SM42

In the 1980s and early 90s the Red Star parcels office at Kidderminster was a little, anonymous, blue building that looked like it was made from plywood. It was at the south end of the down platform and very near to where the old station signal box used to be. The footbridge stands on the site now The station chargeman used to "do the parcels" (an activity I imagine had been going on for some years) in between checking tickets off arriving trains or entertaining the regular enthusiasts that gathered to watch the freight traffic in the evenings. I remember there used to be a regular consignment of polystyrene boxes that IIRC contained some sort living organism It's roof can just be made out on the left in the picutre on the ABC railway guide website http://abcrailwayguide.uk/kid-kidderminster-railway-station/facts-and-figures#.XqquHZnTWUk In earlier times Kidderminster had a large goods yard and there are pictures on the net and in books of parcels and rolls of carpet waiting patiently on platform trolleys for loading onto a convenient train. Andy

Going off into 1992, 29th June to be precise, I recorded 43100 and 43068 at Stafford. I can't find any record of HSTs before then, but then again I rarely spent more than a hour there changing trains. Test car Iris also made an appearance that day When did the 37 hauled B'ham Holyheads start running? Andy

Just dug out and old spotting book and whilst the detail is mainly locos with a few mk3 and parcels stock thrown in the majority of locos were electrics. Class 47s feature a few times but being an overnight stint ( yes I was madder back then ) they tend to be generally freight biased, namely 47228, 47304, 47209, 47286, 47281. 47513 and 47847 (look like these were around 0500 - 0600 ish as at the end of the session) also put in an appearance as is 37242 but what on I didn't record. The date was 16-17 Aug 1991 . 47840 made an appearance 22/10/90. Now I apparently bashed this loco that day, and without doubt I was probably travelling from Stoke - Stafford and back at that time (studied in Stoke, friends on Stafford campus. ) It seems likely that this was a Manchester - South Coast working or vice versa. Around Stoke at this time class 56 and 20s on MGR workings (Trentham - Rugeley ?) were common and then there was of course the St Blazey - Cliffe Vale clay train with the ECC Tiger wagons. Mill Meece, North of Stafford (Duke of York pub, alongside railway where me and dad stopped for a pint on the way to / from home from uni) on 05/05/91 the usual raft of 87s and 86s, occasional 90, but also 47600 and 47305 were seen. I know this doesn't wholly answer your exact question, but certainly shows that there was a good variety in the area in 1991and the Manchester XC services do appear to be 47 hauled Andy

Well the RAC and various motor solictors amonst others agree on "any part of the vehicle." For instance http://www.motorlawyers.co.uk/offences/traffic_lights.php See the last frequently asked question. Many a motoring forum has cases where HGV trailers have passed on red whilst the tractor unit didn't and 3 points and £100 fine was the result. The TSRGD 2016 and the RTA 1988 are the legislation in play. Andy

The idea of the box is, I think, to allow the cyclist (s) to establish a dominant position at the head of traffic, thereby allowing straight on, left or right turn with a good chance that the motor vehicle driver immediately behind has a very good chance to see them. Sitting in the middle is a good choice especially if the first vehicle is an HGV. Less chance of a blind spot dead ahead. However this strategy doesn't work if fluffy dice, gonks, statues, fast food wrappers, newspapers and satnavs have been placed in the middle of the windscreen or dashboard. Turning left the delay is minimal, turning right also, straight ahead a few seconds whilst they set off across the junction and take up a traditional left biased position. Is a few seconds really that much of a bind compared to the cyclist having a safer ride and you not squashing them? Does a coach not cross the line when the front bumper and bodywork, driver, entrance door and another foot or so of bodywork cross it, but the front wheels haven't? It's rather like the definition of overtaking: When any part of a vehicle passes any part of another vehicle. If you look closely at traffic lights with cameras, the sensors are literally a few inches past the stop line. Any movement over the sensor during the red phase will result in a couple of photos being taken and an invitation to either pay a fine or have an audience with the magistrate being received in the post. Andy

