences were in the old loft layout, where I had put storage loops and the route into and out of them in really daft and inaccessible places, so that has probably affected my views about them.

 

26 minutes ago, bigwordsmith said:

 

I got them because I wanted a much more prototypical separation  ( blimey that's hard to write when your fingers are stiff!)  However I found they didn't really seem to close the coaches up more han the standard tension locks, and they still didn't like corners. I probably should have tried them on the Mk1 Pullman set which kept uncoupling, but as others have pointed out an 8 coach rake permanently coupled is a night mare to handle.

 

I tried doing them in four car sets with tension lock in the middle, but that wasn't a lot better, so I bought load of Kadees that I've not yet fitted!

 

7 minutes ago, TrevorP1 said:

 

I've found them a workable medium term solution for Bachmann coaches in groups of no more than four - which suits me because that's what my cassettes will take. I agree about the manufacturing tolerances though but whether this is in the pipes or sockets I'm not sure. 

Thanks gents. Your thoughts summarise my view nicely. I run sets of up to six coaches semi-permanently coupled and those sets sometimes have a couple of Saturday strengtheners added, so especially on curves there is quite a pull on the plastic pipes. I don't know whether it's the fault of the pipes or the sockets either but I think a couple of packs of Hunts will be worth a try.

[great northern]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

 

 

Thanks gents. Your thoughts summarise my view nicely. I run sets of up to six coaches semi-permanently coupled and those sets sometimes have a couple of Saturday strengtheners added, so especially on curves there is quite a pull on the plastic pipes. I don't know whether it's the fault of the pipes or the sockets either but I think a couple of packs of Hunts will be worth a try.

My experience in fitting the Hunt couplings to Bachmann Mk1s has been that some of the sockets are very tight, to the extent that I have had to do some filing of the prongs of the Hunt couplings to get them to slot in. The amount of force needed to get the tension locks out also varies considerably.

[great northern]

Here's another shot which shows nearly the full extent of the viewing side of the layout, with some perfunctory photoshopping.

 

 

[JamieR4489]

Weybourne for me as well.

[mullie]

Cromer Beach

 

Martyn

[DaveF]

 

After a lot of thought I'm going for Bourne.

 

The M&GN had so many attractive stations that it was hard to choose.

 

David

[jollysmart]

 Sheringham is my choice.

 

[great northern]

Tonight's glimpse into the past shows Copley Hill A1 Kittiwake coasting by at the head of the Yorkshire Pullman.

 

 

[Market65]

I’m going with Weybourne for this poll.

 

Rob.

[great northern]

Another Pullman comes into view, the Queen of Scots this time, Copley Hill duty again, and it is Aboyeur this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[great northern]

Only 10 votes in the M&GN poll, which rather surprises me. We have another tie, Bourne 3 Weybourne 3.

 

Up to Scotland again today, and to the ECML from Edinburgh to Dundee, and the Fife loop.

[St Enodoc]

Kinghorn, complete with its wiggly tunnel.

[David Bell]

Markinch at the time 60009 Union of South Africa was based there in the early eighties

[LNER4479]

Dalmeny on the south side of the Forth estuary for the best views of one of the world's most famous (railway) bridges

(view of station from Wikipedia page, photo by G Laird)

 

This one's my picture from last year:

We'd just eaten at the Hawes Inn here, directly under the bridge. The story goes that Robert Louis Stevenson was staying in room number 13 in 1886 when he came up with the idea of ‘Kidnapped’ and started writing the novel there. Apparently, the Hawes inn does feature in the story.

 

Today's piece of useless trivia ...

 

[31A]

Burntisland, with the twisty bit past the dock.  And at one time, train ferry (a bit before my time, though!).

 

[DaveF]

 

Dalmeny for me.

 

David

[manna]

G'day Folks

 

The M&GN section finished so quick I didn't even have time to vote........Think I'll try Twenty again.........

 

manna