great central

But if you leave the loo in and use the big end door for access it also gives an extra toilet on each train for those long journeys

If you replace GWR with EMT and south west with east coast you're on the right track:-)

The pair of 37s working to Great Yarmouth are usually in multiple, the coaches being through wired with the same system as used between locos. Usually if they're not working in multi it is due to a problem with the through wiring on the coaches. The first time it was done,I think,was by EWS for Northern's Leeds-Carlisle service around 2003-4(?). Only mod to the locos is remote operation of the fire suppression system I believe. Not knowing what type of multiple working system the 68s employ I can't comment I'm afraid, although as Russp of this parish is a DRS driver, I'm sure he can give the definitive answer

Call me suspicious if you like, but I note that he's due to face a commons committee shortly. Maybe, just maybe, if he's no longer employed by Govia he could say rather more than if he was still, effectively, a government puppet? Nice idea I suppose but in reality unlikely I think

Heard something recently which may help explain the ongoing issues. Out of a certain depots compliment of drivers only 10% were trained either on the new stock or routes at the time the changes took place!!

^^^ I presume the fourth picture is distorted in some way otherwise the cab has taken a heck of a bash. The loco doesn't seem to be off the rails? Pity you can't read the numbers on most, the top one could well be ex Annesley having a 1F tender, the bottom one has taken a knock around the front buffer beam as well Lovely atmospheric photos, real giants of steam just as I remember them. Being the biggest and most impressive locos I saw regularly, probably my favourites

I've no idea which is right either Tony, anyway a couple of shots taken and posted from my phoneMy 'cut down' take on a BR1F tender. To be a proper Annesley loco the filler should really be open, they didn't seem as if they were ever closed. The front end showing the extended cut outs for the steam pipes The tender in relation to the loco, I don't think it looks too bad. While studying many pictures of real locos I also realised that the rivet pattern isn't correct for a 1F tender anyway, not that I count the things but they are fairly prominent. Edit, having looked at the pictures now, I've realised the valve guide must have come adrift. I have set it in forward gear but the radius rod shouldn't be at that angle

I did say it was a bodge! Having read Tony's article I decided my skills weren't up to that level, but cutting a couple of mm off the top produced a similar look, well to my eyes anyhow. If I can dig it out I'll do a phone photo and post it later, been at work since 04.30 and now helping the wife setting up a church 'do' for tomorrow.

Around the turn of the century when there were still class 37s and MK2s running on the north Wales coast, for some reason I can't now remember, possibly to do with water in axleboxes(?), Virgin weren't running their services to Holyhead. They provided a bus replacement along the A55 which resulted in people missing ferry connections. I understand they weren't allowed by 'the system' to ask North Western Trains to take the passengers instead although the NWT service was timed to meet the ferry and, being hauled stock, could possibly have had a carriage or two added to cope

Sticking my neck on the block a bit and assuming the Model Loco one is the same as the DJH,there's something not quite right about the look of the front end to me. When I was building a DJH one getting on for 20 years ago I spent ages trying to figure out what it was. I finally settled on the front section of the footplate being a little short and giving the impression of the smoke deflectors being too far forward. My bodge was to move the deflectors back a couple of mm by opening out the slot the steam pipes pass through. Also cut down rather than build up the wrong tender side sheets on the BR1F tender. To me at least it looks in proportion now

There's often a lot of discretion shown in such circumstances so long as cost is minimal, such as a later train service, but when it comes to taxis late at night I think it comes down to cold hard facts. If they've got a fully valid ticket and the delay isn't their fault, no problem otherwise they've made their own choice. Some would say that's heartless but tough decisions have to be made.

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You'd be surprised how many people do plan things to a couple of minutes, just assuming everything is going to work to plan, even to arriving at an airport with 10 minutes or less to spare. Then, of course, it's someone else's fault they've not allowed a contingency for problems. Had one on Saturday, split tickets and journey from York to Leicester via Manchester (?) Probably dead cheap but first train was 10 minutes late so missed the connection. Got on mine to Nottingham, but nothing to Leicester by the time we arrive, so was wanting a refund. No idea what happened but I reckon a taxi from Nottingham to Leicester on Saturday evening could be best part of £50, train company unlikely to pay cos it's not their fault. Ticket didn't involve us at all!

Sure he didn't used to drive another kind of van with a different uniform and cat on the passenger seat? That one used to spin a decent yarn:)

Do they all go to Wimbledon though??

