Ian Hargrave

Right. I declare an interest as an Old Aberdarian who used the Low Level ( ex-TV ) line frequently in the years 1953-58 when the Auto Train was king with its 86J 64XX Pannier. Often as an alternative to the bus between Aberdare an Aberaman on my way home from school. Before 1953, the branch to Abercynon was the preserve of the B Set of which my first recollection is chocolate & cream. When the auto coaches arrived they were BR crimson/maroon….except for the appearance on occasion of the Hawksworth variant which was crimson & cream. However,The High Level ex-GW Vale of Neath also occasionally used an auto train formation..So a reference to the work quoted would be appreciated

Sounds like it’s FMJ month at Hornby. I indulged in 35026 and it is indeed rather a beautiful model. But then Hornby’s airsmoothed MN is in the plastic as well. A blue metal A4 is likewise tempting…which is how my model railway passion commenced at Selfridges ,Xmas 1950…No:7 SNG& tinplate Gresleys. Get thee behind me,Satan…

Another great programme this week. As a schoolboy travelling overnight from Switzerland an early morning crossing from Boulogne was rough and caused me the only bout of seasickness I have ever suffered. I was happy to disembark at Folkestone Harbour ( the station now lovingly restored) and board the boat train which was hauled and propelled up the incline by a collection of antique SR tanks to the junction where a waiting Bulleid was ready to take us onward to Victoria…..1956.

As long as it’s not imaginative rather than innovative,I suppose. Posting as one whose memory of auto trains is fixed on the years 1953-58 between Abercynon and Aberdare. An interesting prospect which might perhaps include Pannier 64XX or 14/58XX sound ? Of the coaches themselves…per se….I have no specific sound “memory “. For this I would think,Dapol will have spent time at Didcot.. Whatever,we’ll have them soon and long overdue.Good news.

Too true Robin…..and never a worse time to be a client/customer/passenger/victim of today’s “grown up “ system. Spent last night strike bound in a Liverpool hotel enroute from Glasgow with a gtoup …no,not that sort of group….from Merseyside. We travelled by coach but I had to wait for my booked onward Pendo until 10:43 this morning. Being in some ways neurotically cautious,I checked RealTime Trains website before breakfast. No problem it seemed…11 coach Pendo with usual details ( Even rail staff use it ,it’s that good ). Great,I thought ,time to watch a bit of tele before checking out & getting a taxi to Lime Street. But hang on,let’s have one more check..09:12 time. “Train cancelled Liverpool - Crewe due to train crew issues.”But 09:35 Lime Street-Euston still a runner. Quick stuff of everything into case….quick checkout….taxi ordered…arrived almost instantaneously…zip quickly down the hill…..Liverpool taxi drivers are great …onto train at 09:30. Things are not going too well at Crewe either.But I made it home although subject to an hour’s wait . I’m one of the lucky ones,I guess.Still it proves the old saying of life that there are really only two sorts…the quick and the dead. Boy I can still move if the spirit moves me.

Er….I think you might tactfully assess KR performance to date as “variable “. Suggest a read of their thread.

Bravo,Paul

Just a hunch,based upon recent research in the area and subsequent historical wagon development,might this be something with a NE flavour to complement them ? Yours,The Lambton Worm…..

Great to hear from you,Kevin and wonderful that you’re keeping your spirits up. Greetings from a cold & wet Glasgow

Added to which,your posts are always positive,interesting and above all,worth a look. Many thanks.

Walk away.It’s not possible to deal with this if dealing with probably one dysfunctional individual on internet terms…

I walked the High Line in NYC just over 3 years ago. Tim’s excellent programme has given me a zest for walking Manchester’s own version.Absolutely fascinating.I can remember summer Saturday extras from South Wales in the 1950’s with destination Manchester Mayfield.

On the ER,they didn’t. For a short while in the summer of 1951 on the SR,70009 worked the Belle and of course the Arrow with 73 A’s 70004&70014 for a while in the early 1950’s.On the WR,I think one of 81A’s ( while it still had an allocation) did on occasion work the down South Wales Pullman.

When displaced from GE duties by incoming diesel traction,Immingham ( 40B ) gained an allocation of Britannias which then worked Cleethorpes- KX turns via the ECML.

A stink ..to put it mildly….occurs here too

The Heart of Midlothian took the path of the 1:30 KX-Edinburgh and ran with Mk 1 from its initial introduction in 1951. A 34A turn as far as Peterborough and a New England turn from there….which is where the legend of the 9F started,leading to the article by IIRC CJ Allen in Trains Illustrated “Ninety With A Nine” some time in the late 1950’s. No Coronation stock was involved. ER management quickly put and end to the nines high speed antics but a shortage of peak travel motive power led to their continued use until the early sixties on the ECML

1951 “Alf” did service on the Belle too. Which brings us neatly to ask a pertinent question. Is it possible to use Bachmann’s new Bulleid tooling to produce a “special” ?

With so much construction work seemingly advancing at pace and much in evidence here in Staffordshire,just what does this mean ? As I posted a few days ago, new speed restrictions are only just in place on the A38 ? Does it mean a cessation of construction work,a go slow or a stop at a certain point in the middle of prime agricultural land…..yes this is a rural county. So then one of the world’s largest construction site an earth bound Marie Celeste in perpetuity . Surely not. This is not good news and has potential for untold local upset. How bad must the situation be to have prompted this bombshell ? Having seen locally only two days ago the progress being made ,I am stunned.

Fabulous image Rob. You can only imagine their feelings and what they were escaping.Bristol was blitzed severely.But even NA didn’t escape and that’s not too far away.As is Plymouth which had more than its share of tragedy.Gas masks in cardboard boxes too.Mine was a Mickey Mouse version.They were great to play with after war ended….shouting “We won the war “…

They were also capable of acts of great kindness and generosity apart from chewing gum and nylons. As a small child we had two billeted with us prior to D-Day. There was a shortage of almost everything,especially food which was the subject of rationing,so they helped us with food not seen in a long time,such as a large joint of prime beef from the PX which my mother confessed she didn’t know quite how to cook. There were also things “for the kid”….a two year old me. What became of them when they went into Europe we never did find out.Their names,I was frequently told were Murphy and Hofer. GI’s gave their all.I hope those two survived to live a long and happy life.

Depends on what the average take home pay is. The mind shifts to images of airfreight dedicated to the delivery of cans of the ultimate tinnedmeat extravaganza. Still good for a lunch with a portion of beans with…or even on….toast. We make jokes about it but the USA fought the European war on it and aided the nutrition of their British allies ( ? ) with it too.

They work well . I always clean wheels with them when new out of the box. Buy two and they clip together,a feature which is useful if treating a diesel.

Nothing beats a Landore Castle😀

I think…if my brain is functioning as it should…its meaning in general is that after a good knees up,all is well with the world . Which is a good feeling.