E3109

Am I the only one who gets frustrated when somebody in front of me at the corner shop queue has a pin issue or, heaven forbid, 'declined' aka Computer sez no. Just pay in cash FGS, if you're spending more than thirty quid at the corner shop then maybe you're not all that great at managing money in the first place? So you've bought 3 tins of Monster, half a dozen cans of cat food and a bargain bundle of 6 bog rolls. Can't be more than twenty quid, so just pay in readies, dead easy. What bothers me about all this 'app' stuff is that it's becoming not only a way of life but a default position. Crazy IMO.

Indeed and I'd go so far as to say that HMG have far more influence on our railway now, than was ever the case under BR, even though BR was in essence a government department. Is there a happy medium? I dunno, hope there is and if so, I hope it gets applied at some point.

Seems as though Wales also has its own de facto nationalised railway since a few days ago too. The more cynical could be forgiven for thinking that England is treated as third-best once again. Would I bring back BR? Hell yeah. But I'd ensure that the politicians were kept well away from it. Bit of a tall order to be frank. Politicians have generally done far more harm than good to our railway, in my opinion.

The A class and the C class were introduced around the same time and yes, both types worked alongside 071s. And 201s, just about I think. Loads of the As ended up with IR logos towards the end, got a few pics myself but I'm sure the Irish members here can help you on that far more than I can.

Yes Tricky, I do. They are already trying their best to apply vat on every transaction they can. No disrespect, but if you withdraw say £10 then how can you waste any, unless you do it wilfully? The clue is in the denomination of the bill, surely. What do you mean by 'up to no good'? And even if you made an impulse purchase of a dozen penny bubblies from that tenner while buying essentials, how would that be any different to presenting them at the till and paying for them by card? I want to add a little to the mix here (and as I say, I'm not against cards per se, they certainly have their uses) would you like to see cash abolished entirely? That's potentially an extremely dangerous road to go down.

Can I just add a personal experience as staff. These days the norm is dog eat dog, the vast number of discrete companies created out of nothing will as ever fight amongst themselves if only for an extra penny in their favour. Artificial market etc. I can't claim any heritage really as I only caught the arse end of BR's existence and in any case, when I joined BR I would've been classed as peripheral staff (or 'contractor' these days). Although I will add, that working for BR was like 1) working for your mum and 2) you had a genuine feeling that you were doing something good for the country. Any road. A train had failed in front of the one I was a passenger on. Luckily the track layout allowed a diversionary route, albeit a freight line (passed for EMUs mind). Once I became aware of the situation I immediately let the platform staff know. Long story short, I conducted the train via the freight route in order to keep the job moving. Saved at least an hour. End of the day there were perhaps 500 punters on that train, not that it would've made a difference if there were 5 pax still would've done the same. I care very little for the magnates/idiots who currently call the shots on our railway. In fact, I'd have many of them put on a charge of some sort, not that this is relevant here. What I do care about, passionately, is the people who choose to pay to use our railway and just because I'm currently a freight man this doesn't make any difference, I was brought up in the BR mentality which basically meant you actually cared about keeping the wheels turning. Had a chat with my boss the other day about this and he was pleasantly surprised that I said I would've conducted the unit even if I was off duty (even though it's still a rule book requirement). I'd like to think that the majority of staff would do the same, although frankly I'm no longer sure these days.

I was 12 in 1981, thus in the second year of secondary school. Anyway a project we were given by the English teacher was, "produce a children's book, with illustrations." I blatantly plagiarised the (proper!) Awdry series and based it on the then-imminent MSW closure. The characters in my 'series' were of course Tommy, Jason, Prometheus, Diana and co. I doubt if it was particularly accurate but my, how I wish I'd kept that stuff!

Cheers Sails. Like I say, got a load of negs from that timeframe which I really need to make public.

In agreement Yes Tor, there was some kind of technological glitch with one of the banks in the last fortnight and while I didn't see this for myself, it would've been rather satisfying to be able to circumvent all of that in a shop and just hand over a bit of 'folding' in exchange for goods. I'm not opposed to electronic transactions per se, but I'm absolutely opposed to it becoming prevalent or, heaven forbid, the only option. I'm saddened to experience that many businesses promote electronic payments over hard cash transactions and (hopefully not getting too political here) I get a feeling that this is the reason why various TOCs have been promoting the purchase of rail tickets via 'apps' and so on. I mentioned above that a lot of Swedes have been getting implanted with microchips in order to conduct their day-to-day transactions. I realise that this is the exception rather than the rule at present, but if we're not careful it may become the only option. Sinister times ahead? What's it got to do with HMRC that I bagged a Heljan EM2 for £99 the other week, no wonder I paid in cash. Sick of these people sticking their noses in where it's not welcome. They're supposed to serve us but it would seem it's the other way around and no disrespect to those who promote electronic payments over cash. But it seems you may be part of the problem, albeit unwittingly.

I respect your points but surely the time spent sorting, counting and filling in paperwork online, takes up just as much time as counting physical cash. I realise I may be seen as a Luddite (not a bad thing IMHO) but I really don't want the authorities knowing my every financial transaction. What I choose to buy is nothing to do with them. Our lives are micromanaged by these creatures enough as it is.

