Wheatley

Of course - flashing headlights, or tail lights on (at the 'wrong' end) where flashing headlights aren't fitted. It's been a while since I had anything to do with them ! Ignore earlier answer then, ta.

Do you mean the 'hazard warning' indication on 2nd gen (onwards) units? They flash either both together or alternate (I can't remember which) and are impossible to mistake for anything else. They shouldn't be flashing in normal use.

That. They were introduced when battery life was much more of an issue, having them off as often as they're on doubles it. (Probably not exactly double I bet there's some hidden something or other somewhere which messes up the calculation. )

There were painting schedules and then there was what happened. The official schedule (on the ER and LMR at least) was mushroom grey (no idea what the real name was, pale grey with a bit of brown in it) with white window and door frames, and black doors, ironwork, downpipes etc. When Appleby was painted that colour the then Railman (Paul Holden) repainted it maroon and cream off his own bat and got carpetted for it, but it stayed maroon and cream. He got his own back as Line Manager under Regional Railways when a quiet word with the Works Supervisor across the yard ensured that everything else between Hellifield and Howe & Co was painted maroon and cream to match, rather than whatever colour RRNE though we should be painting it. (My request to paint one box white with the blue dash things down one corner was refused). Many many things got painted with something someone had left over, so Rail Blue doors would only need someone to know where to pick up a half used tin.

Agreed, both of those look like asbestos sheet to me. Wills do it - https://peco-uk.com/collections/lineside-scenic/products/corrugated-asbestos One of the South Wales contingent on here (Fat Controller ?) was involved in or has knowledge of the production of the later powder coated coloured stuff with square corrugations, so beloved of 1980s retail park designers. I vaguely remember a discussion on a much older version of this forum, and it was a 70s/80s speciality of one of the local British Steel works. Wills do that as well, or something very like it. Colour pic - looks even more like asbestos ! - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oldham_railway_parcels_depot_1978_-_geograph.org.uk_-_812883.jpg

I stand corrected, thank you.

It is (or was) quite common for supporting walls under ground floor joists, it allows ventilation as you suggest. The Formcraft bricks I linked to would be very expensive for anything other than a small wall, but Tim hasn't said what he's up to !

Are these any good ? https://www.phoenix-paints.co.uk/products/c5051

If you mean the Compound then apart from the loco drive mods (which I don't think are quite 20 years old) try 40+ ! The Fowler 2-6-4T is of similar vintage apart from a new(er) motor to replace the original X04. 1980 ? Year Of The Locomotive - there was the Compound, Schools, D49 and some GWR thing. It was either the "Ticket to Ride" catalogue or one of the ones either side.

Ooh. Intercity MK1s :-) Given that I bought half a dozen of those to respray in maroon when Hattons were giving them away for £16 each and I still haven't got round to it, I should probably put them on Ebay ! Offers over £50...

Somewhere in a shoebox I've got some poor photos taken at Winwick Junction about 1982. One of them is of a PWay train, pretty sure Dogfish and Catfish were the main components. There seemed to be some sort of rule amongst engineers that two wagons of exactly the same type should not be marshalled next to each other in a ballast train.

Admittedly its been 30 years since I built mine and I extended it using a second kit, but I don't remember any particular construction issues with it other than making sure the walls were completely flat while the cement set. I braced them behind with bits of sprue but that was for robustness in handling rather than to make anything fit. Anything with eight legs is going to take a bit of fettling to sit level. I did break the canopy off quite quickly, the supports for that got replaced with brass strip at an early date.

Pedestrians and cyclists are (mostly) less likely to extend their crossing time by wandering off in search of fresh grass or interesting smells. But see below. With a few exceptions the plethora of signs and telephones mostly appeared after the Nairn collision in 1982. https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=802 . BR learned the lessons from that (eventually) and started a campaign to buy out the rights on accommodation crossings and close them, the amount offered generally being pitched somewhere below what it would cost to bring the crossing up to 'Nairn Standards' in terms of sightlines and gradients on the approaches. In a lot of cases where there were two or three adjacent crossings and all were now on the same landowner's property, one would be improved and the others closed. The typical 'pre-Nairn' farm crossing* would be a 9 foot field gate (opening away from the track as previously stated), a timber deck (sleepers, originally 9' then 8'6"), a trespass notice and the 40 shilling 'close the gate' notice. A multi-fatality accident on a footpath crossing at Rossington on the ECML in 1990 spurred a similar campaign to improve or divert public footpath crossings. A woman and two of three young children wheeling their bikes across a multi-track crossing were struck and killed by a 120mph train. https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=406 * Accommodation crossing - generally field to field accommodating a landowner's right of access to land severed by the railway, right of way only exists for the landowner and their tenants, servants and agents. Occupation crossing - usually on a non-public road leading to a property, right of way exists for the landowner, their tenants, servants and agents, but also to tradespeople and others whose calling or occupation requires them to call at the property. Public rights of way on foot (if there are any) across either usually accommodated by a separate wicket gate at the side.

