Ian Hargrave

Always by personal recommendation.Decide what needs doing on a regular basis,i.e your lawn and then negotiate on a specific job basis such as a hedge or part of the border that needs a tidy up or cutting back. Include a requirement that said person removes and disposes your green waste and lawn & hedge clippings .If you’re happy,than all well & good.If not,then do not give him or her any more work. Do not employ on a weekly basis and ensure he or she uses their own equipment.

The TPEX +68 is a rail enthusiasts dream…a locomotive hauled train once more in daily use.But sadly not to be it seems. Do we have a white elephant here ? The Avanti 221’s are in good condition and ride well so hardly surprising Grand Central are impressed.

That service is 2x158 as far as Nottingham and continues as a single unit btw

Thanks.The comment about refurbishment is interesting.The 170 wears its years well and is good to travel on but could do with a cabin and seating upgrade.EMR have received 2 car versions which have been nicely upgraded and now use them on Newark-Crewe services in place of 153’s. Using the TPEX Nova 3 +68 on Nottingham-Cardiff trains will create platform occupancy difficulties at some stations. The service normally runs as 2x2 car 170 but can be only a 2 car at times whereas the Nova +68 is quite long in comparison and I wonder if it would be cost effective for this particular service,though commuter traffic at New Street might benefit from extra capacity.Also bear in mind that the intermediate service from Nottingham to Birmingham has to fit into this cycle

Yes I realise that thanks but that’s a large lump of hardware when you consider XC runs on two types of unit with dedicated servicing locations Twin Rivers for the Voyagers and Tyseley for the 170.

The fleet. ? All 27…..to replace and for which services ? XC operate 170 and 220/221 which in terms of age are surely newer. And it ( so a member has recently posted ) is to receive 7X Avanti’s 221 as replacement for its recently withdrawn 125 ‘s.

With what ? Not a party member Not there.🤨

It’s a cracking model and demonstrates what Hornby are capable of if they hit it right.

Really ? Didn’t realise that .Things really are in a state of flux.

Especially so when you consider the new stock being delivered from CAF & Stadler &that they’re passing on 27x175 units

And further still,the RAIB have just released their own video on YouTube

There is a comprehensive overview on BBC iPlayer now. A look at that should suffice 9

The report makes interesting reading and recommendations,It does not seek to apportion blame.That…as far as this forum is concerned….is the point of preventing further comment.

Er….yes they did. The GW tone was markedly shrill in tone….soprano if you like…..as opposed to the deep bass of some of the competition such as the LM. Though the shriek of an Arthur at full tilt came close to mimicking it.Then of course came the Transatlantic siren of Canton’s Britannias…such brazen hussies,as an impertinent challenge to the Castles etc.Sorry for the self indulgent rambling but good to see we have another member of the dc sound sect. True ,no whistle but Dinmore Manor is fun nonetheless.Yes DCC is far too complex for me too.Seems as if it’s ‘F’ this and ‘F’ that…I mean..how vulgar can you get ? Enjoy.

Indeed this is the system currently being installed in the South Wales Valleys upgrade.

Did the Fishguard-Rosslare ferry in 1964 but not by day return. Train to Cork which was slow and very beautiful but onward by country bus to Glengarriff ,County Cork .Spent a week at a pub mainly drinking Guinness,trying to catch & occasionally succeeding,mackerel which the landlord’s wife cooked for us. Stayed up late listening to Brooklyn expats extolling the virtue in alcoholic tones of returning to their roots..a performance which was absorbed with tolerance and patience with all who just.needed leave to go to bed. And then a return,….Ireland is a wonderful and enigmatic place…thanks be.

If guesswork is permissible ( no logic there ) I’d say the refurbished 175 could be a fit for Chiltern.

Point.But if one can apply the gentle art of logic here….what would they replace and where ?

Yes the 170 though reasonably comfortable struggles with its capacity especially during the tourist season. Can’t see it happening though

So now we have 27 x 175 units in addition to all Avanti’s 221 and EMR’s 222 apparently seeking new TOC’s .Pardon me but where are all this lot bound ?

If you can access the BBC News App for Wales,you will see that the WAG has just pumped an extra £125 m into TFW…..for which it has understandably come into some flak.The minister responsible defends the decision with the declaration that this is not to be seen as a blank cheque. Maybe this puts into context the 175 units currently lying expensively idle at Holyhead and Chester. A lot of new stock has come on stream with more to come.And then of course there’s the big one down South with Valleys rail transformation,the wires and battery powered Stadler trains which will hopefully transform the daily lives of many . If it succeeds it’ll be a marvel.It all goes into the mix. So £ 40m on the 175 units did someone say ,was it last year?

XC have run into difficulties further north with flooding between Derby and Sheffield closing the line apart from the ECML problem. I think there have been some diversions over the Erewash Valley but in general Derbyshire is a mess

DHL will provide you with tracking which gives you your specific number in the delivery sequence.I’ll be interested in how you get on with the sound.Good luck ! I forget it’s not Accurascale but Rapido….Sorry ,different carrier

Given the significant improvement from Hornby with their last few releases,I wonder if a revamped edition might be the answer. I know they’ve been a bit turkey & tinsel for a while but with significant competition now cutting the mustard the incentive for a big improvement might produce positive results. I have a feeling that it could.

I have the last iteration which is late GW 4013 .In terms of livery,construction & general overall finish the best of an indifferent bunch. Spoiled by an overdose of unnecessary silver paint on cylinders,piston etc.But you could certainly touch that out if you so wished. Runs well. Basically,it’s a decent model.