Yep The law says "no vehicle shall cross the transverse line shown in diagram 1002.1" TSRGD sect 16, (Diagram 1002.1 is a stop line) when the lights are red. Doesn't matter which part of the vehicle crosses the line. Silly really but it's the law Many a bus or HGV driver has been caught out by red light cameras and of course there is generally a traffic light on the opposite side of the junction so they are always visible. PC Copper using mark 1 eyeball may be more forgiving in this situation though Then there are of course the bicycle boxes at traffic lights that many seem to think are for cars too. Motorised vehicles must stop at the first line. Andy

Only if no part of your vehicle passes the stop line whilst the light is on red. If the back end is still straddling the line, you legally can't move till the light is green again. Silly, but that's the law. Bit like some yellow boxes. if everyone did what they should, nothing would move, especially in London or the one in Stafford which you can''t see the other side of before you enter it. Why some people sit in the middle of a junction making a car shaped roundabout when the lights change I don't know, but then I don't understand why the other traffic doesn't allow them to clear the junction first either. Anyhow, it seems to me now that there are less cars on the road that the average standard of driving across those who are still out there has fallen. I may be unlucky, but it seems people are just driving through junctions not expecting anything to be coming the other way and are quite surprised or even totally unaware when you are inconveniently approaching, including the chap who drifted onto the roundabout in front of me whilst being very distracted by something in his lap. He seemed genuinley surprised that I was there. Andy

Thanks to those who replied All over grey it is with black ends being an abberation. However it seems I have acquired two 00 Cambrian kits for the same van in the past somehow, so one will get black ends. Andy

Well if IIRC the F reg on the Ford Orion is 87 - 88 is so it's late (winter) 1987 at the earliest Andy

50s and 60s before my time, just. However I've been sorting out the years of accumlated stuff at my mum's and the thing that strikes me as being totally different is the language used to communicate and how things were done before phones and the internet were commonplace. Some examples Letters written to B&Bs booking holidays, letters back stating rates or if there was no room and who else had rooms. As for the language used the following is an extract such a letter enquiring as to accomodation for mum dad and older brother (no me at this time) "My rates are £7 per week and £4 for the boy" Letter from the council's Chief Medical Officer (do these still exist at County Hall?) regarding a school nurse visit at my brother's school "A parent, guardian or friend should be present during the inspection. If this is not possible you will be notified of any defect found" Can you imagine that language being used now Another letter was regarding a meeting about family allowance The meeting was agreed to take place with the man from the council at 2pm at the Church Hall and could mum arrange to obtain the key. Of course all done by post. The house telephone being rare, a situation that lasted well into the 80s Other things I've found are mortgages for less than £1000, buying house insurance through a solicitor and driving licences that were little red books with a renewal glued in every 3 years. Life seemed simpler yet more complicated then Andy

Found a couple more photos Kidderminster Jn circa 1996. Internal steps at far end. Toliet on the right, door just past fire extingiushers. Belfast sink, Baby Belling and shaving mirror just visible on the right Up line signals all off, KJ8 (down section) still off for train just visible in platform Next up Lichfield TV Jn's leap of faith toilet arrangements. Yes it's that black thing next to the door. A place you didn't linger Andy

The one at Beechwood Tunnel that involved hellishly steep, rickety, wooden steps down the cutting side and then use of the signal ladder to descend from the top of the wall at the bottom of the cutting slope always used to scare me. Electric strip point heaters aren't all they are cracked up to be, especially when they are disconnected in March to save electricity through the summer and it snows at Easter. Andy

Throwing a loop is exactly what it has done. The brakes on mine would work. That bit is right Appears I have the dog clutch on the wrong side (compared to the photo) and I'm not convinced that the prototype has four shoe gear as the photo caption states. It looks very empty on the far side of the underframe in that photo with only one set of safety loops visible. Plate 62 in Essery Vol 1 only has brake shoes on one side and confirms I seem to have put these on the wrong side. Ho Hum. The end also looks black, (now I look closely) but I can't tell in that B&W picture if there is a hint of grey around the end vent or if that is just light coloured dirt or if the whole end is just very rusty and dirty The instructions are lord knows where now. Probably turn up in about 10 years, bit like the half finished kit did. Andy

Thanks Wheatley Grey all over seems most likely then and the van in the photo was of a one off Still managed to get the brakes on backwards though If I can live with that the colour of the ends is a mere trifle, but interesting to speculate all the same Andy

