MarshLane

SSShhh you'll let Mrs P hear and then Andy could be in trouble!! Glad you're enjoying the music mate, but we do miss your bodgit inspirational ideas! I'll keep my eye open for cut price mojo .. its sure to be along in a 'one day Rails Of Sheffield' sale soon.....

Are those Intention pits Steve? Presumably C&L track work over the top of them? Rich

Jim, A quick question if I may - having worked on the 'Big' railway, but office based rather than out on the network .. when you say "if I can get in the cabs" if you cannot is that down to the number of people already travelling up front, not having the necessary paperwork for that particular service, or the driver 'not playing ball' - for which I accept there are numerous valid and invalid reasons!! Rich

Having got to a stage where I am struggling for space I have taken the decision to have a major clear out and get rid of some of the many items I have acquired, which I’m not going to do anything with. All are in superb condition, some recently published. All are discounted from the original price and will be sent Royal Mail at cost. Anything not sold by end of June will either be ebayed or get disposed of, as I need to create some room and downsize. Serious offers for multiple items entertained. O Gauge (Pictures available if wanted, but all as new and in original boxes) £45 each unless stated. Dapol 16ton Mineral Wagons (7F-030-011 x 2 but different numbers) £40 each Dapol Shell BP 4-wheeled Air Ministry 14-ton tank wagons x2 (different running numbers) Dapol BR Std Plywood 4-wheel box vans (7F-056-002 x 3 all different running numbers) Dapol BR Std Plywood 4-wheel box vans (7F-056-004 x 1) Heljan 2055 Class 03 BR Green D2033 Flowerpot exhaust. £365 Never been run, original box is marked at one end. Dapol 7D-009-003D BR Blue/Grey Class 121 W55029. DCC Fitted (not sound) £299 - run a couple of times. 2xCawood PFA wagons with resin containers, one fully painted with transfers, the other container is unpainted £130 the pair GJH Plant Company 43301 Curtainsided Truck Kit £25. Understand no longer available. Not built, kit complete I believe. More O gauge and N gauge to be listed if these sell. Books Exploring Britains Disused Railways (Nth West England) by Mark Jones £14 Signals passed at Danger by Richard Faulkner and Christopher Austin £16 Railway Cranes Volume 2 by Peter Tatlow £24 London’s Underground - The Story of the Tube by Oliver Green £22 Oakwood Press 241 - The Saffron Walden Branch £10 Oakwood Press - Railway Walks 2 - Exploring Dumfries and Galloway lost rly heritage £7 Merthyr Tydfil Tramroads and their Locomotives by Gordon Rattenbury £7 HST The Train that saved Britain’s Railways by Andrew Royce £14 British Railways Unseen Colour 1948-1962 by Kevin Robertson £14 Loads more to be listed if these go. Please PM with enquiries or questions. Rich

Thanks Stefan, Thats useful background info. Much appreciated. Rich

I suppose going back to the conversation that started all this, we were talking about the National Network rather than heritage lines, although I am slightly puzzled as I didn't think Bewdley, Bridgnorth or Horsted Keynes had lost their semaphores!! :) Thanks to everyone for their comments so far, quite an interesting response (and thread drift!) 😂 Rich

Thanks to everyone for their replies. Yes course, with the GWR service to Great Malvern, it could be said to still have an Intercity service too. Course I visited Banbury two days before the semaphores went and had totally forgotten about that one! No the signal box at Liverpool, with its miniature lever frame, was taken out of service a few years back, but that controlled colour lights. Good call. Late 2000s if I recall correctly. Yes, in the past. Hellifield now is probably outside our remit, on the premise that its only two platforms - we were thinking of bigger stations, but admittedly in the past there were three passenger routes (Skipton, Clitheroe and Settle Jn) . Banbury is probably the latest to loose its semaphores that meets the criteria, having four platforms and the split of routes at Aynho. Blackpool and Lowestoft we discounted being terminus stations.

Some friends and I were talking the other day about semaphores on the main line, and we were trying to work out which was the last 'BIG' station (in our vocabulary) in England that was semaphore signalled - we specified BIG as a multi-platform (ie more than one in each direction) non-terminus station being on main line, serving several routes, one of which (has or does) provided Intercity services. Obviously Shrewsbury remains semaphore today, but in terms of stations that have already been re signalled, we failed to really come up with an answer. York was an early convert to power signalling, Doncaster went in the late 1970s with the power box opening, we concluded most WCML locations would have been re signalled with electrification in the 1960s/1970s, which brought us down to the possibility of Chester, somewhere on the Midland Main Line, or maybe the Western in Devon/Somerset? Does anyone have any thoughts?

