SwissRailPassion

She forgets the Chairman of HS2 is a woman. Having heard Alison Munro's interview, on Radio 4 The Bottom Line last night, I can see why the project is in trouble. There were several own goals; her background is the DfT and it shows. Roll on David Higgins, a big hitter, to shift the horizons.

I came across these photos recently. Atmospheric snaps of a holiday at Tintern. http://wyewalker.com/railways-and-train-memories-of-the-1950s-and-60s-in-and-around-tintern/

The politicians are saying many amusing things and, unfortunately, the presenters and journalists know little about the railways. Alistair Darling has just said on C4 news that if we abandon HS2 we could upgrade other lines including the line to Bristol! Obviously he hasn't noticed the GW electrification project. With that sort of grasp any balanced debate is doubtful. Only David Higgins can rescue this mess and provide a new focus. Only he can make this an engineering triumph. Today's news of a slightly lower BCR rate was billed by the BBC as "HS2 benefits down" another bungled shot from the PR people and evidence of bias at the Beeb. At least Mr Landale's report offers a balanced insight into the shameful machinations of Labour and the political calculations likely before the election. The stationmaster muses that the line is due to take a long time to build. With modern techniques we should be able to better than 12 years. In the 1840s they could build a double track mainline between York and Scarborough (40 miles) in 11 months from first sod to first train. I'm sure many forum users will know better examples too. J The time allocated for the project has affected people's views as the benefits are a long way off. If the timescale was a mere 7 or 8 years the scheme would be much more effective. I think that it would be prudent to build both parts at the same time for maximum benefit.

When you build a new line it is no good building a curvy line with only 100 mph potential. Build a line for today's trains and tomorrow. Do what Germany and Spain have been doing for the last 20 years. China and Asia are building new lines and all over the world new rolling stock and lines are being built? Either we do HS2 properly, or we turn the country into a railway museum that the Chinese may visit and laugh at.

Frank, The actual cost may be only 28 billion. The rest is contingency. There is no increase in present spending. We could stop the project now, but by 2020 we will see that the need will be greater and a new project will cost much more. HS2 is not expensive, it is an investment in the future that will generate wealth and relieve capacity on an island with 70 million people by 2035.

Hmm at the end of a long days drive, the tired engineer may just be tempted to get to bed a little earlier by not putting on as many brakes as required on a dark rainy night. Rules are one thing but practical application to situations is another. In the UK I have known a driver sit in a siding for an hour waiting for a man to uncouple his engine in order to run round. The uncoupling man duly arrived having been driven 80 miles in a taxi. After 20 mins he was back in the taxi and the train ready to move on. The N American engineer has a tougher job methinks.

I recently received my replacement class 22 from Hereford Models and it ran very well first time. One day a week later it was very hesitant and stopped altogether. The rest of the day I couldn't get it to move. Next time it was fine and there have been no problems since. I sent my class 24 and 25s around very slowly to check for dirt etc.. They were faultless, and they are 10 year old DC Bachmann locos, bought for less than £40, with no circuit boards and therefore less sensitive to slight dirt on the track. One of the reasons I returned to the hobby was the impressive slow and smooth running of Bachmann diesels, so unlike the 80's where Hornby locos would stall and stutter. Frustration with poor running and constant faffing around put me off the hobby. My Dapol experience has been disappointing so far. A great looking loco but the running problems have not brought joy. Hopefully the replacement will be fine in future. At £103 it's the most expensive loco in my collection. Most of my locos were bought for £35 to £45 and are faultless runners. The only problems I've had have been with the DMUs, which I've had to re-wire because of poor contacts. My experience so far has been more money = a less reliable product.

I doubt the controller is the problem. My Dapol 22 on DC was still having problems on its 3rd blanking chip. On clean new track it did not run smoothly and the lights flickered. It has gone back for replacement. It took me back to my teenage years when far too many models didn't work well out of the box.

