astropsidings

Thanks. I probably should have used a heavier wagon, and it looks as if the frame is twisted - a rough shunt at some time perhaps... I’ve been working on a 7/8ths Swift Sixteen Tin Turtle kit, altering it to represent a Knostrop Sewage Works loco. The exterior is mostly done other than the windscreens which are in progress at the moment. Then it will need some interior detail, and the driver. I took it for a run yesterday evening, though did have to wait for a Boa Constrictor to cross the line..

An industrial out on the mainline, not for maintenance, rather doing a favour in 1970, as reported in The Railway Observer: B4 on SR 1970. RCTS Railway Obs Jan 71.pdf

Edit: misread the original post

Banbury, September 1980.

The Reading trip at Padworth, 10 October 1986. HDAs for Padworth, vans for the MOD at Thatcham. There are a couple of MDVs (along with the brakevan and Grampus) on the right.

There was still an occasional MDV wagonload of reclaimed coal (“reclaimed coal” appeared to include the odd tree trunk and old bicycle frame) running from South Wales to Padworth, Aldermaston into 1985/6 via the Gloucester/Swindon and Reading engineers unfitted/VB service. The wagons would go down to Aldermaston on the Reading trip but because that was an air braked service, and partially/unfitted trains were no longer normally permitted down the Berks and Hants special authorization had to be sought. By the time that came through the wagon would have been to Aldermaston, been unloaded, and be back at Reading.....

I caught on film the Simplex doing a bit of shunting....:

Only just come across this thread! Some inspiring work. One of mine (a 7/8ths inch/foot scratchbuild):

Thanks David, though Fen End Pit is an inspiration. I have some ideas for a scaled-up “boxfile” as a small indoor railway.

Hello James, What motor/gearbox have you used? Looking good, as always. Ian

The Woodhead Route would likely have been reopened and operating by now had the Labour government of the 90s-mid 2000s not killed off Central Railways scheme for the reconstruction of the GC (with deviations), connecting with a new line running under T5 at Heathrow and around the M25 to HS1, linking the North West, East Midlands, as well as Heathrow, into the European high speed rail network (and likely obviating any need for a third runway at Heathrow in the process), as well as transporting an enormous number of lorries to/from northern France, as the scheme originally conceived, for less than the cost of Crossrail......

Some weathering to be done on the skips....those will probably be all over rust. They are a ready-to-run metal Koppel type skip produced by Accucraft for The Train Department in the US. Originally supplied with “14 inch” wheels I’ve replaced those with Slaters 12 inch wheels, which I think look better. Some weathered skips here, albeit not too rusty other than the braked one at the end (from the front, 2xSlaters WD skips; a Hudson type skip from a Canadian privately produced resin kit; a Mikes Models “Skippie” on Train Department 14” wheels, https://www.mikes-models.co.uk/index.php/railway/garden-railway/simply-7-8ths-kits/7-8ths-rolling-stock-kits/skippie-wagon-kit-detail.html ; and a Train Department braked skip on Slaters wheels).

I recently commenced building a new garden line after a number of years without one. A mineral tramway in 7/8ths scale. Track is (being) laid directly on ballast (Travis Perkins ballast topped with horticultural grit, a technique I previously used for a temporary line with rather more success than expected. Picture shows a Ruston (originally built for an 18 inch gauge line, and subsequently regauged to 2ft) with skips at the present “head of steel”

A bit before the period in question but 92203 worked over the SR with a railtour to Eastleigh in 1975. 75029, in steam, was also at Eastleigh the same day (did it arrive under its own steam?). I seem to recall the Mid Hants Railway ran trains to Aldershot during a gala in the late 80’s.

Not quite on topic, a picture looking east, December 1986.

Thirty years ago... 14.30 Stratford-on-Avon - Paddington, Banbury, 22 June 1988.