Apologies for the Flickr plug, anyway I managed to have some serious mileage off the externally battered 002. Got loads of negs and prints from Ireland 1989-91 which I really need to scan and post. This is the sort of model I'd like to purchase, along with one fitted with the original windscreens. https://www.flickr.com/photos/barang_shkoot/8169945001/in/album-72157631969140568/

I'm definitely having at least one of these beasts. Quite apart from the gauge difference I want one anyway. The artwork seems to suggest that Fran and Co are about to produce a model that is as good as the SLW class 24. Praise indeed I'd say. Just one query though, will there be a model of a GM-powered loco with the original windscreens, with the square lower corners? I used to visit CIE metals regularly in the late 1980s and most (all?) of the A class had received the radiused ones by then although I think I'm right in saying that no C class did, not even the ones which were transferred to NIR.

Just to add, 9010 was in green (FYE) with post-1965 BR emblems for a short while, think it was the only Deltic to be so treated although this seemed to be an ER thing, some class 15/23/31 were also recipients.

In my own experience njee20 'cash in the mattress' is safe as houses. If it goes missing, then it's my responsibility alone. Not that I actually keep cash in the mattress, but you get the drift. In other news, some banks in the Far East pay 8% APR on savings accounts. Maybe that is why there is a limit on how much physical cash you can export. Just as a little aside, the last shred of trust I had in British banks evaporated overnight, when I found out that (80% state-owned) RBS provided a large part of the finance to Kraft when they bought out Cadbury in their hostile bid. Needless to say, I've boycotted both firms ever since. As RBS is still state-owned (although to a lesser degree now) you would've been forgiven for thinking that they had the wellbeing of the country at heart... Hmmm oh well.

Although I'm not a fan of cards, I do use my debit card occasionally for some things. As I said above, I withdraw most of it in cash around pay day but if I'm purchasing, say, a flight I ensure that I withdraw less that month to cover it. Sometimes I'll buy a loco from Hattons etc by card and make the same allowances on my account, although to be fair I'd rather call in there if poss and just pay cash. I used to pay cash for my flights at the local travel agency but since the advent of Skyscanner and so on, they just can't come anywhere near the prices to be found online, which is a shame because I do prefer the personal touch. But £150 difference is a lot to pay for that so, sadly I generally buy fights online nowadays. Managing my money in this way has meant that my bank charges have disappeared, as I can't possibly go overdrawn accidentally due to forgetting about a DD or SO. I realise this may not be for everybody, but it works for me. I do have online banking access which I use for checking on my accounts, but I rarely use it for paying for things, in fact the bank gave me this keypad contraption that I've never used. I think it's required to pay anyone who's 'new' to your account although it's not needed for paying an existing recipient. Each to his own, but I find the proliferation of card payments to have potential for becoming rather sinister in some respects. I don't want the banks knowing what my buying habits are, I don't have anything to hide but that doesn't mean I want third parties to know what things I like to buy. It's all a bit too 'Total Recall' or 'Demolition Man' for my liking and even now, people are queuing up for microchip implants in Sweden, in lieu of a smartphone.. That's just nuts. Relating to that, there was an American short story type film I saw on tv a few years ago, basically society had gone completely cashless and a guy at a petrol station had his hand chopped off, rather than his wallet stolen, as wallets were no longer of any use. If anyone happens t know the name of that film, I'd be very grateful if you could let me know! Been trying to find it for ages. Once again, apologies for the slightly off-topic post. Hope you don't mind.

Did that recently with a Tri-any EM2, the plastic wheels were easy enough to do, due to their design I simply gripped them in the drill chuck by the stub axle (be careful not to over tighten them) and, as you suggest ADB clamp the drill to a table or similar, this forms an impromptu lathe and then simply turn the flanges down with a file.It's also worthwhile coning the treads, as the Tri-ang wheelsets have flat treads for some reason. The two powered wheelsets were more tricky in that they wouldn't fit in my standard 1/2" chuck. Improvisation again is the key here, ended up holding the axle between my thumb and forefinger and with spit as lubrication (!) used my Dremel type drill, with a stone wheel fitted, at an angle to the flanges which causes the wheelset to rotate while carefully grinding the flange down. Sounds a bit 'belt and braces' and it is, but it does work. The only thing you need to be aware of is that the wheels appear to be sintered rather than turned, so take extra care while grinding. I managed to knock a bit of flange off, as I assumed these wheels were turned but think I got away with it, by grinding the remainder down to match. The back to backs still aren't right on the metal wheels and I was only able to apply minimal coning without risking damage, but they appear to pass through Code 75 turnouts well enough. Need to have a proper running session before deciding whether they need further work. Obviously the plastic wheels were much easier to modify than the metal ones.

