Rob F
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Posts posted by Rob F
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This is a tricky one for me. I generally get much more irritated by people trying to dictate what shouldn’t be posted than I do by those who post what may be considered irrelevant material. A particular bugbear of mine is people who regularly opine that a particular thread should be locked, usually for no other reason than that they disagree with many of the points being made.
This has got me in trouble with the moderators in the past but I am difficult to offend and I think the most interesting discussions are those where people hold different views and are prepared to defend them, rather than those where there is an easy consensus and everybody agrees with everybody else!
But I digress, I think Rob has good photo editing skills and clearly enjoys what he does. Is it always relevant to the thread? Probably not. Do some people enjoy seeing them? Yes. Does it do any harm? Absolutely not.
If you don’t want to look at Rob’s work that is absolutely fine but I don’t see the point in trying to make a big issue of it.
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Down here again and noticed that the St Ives branch is now CWR from St Erth as far as the curve out onto the dunes above Porth Kidney Sands. I have been coming down here all my life and though it is smoother and quieter it just doesn’t seem right!Tusk tusk, Mr Kenton, surely you know us better than that?!
The work is probably to be done by our local PW, rather than contractors, and as such could be done in stages overnight. I'm not aware of any disruptive possessions booked, and in any case, neither we nor FGW would countenance anything disruptive during the summer.
Anyone know if there are any immediate plans to do the remainder of the line?
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My dad worked for BR in Furlong House in Nottingham and when I was growing up in the early 70s a 47 was a “Brush” and a 45 was a “Sulzer”. Strange isn’t it?!I agree with Cromptons for class 45s, 46s were Brushes and Brush Type 4s were type four and a 'alf.
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A trip out to Glendon in the sun on Tuesday brought a surprise in that a significant amount of tree clearance had been carried out at Glendon Bridge. Could this mean that the wires will extend past this point on the main line? Base foundations for masts can be seen on the slow lines at this point.
Geoff
IMG_5532 by Geoffrey Robinson, on FlickrMast foundations between Glendon Bridge and Glendon South Jcn.
If only Nottingham trains still turned right instead of going straight on...…
Rob
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There is no doubt Electric Blue existed
It certainly did in the 1980s and 90s from certain ‘specialist’ video shops!
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That looks very impressive! I am having the Intercity version. Hopefully not too long to wait now!
All the best
Charles
I hope the pantograph head position is just an issue with this example. It would be a real shame if they all look like this as otherwise it looks to be a really good model.
Rob
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This looks superb .....right up there with the Bachmann 85 . In fact I may have to up my pre order . Looking forward to seeing this hauling a mix of mk2/3 stock on my layout.
I agree, it does look excellent. Maybe it was just the lighting in the video but there are some quite heavy prismatic effects going on with the windscreen. I assume in normal lighting conditions these will not be so noticeable?
Rob
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Looks like a 20 to me.A scene from the UKRL yard in Leicester today. The collection of 56's has been tidied up and the most presentable are on view. A couple or three 37s and 47s parked up. But what is that loco on the fenced-off demo line? Looks like the cab end of an 08 with a route indicator in very clean EWS livery! Suggestions?
Rob
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When was the bridge seen in C3768, from the high level lines to the down side yard taken out of use?
Rob
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Nottingham Midland has to be one of the best examples of a large building on a bridge.
Rob
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Sorry, I'm not tech enough to answer that. As I understand it, the diesel unit is what is described as a 'gen-set'. When you stand beside them on tick-over it's not obvious where the engine noise is coming from - it's just a low rumble. Not like the Voyagers and 166s with their deafening scream. (CJL)
The driving cars are trailers and carry the transformer and associated gubbins for 25kV operation. The intermediate cars on a 5 coach set have diesel engines and are motored on all axles. When running on 25kV, this supplies the power to the traction motors on the centre cars.
9 coach sets also have 2 intermediate trailers, without traction motors or diesel engines.
Rob
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Hi Melmerby,
Thanks for that. That strip of land could well have been in railway "ownership" for quite a while as you and the map indicate. I seem to recall in BR days that a bit more land was acquired resulting in the strip of land being widened a bit. However, I may have got this bit wrong.
Regards, Ian.
This seems to be the case with many tunnels, particularly shallower ones. If you look on the NLS maps site, there is often a delineated strip of land directly above the tunnel. Examples are:
Catesby tunnel on the GCR: http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=52.2150&lon=-1.2208&layers=168&b=1
Clayton tunnel on the GNR Queensbury lines: http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=53.7772&lon=-1.8265&layers=168&b=1
Peascliffe Tunnel on the ECML: http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=52.9461&lon=-0.6466&layers=168&b=1
Rob
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ECML today around Abbotts Ripton and Finsbury Park.
The Finsbury Park photos were taken late on a very dull January afternoon. They are included to illustrate the difficulties of photographing trains in the days of 100ASA slide film in winter - digital cameras have made life so much easier (though perhaps less challenging).
Abbots Ripton Class 55 down July 77 C3390.jpgAbbots Ripton Class 55 down July 77 C3390
David
C3390, the famed 'Deltic + 8' which Roger Ford still uses as the yardstick for train performance in his Modern Railways column.
Rob
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I wonder if an etched Centurion plate is long enough to cover over the Leviathan print on 50040.
Centurion will always be 50011 to me.