I believe, although I'll need to double check to be sure, that when EWS (or early days of DB Schenker) did the last Class 60 overhauls, they created the 'Super 60s' and brought each loco up to a common standard, part of which included the long-range fuel tanks being fitted where they were not present.

I cannot verify this @The Stationmaster but I believe the Lumo driver was a former LNER driver who transferred. A good source told me that was the case, in which case it was likely he had traversed the route thousands of times. The problem here with both Lumo and Grand Central, where it does not affect XC, Greater Anglia or LNER, is that neither are booked to stop at Peterborough, so it is an out of the ordinary move, and one where the awareness and attention of the driver comes in play. XC always calls, LNER drivers are use to calling and Greater Anglia start from here. But Lumo and GC are not booked to use the platform roads, and on both occasions I believe the issue came when the signallers diverted them onto the Up Slow to allow a faster service to pass. Also the fact that the incidents are 12 months apart does (in my personal view) point more to a driver attention aspect than it does training or competency.

Just checking Duncan is this Sutton Coldfield in the UK or down under .. you appear to have gone Australian on us!!! Looking forward to hearing what you've bene up to - tied up for the 17th/18th so can't make the exhibition, but hope you all have a great time. Rich

Any further progress on this project Ian?

Hi Paul, Thanks for that. I am once again playing with ideas, but the Halling chassis kits look to be an option, question now is to find somewhere that has the Rietze or Halling models in stock! Rich

Hi, Has anyone purchased any of the above HO European models, or tried converting them into powered units? Rich

I cannot say I have done that .. but I regularly end up with finger marks all over my laptop screen, because I have been using the iPad, and want to 'tap' or 'swipe' something, then discover of course I can't!!!

None of the magazines have got Digital Editions right yet on every device. Some come close but it can still be clunky and ‘zoomy’ at times. That is no criticism of Warners, Peco, Morton’s or other publishers, it’s the problems of taking a PDF design for print and making it work with a digital screen of varying sizes. Having said that Exact Editions is, I think one of the better ones. I read BRM and periodically add Rly Modeller for a quarter to catch up, then knock it off for a bit. Both use EE. I mainly read EE on an iPad Pro, works well 95% of the time, and echo the comments about a superb search. If you’re in the main index with all covers showing, the search looks at all available issues. If you click on one decade and search it just covers that decade, click on a year, it just covers that year etc.. Dont worry about disk space, it’s like watching YouTube, the pages are ‘streamed’ as you look, but are not saved to your PC. Although you can download a PDF (watermarked with your username to dissuade you from passing them on) if there is anything you want to keep. Must admit I haven’t bought a printed modelling mag since pre-Covid years. My recommendation … go for it, but through WoR or rmWeb Gold so you get more for your money, even if you only glance at the others periodically, in my view if you want BRM it’s worth it. Rich

View Advert Bachmann/Farish N Gauge 377-336A Triple Pack of BR Crimson Conflat Wagons FOR SALE is one triple pack of conflat wagons, with containers. Slight damage (creasing) to the outer ends of the cardboard cover, but the plastic box internally is fine. Bachmann number 377-336A, these are weathered examples, in N Gauge. The wagons are as purchased, slightly weathered with BR period livery and containers. Any questions please ask. I am downsizing some of the N gauge items that have for periods that I do not currently model, so further items to be posted. Happy to combine postage on multiple items, postage will be at cost, sent Special Delivery. Advertiser MarshLane Date 10/05/23 Price £40 Category N / 2mm scale  

Brian's collection was passed to Railway Herald magazine a couple of years ago I gather, and having asked the question was told it remains accessible to authors, publishers, magazines who wish to make use of it. I gather they have plans too.