Cash is king. I get it that debit cards have their uses, credit cards less so. Some establishments round here still insist on charging for card transactions, I very rarely use cards in shops and as outlined above its now illegal to charge in any case. Thing is, the odd 50p they make here and there is perhaps offset by people boycotting these places, sure I'm not the only one to think this way! I don't do direct debits either, I have one standing order (mortgage) and that's it. Reason it's a SO rather than a DD, is because *I* control it rather than the beneficiary, who control a DD. Thus, no charges if I pay late, and no arrears snatch backs if I decide to have a mortgage break. I realise this may not be for everyone, but when I get paid I withdraw the vast majority of my salary, leaving enough for the mortgage and then it's up to me to make my cash last a month. I pay the council tax and other bills in cash via pay point at the local shop, that way I feel the pain when handing it over. You tend not to feel anything when paying by card, so glad I got out of that cycle and by handing my actual hard-earned over to the council, I feel far more justified when criticising them. Sorry for the thread deviation, I have an allergy to cards! Though I acknowledge that they have their uses. Very naughty to charge a fee though.

A number of signal boxes have gone the same way, although I couldn't possibly pass comment on whether these were conspiracies or not their demise was 'convenient' in some cases.

Also to add, 5xx DC emus implies LM origin rather than SR which were 4xx, whether this has any bearing on today's standards I don't know and it would be interesting to find out. The glaring exception even in BR days were 508s, but these were originally intended for LM (Merseyrail) and were diverted to the SR, partly replacing 4-SUBs I think. Re Merseyrail, what class number have the new Stadler units been allocated? 5xx, or 4xx, does anyone know or has that not been decided on yet?

Hi Colin (BW) Points taken about toilets, although as I understand it they have to be retrofitted with retention tanks by a certain date, which isn't far off now. I believe certain charter stock may have an exemption (?). I've noticed a number of 150s, 319s etc refitted with a larger WC 'room' of late, no doubt to comply with disabled person regs so I imagine these will be around for a while. On a Pendo, I always make a bid for the smaller WCs, as these don't have 'witty' announcements to humour you while doing your business.

OP, interesting perspective there as a visitor and your comments are useful. What I will say though, is that the good old 'Trams' (HSTs) have always been superb, especially in their original format where the seats lined up with the windows, due to various refits that was a long time ago now. Had a recent trip to Cornwall and it was an HST that rolled in at Taunton. Now perhaps it was because I'd suffered a rammed 4-car XC Voyager from Brum to there (standing all the way) but boarding that train was just lovely. The GWR upgrades were great and I can't understand why they're getting rid. With my enthusiast head on, I detested HSTs as they binned a lot of LHCS but the railway isn't run on sentiment, and nor should it be. But it's widely acknowledged that they basically saved BR from oblivion, a view that I concur with absolutely and also, what does their age have to do with it? Railway equipment is DESIGNED to last decades. And they've been repowered recently anyway. The mk3 is still the industry-accepted benchmark for comfort. It was a sad day when the mk3 was ditched from the WCML for something way more inferior. Porthole 'Windows' do not belong on a train. Shaving 30 mins off a journey is secondary to comfort, in my opinion. Only today I had to suffer a rammed Pendo unit to Euston and the only view available was the interior bodyside and the bloke opposite, picking his nose. I take your points regarding discharge toilets, but this hardly affects you as a passenger unless you got blowback, thus why is this relevant to your travel experiences? I also agree with you (to a point) about the doors and drop lights, but this has been sorted on quite a number of mk3s of late. I say 'to a point' because Hermetically-sealed just doesn't do it for me... Although that's just my own view. I genuinely hope to see HST sets being exported for further use elsewhere, when this throwaway society we live in foolishly gets rid of stuff that will easily last another 40 years. IMHO, it stinks that perfectly serviceable and comfortable stock is being binned purely due to 'age' when there is a massive lack of stock on the railway in the first place.

There's a photo online, somewhere, of a D400 at Reddish of all places. Not so unusual I suspect, all kinds of kit went there for the lathe over the years.

My own view is that as Buckeyes are generally non-prototypical in British use (apart from some modern AAR-fitted wagons and some coaching stock) then you may as well use tension locks, if the priority is train working and operation over prototypical appearance.

Might have been one of mine then Trevor! I realise this may be a bit un-PC these days but for me, there's nowt like having a fag to concentrate the mind, while carving off or adding detail bits to locos and stock. When I was a kid, my next door neighbour was a keen Southern modeller and to this day, I associate the not unpleasant whiff of his specialist pipe baccy with the SR...

I used to work at the former Metal Box factory in Westhoughton and there were two or three roads in one shed, and a single road next to the steel coil line. All were under cover, and a concrete base to enable road vehicles to enter as well as trains. We had a little Fordson tractor to do the shunting, it was there for this purpose only and was fitted with buffing plates and drawhooks. The reality was, the train engine invariably did the shunting. Many a time I saw a 25, 31 or 37 clagging the place out, while engines were not expressly forbidden the tractor was supposed to do it. I think the general state of play was that a bit of haze for a few minutes, was deemed preferable to firing the old Fordson up. I wonder if it survived the factory closure? It was in great condition (always kept inside) and I bet it would be worth a fortune these days. That would be a wonderful prototype for a model.