Thanks John. That is what I suspected until I happened upon that photo and the doubt crept in. The instructions disappeared shortly after completion of the build and are either in the modelling room detritus or being converted to something else in a factory somewhere, hence the fall back onto the photo search when it came to painting an applying decals. It is currently grey all over, I just can't decide if I dare to do the ends black or not. Andy

Missing visiting the in laws Can't understand much of what they say most of the time but the hospitality, love and mutual respect are clearly understood. Video calling just isn't the same Also missing visiting the land of Mrs SM42s birth. The food, the SM42s, the sometimes utter bewildering craziness and the often common sense things and attitudes we don't have in the UK Now I'm enjoying the almost empty roads on my commute to/from work. The joy of approach control traffic lights, less maniacs about, less drunk pedestrians, unlit cyclists and on a sunny day absolute heaven. Takes me back to when I learnt to drive, there was more space on the roads, it was more civilised and it's at least 10 minutes quicker each way. Andy

Not sure if this should be here or in the help and tips section, it sort of fits both Having a little bit more time on my hands of late, I have built a Parkside 0 gauge kit of an LMS D1832A van I am modelling BR period so into unfitted BR grey it will go. The question is what colour were the ends painted? The colour photo on the front of the Geoff Gamble Railway in Profile Series book on vans (No 3) appears to show such a van in grey with black ends. Is this an optical illusion? I suspect it isn't looking at the contrast with the grey sides Is this a standard paint scheme for these vans or just some one off meaning I can get away with all over grey? For the sake of my sanity in applying the decals I have opted not to copy the photograph exactly but to use a ready made number and use the photo as a guide for painting and weathering, so I could apply rule one, but it would be nice to know if black ends were a common feature or not. Thank You Andy

Hartlebury Station Box has a little brick lean to building at the Kidderminster end of the box. Literally three walls and a door, break the ice in winter style. It was out of the box, down the steps along the front wall and turn left. Great fun just after the shower of freezing rain when there was an inch of ice on everything, steps handrail, ballast the lot. . It is just visible in the 2009 Google Streetview of the box. Henwick I think has separate brick built affair at the Malvern end. Blakedown was in cubicle built at the top of the box steps. Out the door, sharp right Three Spires Jn was the same I believe. Kidderminster had an internal toilet near the top of the internal stairs on the back wall at the north end of the box. Aston SCC, or Vauxhall Shunt frame if you prefer, is similar, but no internal staircase in this instance. Meaford Crossing had a seperate brick outhouse at the north end Brereton Sidings a portaloo at the bottom of the box steps Bringing it back to wooden style Midland boxes Now Oakham, it appears has a little separate brick building, just about big enough for a toilet and maybe a sink, between the box and the platform. Whissendine the same. Ketton possibly as well but hard to tell from Streetview Frisby has a sort of plywood portacabin looking thing at the bottom of the box steps Lichfileld TV Jn's toilet was built on next to door. Sort of floating in mid air held up by thin legs and luck it seemed. A very Heath Robinson looking thing There are mutiple solutions to this problem as can be seen. The little brick outhouse seems the most likely though with a wooden construction Midland box. Easy enough to knock up with some embossed platsicard. Flat concrete slab roof sloping away from the door will do. In terms of catering, a sink with hot and cold tap, normally on the back wall at one end, Maybe a kitchen type unit underneath, maybe not. Some had drainers true kitchen sink style some did not. Hartlebury had a hand basin style sink under the window at the crossing end of the box on the rear wall. Then of course there was the ever present baby belling oven. In fact I don't think I have ever been in a signal box without one. Somewhwere there will be a fridge shoe horned in, either a mini or standard sized one. Hartlebury's was between the chip shop style panel and the front windows Kettle, fridge or anything else involving making tea / food could be on any available flat surface designated by the resident staff for the job. Over the fire / gas / electric heater a piece of string between two nails for drying tea towells and used tea bags for making tea for visiting managers. You kept the unused ones for yourself hidden away in your locker. Judging by the pipework on the outside of the real Oakham box visible in Streetview, the sink was just inside the door on the left and appears to have kitchen units underneath as can be seen through the conveniently open door, which suggests a stainless drainer sink The below view of the interior of Meaford Crossing around 1993 shows the ingenious home made kettle shelf, the edge of the cooker on the table and the grey staff lockers behind the levers on the right. The tea bag washing line was on the left of this view above the gas fire on the back wall, directly opposite the train desciber VDU seen in the centre of the picture (one on from Colwich, time to get Church Road CCTV crossing closed (camera's already on), pull 23, move to the pedastal and close the crossing outside, pull 25. check for slot from Stoke PSB, ask for slot from Stoke PSB and pull 22. ) Andy

