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ruggedpeak

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  1. Many years back I read some old Penguin books on several of the Highland lines and there were numerous routes and extensions proposed but never started around the Highlands. Sadly the books are buried in the basement but I have a slight feeling a route similar to this was looked at back in the day. May be others have a better grip on the history of proposed lines in the north of Scotland?
  2. They said no one would use the Borders Railway and made it as cheaply as possible with limited passing places which means railtours cause services to be cancelled and the line does not have capacity if they undertake any extensions. Yet it was rammed from day one. As the "war on cars" continues rural people will be priced off the roads the same as everyone else who isn't rich, so more trains will be needed. And if Nut Zero targets are to be met the Highlands will have to covered in wind turbines etc and all that kit will need transporting. Repopulating the Highlands makes a lot of sense, espeically as for much of history it was inhabited by humans rather than just deer and sheep, so a new line could help this.
  3. If you look carefully at the track at Renens, it looks like SBB are using Maerklin 3 rail in some areas! A bit of research shows that it is monitoring the building site next door - that hoarding on the right hand platform edge is a major building side, and there was a large drilling rig operating within a few feet of the platform when I was there. There was also at least two of those laser theodolite mounted on OHL posts doing their automated checks as well. The view looking back from the end of the platform: The wireless gizmo on the track. https://www.senceive.com/flatmesh-geowan-platforms/flatmesh
  4. Took the opportunity yesterday to explore the far end of the Jura, taking the line to Le Brassus. This involves going to Renens (VD) and then taking the line towards Vallorbe, then changing at Le Day for the single track line to Le Brassus. I hadn't done my homework on the lines, so was a little surprised to find the line to Vallorbe as a full spec double track mainline. The area is rolling countryside below the Jura with limited population so it seemed overkill. However the route through Vallorbe is in fact a primary route into France, with the TGV Lyria running a direct service from Paris to Lausanne through the Tunnel Mont d'Or. The route taken is highlighted, copyright Swisstopo/Swiss Federal Government Renens (Vaud) is at the heart of one of the major intersections of Swiss railways, effectively a large triangle with routes coming west through Lausanne/Bern, north from Geneva and south/east from Vallorbe/France and the Yverdon les Bains/Neuchatel/Biel, with extensive passenger and freight traffic all trying to pass through. SBB is investing heavily in new track, flyovers and other features to deconflict the movements. As mentioned the loop at the Morges yard forms part of this. Next to Renens station at the Lausanne end is a large yard, and shunting in the yard includes movements into the station. 960 017 is just pulling a rail carrying PW train out of the yard into the station Despite being under the wires the 960 had its pant down and diesel engine running. Quite a few Swiss train drivers do seem to like enthusiasts taking photos, and this one was sounding his horn to get my attention and giving lots of waves 🙂 The Robel travelling crane was them moving up and down the train followed by the chap in middle of the picture bashing things with a sledge hammer whilst his colleagues watched! The PW train reversed back into the yard and then the chap on the left got his bigpole out and I assume earthed the OHL? Various other shunting moves went on, with wagins being deposited in the station, and 960 031 turned up with some wagons and unhitched. It has its pant up but was also running its diesel engine...they are bi mode locos for heaving shunting and PW trains. Then up to Le Brassus on a RER service that starts in Aigle, goes through Lausanne, and then splits at Le Day, one 523 EMU reversing up the Le Brassus branch and one continuing to Vallorbe. On the way up to Le Day the open countryside provides a complete panorama of the Alps. Le Brassus is clearly designed with snow in mind, although the Jura mountains get a lot less snow these days. Snow poles were in the car park and showing where the station entrance doors were! The ABt NPZ Domino unit 50 85 39-43 803 runs the shuttle to Vallorbe. Le Brassus as just beyond the end of an attractive lake and located on main traverses by foot, ski and cycle along the Jura. On the line there is an attractive spot at Le Pont on the lake where there is also a small heritage railway that runs steam trains on the line https://www.ctvj.ch/ On the return the Le Brassus service has to wait for the Vallorbe to join up, so I got to photograph one of these. I have seen them from train windows but they were always in remote locations. A SBB mobile substation: I have yet to go to Vallorbe but the line through it into the Tunnel can be seen on the other side of the valley, and there is major PW works going as the extensive range of yellow wagons demonstrates. The WW2 Toblerone anti-tank defences are in the foreground as the Jura were a key part of preventing Switzerland being invaded. The Tunnel Mont d'Or (off to the left) was sealed up during the war. Where the Vallorbe line merges with the Yverdon line towards Renens there is a large La Poste and container depot, so passing shots. Not too long after leaving Renens the 3 wagon Poste train that travels to Geneva mid-afternoon every day passed my train, so I would guess it may originate here. Back in Renens the sun had gone in but shunting continued, Re 6/6 620 075 shunts a single refuse DROPS/roro wagon Then take a busy commuter train back to Geneva.
