Gordon Connell

1 hour ago, lmsforever said:

Good news this should be shouted from the roof tops bet the BBC wont even mention it and I doubt many other news sources will carry it.Well done to the rail companies that provide the trains etc I have a dvd of a Tesco train Glasgow to Inverness six days a week on time takes lorries off the roads cant be better.

Ok, it's not exactly a headline but rail delivery is mentioned in the BBC story: Tesco shrugs off supply concerns as sales surge - BBC News

Back in the 70s I used to sit in my grandparents garden in Elderslie watching cars being loaded on to transporters at the old station site. I was wondering if these were the same sort of transporters. I looked at @hmrspaul website and couldn't see any at that site in there (hope I wasn't just being incompetent). Have tried a quick Google search as well without success.

Rapido UK N Gauge Conflat Wagons – Rails of Sheffield

As reported on the BBC website: Adults turning to toys in lockdown drives model railway sales

6 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Good Move - going for Pre-Group wagons when there have been very few decent essays in that direction in the r-t-r world.   Makes far more commercial sense than going for the already 'busy' market area of up-to-the-minute wagonry.

Even Better Move - Going for opens, not vans - much more sensible in historic terms..

Best Move - They're not generic!!!!!!!

 

Bad Move (from my viewpoint) - Gone back a bit too far, i would have thought there could be more mileage in wagons built Post WWI?  

 

Conclusion - These will probably sell as fast as Rapido can churn them out forat least a year or two

 

 

Agree with everything but with one change:

Bad Move (from my viewpoint) - Not gone back far enough, though I accept there's maybe not as much mileage in wagons built Pre WWI. 

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I have just watched the Look North Leeds BBC news and apparently some funding has been released for two new stations at White Rose and Thorpe Park, both on the core Trans Pennine York Manchester Route. The presenter also mentioned electrification between York and Leeds around Church Fenton.  Grant Shapps is now trying to tell us about these plans but having to talk about Cummings and Covid.  We may get more clarity later today as apparently Shapps is due to give some evidence to the Transport Select Committee later today. I will not hold my breath.

 

Jamie

As reported on the BBC website: Government announce £401m boost for rail services - BBC News

1 hour ago, GWR-fan said:

Now little Johnny wants a trainset,  so where do we go to find Johnny his new toy train?  Do we go to a store selling homeware and beauty products,  or do we go to the local Aldi or Tesco to pick up a cheap trainset on special with no backup support,  or do we go to a model railway specialist who is able to advise and meet further hobby needs in the future?   A trainset purchase from a beauty or homeware store is a one off purchase and most likely to finish up with the trainset in the attic or the basement ignored once the initial enthusiasm has subsided.  Would an aspiring model railway enthusiast actually think to go to a beauty store for his first trainset?  If so then the purchase would have been along the lines of  "Oh,  look over there a toy trainset on sale.  I never would have thought to see toy trains on sale in John Lewis".   Such a purchase would be a spur of the moment decision with little Johnny over excited as to receiving a new toy.  Did he really want a toy trainset or was it just another toy?   Hornby got a sale of a trainset but did they convince a budding enthusiast into the hobby?  My opinion is hardly likely.

As others have said John Lewis is a well-known brand and my local one also has a toy section. This has included Brio railway lines, including Thomas, though to be fair I haven't been in a for a while, so it's possible there may be a better connect than might be at first apparent.

Well, some of this seems to have been well posted in advance.

Rail services to come under unified state control - BBC News

2 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

And that’s assuming everyone travelling on rail now can afford a brand new vehicle which has full autonomy because every vehicle on the road now doesn’t have it.

Isn't one of the ideas behind such cars that you won't own them in future, but simply book one for any journey you need?

Why you have (probably) already bought your last car - BBC News

Possibly(?) The railway interchange trade / by Tom Foxon. Published by Heartland Press 1998. Depends on how long many years is!

According to the International Energy Agency aviation is responsible for 2.8% of CO2 emissions. The Our world in data website says it's 2.5%.

There is an interesting comparison from the Our World in data site between forms of transport, which goes on to argue that transport as a whole is heading for being the largest emitter by 2070.

This is the DfT version. There's not much more detail but then it does say that Network Rail is finalising detailed designs.

Government invests to transform journeys on Hope Valley line - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

I was pleased to finally have my curiosity satisfied as to the identity of the platform with the long canopy that had appeared in so many of the linking bits. Haapsalu looked really lovely and whilst I realise the programme is about the architecture it would have been nice to hear a little bit more about the museum. Still, we have the wonders of the internet: https://www.salm.ee/muuseumid/raudtee-ja-sidemuuseum/.

The trouble is I think it's going to take a while for it to become clear. I note there that this story was also posted on the BBC business pages today:  Goldman Sachs: Bank boss rejects work from home as the 'new normal' - BBC News 

29 minutes ago, Richard E said:

 

BBC showing their bias though, plenty of coverage for the nay-sayers in there.

 

Yes, I was mildly intrigued that it was an environment, not a transport, correspondent that reported the story.

Phase 2A approved apparently.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56017605

Yet another fascinating episode. I have to say that given the state of some of the buildings in Poland I was amazed that the turntable worked at all, never mind so smoothly!

My favourite bit was Grant Shapps reply to the question about why the line wasn't being electrified. My emphasis added.

"We're building it in such a way that we can use, probably, the very latest technology, potentially, in the future," he said.

BBC News - East West and Northumberland rail lines get £794m boost

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55770529

Gordon

11 minutes ago, papagolfjuliet said:

A thought: when Bachmann released its Thomas and Percy models as generic industrial tanks a few years ago it got into a certain amount of bother with the then-owners of the Awdry licence and had to withdraw them, so it's interesting that Hornby is now doing the same thing. 

I would assume (always a dangerous thing) that as Hornby no longer have the licence, then they are no longer bound by any agreement not to use the tooling for other non-Thomas models.

2 minutes ago, Edge said:

What heated discussions we are all having. Steam heated perchance?

 

 

It's one way of keeping warm on a cold January day, I suppose. 

But you've only given us an hour to speculate!!! 

Just now, johnd said:

 

Who do they use now as I believe all final door step delivery of mail is still in the hands of Royal(snail) Mail.

Sorry, I was trying to get across that they do still use Royal Mail. A few years back my magazine was delivered by another service, I can't remember who and I think I might have been in a trial area. Lost two mags in 3 months. I asked to be switched back to Royal Mail, which they did.

4 hours ago, wainwright1 said:

Has anyone had a problem with their subscription copy of Model Rail.

 

 

No problems here. The only time I ever had trouble was when they stopped using Royal Mail.

Gordon

https://www.railwaygazette.com/uk/isle-of-wight-transformation-gets-underway/57194.article

News about developments on the line.