adanapress

Pre 1946 the LNER made some use of the old 'pigpen' code for some high secure paperwork. Source of this info: The late Geoff. Ford, when in BR days was District Motive Power at Norwich Thorpe, and was one of the 'Three Musketeers' that were running the G.E. so successfully. (A Former Gresley Premium Apprentice). In later days believe a code word ''Grove'' was relevant.

Regarding the EMB motor bogie under the long lived R157/158 diesel Railcar pair, can anything be done to re-gear these? and if so how does one get the two worms off the armature shaft without damage? Any related advice welcome.

Are any photographs available of the HS2 projects project in the area where it will cross the Oxford - Cambridge line, As I understand it HS2 will build whats required in all four directions.

I see with interest that the through track has been lifted northwards starting immediately at the end of the Quainton platform. A sleeper stands in as a buffer stop, with a hand lamp thereon. Does this tell us anything about DafT's position about the Aylesbury service?

It occurs to me that the rail connection to Burtonwood may have had some relevance to the outflow of the pilfered items, This at one time reached unbeleiiveable, nay staggering, proportions.

Briefly saw an HST short set moving at the Colne Valley heritage railway site near Hedingham this afternoon, no photo unfortunately.

Regarding Mol PMBs thought about dual 25Kv / 750v DC, and both being overhead. It might call from some interesting arrangements at switch over points.

As MyRule1 rightly says, the fuel depot was Chappel & Wakes Colne, not Earls, my mistake. But the Americans had the original much lower wooden shed set up at the rear of the vast hangar used by Whitlocks, and later the preserved bus folk. and also in that vast hangar more recently the new Lynton & Barnstaple stock was constructed on chassis from the Ffestionog R. . Those wooden sheds not only added bits to make the bombs more finished (tho not finally fuzed) in there and some engine overhaul work was also done there. These wooden sheds which were used about 40 years ago by that dreadful trade 'direct mail', outlasted the big sheds and were only demolished by the present developer quite recently. (I have used the wartime loos in there! ) There was a remnant of the WW2 situation 50 years ago, in that the then entrance to the sheds area had a vastly overweight security/ entry guard who was ex the US armed forces. I may perhaps also add that that both times he was torpedoed Dick R. got long home leave., very rightly so.

Who might be able to sell me such?

And I think Farnborough Aerodrome via the streets!!

Theres an odd bit of memory, about the Ray Street Grid-Iron where the Met crosses over the Widened lines.immediately north of Faringdon, I recall with certainty that there was some sort of headshunt from the LNER depot at Faringdon which terminated at buffers on the same level as LT ,right under the road above, and that road itself was remarkable, only used by trolleybuses i.e. not the main road right alongside. And the memory is of an 08 shunter at those buffer stops. I've been told I'm barmy, can anyone confirm|?

A couple of East Anglian comments, Earls Colne was most certainly a fuel supply depot, and as a memorial there is a mounted and stuffed tanker there on display. The relevant storage tanks and kit now long gone and new housing in its place. Banham in Suffolk was certainly a store for things that go bang up to and including the cold war. The Pulham Market Aerodrome in WW1 was used in WW2 for equipment in some way and the branch line serving it was still in use in the 50s. As regards the Ordnance Depot at Bicester, this was a Royal Ordnance Corps Depot and was simply vast, but I dont recall large things that go bang being stored there, all sorts of other things yes, right down to ATS underwear!! The bottom shelf was paid for by the US Govt. and they stock checked it continuously with American Army officers doing that. The larger sheds had track inside. I know cos I did a course there. Great Yeldham info ex the late Dick Ruggles post war the village head man.

How about the Met -Camm equivalent to the Class 120. A class 101 single car double ended. Easy to do from the Triang Hornby models with a saw and some adhesive ...

Treacle Mines of course, coal in, plus pit props and tankers out.

The 8th Air Force USAAF base at Ridgewell was most certainly served from the very nearby Great Yeldham station on the old Colne Valley Railway. Trains delivered eg bombs ready filled, and in workshops adjacent to the station had their fins fitted, then lorried jusdt a couple of miles to the various nearby farm track dispersal sites. then again lorried to the actual airfield as required. The last of the vast hangars in what was the station yard was only demolished a couple of years ago. To allow housing development. Same proceedure at wars end when Ridgewell became a collection centre ( run by the RAF) for amament disposal from Afs in much of East Anglia..

There used to be a wonderful collection of folk, whose hobby it was to play the injured (or with various conditions) at accident exercises. The make up, bandages and so forth were remarkably realistic, Dr Allen the famous photographer of the GE and participant in such exercises remarks upon their theatrical skills. Some were ' in shock', some were a bit slow on the uptake anyway etc etc Maybe they've passed away anyway!

I think Long Melford on the LNER, - two branches coming together.

I do rather wonder if any ex-Carillion person will be spoken to .. but maybe never .. but why not? ...

I wonder if anyone remembers the irish Drumm trains.

Do I recall rightly that Government permission for 44 tonners was only granted on condition that such vehicles were to be used only for transit to and from railheads,or did that get lost in House of Commons arguments? Or were politicians etc etc

A glance at the latest Quail edition shows the rather remarkable fact that International platform 5 at St Pancras links directly and immediately to the ECML via Silo Curve and Copenhagen junctions, , to the WCML a little less directly via Silo junction, Cedar Junction, Camden Road and Willesden, and remarkably - if they cared to wire up a few feet of what is presently called ''The Maintainance Siding'' - directly to the Midland Main Line! . perhaps Midnight Trains have some creative thoughts in this area.

Anybody know anything of a story about a small black box mounted outside the cab of 08s between the windows. About 18 inches or so square and maybe 6 inches thick? Dates? Cold War era.

Re Woodhead comment by Michael Edge last Thursday, I had thought that the principal power flow from the grid now went through the Woodhead tunnel bores (one or both/) in an amazing ground level WATER COOLED set up with a narrow gauge railway alongside for maintainance purposes. Or is Michael referring to another part of the Woodhead track network? There were odd 'extra bits', some added much later than the original opening. I passing, I travelled on the line during the first week, very fast as I recall.

Is this by any chance Volks electric railway at Brighton?? And if not, then where?