  5. Hi Gordon The thread is my reports and photos of the contemporary Swiss rail scene as I get out and about, having had the good fortune to move to Geneva. As I radiate out from Geneva I report on what I see, some of which will be beyond Romandie but the bulk is in the area. Hence the "and beyond" in the title. As there is little modelling to report (due to living in a small flat and having a surfeit of OO British outline!) I don't want to clog up the forum with multiple threads. I doubt think it will turn into a major discussion of the Bernina, but it is clear my various trips are of interest and people want to discuss them and find out more for their own trips. Anyone not interested can skip over those bits. Given your late Uncle's extensive photo collection, have you considered a dedicated thread for his pictures, they are clearly an invaluable archive? Best. Tony
  6. The Glacier Express and Bernina Express overlap. The Glacier is run jointly by the two companies and is in fact based in RhB's offices in Chur. So no falling out. The Glacier runs from Zermatt to St Moritz, through Andermatt, and is mountain resort to mountain resort, whereas the Bernina is an RhB only service from Chur to Tirano. If you travel on one Express you will see trains from the other pass by. Both do the Landwasser but the Glacier does not do the Brusio Spiral. The Zermatt section of the Glacier is not covered by the normal SBB Daypass, unlike the whole of the Bernina route. On my yet to be posted trip I did the full Glacier and Bernina route except the Zermatt to Visp section of the Glacier as that was another 50-100 CHF. All of the routes can be done by normal service trains so you don't have to pay the extra - the main benefit of paying the extra is the panoramic coaches. However service trains on the route have large drop down windows that open half way down so you can lean out for photos etc! None of the health and safety worries about decapitation etc here despite the tight tunnels! Here's a couple of pics from my recent trip - and my Bernina Facebook post on the "Swiss Railways" group has had over a 1000 likes 😁, far more than my freight train photos get! All the windows you can see pull down, see handles at the top and photographer at the open window at the rear of the coach - the Brusio Spiral is in the background. They really have designed the train with tourists in mind. Doesn't seem like too many decapitations!
  7. Roco and Fleischmann are part of the same group, both produce high quality model trains in HO and N without using factories in China. They are a well known and successful brand in Europe. I have some of their locos and they are as good as any UK outline model. A particular challenge is Euro loco liveries as there are lots of complex liveries to replicate. The Swiss SBB Re 460 loco class alone has a never ending stream of complex liveries as they use the ribbed loco sides to promote all sorts of things, this being a good example from Roco The Vectron locos are even worse for complex liveries! In 2020 Roco were the no.1 DC analogue model train company in Europe and no.2 in DCC after Marklin. So they seem to be doing very well without Chinese factories. https://www.fleischmann.de/fen/locations https://manufacturing-today.com/news/roco-modelleisenbahn/
  8. Exactly, those in that part of the world need to get their head around the full situation and decide whether supporting a company with a less than stellar safety record and habit of falling out with authorities rather than just doing what is required is in their best interests. I think this situation has the potential to go wrong for them. The essence of the petition is that safety regulations should not be followed due to the impact on the local economy. So essentially they are saying the risk of an innocent tourist being avoidably killed or injured is acceptable relative to the loss of some of the tourist income. Is that the message the tourist businesses of the West of Scotland want to be putting out? Looks like a potential PR disaster in the making to me. We've just seen the mess many simple minded imbeciles have got themselves into commenting about the Princess of Wales being 'awol'. Some of the comments on Change.org are funny, apparently no one ever fell out of a slam door ever...🤣