I've had problems with my 22 which I bought from helpful Hereford model centre. The loco seemed to run okayish at first but with a slight wobble as if the wheels were eccentric. Then the running became much less smooth in one direction - as if it had pick up problems. It's been back to the shop where they thought it was the blanking chip. A new chip later and the running is still as bad so I'm going to send it back again. I've just seen your post and wonder if the axles on mine are the problem ? I tested the 22 yesterday on clean new peco track and it juddered at slow speeds. My Bachmann class 20 and 24s never have problems - even when the track is dirty. So my experience with this 22 has not been so good. Has anyone else had similar problems?

Come and live on the east coast where the temp is always low. Yesterday we managed a sunny 13 and that was the highest temp of the week! After March with a constant 3C and April where it hovered around 5 or 6, May on average saw the odd 10 degree max. After one or two days of 18 and 19 around the start of May it's been back to barely double figures or lower. It's the coldest place I've lived in. This week should be better as the wind changes. After over 4 months of NE or E winds, bring on the Souwesterlies.

Magnificent modelling. I like the goods shed and the curved road up to the bridge. Did you scratch build the shed?

Good photo Newbryford - thanks. Good to see it's not just me that got out the soldering iron. I think the 105 and 108 design is clever as it gives interior lighting etc as well as the most discreet place for the motor. However the pick-up is the most important part of the design...

I have been experiencing poor running from my class 105 units and almost non-existent running from a 150 DMU. On opening the 150 I saw that the pick-ups are by brush contact rather than wires; this led me to solder wire to the pick-ups, and performance has now improved. The 105s were excellent runners in the 1st year, but recently they too have become erratic. A similar problem is the transfer of power using a contact rather than a soldered or hard-wired connection. This seems to me to be a design weakness and I have soldered the power bogie contacts. Back in the eighties it was common to rewire and create extra pick-ups on Hornby stock to improve running, but to find this on such a high spec model made in 2011 is very disappointing. Has anyone else had similar problems?

I think the port does not have the deep water berths as at Immingham.

What a find! A friend of mine used to live in rural Norway and the arrival of the train was always a big event. He was mown down in the street by an old lady on a zimmer frame with skis attached. Is there much freight on the line?

Here are times for Kirton http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced?location=Kirton+lindsey&date=19%2F2%2F2013&tocs=All&timespan=3&show_schedules=11&schedule_type=0&show_wtt=1&show_var=1&show_stp=1 Bit of a lull mid-afternoon

Friends who used to work on the coast line told me in the eighties that a fish train used to come down the coast through Bridlington at 8-8.30pm from Scarborough and Whitby as a regular working in the 50s etc.

This is a difficult and evolving situation. The railway will be restored but how long it will take, and how to do it, is still unknown until things settle. Hence the word 'indefinite'. Meanwhile the train planners will be having headaches trying to keep things moving. 50 freights a day are running via Brigg

A reversal up to the landslide and back over Goole is impossible, too much is damaged. A special skeleton northern service via Brigg at commuter times would help send the message that the railway was doing its best as this will be a sustained blockage for perhaps 3 months or more. The Brigg line is very busy at the moment. The formation is ruined and the slip is still moving and may not settle for a couple of weeks. There are cracks in the top indicating that much more may come away and push the 'toe' further across the line and into the fields. The trees on the right side of the photos could yet move to the other side of the tracks. A major rebuild will be necessary and that could mean a diversion and new railway. Fascinating to watch how this develops and a fantastic challenge for a team of engineers.

Railways of Scotland DVD 'Perth to Kinnaber Junction' has an excellent section on this line with some good footage from DMU's and the odd express.

Are VMS being used in the joint line upgrade? Oops sorry that's a question...

Nice pic. If only someone made stencils for shunt signals?

I prefer dormans - at least they look more like a signal and have a hood to keep off the snow. We shall see in time if these endure...

Cityfan, Your contract is with your dealer. He bears the cost of the postage etc as he has sold you defective goods. If you bought it from a shop then take it back and get your money back. The dealer is not being fair to you by suggesting any other course.

I must have one of these