The Pilotman

Would anyone really ask “The N Gauge Society” if they were considering making one in OO?

Do you mean Kensington Olympia Motorail Terminal, or the rearward view of the carflats?

I forgot to mention that one, but I have the stock for that already. Thanks Jeremy.

Thanks for the replies so far. I would be interested to know what sort of wagons would have been used for the Falmouth fish traffic, the Lostwithiel powdered milk traffic and the MOD traffic, if anyone knows, please. I’m not sure when the Fitzgerald Lighting traffic began, but the siding appears in the 1990 edition of Baker's Rail Atlas so presumably it was up and running in the late 80s at least. Drump Lane sidings closed in 1979, Hayle and Roskear survived into the early 80s. I am more interested in the Speedlink era but any snippets of information of the early 80s are appreciated.

Based on the most arresting part of the picture, Pinza would be rather appropriate.

Less than a decade ago, I went from Aleppo to Latakia (Syria) and back in a day (about 100 miles each way) and paid about four quid. And that was first class.

If you’re implying negligence on the part of these men, I think you’re being a bit harsh. This photo only captures a fraction of a second. They may well have known there was a train approaching; they may have already seen the signal was off, perhaps they heard it being pulled off, or maybe they could even hear the train coming already. We can’t deduce any of that from the picture, but neither can we discount it. In any case, an approaching train wouldn’t have been going that fast judging by the length of the points, and this is a terminus station as well, facts which would have been known to the men.

In the thread about Olivia's Trains BOC wagons there is mention of a flow of liquid nitrogen for tank purging to Falmouth (no other details are given). I know nothing about this flow and as I have been keen on the 1980s Cornish scene for a long time (well, since the 80s anyway) that surprised me. Do any of the resident Kernowphiles know anything about this traffic? I am assuming that it was fairly short-lived and probably wagonload rather than trainload. It also got me thinking about whether there are any other freight flows that have somehow slipped under my radar. With that in mind, can anyone add to the following list which, I think, should cover the Cornish freight scene in the 1980s: Diesel fuel (to Long Rock/Ponsandane) Scrap metal (ex St.Erth) Cement (to Chacewater) Beer, calcified seaweed (ex Truro) Fertiliser (to Truro) China clay in all its various forms (multiple locations) Coal (to Drinnick Mill) Fitzgerald Lighting (ex Bodmin) I will be modelling the period after the milk train stopped running so that is deliberately missing from the list, as are engineers train workings but if I've missed anything, I'd be grateful to hear about it. Basically, I’m looking for an excuse to buy some more wagons.

34027 Taw Valley stands on the down passenger loop between Newbury Racecourse and Newbury. The train was Past Time Rail's "The Devon Venturer" from Victoria to Exeter which ran out via the Berks and Hants and back via the LSWR route on August 1st 1998. The blue plastic bags at the front of the train were an unofficial stop marker to make sure the loco was in the correct place for the water stop (the tanker lorry was waiting next to a suitable gap in the lineside trees).

One month ago the decorated samples were on display at the SVR gala day and constructive comments on them were subsequently acknowledged by Dapol on the Digest part of their website. Based on that, I think it's very unlikely that they’ve been produced already and so I don’t think we’ll see them this year.

Yep. Not even a single BG to break up the rake of GUVs.

Well, if the 50s really are due in December, that should mean that they are being produced round about now. It would be nice to see them arrive this year (my wallet will disagree) but I have reservations. There’s been nothing from Dapol on the Digest part of their website about these in the last few weeks so I’m inclined to think that March 2019 is more likely.

He must get around a bit because I’m sure thats him again standing on the right of the group next to that derailed Peak at Gloucester.

That’s interesting. I’ve only ever seen pics with HEA wagons used for that traffic.

If it looks too good to be true.... (you know the rest)

Sadly, I think you could be right. Still, if DJ Models, Revolution and Realtrack keep announcing models of things I didn’t know I needed (Shark brake vans, IZAs, Sturgeons, Class 128 DPUs, VEAs, PCA cement wagons and so on), it’s probably for the best. I just checked back and discovered that I placed my order for the 2Fs in 2013!!

Hmm... Sounds like now might be a good time to stick my surplus ones on eBay.

I’m very pleased that you’re feeling better, and that you’re making these models. I thought I had enough cement wagons but these look so good I’ve ordered a dozen grey ones.

Not as far as I can tell. The Chacewater cement trains in Cornwall changed from the CPV type to the PCA type with the depressed centres some time in the mid-1980s. It doesn’t stop you buying some though! The “Chacewater” cement train on my layout will be a mix of the Farish “Metalair” PCAs and the recently announced Realtrack PCAs.

Some lovely shots of the Reading I remember when I were a lad. The photo of 50048 is interesting in that the loco's naming ceremony took place just a few yards to the right of where you photographed it; in the old platform 7 (Oxford bay).

I seem to remember that these were also known colloquially as creep signals. There were (and probably still are) some at Theale for the unloading of the Foster Yeoman stone trains (or whoever owns them now). Once the loaded train had arrived, the shunter would phone up and say “give us the creeps”.

A young Western Aviator spoils an otherwise decent view of the back end of 253023 at Swindon, circa 1980.

I believe what you require is called a flat white these days.

Some lovely pictures of my home town station there. In DAS000844, that’s not a parcels train. The first vehicle is clearly a BG but after that it's all air-con Mk2s. That platform (5) wasn’t used for parcels or mail traffic during the day but one or two did at night, notably the up Penzance TPO.

I reckon 1983. That’s the year that the ETHELs were converted.