Thank you. I'd convinced myself Gibson only did bevelled 20mm driving wheels but there is a plain one in the catalogue so I'll go for that. I have one set of Sharman wheels but they're reserved for the 300 Class when Jim Smellie finally releases it !

I love that, especially from such an indifferent kit ! Whose wheels did you use please ? I have two currently doing my head in on the bench , there has to be an alternative to Romfords ...

Because they cost a fortune to run and there is a finite number of people for whom 'enjoyable day out' consists of paying a not inconsiderable sum to get in to just wander around looking at the paintings and furniture and maybe buying a bit of cake in the tea room. See numerous other threads about getting families to visit heritage railways to pay the bills so railway enthusiasts can play trains, and how to attract them in the face of multiple other attractions all competing for people's disposable income. Provided it doesn't damage the fabric of the building it'll either work and help secure the future of the building, or it won't and they'll have to think of something else.

I took my last Jazz to the local Halfords (shop only) for a headlight bulb and, having already seen the ridiculously small access hole on the inner wing paid them the extra to fit it. It was booked into one of their service centres for a service a week or so later but I dont like driving around with a light out. After an hour of swearing the fitter said he could get the clip on or the rubber dust cap on, but not both. "Did you say it was in for a service ? Ask them to fit the dust cap" he said, and refunded the fitting charge. The service centre took the entire headlight out and did it in about 5 minutes flat. Easy when you've got the widget to realign them afterwards.

I suspect it's linked to the outgoing head of the Army's widely reported remarks that we are a pre-war generation and we ought to be thinking about a citizen's army for when we eventually end up fighting Russia/Iran/Panem/the French again. Insert favourite conspiracy theory at this point. As you allude to, You Gov is just a market research company.

Deleted. Pointless.

"At the end of the day Trevor Chaplain walked from the woodwork room to the staffroom, clutching a fully-assembled hedge and verge trimmer. To do this, he had to go up some stairs and down some stairs, even though both rooms were on the same floor. The school had been designed in accordance with the design philosophy then in vogue at the Ministry of Education, which was based on the theory that arduous and complicated journeys from A to B created initiative in the young." Alan Plater - "The Beiderbecke Affair". First time I've been to Pontefract exhibition. Only managed a morning there but I enjoyed it, thanks.

Network Rail's obligations to WCRC (and vice versa) are set out in their Track Access Agreement, same as every other operator. There's no need for anyone to play hardball.

A couple of TOCs use preserved railways for low adhesion 'skid pan' training, saves having to bring an otherwise revenue earning unit with you. Quick conversion for 153s if you dont already sign them and off go.

Agreed. For me the collections at each property should have some relevance to the property or the area, not just random collections of stuff. And railway engines should ideally be on or at least near railways. If the previous owner of the house collected railway engines or owned Hudswell Clarke (for example) then that's different as they're part of the story of the house. Likewise if the previous owners were a succession of slave owning union bashers then that's (part of ) the story that should be told. Your mileage may vary.

No, the lines running from firebox to smokebox above the handrail. You need to open the pics rather than view the thumbnails in the blog to see them. They're on the 2MT as well, I assume they're where the insert for the various topfeed/dome combinations joins in. At least when the seam ran along the top if the boiler it followed an actual joint on the real thing.

I'm hoping that the moulding marks (including the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock ones on the boiler), gaps all over the place and general wonkiness are a result of this being a pre-production / livery sample. It does say the ropey handrails have been referred back for further work. I see the bling brush hasn't been binned yet. At the moment fixing the old one is still my preferred option. (Come on Accurascale, you know you want to ...)