Whilst this is a time of stress, anxiety and, for many, overwhelming grief, there are some very fundamantal positives to be found amongst the heartaches By and large the crisis has brought out the best in people. It has restored faith in human nature and the realisation that if we work together we can achieve some quite remarkable things that don't involve personal financial enrichment. (yes there are those who are making money or political gain out of this but that is a constant of the modern world) We have come to realise that there are lots of people out there doing jobs day in and day out that we take for granted, even abuse, mock and insult sometimes and, without whom, our normal would not exist. We have the time to catch up with those who we haven't spoken to for a long time or very often, (especially as we now only have the internet or phone to keep in touch.) We can afford the time to listen, even relish the opportunity of having some form of contact, that we are taking some form of control in a situation we have no control over. We no longer have an excuse of having to be somewhere else. In short we are doing that most human of things, being a socail animal, but against the odds. We have time to reflect on our own lives and appreciate those things that really matter to us. Possessions are not important. They may give us comfort and an element of happiness, but in the grand scheme of thing they are irrelevant. How you live your life has been exposed down to its bare bones. We can take the time to re-evaulate, check or change our priorities and ultimatley may come out of this feeling better about ourselves and where we think our lives are heading. Even if we may have many more challenges in life, financial, emotional or otherwise we can take comfort in knowing we have had the time to plan, prioritise and declutter both physically and emotionally In short, whilst these are unusual, unsettling and emotional times, we should grasp the nettle and do something positive for the future. Andy

I've got a couple that i recently found in the bottom of the cupboard and are now surplus to requirements. Both in a reasonable condition and boxed, although one has had the couplings moved backwards on the bogies to reduce the gap between vehicles. Andy

The only aside to that would be if changing from a red base colour to white top coat, for instance on a tank wagon. IIRC a grey undercoat / primer stops the white turning pink. Andy

There are as many answers to that as people on this forum. Some use enamels. some use acrylics some use both It all boils down to personal preference. Unlike Brossard I don't prime plastic kits. I'm too impatatient and so far no issues without primer. Metal work always gets primed. I alos tend to brush paint wagons rather than spray. Just my preference Humbrol has some issues with quality and consistency. In my opinion it seems to be variable at best. Matt dries gloss etc. This can vary between colours and tinlets, but they still form part on my modelling palette. I just accept there may be the occasional issues and matt varnish is then the answer. I find some of their range a good match for what I consider to be a good colour for some models I also use Revell which seem to me to be far more consistent and are stocked at my nearest model shop hence I use them more, but as before some Humbrol colours are better for railway colours than any of the Revell range. I also have some old Railmatch, and Pheonix in use as well as a couple of old Airfix tinlets that are still useable. I think you could easily go out and find many colours and ranges at your local shop (whenever they are allowed to open again) and see what suits you best. It really is a matter of personal taste and seeing what you get on with best. In my case, based on sheer numbers, in order, it's Revell, Humbrol, Railmatch and Pheonix. Andy

Guy thanks for clarifying the number Ian Allen 1985 shows it as an OHLM pantograph coach and at Rugby. Andy

Looking at my Ian Allen of 1985 it appears that the ADE numbered stock was spread all over the country. I can't make out the number in the picture above but here are a few examples with the locations given. These are I believe locations at the time of printing and not necessarily orignal allocations, but does show a number of possible locations that were not necessarily an in store location. ADE320580 ex E86872E Romford ADE 320582 ex E82399E Carstairs LDE320750 ex E82331E Wigan Bamfurlong Andy

Be careful. If it's one thing I've learnt, brownie points arrive singly and depart in multiple. Bit like 153s really Andy (who's taken delivery of his parcel even though it missed yesterday's pick up slot and she was down Tesco too. Yay!)