Rob
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Forgive me for saying but all this talk of lifting noses and being towed is making me worried that the model may not be able to 'tilt'.
I have not found any evidence of towed APT with tilting still switched on. Given the nose would tilt as the train goes round corners, the NEM socket would tilt with it - but clearly the pulling loco won't.
So you either need:
1/ a special coupling that copes with tilt between the loco and the train (tension locks might support it but buckeyes won't)
2/ the ability to switch the tilt off which is likely to be complex on such a long model train and would make it fragile (you break one, and thats it, one part which tilts no more)
OR 3/ the model does not tilt.
Now for me personally, a non-tilting APT is a show stopper (this is THE feature that makes it Iconic). If I have to choose between it being able to tilt OR it being able to be towed. The Tilt wins.
I know you are still thinking this through, but I would hate to see the Tilt feature abandoned on this train. Granted they did on the N Pendalino but not recommended for the mother of all tilting trains.
Even tilting is problematic if we are after fidelity to the prototype. On the real train, the tilt is speed related. If you are bumbling through a crossover at 20mph the real APT would not tilt. On a model, the degree of tilt is (I believe but stand prepared to be corrected) purely linked to the amount of rotation of the bogies so the train will tilt to the same degree regardless of speed, which does look slightly odd at shunting speeds. It is a compromise that has be accepted I think. Either the train behaves prototypically at high speed or at low speed (tilt or no tilt), but it is very difficult to have both.
Rob
Rob
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The front unit appears to be running on diesel (pan down) and the rear on electric (pan up). Is this common?
Rob
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Bachmann mk 2 £70 and Oxford mk 3 £30 .
The Oxford mk 3 is not "railroad". However it has yet to appear, and shows no sign of being imminent,which is why I've gone down the Lima route for my ScotRail Mk3s . I think Gerald just demonstrates that there are various levels in the market, those that require total fidelity and lots of features and others that just require a dimensionally accurate but affordable model. Either is OK , however this insistence on bells and whistles and no compromises is just driving the costs up. I accept many want that but it is also deterring people from joining the hobby because it is so expensive.
I am not sure this is entirely fair on Gerald. A high spec, expensive model will have lots of separately applied parts and maybe intricate livery applications to attempt to justify the price, but the basic standard that any model must strive to attain is that it LOOKS right. Aside from the intricacies, a mark 3 coach is basically a slab sided box with 8 big holes in the side, therefore those holes should look like the ones on the real thing. I agree wholeheartedly that apart from this, the rest of the model looks fine, particularly at the price point it is being offered at, but it is such a shame that such a major part of the visuals of the coach seem to be amiss. It is even sadder that the flaw is through adding something that is not there, rather than missing something that is.
Rob
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I think the windows in general are a problem - the frames stick out from the body far too much in my opinion.
Looking at some pictures I found on Flickr, the real Mk3s have frames that just barely stick out from the body. In contrast, the Oxford model the frames, while not as bad as the older Jouef model, still have quite a prominent "height" to them.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/richa2002/25887833862
Sadly, I think you are correct. The window surrounds look far too pronounced on the Oxford model and painting them silver may serve to make them look worse. I expect it is too late to do anything about this now?
Rob
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C6149 was the bridge where I did a lot of my spotting 'in my youth' and it brings back lots of happy memories. My nephew and I would cycle over there from West Bridgford for the day during the summer holidays. I have a few pictures taken from there in my own, now moribund, photo thread at:
I have lots more pictures I could add, but due to my forum status I am unable to reply to queries and questions in a timely manner so to avoid appearing rude I think it is best to let it lie.
Love your photos and the next update is always a high point in the day. Keep it up and thanks!
Rob
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Even with a 100% record, I still managed to miss it! Was staying in St Ives and had a trip planned to Calstock on August 5th using the loco hauled train to get from St Erth to Plymouth. Sadly the St Ives train sat down somewhere near Lelant, I'm told, and by the time it arrived in St Ives the VegEx had already left St Erth. Much muttering and a day on the beach instead.
EMT, whose website we bought the tickets through, provided a full refund without any quibble.
Rob
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A 73 and a REP motor coach were near enough the same power, they also had the same bogies and traction motors, just different suspension springs.
The power to weight ratio would be worse though as the 73 will weigh considerably more.
Rob
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But one long span is better for NR who can alter track plans below it should they wish ever to without having to rebuild - both GC and NR have quiet enjoyment of their space I think is the term.
Relatively light trains at low speed to means it can be a light design, no-one is anticipating high speed or heavy freight to be using the span.
Heavy freight is interesting, though. There was talk a while ago about some of the output from the Mountsorrel quarries coming out this way to avoid having to cross the MML fast lines. I wonder if the bridge is designed with this in mind?
Rob
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Glad it's paying off ...
One thing I think would sell ( not to me much but I'm not pie in the sky ) and seems to be asked for a lot is a refurbished nose 45, seems to be on recurring wish lists ....
Of just stick with the jockanese stuff !
I would definitely buy one of those.
Rob
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Indeed - emergency rescue only.
But not an unsolvable problem, I would have thought.
Rob
Football Focus
in Wheeltappers
Posted
Steady, if unspectacular start to the season for the mighty Reds so far. Still unbeaten at least.
Not enjoying Derby’s start at all, I’m sure young Frank really is a football genius.......