Dave Scott

Paddock Wood actually. Transfesa had a big depot there. I suspect onward travel was by road

Whistles were fitted to the 71s and EMUs up to the 4 CEP. It was mid 60s that retrofitting horns took place. One small point for Dave - early versions like the EMUS did not have red blanks until mid 60s. I find having red blanks on my MLV anoying

It was Ladbrook Grove which prompted my coment. Thanks for the reassurance.

It is noticable in the first pic how the OHL suports inpinge on signal sighting. The red on the slow line is almost covered

The serving staff would not understand what you are on about as they would all be East Europeans

It would be interesting to see how fast one could climb the Lickey with an electric loco or unit?

Clive - my drawing skills would not do any better. Your model looks great and I agree the levers do add that certain something

I am colncerned re the pics showing a shunter pushing a lever. you allways pull a point lever. What might interest those who have not seen the mechanism it has more in common with Peco than you think.Hand points have an over centre spring just like model points. To change the direction pulling the lever throws the spring over centre so the blades snap over to the other direction. Pull the lever again and the blades smapover to the other direction again. The lever allways pulls in the same direction. Hand points can be trailed but you cannot guarantee the blades go right home. Most preserved railways tend to change the points in the trailing direction. There is another thpe of lever I saw on the Docks at Dover. The lever was set flush with the deck/ The shunter lifted the lever to the vertical and pulled, points changed the lever was dropped back into it recess.

May be you should have kept your hat on

I have ordered the plain green one mainly because I remember them like that when new - yes that old

I found that too so I googled Woller Signal box diagrams and found this website http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/lnerdiagrams.htm See p3 of 6

What is noticable is a complete absence of shunt signals. Wrong line moves for a light engine to run round could have been done by verbal instruction / flags. Its in signalmans rules and I can think of places where this is done..

I fully suport your view that shunting was an inconvinience to be got out of the way to give more time for liquid refreshment. From memory and video evidence shunting speeds were significant. Why then do so many modelers string out shunting manouvers by going as slow as possible. Last friday at the end of a 12 hour shift I had 8 bogies to put away and with a Deltic to tow them out of the platform we used all of the 10mph limit for station limits. The propelling move was slightly more cautious but not pedestrian. I wanted to sign off and get to the King and Castle

I agree that when you start out from the main yard the waggons to be dropped off are in the corect order and at station 1 are at the rear. Drop off 5 pick up 6. and at station 2 the wagons to be dropped off are 7,8,9 etc. At the last station the ones you want are now at the front and you might have to do some careful manouvers. I think freight working is more intresting than pass

It all really depends on the length of the train, where the waggons are in the consist, how crowded the sidings are and how frequent are passenger services.. If you take all the train into the headshunt and the waggons you want to drop are in the middle you need an empty siding to leave what you dont need. Tthis is probably unrealistic. It is also likely that the train wont fit the headshunt. What is most likely is the train would enter the down platform from either direction. Even if there is no controlling signal a shunt move can be authorised by the bobby.. the loco would run round if required. The train would stay in the platform leaving the up line free for passenger services, both up and down, you could do with checking if the signalling allowed this, it often did. The goods loco could then shunt between the yard and the platform as required. Obviously trains cant cross but this would most likely be taken into account in the timetable pick up freights being scheduled services.. This is what I would expect but given that local arangements often applied I may be wrong.

Being checky with a plug but 50015 and 50026 are due to be in action Thur, Fri and Sat at SVR diesel gala

You wonder about syphons - what about SR PMV - they got everywhere inc Fort William

What about the conduit system used by London trams. pipe sunk into middle of track with inverted conductors and a plough pickup. Not sure about manning a change pit at old oak though

Just found this thread. Lyons apple pie, Tizer that brings back memories. Short trousers until 3rd year and yes I did wear a school cap even at weekends when at primary school. Started big school in 61. Had to travel for steam as all local trains were on the sparks( Southern Electric) Who remembers the garden round the Euston Control office.

Bryan, I am new to this thread but I saw some way back you asked about bogie pivots on the old Wills kit. I had a look at mine and I used a plastic flat bar atached to th bogie with a pivot and pivoted off the chassis. A similar arrangement to most comercial locos. Compared to the pics of yours the Wills chassis is much cruder. good luck with the build. Dave

As a guard on SVR I could take a fence, I need the wood for a fire. Too busy to sleep, too much time required discussing the delights and challenges running a passenger service

A fascinating thread. I have colected a number of autobiographies of old railwaymen which are fascinatting. Autobiographies by drivers and signalmen are significant in number. Guards stories are however rare. Any ideas why?

I hope you all dont mind if I digress a little re Dunton Green stops. I used to commute to London from Staplehurst. One winter morning there was deep snow.A train evetually arrived and we sparked and flashed ane eventually got to Sevenoaks. There had not been an up for some time so control issued a stop order for Dunton Green. Having made our stop we flashed and banged and eventually expired on the bank despite being 12 cars. Another train was brought up behind and our driver got out to discuss tactics. Just at that point a news helicopter hovered to take some pics. Well being loose snow the downdraft created a mini blizzard. What had once been a man in a dark overcoat turned into the closest thing to a yetti. He was not best pleased. We eventually made Orpington around 13.00, I had gone to catch the 7.20 from Staplehurst. We were passed by a down coming out of Sevenoaks and the sensible solution would have been to have stopped the down and picked up the up passengers and taken them to Sevenoaks so all ups could at least have had a run at the hill

Short stops were a feature of the Southern though 15 sec does sound shor. I am new to RM and have found this thread fascinating.I knew Westerham post closure and the comment re trafic jams brought back memories. You appear to have captured the spirit of the line well. I cycled down there a few times, there was a good tea room on the green. In some posts there was discussion could the line have been incorporated in electrification and the design of Dunton Green was quoted as a hinderance. No one mentioned the simple solution of attaching / splitting at Orpington. If the Westerham train picked up at Dunton Green Knockholt and Chelsfield what is now the stopper could run fast to Orpington to attach. In the evening the Westerham goes on the back. Great work