  9. Class 67's are 125 mph capable are they not, plenty of them around for use?
  10. True, but unplanned departures from aircraft or railway coaches will often lead to similar outcomes. FAA and ORR are essentially trying to achieve the same thing - ensuring that people remain in the vessel/vehicle they started in.
  11. Interesting business strategy. Lost the JR to the ORR with a clear decision that the ORR is correct. The Jacobite contract expires this year and they can't run the service at all at present. Genius. And now a petition has started to try and get a safety regulator to change its position on a serious safety issue that has already been examined by a High Court Judge. The petition is pretty weak effort. Worrying but not surprising in the social media age that people think safety regulations should be determined by a petition signed by amateurs. 🤣 WCRC could try and boost their credibility by publicly disowning the petition as an inappropriate way to respond to the High Court decision, but I'm guessing that won't happen. I also hear that Boeing are watching to see if this petiton works in case they can get one to overrturn the FAA restrictions on 737s.....🤪
  12. Agree, Roco manufacture in Austria, Romania and Vietnam so it can be done. Two more points I'd make, firstly moving away from China is now a strategic security and economic imperative for reasons we all know, so huge efforts are being put in globally to find other locations for things China currently does. Secondly if (big if) Frasers go large with Hornby they have the financial clout and buying power to make things happen that a small cap standalone company like Hornby does not have.
  13. I'm not convinced a group of experienced business people who have built a multi-billion pound business empire and overcome all sorts of problems don't have expertise or access to expertise to overcome difficult challenges like that. As they already have substantial holdings in various white goods, consumer electronic/digital firms they will have a decent overview of related manufacturing and supply chain challenges. And if there aren't the people to do the work how is it the UK model railway business is seeing significant growth and huge outputs of product from new entrants to the market? It also assumes that Hornby's future relies on product made in China. Other model train companies can make high quality models without involving China. It may be prudent to shift to product lines that do not require Chinese manufacturing for financial, delivery and resilience reasons. And sometimes not having the straitjacket of conventional thinking can mean they are better at finding solutions. As a hypothetical, if China as a manufacturing location is a primary strategic problem for the business one might: focus OO gauge models on Railroad which can be made outside of China concentrate Chinese manufacturing capacity of TT:120 if it continues to grow Boost non-Chinese made product lines like Airfix Develop other manufacturing capacity elsewhere This might tie in with a hypothetical market situation - Hornby is facing stiff competition in OO, so is it worth investing time and effort there when Railroad can be rolled out to supermarkets, Game etc with minimal support (unlike say a highly detailed DCC Sound loco which is very supermarket retail unfriendly)? TT:120 has virtually no competition so would be worth, if the numbers stack up, focus Chinese capacity on that by removing OO production and driving that segment since Hornby dominate. Airfix and simpler Corgi products are very retail friendly and again can be made closer to home, offering the chance to boost volume etc withouth the Far Eastern issues. All very simplistic but Frasers know how to get product on shelves and out the door. It may mean breaking some taboos and not doing OO any more but that has to be better than the bakery suggested earlier!!
  14. That is one of the areas that Frasers could bring their expertise to bear and add value. Hornby are still following a core operating model that has not changed in decades, even as competitors enter the market very successfully using other methods.
  15. I agree, making a much better fist of making elements of all the Hornby ranges (whether TT120, Railroad, Corgi, Airfix etc) more mass market and high street/online retail friendly is probably the key and that is what Frasers can help with. Back to those instantly recognisable brands..........properly leveraged and deployed that is where the profits are.
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