David, DCC Simplex sound is now available.....https://youtu.be/pR9njv09tZ4 And....http://www.digitrains.co.uk/ecommerce/search/zssa-simplex-activedrive-sound-file.aspx I plan to use it in a 7/8ths Tin Turtle and a 20/28. Ian

No one would be discriminated against by not increasing provision for the disabled as it is already more than adequate. On a 6 or 9 car refurbished class 159 set the amount of nicely carpetted empty space now provided to comply with nonsensical regulation is extraordinary. Still, as you are permitted to bring your own chair to sit in with wheels on, presumably there is nothing in the bylaws to prevent you bringing your own wheeless chair to enable enjoyment of all this newly created space. Someone suggested I contact my MP to complain. Perhaps I could, but since I've neither seen nor heard of such a person, I presume I don't have one to complain to. As an aside, MTR run the trains in Hong Kong (and are property developers), but the enormous number of buses on the roads are run by private companies, the majority of vehicles being supplied by the highly successful Alexander Dennis, a Scottish company, who will have benefited considerably from the drop in the value of the pound since the "Brexit" referendum (in which I didn't vote, merely watched from afar the bizarre, spurious arguments being spouted by both sides. I do however work abroad as the industry in which I work has been decimated in the UK by an EU directive of 2011, destroying Britain's competiveness, and in the process many of the 50,000 British jobs it previously supported). Anyway, there appear to be some positive proposals in the new franchise, building on the innovation, and imagination shown by Stagecoach. Mobile ticketing, at long last! Also a through Lymington-Waterloo train apparently. And improvements to the services via Yeovil Pen Mill. As a passenger, all I want is a continuation of the frequent service of clean, punctual trains, with adequate, comfortable seating, and I don't much care what colour they are, who builds them, who opens the doors, or who runs them (as long as it's not the govenment)

As someone who lives near Tisbury, commutes to work in SE Asia, and is a regular user of the truly superb MTR network in Hong Kong, it looks fine to me. Having said that there is no doubt Stagecoach have done a fantastic job in turning around the dreadful old South Western Division of the Southern Region. As for "experts" on here talking about seating capacity the refurbished Class 159's have lost around 12 seats to make way for non-existent wheel chair users, resulting in people sitting on the floor who would previously have had a seat (1st is well used too). At the other end of a set luggage capacity has been halved to allow more room for "persons of reduced mobility". Hopefully with the UK's exit from the EU this nonsense can be stopped.

Fraser Canyon, British Columbia, 29 September 2016

Been browsing this thread, and thought I'd add a couple of mine from a Flickr album (https://flic.kr/s/aHsknUyR1L): 42765, Ramsbottom, and 34028 "Eddystone", Swanage.

An 81 and an 87.. 81 017 with an up freight, seemingly mostly continental vehicles, passing Milton Keynes Central, 21-7-83, the old down slow alignment still visible. 87 006 in all-over grey livery at Euston, 29-10-84. Blue was better.. Ian

Indeed! The idea was to photograph a DMMU, deep in Sunshine Railway territory, and a Hastings DEMU together. I presume the 6L was going to Charing Cross (from Hastings?). I must admit I didn't make any notes about it, and I have few photographs of them.

A few more of mine: Class 119 L575 forming 2V71 17.52 Tonbridge-Reading, at Tonbridge 3-4-86 Class 115 forming 2G56 14.53 Banbury-Marylebone passing the M40 bridge construction site at Lane's Cutting between Kings Sutton and Aynho Junction, 20-5-88 2xClass 117, L421 leading, with 2G47 10.38 Marylebone-Banbury at Aynho Junction, 3-10-87, the first down train to call at Haddenham and Thame Parkway Station. The 'headboard' reads "Haddenham and Thame Parkway joins the network. 3 October 1987". Class 118, P465, forming 15.14 Paignton-Newton Abbot passing Aller Junction, 26 May 1985 Ian

Some 1980's: W55020, Southall Shed, 28-10-85; Class 120 (50662, 59650, 50700), Leamington-Reading parcels, Banbury 29-3-82; 06.37 SO Stratford-on-Avon - Paddington (via High Wycombe), Banbury 30-6-84; 2Z24 Paddington-Derby RTC passing Aynho Junction, 21-10-87 (RDB975089 & RDB975090). Ian