Not from the modelling world, but a name that will be known to enthusiasts nationwide, Brian Morrison - the renowned photographer and author, has passed away this morning, aged 93. https://www.railwayherald.com/uknews/Brian_morrison_1930-2023 EDIT: The magazine has also opened a virtual 'Book of Condolence' that will be sent to his family, if anyone wishes to leave their thoughts. https://www.railwayherald.com/condolences

View Advert Wiveliscombe Exhibition Layout - 4mm For Sale The layout is a replica in 4mm OO Gauge of Wiveliscombe station on the Taunton to Barnstaple branch with the surrounding buildings and scenery based on operations in the late 1950s. The layout has visited over 80 exhibitions since being built in 1992, and won many awards for its detailed model making and scenery. The surrounding scenery is accurate with numerous positive comments at exhibitions from people who lived or grew up in the village being made at exhibitions. Since lockdown 2020 the layout has been in dry storage, but remains in perfect condition having been checked in the past 10 days. Unfortunately owing to the sudden passing of one of two the layout owners (Tony Hiscock) earlier this year and, the ill health of Derek Garrett, a decision now needs to be made regarding its future, and as a result serious expressions of interest are welcomed from societies, groups or individuals. The layout is 16ft 6” wide by 9ft deep, with an overhead clearance of 8ft (with the front lighting canopy fitted). With two access points either end for entrance and exit of operators. As a static display without fiddle yard attached it could be reduced to 16ft 6” Wide x 5ft Deep. The Layout is entirely analogue controlled, and features a wealth of period stock (approx 25 locomotives, 50 coaches and period freight wagons). The fiddle yard contains 12 through roads. The layout fits in a single medium wheel-based transit style van for transportation. The layout also featured in Hornby Magazine (Issue 11) in May 2008. At this stage, the owners would be interested to hear from any person/ group/ society who may be interested in purchasing the layout, either complete with rolling stock and fiddle yard, or as a static exhibit. Viewing can be arranged but not in a fully built state due to the layout being bigger than the driveway or garage adjacent! However, assistance can be provided in how to erect and run the layout. Initial enquiries as a PM to myself please, but serious enquiries, questions and offers only. To preserve an online record of the layout, I have started a layout forum thread (clickable link) that contains further pictures, which any future owner of the layout is welcome to take over if they wish to document its future. Please note, I am not one of the owners, but can happily put people in touch with them, my role is purely helping out some friends! The layout is based very near Taunton, but any potential buyer would need to collect, and would need a van to do so. The layout can be sold with or without rolling stock. Because of the need to clear the layout from its current location and a distinct lack of space, the owners are looking to conclude its future by the end of May 2023. If its not sold or found a good home, the likelihood is that it will need to be broke up. Note: The bowed top to the storage case in the image below is only due to the stands on top, and does not affect the layout in anyway. Advertiser MarshLane Date 28/04/23 Price Category OO / 4mm scale  

Afternoon all, The Dads of two good friends of mine own this exhibition layout, which has been seen countless times in the South West at various exhibitions over the past 30 years - the total of exhibition appearances is over 80 I am told! Unfortunately, one of the two owners has sadly died recently, and the time has come to either pass it on or re-enact the Beeching Axe and break it up. The remaining owner, and son's of the other, are open to offers if anyone is interested, and I've put a note in the for sale section on RmWeb (or PM me if your interested - but serious enquiries only please), but felt it should really appear on here for posterity. There are plenty of other pictures available if people are interested. The layout was built in 1992 and performed faultlessly every time its been out. It is based on Wiveliscombe Station on the Taunton to Barnstaple line, with the surrounding buildings and scenery dating it around the late 1950s. The real branch was closed in 1966. It was featured in Hornby Magazine in May 2008. All images are (I believe) included with permission of the appropriate photographers.

@manna @MRE2 Thanks to both of you for your thoughts and recollections, so valuable as time moves on. Please feel free to add any other detail about railway life/activities around Kings Cross station/shed/goods yard/Holloway area. All absolutely fascinating and a point in time that will never happen again. @MRE2 You mentioned the 4S82 Freightliner and the parcels traffic - what was the normal motive power for those at the time? I am assuming 47s? Rich

Tony Gee very kindly put up with my company for yet another evening tonight ... I have posted a little video of Grandborough Junction over on Tony Wright's thread if anyone wishes to take a look :)

Evening all, Courtesy of @t-b-g, I have had the privilege of another very enjoyable evening in Tony's company, operating Buckingham. Having taken a couple of little video shots on the phone during the running session (in between a number of fascinating and various conversations), I did a quick edit using Apple's iMovie and came up with the following. Not the most awe-inspiring filming, and concentrating on Grandborough Junction which I was operating (reasonably successfully!) this evening, but Tony suggested you chaps may like to see it. Rich