Coppercap

Mine arrived today, two days after despatch advice from Hattons.

Mine arrived today, and what a little cracker it is! I thought the cab doors had not been glued in properly, but they open, if only a little. However, despite the cabside recesses being designed to ensure accurate fitting, both numberplates are fitted slightly down at the front. It's only really noticeable when looking horizontally at the loco, not when looking down when on a layout. Also, the over-long cabside handrail wireslove not too over-long on my example. Now, to the running. The leaflet advises not using a feedback or PCM controller or a controller that's more than 10 years old, as it may not be compatible with the coreless motor. I have an old vertical-fronted Gaugemaster model TS. This model appears to still made by Gaugemaster, with a redesigned case, but is the controller inside the basically same? Can anyone advise if my controller is OK to use mine with a coreless motor? I'm sure Gaugemaster would love to sell me a new one if I asked them! Their website does quote one feedback model they make (the DF, feedback type), and which they specifically say is not compatible with coreless motors.

Well, if you don't want it, send it on to me. It'll then technically be secondhand mind, but not yet commanding a premium "discontinued, no longer available" price!

It's very sad. Get a box of Kleenex - Mother gets killed.

Me too!

See my post #1182

Had you not read previous posts on this very subject? 'Twas a joke!

It's probably because when operating coach-first it's actually the fireman who's working the regulator!

In the image of the WR set, the second class coaches are shown the wrong way round, in that the motor bogie should be, as you correctly say, adjacent to the rear bogie of the power car. Also, the kitchen/1st trailer cars on the WR set are shown reversed, in that within the train, the kitchen separates the 1st and 2nd sections - all the 1st class passenger areas are together, and all the second class areas are together. The image of the MR set is correct.

Apparently that didn't seem to be a problem for experienced firemen. ISTR there were several mentions in Didcot engineman Harold Gasson's reminiscences ('Firing Days', 'Footplate Days', 'Nostalgic Days') of fun and games with auto trains being driven coach first without the auto-rods connected up (so being driven by the fireman alone, except for the brakes), maybe if they were in a rush after doing a bit of shunting. I think he also mentioned sometimes deliberately removing the link to the regulator in the cab, unbeknown to the driver, who then thought he was in control. (The fireman just had to keep an eye on the disconnected link and adjust the regulator to match what the driver thought he was doing!). Apparently Harold used to often forget to disconnect the whistle chain before uncoupling, with the resulting long toot of the whistle before the chain snapped! Don't forget, when the driver was driving in the coach he couldn't control the reverser anyway, and therefore had no control of the valve cut-off, which the fireman had to do (it was in his interest anyway, he'd raised the steam...).

Post #375, today (OK, I didn't quote the bridge toll)

The M48 (ex-M4) via the Severn Bridge proper rarely has holdups, and traffic levels are usually on a par with a 1960s motorway. The M4 via what is known as the Second Severn Crossing does get busy, and there are often queues at the (westbound-only) toll booths. If stopping at Thornbury Castle, the M48 is nearer anyway, so best to use that for crossing into Wales and return.

Yes, the 58xx was not auto-fitted, as a result they were less versatile tha the 48xx. It's always possible a 58xx might have worked with an auto coach, but only if it hauled it and ran round it for the return trip.

As much as I'd like to vote (and I'd love to have some Toplight coaches, maybe six or so), I really don't know what to choose for the last two questions (and particularly the last one), and all sections have to be answered...

First you'd have to seriously plan a route, if you want to include a 'Little Thief'....not many left now! (All the ones I knew are long closed.) Nothing much wrong with the Olympic though, just the price!

So that's as built, and versions in all liveries and modifications, including as preserved. That would keep someone busy for a while...

What I was trying to say was that while a 'Great Western' liveried 48xx might later have had cabside steps fitted - they were not introduced until 1936, I believe - so none of the Great Western' ones would have been completed with steps. It would have been unlikely to have them fitted on a special trip to works without including other work - this would no doubt have entailed a subsequent repaint into post-1934 'Roundel' livery. (This was what one of the earlier discussions was about). As top feed was, I think, introduced in 1944, any cab front with 'top feed plates' fitted would therefore post-date that, irrespective of whether the loco was then carrying a top feed-fitted boiler or not. It seems unlikely that a pre-1934 'Great Western' liveried 48xx would have remained in that livery until 1944 and during that time had it's boiler changed from an original type to one with top feed (with the new plates), then back to another without top feed (with plates still fitted).

But as it represents the locomotive 'as built' (apart from cabside steps/handrails), and none of the boilers would have yet been fitted with top feed, the plates should surely not be there? If it HAD been shopped since construction, it would almost certainly have the GWR roundel, not Great Western on the tanksides anyway.

It might be because of the angle of the image, but it looks a bit like the smokebox door may be fitted wonkily.

Just watched this on the iPlayer. All that talk on whether it's a bolt and a screw... when he slips on the coupling rods to check the quartering was OK, James mistakenly calls them... connecting rods!

I doubt there's a lot you can buy in Oxford Street that you can't buy in your nearest shopping super-centre. If there is, I'm sure it will be overpriced, as you say...Also, there's less chance elsewhere of getting your pocket/bag picked by someone too, except maybe the Westfield, from what I've heard. Some shady-looking individuals hanging around the last time I was in Oxford Street (and I wasn't there for the shopping, or bus spotting, either! ). Christmas lights were OK though...

Like a lot of things, when one has been to a particular town only once, and were really happy with the one restaurant/accommodation/pub etc that one used, one would naturally recommend them to others. As you rightly point out, there are loads of places one could try, but on a first visit, which one to choose, unless recommended? I can only eat one lot of fish & chips in a day, so will have to try another establishment next time! However, we did also call in a pleasant little tea/coffee shop in Grape Lane in the afternoon, before the Magpie.

The Magpie Cafe in Whitby does a fantastic fish and chips (other fish and chip establishments are available...). It's more of a restaurant inside than a cafe, and there's usually a queue outside to get in, and consequently a bit of a wait, but it's well worth it. Only been to Whitby once (quite recently), and it was a perfect day ending with the fish and chips followed by a superb drive across the moors to my sister's house. (We've done the NYMR several times, the last being an evening Pullman dining train - very good indeed! )

I regularly travel that route, and I've never experienced it that bad. Some of it is a bit twisty, which slows some drivers, but I've sometimes found it's slow near the racecourse if there's some event on - chockers if there's a race meeting on during a holiday weekend!

Hey, I live literally a mile away, on the edge of the town. I can almost see the castle from home, but in reality can only see (over the rooftops and through the trees) the top of the almost adjacent church. Thornbury Castle is a real castle, but not the sort you mostly read about in your history books. (7027 Thornbury Castle is in bits, hopefully to be restored, a genuine set of name and numberplates are in the Castle School just down the road.)