Dave Scott

Why is it that when you go to give the driver a message, e.g. request for Country Park, the fireman uses the injector and wets ones boots

As a guard I wear both wrist watch and pocket watch to ensure I have at least one in working order. Its the same with other kit - two whistles, 2 number 1 keys 3 carriage keys and 2 red flags On SVR the tail lamp must be removed before the loco buffers up

A few years back I spent 4years commuting between Moreton in Marsh and reading. In that time there was a floating group of about 12 of us who actually talked to each other and regularly occupied coach D in the HST.For christmas birthdays etc we would organise a bucks fiz breakfast. The reaction of some of our fellow travelers to popping a bottle of bubly needed to be seen. No fun please we are commuters hardly covers it

Dave, Now we are past the deadline can you give any indication for manufacturing time and hence likely delivery Dave Scott

There is not that much diference between MK1 and Bullieds profiles. After all the MK1 was a Bulleid constructed at Derby Dons tin hat and flack jacket

It does look the business. I did like the sugestion of black and silver aka 10001 but even they were painted green later

Thanks for the swift reply. Waiting in anticipation Dave

Dave, I have been trying to be good and not mither. Last update was over a month ago. Is there anything you can report? Dave Scott

I will add myself to the quiblers. In all the pics in HM the loco is shown sporting a diesel type screw coupling in red. AFAIK all 73 had buckeyes from new. A red coupling might be hung from the drawhook but it would be an emergency double ended one hanging over the dropped buckeye. Afitted screw coupling under a pulman rubbing plate just looks wrong

Hornby mag have a write up of the Dapol, class 73. ~It looks a good model apart from one point. The pics show a screw coupling fitted to the coupling hook shank and its painted red.. Now class 73 did run with red screw couplings but they were of the emergency double ended type and would hang down over the dropped buckeye. Perhaps I am being picky but a screw coupling with a pullman rubbing plate looks wrong

As they are "body" lifting lugs they obviously are only attached to the body. I suspect that as they protrude beyond the body moulding with the body may be an issue.. Not at all sure if would be that prominent in oo

Leamington and Southampton actually

Thanks Dave. Fareham a bit of a treck from the midlands, will consider

Just wondering if there is any news?

I can apprteciate the problem as we still have the same issue re the two halts on the Severn Valley. Country Park is straight so not too much of a problem but Northwood is on a curve and with 8 on and the crossing wig wags sighting can be a problem. Have had to use the setter on occasion when the fireman could not see my stop because the wig wag board was in the way. Still if it wasnt difficult it would not be so interesting.

Not visited RM for a while and found the debate on who will be first futile. I have put my money on Daves version and am happy with that. Am I woried about H being first? Not at all. The model will arrive when it arrives. Just looking forward to the day it does, but wishing it would be sooner than later.

Short and thin for modern rolling stock but if you are shunting standard gangways a bit of height would help. Also lamp brackets I am 5ft 7in yet find that the bottom lamp bracket on a Mk1 is only just in reach esp when in No 1s

True we dont know the coupling method, although it APPEARS that a loose shackle was being used. If the coupling method required somone to be inbetween during ease up the coupling method should not be acceptable and be banned by the authorities. Thats what happened with US link and pin when the much safer buckeye was made mandatory. In the UK there are some diesels with so much plumbing that I can hardly fit in when stationery let alone during an ease up

Whilst the crushed man was at fault what were the others doing. They should have insisted he come out before moving the loco. From comments heard they new he should not have remained inbetween. You are responsible for the safety of others as well as yourself

I was once told an even harrier story re proximity to the third rail. Addiscombe depot, now closed, had as many do one road where it was easy to get gaped if too slow off shed. Gaped is when no conductor shoes are in contact with third rail. The unofficial procedure was to use a shorting bar. This was suposed to be a safety device to put between the runnig rail and the juice to trip the substation breakers in an emergency. To start a gapped train "put it in notch one mate" was yelled and the shorting bar was pivoted over the third rail and under a shoe untill with a flash and bang the unit jerked forward, usually enough to drive away. This was told to me by an Addiscombe fitter

Just for another laugh. At one railway I was asked if I dressed up for haloween. I replied I dont really do fancy dress. A wag quiped " so a three piece serge suit, white shirt and company tie, fob watch on chain in one waistcoat pocker, whistle in other and flat hat with guard on it is NOT fancy dress"

Just to make you all laugh. In the 60s you wore a suit to work. There were to be some publicity shots in an office. A senior manager visited the office and saw that most staff were wearing cheap suits. Before the phots were taken the manager issued chits for the staff to visit a well known tailor and get bettter suits.Incidentally I wore a suit, blazer or sports jacket to work untill the day I retired. (for those too young - Sports Jacket - like a blazer but made from tweed. Best Quality was Harris Tweed)

Town actually only referred to London and the saying referred to wearing brown boots with a blue suit. Before I get lynched by those north of watford this saying came from posh people who thought the north was simplly for hunting, house parties and shooting grouse

The Hornby version (old Lima) had plain wheels and would not pull untill I added masses of weight. In the real world I was once on a train 3x4CEP towed up the bank between Tonbridge and Sevenoaks by a 73 on diesel. Slow progress but it made it. A down freight had derailed and taken out the conductor rail.

I must admit to not looking at the phots. I saw enough Transfega wagons at Padock Wood to last a lifetime on my daily comute from Staplehurst.1976 -1992. I am plesantly suprised they did get as far as Warrington and Manchester. One quirk to model would be mismatched axleboxes. There were at least 2 diferent designs. The most common was domed with a square recess, probably an oil filler. The other had a flat end. On ocasion a wagon would have one of each, presumably one was discarded at the gauge change