mcowgill

I wonder if it might be a variation on the Quarry Hunlset theme. Statfold is home to Michael, one of the Dinorwich 'Port' class, straight frames/full height buffer beam and higher pitched domed boiler. That would also open up the option of a late Dinorwic era mongrel Dolbadarn, same frames but fitted with an earlier lower pitch domeless boiler as per Alice, Martin

Interesting photos of the Snowdon Mountain Railway in the period when Nos 2 & 8 were converted to oil burning, the photo of No 2 clearly shows the oil tank mounted on the cab roof. Martin

I see that the Dukedog has gone home https://www.rheidolrailway.co.uk/2024/02/26/dukedog-no-9017-returning-home-to-aberystwyth/ This article suggests that the loan is for 2 years https://www.rheidolrailway.co.uk/2024/03/05/93-year-old-aberystwyth-man-reunited-with-his-locomotive/ Martin

Damage/distortion/cracking around the cabs - most unprototypical https://flic.kr/p/2iX6pgH

I think the OP is working in HO, hence the interference between the frames and the overscale wheeltreads

Interestingly a friend at Porthmadog back in October noticed on release day of the 2-4-0TT green versions of the large Hunslets that the codes on the box suggested that all the variants of the model had come off the production line at the same time and the later versions may have been sitting in the warehouse a long time waiting on the release date. Martin C

Perhaps they're delayed waiting on central door locking... 🤣

What a carp system! Any decently designed system will associate your account with a unique unchanging ID, everything else the system knows about you can change: name, address, email, if the system is designed properly you as the end user don't need to know that unique key. I look after a number of enterprise level systems and they all work this way, even our old creaking at the knees and soon to be replaced ERP uses this type of structure from over 25 years ago. That's why government web sites use NI/Social Security numbers as keys, unique values that follow you throughout your life. Martin (with the day job Enterprise Database Analyst hat on)

It looks like all the remaining locomotives were in traffic at some point in 1910 and they would all have been in red/maroon livery. Small Englands: Princess, Prince & Palmerston Large Englands: Welsh Pony & Little Giant Note that the forthcoming Kato models are undersized and have the Small England wheelbase and cab Single Fairlie: Taliesin Double Fairlies: James Spooner, Merddin Emrys & Livingston Thompson At this time Prince still had a simple arc smokebox handrail like Princess & Palmerston as modelled by Kato on Princess. The wrap round handrail was acquired in 1913 when the smokebox off Welsh Pony was used. Palmerston re-entered service in 1910 after an overhaul started in 1907. Note that Palmerston's cab is shorter than Princess & Prince, Kato's forthcoming model will be incorrect in this respect. Welsh Pony was taken out of service in 1910 and did not return until 1915. The James Spooner of this period is of course not the same as the recent new loco. By 1907 it had been rebuilt to be visually similar to Merddin Emrys & Livingston Thompson but was shorter and had bogies with a smaller wheelbase. Martin

There's a photograph on the FR's photo archive with details of the old Rhiw Plas bridge, unfortunately it cuts off the top of the bridge Rhiw Plas bridge from FR iBase photo archive Martin

Do you have a link or contact for the ST Models roof lamps? THanks, Martin

Agreed that this is improves reliability, it's the way I was taught by my late father to build track over 40 years ago, bond the blades to the running rails and isolate the crossing with a switched supply. But the impact of not doing this is much greater on DCC than DC. With DC a turnout with both blades and crossing as one electical unit getting a brief short from a rogue wheel with narrow back to back might not be enough to trip the supply, on DCC that short will stop everything on the entire layout immediately, including lighting, turnout motors and anything else on the same bus/power district. This is also why it's a good reason to have accessories/turnouts on bus that you can switch independantly from from the track bus. Martin

Not sure about this one. I believe that 'David Lloyd George' was released as Collectors Club only rather than a main catalogue model as the double Fairlie tooling is the 1879/1885 Boston Lodge version. DLG with that tooling is too small and too short and I understand that Bachmann didn't want to put an incorrect livery on a catalogue model. 'James Spooner' is similarly larger, indeed when stood next to it seems even bulkier than DLG. On the other hand, the green 'Merddin Emrys' model is very close in appearance to the new JS, if a little undersized, with a representation of the bells/whistles on the forward boiler ring it wouldn't be too far off in appearance. What I'm sure won't appear as my current project needs one, is a pre-preservation JS, shorter than the existing models 🤨 Martin

The report says that Phase 2a safeguarding will be lifted in the next few weeks, Phase 2b by summer next year once they have decided what needs to be kept for any NPR proposals. Goodbye Phase2

On 11th August 1990 we had 91010 at the head of the SLOA Mk1 Pullman set take us up the ECML to Leeds where it was replaced by 46229. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to get off and get to the east end of the station to photograph it on the stock, I had to make do with it running away light engine towards Neville Hill. The same loco worked the return back from Leeds to KX, blunt end first. That journey is memorable for the rather liberal interpretation down Stoke Bank of what speed commonwealth bogied Mk1 stock was permitted to run at, it was a rather lively ride!