Flying Fox 34F

Fifty Sheds of Grey!!!!!! Paul

Philip, Not aware of any single track railways in Britain having Trap Points in the running line? As any train on the Single line would need a Token, Staff or Ticket for permission to be on the Single Line, if there was a run away, it would most likely pass through an empty road through the station. Search the Armagh disaster to see what happened with a run away on a Single Line worked to the Time Interval system. Catch points were provided on double track and multiple track lines on the running lines heading up a gradient. If a runaway occurred, the errant vehicles would be derailed by the catch points as they travelled wrong direction down the hill. They were provided to prevent the runaway striking a following train. Paul

Mike, The sliding door would have to built further out to clear any external framing, so the framing was provided internally. Now why all the framing isn’t internal is unusual, but probably related to vehicle capacity. Look at this way, we’ve ended up with a nice quirky van! Paul

Is that contagious? Paul

Andy, My wife did this once, travelling back from Kings Cross to our old home in Grantham. I got the 10 minute warning, drove to the station, but I had a nagging doubt about the train times. You see working as I did at Grantham and Newark, I knew most of the trains stopping at both stations from London and realised one wasn’t due, but it was safer not to question, “The Mem!” I stood on the platform chatting to the staff, when phone rings, “I’ve arrived.” I replied, “No you haven’t, no train is due for another 15 minutes, where are you?” Much mumbling and grumbling, as she thought I was being a Joker, but then, ”Oh B****r, I’m in Cambridge!!!!!, but I got on a Purple train!” I pointed out she needed a Blue train with a Red line on the side and GNER in gold letters to get to Grantham! My beloved got home eventually, by train of course. Of course Mrs SM42 will know exactly what she is doing. You just need to figure it out? Paul

Hello Mike, Speaking of the (SEC) F1, how do you retain the motor and gearbox, when you have rocking arms for the coupled wheelbase? Kind regards Paul

My Paternal Grandfather was a Medic in the Parachute Regiment at Arnhem! (He was blind in one eye.) I once asked him about jumping out of aircraft and whether he was scared. The reply was blunt, “If you’d seen the state of the plane, you would have jumped out of it as well!” Paul

Going back to trains, the LSWR T3 4-4-0, ex NRM has been launched at the Swanage Railway. It’s on the BBC website. For some reason I cannot post the link? Paul

I saw the image of the car on fire, that is alleged to be the catalyst of the Car Park fire. I suspect the rebuilt car park will have sprinklers as suggested by the Chief Fire Officer and no doubt insisted upon by Luton Airports Insurance Provider. Over here restrictions are appearing in multi-storey and underground car parks. Cars using LPG are being refused entry, though I’m not certain how they are being identified, other than the additional filler cap? Paul

HH probably needs to clarify the ex Squirrel is one of American Grey’s not a lovely Red, ‘Tufty.’ Got plenty of Reds and even Black squirrels around here in my part of Europe. Paul

Possibly a combination of water ingress, frost and thaw over years and vibration from trains and track maintenance techniques. Paul

I once had a colleague who discovered his car under 4 foot of water in the car park at Gatwick about 25 years ago. I can imagine the pain. Paul

Changing the subject, I feel for anyone who has a car stuck in the mess that is the Luton Airport multi storey car park! I foresee some new rules appearing to prevent such chaos and distress again. Paul

Well it is a Mazda! Paul

All this talk of Airfix kits, etc, reminds me of a few I’ve built when I was younger. Harrier Jump Jet, Railway Footbridge, 16ton mineral wagons. The most memorable was a kit for a Sea King helicopter. I had been made redundant and had applied for a Draughtsman’s position with a local packaging company. Model making was listed on my application. I was asked directly if a model of a Sea King existed. I suggested ringing the local model shop to check. The Manager returned from another office, immediately offered me the job and gave me the cash to buy the helicopter kit, with instructions to return straight back to the factory and get on with building it. The company had won a contract to prepare Sea Kings for transport by ship for eventual delivery to Pakistan. They needed a model to create a miniature of the packaging system, prior to a trip to Westlands to test the full size product. Paul

Phil, I understand your views, and Yes, “Innocent until proven Guilty”, but HMRI will be alert and ensuring all operators on all Heritage lines are following the correct procedures, prior to RAIB identifying the causes of this Rough Shunt, to prevent another incident to grab the attention of the Press. Comments by other members of this thread, hint at speed to high, distraction, no-one on the ground controlling the movement. Hence my comment. At this moment in time, this is very bad for the image of FS, the Strathspey Railway and Heritage railways in general. People have to be Professional and Alert when moving trains around. Paul

I find the video implies poor operating practice. I spent many years working alongside over volunteers uncoupling and coupling trains. The basics are very simple. Stop short, then observe the Shunter’s hand signals. If no Shunter available, the Fireman or, (if present), the Cleaner, (Trainee Fireman), got down and carried out the Shunter’s duties. Also Guards had to do it as well. What has to be remembered here is that it doesn’t matter if the crew on FS were Volunteers or paid GBRF staff, the responsibility is the same. It is of utmost importance for all operational staff, whether paid or not of every Heritage Railway to remember this. Paul

This incident implies poor design and engineering within the kitchen and bar area’s on the train. Smashed bottles are bad enough, but a completely upturned kitchen is very dangerous. Paul

Having read Mike, The Stationmasters comments, I took a closer look at the photographs in the public domain. The Buckeye coupler on Scotsman’s tender is dropped and a screw coupling is hanging from the tender’s hook. I recall in the 1990’s when a volunteer Guard on the Nene Valley Railway, we had Flying Scotsman visit. The Buckeye was never used, instead the Emergency Screw Coupling was insisted upon. However, when 60007, Sir Nigel Gresley, visited, Roger Black made sure all the Guards were ready to use the Buckeye. We had to reset it every time the locomotive changed ends. Hard work at first, but it soon became second nature. As for the damage within the train, I expect RAIB, will be critical of how much internal damage has occurred. Paul

A more angular version of a 15xx, with Bullied-Firth wheels and hopper bunker Paul

Sweeping transition curves always look best. It’s the movement of Bogie Coaches that separate model railways from the full-size. Most model railways have coaches jolting round curves rather than gently following them. The only time the full size Railway has more obvious changes of directions is through pointwork at low speed. It’s just my opinion Paul

I find the most over used word since 2010 is, “Absolutely!” Politicians, Officials and Management have to insert somewhere in a sentence to emphasize, they are going to do something or stop something happening again? It was lately uttered by the Head of NATS, after the Bank Holiday air traffic meltdown. As for weather, I resort to the accurate look out of the window method. I’m considering hanging a stone from a chain, to aid with accuracy! Paul

If I recall an episode of Time Team, the mighty GWR, built a line through a Roman Villa! When the railway was constructed, the Engineers recorded the Mosaic Floors, then built through. So no qualms there. Anyway, in this thread, it’s a War Effort Relief Line. Paul

That’s only a little one. This summer our neighbours used a larger version, with wheels that seemed to have once been on a Fordson tractor!!! Big unwieldy thing, but did the job. Paul

Tony, Thank you for your detailed response. The A3 tender appears to be down to speed. The A1 wheel, one of those unexpected things, especially after so many years service, but easily resolved. As for the P2, the joys of RTR and whoever assembled it. Paul