Titan

You are absolutely right that the 309/3 would be the best 'only' one to have from a modellers point of view, but when it comes to sales forecasts/financial risks it would need careful weighing up, as there are different drivers - a 309/1 would be more affordable which would tend to increase sales, but is not as desirable as a 309/3. A 309/1 would require less tooling so less risk. It would take a very clever person to get it right as there are just so many angles to cover. The question really is how many of each would you be likely to sell and which would be the best return/least risk? It could be the 309/1, it could be the 309/3. So far given a choice the manufacturers tend to go for the two car version (Networker, EPB) The only way we will find out for sure is if it actually happens!

Yes and no. They started as two car units to augment the 8 car trains to 10 cars, and provide extra acceleration - a two car unit had the same traction package and 100mph capability as the four car units. Then between 1977 and 1980 they had extra trailers modified from loco hauled stock added to make them full four car units rather than booster units and used accordingly. In 1985 they got refurbished, gained hopper windows and the first few jaffa cake livery until Network SouthEast was invented whereupon the remainder got that, along with the jaffa cakes being repainted in due course. So if a start was made with a two car the possibilties would be: Initial release Maroon 2 car Blue/grey 2 car The next stage would be to add the trailers that made them four cars, as they were late 70's. These body styles are already produced, so the only tooling that would be required would be underframe and ends. Some units still had wrap around windows then, so it may be possible that if the number is chosen correctly an authentic 4 car model in blue grey could be produced without even having to retool the cabs. Then if the glazing is changed you could do the refurbished jaffa cake/ NSE liveries. Sadly none of the 309/1's made it to the north west, so none of them carried the regional railways livery. The down side off this is that there would not be much scope for operating a maroon version in an authentic manner, as working a single 2 car would be rare, and working in multiple even rarer which would limit its appeal to the serious modeller. However an 8 car formation comprising two 4 car 309/1's must have happened fairly regularly, so with just two new vehicles and slightly modified existing ones a realistic length train would be possible to those that want to model post 1970's, albeit maybe not the formation of choice.

Wrong on both counts. First, once you have made the two car, you don't 'have to produce' any more. Like it or not making a two car and stopping there is an option. In this case ony two sets of moulds 'have to' be produced. ie just like with the 2 car Networker Hornby did not 'have to' produce the extra moulds for the four car units and so far that is exactly what they have done, so there is even precedent for making a two car unit from a nominally 4 car fleet and stopping. Secondly, in producing a 4 car 309/1, the same roof, bodysides, bogies and possibly interior from the existing loco hauled Mk1 moulding could be used for the intermediate trailers. So again not even close to all new moulds being required for a 4 car unit - although the cab moulding would need to need changed to the flat glass style which might offset things a little, but even so for a four car unit it still would not be all new tooling for the two extra vehicles. What you really mean is that if they were to produce a 309 the way you want them to they will need more than two moulds. However that might mean the project would not be viable, unless you are saying that you would prefer no 309 at all rather than just a 2 car?

I know there are quite a few different vehicle types, but to start the ball rolling only two are required, no need to introduce the whole lot in one go! The rest could be introduced later if the popularity of the two car justified it.

Well I guess of the AC EMU's, the least risky to introduce would be a Class 309. So popular that there are two preserved, and a lot of common parts to existing mk1 coaches. You could even start off with a two car unit, allowing the all important low entry level price tag, and if you wanted to do the later 4 car versions in NSE/Jaffa cake just slightly modify the existing hauled coaches (just like BR did!) which I think would then only need underframe/glazing alterations to add to them. It would surely be the least expensive AC EMU to tool up and test the water with!

Why are polititians like a tortoise balanced on a post? You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, he's elevated beyond his ability to function, and you just wonder what kind of dumbass put him up there to begin with.

The barrier would be considerably longer than just one car! I expect the total length might vary according to what was practical, but I would expect the barrier to be long enough to trap at least the first five cars. So even if you were the second car in a two car queue, you would still have to reverse several car lengths before you reached the beginning of the barrier, and then drive on the wrong side of the road on the other side of the barrier for some distance before reaching the crossing. Chances are that by the time the sixth car arrives, the barriers have already been down some time and may well start to lift before he starts to even think about driving around. Thus driving around the barrier is only an option for the last car in the queue, and even then a lot of hassle!