Another isolated branch option is, I understand, between Cleethorpes and Barton on Humber? It's nominally a Northern service but operated, at least in part by TPE. The plan is to transfer it into the EMT franchise, which would see it operated from Lincoln depot. I've no idea how that would work but presumably in a similar way to the Windermere branch?

By implication, it could be said that any and all replacement bus services operate effectively, as in they get passengers around disruption whatever the cause. The fact that they are subject to the vagaries of the roads is then a minor concern as nobody complains about being stuck in traffic disruption to the same degree they do on rail. Should stop a lot of the complaints as road disruption is just something to be expected due to the amount of vehicles on the roads. Also because the roads are effectively 'privatised' down to individual levels there's no one to complain to apart from yourself! There solved it at a stroke! Provides a lot more jobs, because you'd need a driver for the equivalent number of passengers in each coach of a train at least, so say an 8 coach train needing one driver and, possibly, a guard now needs at least 8 drivers unless you're going down the driverless buses route? Another plus point to this is lots more buses so more RFL and fuel duty at least to the treasury, not to mention the tax and NI from the drivers. Therefore by extension we just turn all the railway lines into busways? I think that may have been suggested before:)

The advert on the side of NNB171 made me smile:-)

No real opinion on it personally but have seen it in the past. One long closed small retailer near here used to do the same. Much older style, in this case, Hornby boxes often colour bleached from display alongside brand new stock at the same price. All I would say is I'd be more inclined to make sure the stock was moving and if I'd already got items in stock wouldn't be getting more in. Rather discount the older stuff to move it before bringing new in

From a passenger train perspective the joint is shut overnight but now it's all on one panel signalling there's no reason things can't run all night. Some freight may well do. Last year the ECML was shut due to wires down near Werrington. Our 153 had to go in the siding at Spalding while we had our break, to allow a couple of diverted East Coast services past

The diagrams are a bit more complex than that, the unit leaving Nottingham in the morning stays outstationed at Lincoln overnight, and the one going to Nottingham in the evening has been at Lincoln over the previous night. It does tax the fuel capacity somewhat. Yep on the way back to Nottingham in the week we normally go fast line from Sileby junction rattling through Loughborough at our maximum 75mph, so long as all the London's are running to time. Melton Mowbray to Nottingham non stop, best part of an hour.

Must admit the sleeper looked pretty impressive, decent length train with a loco on the front. A 92, would have preferred one of the 'heritage' ones but you can't have everything

The southbound one did the same last Monday. I saw it at Grantham as I ran in ECS to form the 06.10 to Nottingham. It was right behind our single car Spalding via Peterborough service

I've got a small toolbox with a couple of plastic wagon or coach kits to work on if I'm spare in the boot of my car. Problem is I do the main assmbly at work easily enough but I now have several dozen assembled kits awaiting painting, lettering and weathering at home.

I'm a relative newcomer to the railway, after a life mostly spent twiddling little wires together in various jobs we, as a family, bought a video shop/off licence. That lasted around 4 years before it became blatantly obvious video shops were well and truly dead. I'd tried to move into model railway retailing adding that to the shop with the unusual, but to many people, convenient fact we were open until 9 at night 6 days a week. Unfortunately the video business disappeared far quicker than the railway side got fully established and we took the decision to shut up shop before it cost us our house as well. After a couple of months I came across a notice stuck on a door at Nottingham station asking for concessionaires to work the refreshment trolleys on Central trains services, the supervisor who 'interviewed' me later said he only gave me a job to shut me up! 15 months of that kept us afloat and started paying off the debts run up trying to keep the shop going. Then after several attempts I got a full time ATE job, I was now a proper railway employee rather than self employed contractor:-). After another 3 years I finally got a guards job, now over 10 years later I'm enjoying it more than ever. Finished paying off the debts about 3 years ago, I passed 65 last month, absolutely no intention of retirement, I'm enjoying myself far too much and realistically I can't afford to, nowhere near enough pension to continue living as I am. Had to remortgage the house until I'm 70 as it was. As for interest in model railways, I must admit it goes in stops and starts, mostly stops I'll admit, after a heart attack 8 years ago I try to focus a chunk of my leisure time on keeping fit, I'm better now than for probably 30 years. As you may guess from the time of the post I'm on early turn, ECS to Worksop at the moment so yesterday evening was out for modelling. When I'm at work I feel very comfortable and among friends, quite a few of whom are also past normal retirement age and I've already told my manager that I'm not quitting until I have to!