corneliuslundie

Did the Midland "withdraw" wagons as worn out and then repurpose them as service stock? The GWR played that game a lot, especially in the 1920s. I am workijng on an article for the HMRS Journal on the subject, but like you analyses it takes a lot of sorting out. Jonathan

It was suggested above that the falling boom severed the brake connection to the trailer so he couldn't back. J

Yes, with Kodak films the reds seemed to jump out and attack you. J

I used to like CT18 for its colour balance - as long as the light was good. Jonathan

I think we are getting dangerously near to party politics. Best to get back to the engineering, even if I have been one of those guilty of diverging from the topic of the thread. Any news of those lost tunnelling shields? Jonathan

You and your father must have kept fit getting to some of the spots from where you took photos. The last lot are great. My only complaint is that they shout out to be modelled but are of course absolutely impossible to reproduce in anything less than an aircraft hanger. Jonathan

I think "dirty green" could be applied to several of the locos! J

I had to look up what a Q1 was. J

Thanks for the explanation re Handsacre. But does that mean that there will be no way for trains from OOC to continue north of Birmingham? I am confused. J

Re DB, I thought that was the British way of making a mess of things - sell off the family silver to pay the bills now and be even worse off later. I think it is as much "politics" as finance that is involved with DB: "what are you doing wasting time with these foreign buses and trains when you can't run things properly at home?" J

DSC_9434: I have never been near the place but recognised it immediately. Jonathan

Re the Birmingham area, as there is going to be a link of some kind to the WCML I was thinking that that would be the access. Of course at Curzon Street it would only take a short connecting link to access it via the various yards south of the new station, but levels may again be a problem. Re steel: is recycled steel suitable for rails? I don't know but I gather it is not suitable for making cars. But as you say another can of worms. Jonathan

Will Scunthorpe still be making virgin steel long enough to supply? Or will the rails have to come from India or China . . . ? And surely there must be a rail access point at OOC and another in the Birmingham area? Locos? The preserved lines have plenty of steam ones spare at the moment which they can't afford to run . . . Hat, coat J

Remember the phrase "A week is a long time in politics". Back on HS2, I wonder what spin the minister will but on things when he attends the breakthrough. Anyone want to write his script for him? J

Mind you when did any political party do what it said it was going to do when in power? That's when they see the books and realise what they are in for. That is not a political statement, it is just a reflection on the way our system works. But I think something will have to happen eventually though it will end up being poorer than HS2 but more expensive - because inflation cannot be stopped and one will have whole new lot of consultants' fees etc. Jonathan

That would make sense as many pit props came from Scandinavia in normal times. And there were plenty of collieries serving the ports, all needing pit props. I commented to my wife that the NER seemed to lump sheep in with cattle, and we discovered that the word cattle can cover both as well as various other animals. You learn something every day. But probably not a lot of antelopes or buffaloes travelling in NER trains. Livestock traffic could be quite seasonal as well. Jonathan

Yes, we get the government we vote for but what choice do we get? When we vote? At least we don't have the scenario like in local authorities where money not spent in the financial year cannot be rolled over and the amount is then likely to be deducted from the following year's budget. Sshh - don't suggest it! "You didn't finish the railway by 5 April so the money for the rest has been cancelled. And so is that road project we had agreed on." Jonathan

But there is also the safety of the passengers which should be considered. Are passengers having to stand/sit in a way which endangers their health or safety? But who would you sue if your health was affected: Hitachi, GWR or DaFT? Jonathan

I would love to come but out of the question unfortunately. What your two charts show clearly is that the GWR used its timber trucks much more intensively than the MR. After World War 1 the GWR inherited a lot of timber trucks from the Cambrian which had had a lot of wartime pit prop traffic, and scrapped most of them very quickly. Presumably because imports of pit props had restarted. Pit props were usually carried from the ports in open or mineral wagons (often PO returning to the colliery). Sadly I don't think the Cambrian had any beer traffic, or at least no dedicated wagons! (but there were lots of station refreshment rooms). Jonathan

And starting again would put up the cost enormously. J

Yes, it was, well fractures anyway but I think in the mountings rather than the bogies. J

Re reversing trains, it gets real fun on the Cambrian. Trains from Birmingham International reverse at Shrewsbury so the front unit becomes the rear unit and vice versa. Then quite a few trains split at Machynlleth with the front (ex rear) set going to Aberystwyth and the rear Iex front) set going up the coast. Really confusing for passengers not used to the service and boarding before Shrewsbury, especially as the platform indicators are not infrequently wrong at Birmingham NS. Fortunately the on-board staff are normally really good at checking everyone's destination and making sure they are in the right half of the train by Machynlleth. Though some passengers have a job understanding what is happening and wnhy they need to move to the other set. Jonathan

"The parish is first mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086, by its original name of Segenhoe, which was approximately 500 yards (metres) south east from where the village now lies. In 1227 the name Rugemund was first recorded, taken from the French 'rouge mont' which means red hill.[2]" From Wikipedia. So take your choice J

Anyone fancy modelling that knitting? Probably not. J

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