griffgriff

I don’t know if you’ve found this but if not it might be useful. http://www.emgauge70s.co.uk/project_class501.html Cheers Griff

Never say never. .... this from a few years back Griff

Thanks that was useful. I struggled to find it for all of the baggage :/ Griff

BTW.... there’s not much ‘cement’ in that train unless it’s bagged in the vans. Griff

...... erm definitely mk1 sleepers in the fire .....heres the report https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoT_Taunton1978.pdf Griff

Sorry .... wrong link

The Fleet Air Arm experimented with a ‘belly flop’ form of carrier landing in the early days of jet aviation using strengthened airframes and a rubberised deck so the whole fuselage dragged ..... that was never going to work was it

Perhaps thinking of parcels traffic as sundries traffic might give a fresh perspective? Much of what we think of as parcels traffic today was classified as sundries historically. Griff

Make sure all the WD is off .... the spilt chassis does need much persuasion to disintegrate. I’ve used a very light application of Tamya silicon grease back in the day. There may be a better solution these days. Griff

I can give you some bogies.... I have no need for the bodies. Griff

You may have misunderstood me. What I was trying to say was the height of the windows from top to bottom isn’t as it should be. Griff

The window depth is a bit dodgy on Mainline mk1s....., another advantage of Tri-ang. Griff

Well that’s what ‘Segro’ keep telling their banks. Griff

Sorry my sarcasm was lost on you.... I can’t help myself. ‘across the pond’ was your phrase I was picking up on.... there are £260 OO sound equipped locos in the UK Griff

Do you live in the USA?

Not at all..... if HS2 isn’t built..... where’s the capacity going to come from? .... and if it can come from somewhere....and again we are probably talking holistically..... then it becomes an argument against it. Griff

Thats true...... but intermixed with semifasts..... .... that stop everywhere and can make a journey to London torturous I’m sure an improved timetable would help.....East Midlands Parkway has 2 trains an hour to Nottingham.... 10 mins apart. The MML needs a major rethink, not just a prod and a poke, to make it work properly. Griff

Yep..... my mistake regarding Crossrail/Thames link ....the fact remains that without a dedicated solution to the problem a holistic approach is called for. Griff

Sorry.... in my previous post I mentions crossrail..... I meant thameslink..... as a a reminder.... I stated they should be extended of cut back. Griff

Not having trains like this (I can’t believe I’m writing this but that’s another story) clogging up the slow lines must make a difference to capacity? https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=coal+trains+on+the+midland+mainline+in+the+1980s&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=inv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjIj8CnjaPkAhUKyaQKHX_xCHgQ_AUoAXoECAwQAQ&biw=1024&bih=657&dpr=2#imgrc=7BwWOgTFL0rQqM Note I’m aware that High speed rail needs a lot of space to ensure adequate signalling safety margins / train separation..... but surely with a half hour London service from the East Midlands the previous train would be half way to the capital. Griff

I agree with your observation regarding Leicester. My suggestion to create capacity further south..... either extend..... or cutback crossrail trains. So either more seats up north or more track capacity further south? Thoughts? Griff

I’m sure a proper wash and brush up of the Midland ML could really help North to South capacity. Not nearly and bendy as the WCML and much more quadruple line that the ECML. I remember an article in Modern Railways back in the 80s describing the MML as a cul-de-sac perhaps it’s time it went somewhere again? Griff

The tight diagrams of a small specialist class would probably have been more of a reason. A tad overpowered too. The royal train seemed to run ok with type 2 power. Griff

Just an observation but if you can afford to have so many preorders then you really don’t have much to complain about. Griff

Years of experience has taught me that Jam jars that come with jam in them are not particularly robust. I’ve found they often crack when you sterilise them in the oven. I’ve never had the same problem with jam jars that do not come with jam in them. Griff