BMacdermott

Hello Eric Indeed. The main aim of my post was to alert readers that location and time period are vital factors to take into account when considering if a lamp code is right or wrong. Some S&D drivers used 'standard lamp codes' for a very short while after the WR took after, but soon reverted. Brian

Hello Iain It's good that you are considering these various ideas - it will pay dividends! When I was planning out my layout, I stood in the empty room for days messing around with point templates etc. One major discovery was the positioning of the points for the reverse loops. On my (very rough!) sketch above, they look about centre. In fact, they are slightly biased to the left. This permitted two double-headed trains to store in the right hand outer loop, whereas if the points had been 'dead centre', then they would not have fitted by about three inches. It made no real difference to the left hand loops (for a number of reasons). It's good to draw things out on paper, but proofs of puddings are in eatings. Lay it out on the floor and use some 'dummy trains' to work it through. Can you reach? Will couplers uncouple? What if a point 'fails', how can you replace it? Etc etc. Brian

Hello Eric Fully concur with you there. The attached two RC Riley pics (taken from a poor photocopy of a Trains Illustrated Summer Annual) serve to illustrate the situation. Empty stock between Paddington and West London or Old Oak Common had its own code as in the first pic. ECS from or to elsewhere used the 'normal' code as shown in the second. Any loco driver I have spoken with has always said that (for example) lamp over right buffer means the driver's right hand buffer when moving in a forward direction. Left hand means driver's left hand. Brian

Hello Clem The 'normal' Class A express lamp code was carried occasionally, particularly if the Pines Express headboard or some other 'special headboard' was carried. Brian

Hello everyone Congratulations to RevolutioN Trains on the announcement of their intent to produce the Ecofret Container Flats. We wish them every success with the project. The vehicles were listed 'new' this year in The 00 Wishlist Poll 2019. Although they came in Low Polling it should be noted that 1964-Current Freight Stock category always attracts slightly fewer voters than the other Freight categories. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Metr0land I can quote from two books... Modern Locomotives Illustrated No.185, Main Line Prototypes, The BR Designs Early 1951 mainly around Derby. 23 May 1951 hauled to Marylebone for static display to BTC. 2 June 1951 hauled to Eastbourne for International Union of Railways Conference. By end August 1951, main line trials to Leicester. Seen at St Pancras 5 November 1951. From January 1952, rostered on 7.10am Derby-Manchester and 11.35am return. March 1952, commenced services Derby-St Pancras and Manchester. March 1954, power trials, Manchester-Liverpool via the Cheshire Lines. May 1954, hauled in a freight train to Willesden for International Railway Congress exhibition. April 1955, Dynamometer Car trials on Settle & Carlisle. Summer 1955, on the Midland main line, including some freight turns. Scenes from the Past 44: Rowsley MPD (Keith Miles, Foxline) Extract: On at least one occasion, and I don't think it was an isolated incident, I had to turn out 40520 to pilot the Fell from South Junction and act as a mobile boiler. Brian

Hello John According to Modern Locomotives Illustrated, No.185, Main Line Prototypes, The BR Designs, the loco went into Derby works and had the central con rod removed after the May/June 1954 International Railway Congress Exhibition (Willesden). The loco was painted Brunswick green with late crest in March 1957. Brian

Hello everyone I have placed my 'expression of interest' and I know of one other who has as well. Brian

Hello everyone Congratulations to Accurascale on this announcement and we wish them every success with the project. The vehicle was to be listed in The 00 Wishlist Poll 2019 but was deleted when KR announced their model...although there was some subsequent confusion over which version was intended and was then subsequently withdrawn. You have to be adept at juggling to be a member of The 00 Poll Team!! Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to KR Models on this announcement - we wish the company every success with the project. The loco has been High Polling since 2014. We won't delete the loco from The 00 Wishlist Poll data at present as the company has only asked for 'expressions of interest'. Perhaps KR Models could give some more detail about whether they are planning just the version as in the picture or 'as built' with centre connecting rod etc? I couldn't see anything about 'variants' on the website (except livery - or did I miss something??) Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to KR Models on the announcement that they are seeking expressions of interest for the Fell Diesel 10100. As this is 'EoI', we won't remove the loco from The Poll until there is a 'firm running commitment'. We wish the company every success with the project. The loco has been High Polling since 2014. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Compound2632 I was basing my reply on your statement (viz): I'm afraid I'm not well up on BR-era wagons. It was a BR diagram. Paul Bartlett said the following a few posts back (towards bottom of Page 6). Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team) A very strange idea. Personally I think the Hot pig is an interesting wagon and I was pleased, with Trev Mann, to measure one. BUT photos of them in traffic are very rare and the Coil conversion was heavily chopped around so not easy to say a model could be used for both. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brhotpigiron The standard Pig Iron - as modelled by Peco in 7mm - would be a much better prototype - with a long life with many used for coil traffic in South Wales. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brpigiron https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brcoilc

Hello Tony We listed GNSR D40/D41 4-4-0 combined in The 00 Wishlist Poll 2019 and gave reasons within the accompanying Guide (where we refer to Gordon Highlander). The locos came in around the middle of the Middle Polling segment...that is up from having been in Low Polling in previous years. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Compound2632 And how was I to know that? Brian