There are people in Network rail with more authority than the police in these matters...

One option with half barriers is to have a small central reservation with a fence or crash barrier leading up to the gate. That way if the barrier comes down the motorist is trapped as the end of the railway crossing barrier meets the crash barrier, and cannot zig zag around (unless he is so determined that he decides to reverse back up the road to where the central reservation starts and then drive on the wrong side of the road for some distance towards the crossing) It still means that a motorist cannot get trapped on the crossing as it is still half barrier and he can continue if the barrier starts to come down. Downside is that it may require road widening up to the crossing which might not be possible.

I think that may just have been as far as the track base was concerned, I think there is still those L shaped thingys to fit, parapet walls and other finishing off etc. to do.

You don't need to be paranoid about safety, for any small scale live steamer I have found that a bucket of water with a good sized rag or tea towel in it - and making sure it is always easily accessible, will cope with just about anything. Of course prevention is better than cure, but even though I am careful I still managed to set a meths bottle, loco fuel tank, and my hand on fire at an exhibition once. But because I had my bucket of water and wet rag at my feet I was able to deal with it so quickly that not only did I only manage to only slightly injure my hand (it was a little sore but no blistering or medical attention required as it was on fire for under 1/2 a second before being submerged in the cold water at my feet) I managed to keep my composure sufficiently to continue talking which meant that the people watching did not even notice, probably helped by the fairly invisible nature of the flames. I think they just thought that I was giving the loco a little polish with the wet rag draped over it, and maybe picking something off the floor whilst my hand was in the bucket, before continuing as if nothing had happened... I also have a fire extinguisher handy as a last resort but it is very unlikely anything would ever get so bad as to need it.

It would appear that the repair method is to back fill the whole lot with concrete and then ballast on top. If the previous loose fill now becomes a solid lump of concrete behind the wall, that will be a very substantial strengthening without changing the appearance.

What you need is the stuff used for model aircraft fuel lines - I think its neoprene? Good for up to around 50 psi with just a push fit over the pipes. This has done a fair few miles using it for the flexible bogie connections at around the above pressure:

Thats not how it works - All he is doing is trying to avoid ebay fees by not cancelling the listing. He puts the price up to a level where he expects that no one will buy it, and when he gets them in stock he lowers the price back down to normal, rather than having to re-list. If he ends up unable to get more he will cancel the listing and loses nothing. Its a fairly common practice which regularly gets posted in this section by those not in the know.

Already discussed in this thread (albeit way back at post #40!).

One thing I notice is that the foundations of the wall do not seem to have been undermined - it appears that it was the ancient sandstone wall that collapsed under the onslaught. I suspect a modern reinforced concrete wall built on the existing foundation and perhaps given a sandstone cladding to preserve the appearance, would be substantially stronger. How replacing the entire wall in this manner compares economically I don't know, but it is something that should at least gain a few decades in the ongoing battle.

Concrete does not work, it is insufficiently flexible, as well as being more expensive. Far easier to replace ballast than to remove a cracked and fragmented concrete base, and cast a new one, which is what would happen if it was scoured out from underneath like at Dawlish. Its also a lot easier to adjust or change the formation if required with ballast, as well as providing drainage.

Reminds me of comment in drivers fault book - 'pantograph to jack up and new loco to fit underneath'

You can just make out a van behind the centre of the train: That was still there until a couple of years ago, along with a brake van. You can still see it on google maps. - Might even have got a mention on the 'abandoned wagons' thread!

They still use them in Russia - even on electrically hauled services! One of the sleeping car attendents jobs is to keep it stoked up. Provides the hot water too, and very effective it is! I was also amused to see a couple of bags of coal placed a coach length apart on the platform at the terminus ready for the return journey!

There is this Mk1 at Looms scrapyard Derby. Been there since before 1990: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=52.914074,-1.419074&spn=0.000647,0.001206&t=h&z=20

Out of curiosity I thought I would check Gostudes sold items - he sells almost everything he lists, so it seems he is getting it right most of the time...

I would think 4ftx3ft would go in all but the smallest of cars with the rear seats folded down.

Shortly followed by: "Actually I am the second most pedantic person you have ever met"

You have also got to include the extra time taken to brake/accelerate either side of the two miles, which will be more accentuated at higher speeds - eg it takes a lot longer to get from 110mph to 120mph compared to 70mph-80mph.