2750Papyrus

Why from Loddiswell? Do the elves live in Sorley tunnel?

Oh no they don't!

Somewhere in the loft, though I know the pantograph is broken. Hang on, I did buy some spares for Electra........

Oh dear! Ordered both LNER version and the biscuit loco "by mistake" on Monday, expecting neither to be delivered until next month.........

Credit to Bachmann for a sensible and informative reply.

One of my oldest friends proudly recounts the story of his saving a penalty from Albert Quixall - in Fog Lane Park!

Are you trying to make us Crabby?

Glad you enjoyed the Rocky Mountaineer (Gold). Mrs 2750 and I were booked on it some years ago but were unlucky. The on-board staff were on strike and were replaced by office staff and then derailment of a freight train meant we were bussed through the most scenic part of the trip!

Pleased to see the product is made in UK.

Yes, qty 2 Diagram 3D awaiting transfers and one of yours in build! But they're not big, 6 wheeled bogie clerestories......

The chap stood next to me asked what the trackwork was and was surprised at the answer (Streamline code 100). As an ECML fan I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this layout again, with its accelerated "real" timetable and accurate stock for period. However, the sight of the non-stop Silver Jubilee running into the up yard and having to be reversed into the station for the point to be changed did give some comfort to us mere mortals!

Tried to buy a trainset for grandson's birthday 18 months ago. No trainsets in retailers in July - "a Christmas item" apparently. Finished up buying from EBay. Also noticed no stores stocking Hornby whether Toys 'R Us or more traditional toy shops. I have poked fun at Hornby on other threads but as a hobby we need them now and for future generations and they are certainly trying hard to turn things around. I hope sincerely that they succeed.

The track looked good and robust as well. Track apparently in production and will be shipped to dealers in a couple of weeks. Points Easter 2017ish but depends on how tooling turns out. Solenoids will clip underneath as currently. Prices will be higher than existing range due to complexity of tooling - not sure they have been fixed yet. . Looks very good! I commented that we had been waiting a long time for this and response was that it would not have been possible to make tooling previously.

I wish for some clerestoried GN or ECJS coaches to go with the Stirling single......and the Ivatt Atlantics......and the Gresley Pacifics.......not to mention the kit built Raven C7 and D20......

My local station and one of my favourite layouts. Thanks for the pictures, Tony. It would be good to hear of this layour and maybe see it again.

Sorry, but I can't let this go unchallenged. To the best of my knowledge, the first recorded application of modern critical path technique was by the USN on the Polaris programme. I was taught CPM at Uni (mechanical engineering) in the late 60's and used it in a manufacturing project environment before joining ICL in 1970 at West Gorton as a PERT engineer, primarily on software development. Subsequently I moved to Hatfield and spent the rest of my working life in defence and aerospace. At that time, the industry was heavily into (mis)using critical path techniques, to the extent the acronym was believed to stand for "Persistent Evasion of the Real Truth". I am afraid, therefore, that claimimg Civils invented project management in the 1980's just isn't true. However, I did once discover a reference to the use of barcharts in the building of a 12th/13th century cathedral in France but with the caveat that the project finished 80 years late! The biggest development in pm techniques in my working life was the recognition of risk and the development of techniques to manage it but the biggest problem remains the politics of funding.

Interesting precedent - in 1969 Leicester reached the FA Cup Final but were relegated from the 1st Division.......

My last experience of trams was passing through the Kingsway tram tunnel as a child but I have long believed that if something can go wrong, it will. The aerial views of the crash site show just how tight that curve is. It was inevitable that, for whatever reason, a tram would at some time enter it too fast Some detection and automatic braking mechanism should have been provided - and, I am sure, will be in future.

I've owned a few 0.4.0s but a 4.0.0? Can't be a virus - must be a bogey!

Apologies for delay in commenting - I did try and post several days ago but for some reason it got lost. Our hobby is a very broad church and caters for many different tastes (roundy-roundies to shunting planks). Personally, I think the addition of working lights to models adds realism. I still have a Trix brake van with working lights from the 50's. Power came from pick-up shoes, so conversion from 3 to 2 rail operation was easy. A bulb was located inside the van, which lighted the guards compartment, and a (covered) perspex rod led across the veranda to a rear lamp with red lens. Trix also used perspex rod in their searchlight type colour signals and I suppose were, in their way, pioneers in the use of fibre optics. I shall be buying at least one of the Train-Tronics rear lights for a kit-built brake van due to the ease of installation. However, given more time, the DCC concepts route would enable modelling of the side lights as well. Has any DCC user fitted a chip to a brake van to control on/off and intensity of lighting?

Prefer John Coaltrane

I printed off the map of the alternative routes and shoed it to Mrs 2750. The planners can definitely forget any thoughts of disturbing the orchids and butterflies in the cutting leadiing to Old Warden tunnel! Terry Thomas could have made them aware of the tunnel loading gauge..........

Thanks for that, Dave. Interesting - likely courses close enough to be of benefit without turing me into a NIMBY! What a shame that the closure proposals in the 60's didn't have to go into such detail.

Sorry, Dave, can't get that link to work. The BBC is trailering Hammond's autumn statement, including £27m for "the Oxford - Milton Keynes - Expressway". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38041466

When coming home from Devon,it's always a toss up between staying on the M4 then M25 or coming off and making way via Oxford, MK etc. The A34 usually backs up from the M40 roundabout and the growth of Bicester is slowing through traffic. I try and avoid the Black Cat roundabout whenever I can. A couple of years ago i had to take the dogs from haircuts in Sandy to kennels near MK and made the mistake of going that way - solid traffic from just north of Sandy to the BC meant a half hour's delay and urgent phone call to say we would be late. Both of these junctions were made far worse, in my opinion, by theinstallation of traffic lights. Roundabouts were supposed to keep traffic moving - traffic lights stop it. I think closure of the Varsity route must rival that of the GC main line as amongst the most short-sighted actions of the railway-bashing '60s. I would love to think Bedford - Cambridge could be re-opened to help reduce congestion, but I doubt funding will ever be available.