Hello Compound2632 Full details were given in The Guide as below. Brian (on behalf of the 00 Poll Team) BR Hot Pig Iron Wagon (Diag.1/005 of 1956) Pig Iron Wagons were a descendant of the BR Lowfit, but Diag.1/005 was an ‘all-new’ design. BR Shildon built 140 in 1956. Many were converted for strip coil in the 1960s. Link: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brhotpigiron/h331f506f#h2fc6bdf8

Hello John Below is how the G16 and H16 have fared in the past and up to this year. It is worth noting that the Z and W are both in The Top 50 now. 2013 H16 slightly more votes than G16 but both in Low Polling. 12 votes between them. 2014 G16 sightly more votes than H16, but both in Low Polling. 14 votes between them. 2015 H16 and G16, both now Middle Polling and both with exactly the same number of votes. 2016 G16 slightly more votes than H16, both still in Middle Polling. 8 votes between them. 2018 G16 has moved up to lower echelons of High Polling with H16 towards bottom of Middle Polling. 23 votes between them. 2019 G16 has moved up in High Polling with H16 now towards top end of Middle Polling. 31 votes between them. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello 57xx The LMS General Merchandise Wagon (Diag.1666) has always been Middle Polling, but is above the overall halfway mark. It was only a handful of votes outside High Polling this year, with only the LNER Grain Hopper, GWR Open Wagons and the Lowmac/Loriot Middle Polling above it in that category. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to Fran and the team! The Class 37 was one of only two locos that polled well in the Post-2005 Suggestions category in The 00 Wishlist Poll 2019. We wish them every success with the project. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello everyone Congratulations to Accurascale on the announcement of the Class 37! This was one of the two items that came up with good votes in our Post-2005 Suggestions category. We wish Fran and the team every success with this very interesting and wide-ranging project. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Paul Thanks for writing. The 'Pig Iron' was listed new in 2015, probably at the suggestion of a voter, but it may have been The Team in our attempts to 'balance' various types. Looking at the Don Rowland book, there were: Diag.1/003 13-ton version Diag.1/004 & Diag 1/007 two 20-ton designs Diag.1/005 Hot Pig Iron 30-ton The wagons within The Poll (no matter 'Hot' or not) have been consistently Low Polling. This year, they were =18th from bottom overall, so we won't be in any rush to list variants. Some of the basic designs were later amended to Coil Wagons, which would add even greater complexity and variation. If anyone cares to write to us with why we should list any specific vehicle, we will always listen. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Budgie We are fortunate to have that very same John Lewis as a valued member of The 00 Poll Team. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Mark I'm not sure if there is any 'groundswell of demand' for the 14xx, but the reason it is being talked about here is that it was one of only two locos in the Post-2005 Suggestions that polled more than the overall lowest-voted item (the other being the Class 37). A number of respondents noted concern that DJM was no longer in business (although we didn't report on those comments as they were OT as far as the Results were concerned). I agree that the real 14xx were generally short train motive power, but many modellers have severe gradients...any additional tractive effort would no doubt be welcomed by them if not by many more. If there is more drawbar power, is there not less strain on the motor? But I'm not a motor engineer. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello Iain I have attached a very rough schematic plan of my 25ft x 10ft layout in the hope it might help your thoughts. In essence, it is a looped eight with two reverse loops (each Radius 1, 2 and 3). The yellow areas are 'scenic', the remainder 'off scene'. The station is a 4-platform + bay affair, about 20ft long, akin to Exeter Central or Oxford. It has a loco depot on one side, rather like Bournemouth Central. To explain...a train leaves the station towards the right of the plan and enters a 180 degree tunnel. It has climbed to about 1.5 inches off base level. When it emerges from the tunnel, it is on a double track section which has a 'slow line' to one side and two 'goods loops' on the other. The 4-road carriage sidings are to the far side and the 6-road sorting sidings are towards the operating well. The train climbs towards the next tunnel where it is about 3 inches above base level and passes over the station throat (still hidden). From here, it can enter the reverse loops or avoid them and continue forward, gradually descending until it reaches the station. A train can run in the other direction and take the same actions. Most trains will go round the loops to form firstly a Down service, returning as an Up service or vice versa. The layout easily handles 20 'service trains' ranging from double-headed 10-coach expresses to a short pick-up freight. Loco shed handles at least 20 locos without looking crowded. The same goes for the sorting and carriage sidings. The Radius 3 right hand reverse loop handles two double-headed 10-coach expresses. The left hand loops, slightly less. The tracks in the hidden sections are used as 'linear storage' - one train stores behind another very closely (as if in a sort of 'hidden permissive block' scenario). The layout can be operated in such a way that 'the spare space' gets filled up with trains'; I then move them all along so that they are ready for the next session; this frees up the space as previously. Rather like the Americans undertake what they call 'staging'. Brian

Hello Mark Thanks for writing. We first listed BR Pig Iron Wagon (Diag.1/005) in 2015. A voter who knows a thing or two about wagons suggested we change the title to BR Hot Pig Iron Wagon and that is how it was listed for 2019. Both were listed under Freight Stock: 1948-1963 and have been consistently Low Polling. Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Hello GordonC We shouldn't get 'into politics' here...it was just a 'merry quip'. Brian