Derekstuart

Not Grayrigg then? Granted the level of fatalities have decreased since the quite worrying number of crashes post-privatisation, but there have still been many other reports- credible reports- about track defects. Didn't we have a mass go-slow not that many years back after the state of rail was exposed? Perhaps that was a turning point. I was at Liverpool St the day a Norwich train jumped on the dirt due to faulty track. A 90 minute delay and change of train. But as a passenger- someone with no real inside knowledge- I am not really interested in whether it's a broken rail or train defect, all I know is there are too many accidents listed and simply explaining them away as 'less deaths than road accidents' isn't good enough.

Hello Joseph. Sorry, I wrote without thinking. These are all my imagination. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rail_accidents_in_the_United_Kingdom#1995_onwards:_Post-privatisation

DELETED. It's just not worth the hassle. After all it was 'only' one wagon that derailed.

DELETED. It's not worth the argument. The odd rail crash isn't an issue as more people die on the roads.

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In 2018 I went to a bowling club, to lay flowers at the memorial for my late Grandmother who helped found the club in the 1930s. I was really quite surprised to see the huge age range playing- from young children, maybe at primary school, to the retired and some who had been retired for some years. This is in Scotland and so I'm not sure how the culture translates over the rest of UK. But I would observe that French Boules games are likewise multi-generational. My *perception* is that this move to encourage younger people in to the sport/ hobby is a relatively new- but quite successful- move. I would like to offer the idea that perhaps it's the sense of skill/ achievement that 'hooked' them. MR needs a lot of skill. but most would start with a box of set track and just watch trains go round and round in circles. There needs to be some way of encouraging them to make the first step- even if the box set manufacturers had simple cut out and fold stations/ tunnels, perhaps (age dependent).

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Yes, I think we all do it. Blokes buy model trains we don't need or will ever use. Women do the same with shoes. Unless a HST is likely to be running alongside a GER 1900s 0-6-0 and doing so in North Yorkshire, my purchases make little sense either. So you're not alone. EDITED for grammar/ spelling, not sure which. Did I really just write by instead of buy? Next it'll be there/their/they're and I shall lock myself in a cupboard.

I had a case with another chain that broke my brake pipes on a car that had been out of use for a while. It is true that it should have failed (although they actually missed other problems and falsely reported items that were fine, according to another test centre). What they didn't tell me was the pipes were leaking fluid, so when I went to turn it out onto the main road I could only stop on the hand brake. When I went back to complain- I thought I was driving an MOT failure, not a death trap- that they never told me the extent, they said it wasn't leaking when it left them and they couldn't be held responsible... NB I specifically asked if it was safe to drive back. Unfortunately they forgot to clean the pool of brake fluid on the MOT lane and the train around to the customer car park. Russ, here's what you need to do. Don't mess about with the low level staff. Go straight to head office- IN WRITING- pointing out what you have written here. Point out that if there was some existing fault with the car then they should not have proceeded until they had made you aware of that and given you the opportunity to inspect, remove or proceed with the car. Here's the killer point: In law ever MOT station has to have an area that the presenter of a vehicle can observe their vehicle being MOT'd. That is not an option or advisory, it is law. It is true that they can make restrictions such as preventing you walking through the workshop whilst it is being undertaken but you cannot be denied the right to watch. It is enshrined in law. Now you have already got evidence to present to them that they are lying to you in the branch.

I can see that I misunderstood your aims, but you will need to share some of the blame with the way you phrased it. As for your comments about 'strawman'- oh please. Clearly that was not my aim. Had you been just that little clearer then I would not have assumed you were about to embark on what might have been an ill advised project.

Both of these diametrically opposed viewpoints are valid and I agree with both without any hint of contradiction. Northmoor is quite right- they aren't going to have masses of people coming to them in the way that an express Pacific or a Deltic would, that's very true. But then, as Lord Flasheart points out- they might just do for preservation railways what they did for BR- allow trains to run cheap. In this case they might not see as many miles in use per year as a locomotive, but then their operating costs are so much lower. I'm a qualified PSV mechanic and aside from the electrics associated with TPWS, CSR etc (all of which are now irrelevant) I could maintain one. There's no 10 year boiler overhaul, nor 100 year old cracked cylinders and if the engines ever need overhaul- well, they are a hell of a lot easier to do than a Napier-Deltic engine. So yes, they will see fairly limited use, mostly diesel galas I suspect, but their cost of operation will be very, very low. PS I seem to remember that once NYMR started using their Met Cam first thing and last thing for passengers who were travelling against the usual traffic patterns set up for the steam service.

I think we've both been on RMW long enough to spot a thread that might not go the way the OP intended...

As ever, you are a font of information. I see they've purchased a HST set and have some Brush 4s. Excellent. I can see HST railtours being popular in years to come. There will come a time when routing a 1950s mainline diesel becomes all but impossible, whereas an HST- even allowing for conventional modern trains getting faster- will stand a better chance of finding spare paths. The ultimate trainset.

How do you define 'reliable'? In London today there are two visitors. An African, who says the UK weather is very cold and an Inuit who says it is quite moderate weather in UK. Both are telling the truth and both can be seen to be reliably doing so. The fact? Well the fact is (from the point I reference) it's about 9 degrees Centigrade. The problem is all you ever get these days- even from 'academic sources'- is opinions and interpretations. Rarely do you get facts. Actual, quantifiable and measurable facts; even when you do, it is often taken out of context as seems to be the case with the current C19 fiasco- with both sides claiming statistics supports either a lockdown and give up AND ALSO a be careful but carry on. As for why you would want 'academic sources' I can only guess. Do we not have a large group of academics right now who are struggling to decide tea Vs coffee, let alone the response to what might or might not be a threat to our way of life?

In an alternate reality: BR North East Regional Manager: "Following the continual barrage of negativity towards the Pacer series of railbuses by those who think everything should be as it was in the 1930s, I have decided to recommend for closure all lines radiating East out of Darlington, make the York-Scarborough single line to save money in order to keep loco hauled trains there for the enthusiasts. I shall also be decimating much of the lines radiating out of Leeds and Tyneside too. I expect my fellow regional managers will do likewise, including much of Wales and the Cornish peninsula. " That, Mr Market65, is the reality of it. Many routes were in the last chance saloon. At Whitby no less, when a chance encounter came with the Deputy Regional Manager BR(NE) he said as much. Were it not for the Pacers then his office were going to recommend the closure of several branch lines to the BR Board. Running a bus depot you might expect me to agree with you that it's better to run buses than Pacers, but I don't. That they were used on long distance services was not a fault with the design. Imagine replacing a HST with a Met Cam 101 and sending it Kings Cross to York. A fault with Met Cam or a fault with BR planning?

"Just two wires..."

Thanks Roy. Sorry, I thought this was just the CSR. Clearly it is a new(er) version. It's reasonable to assume we are all aware of the need for minimum orders. For a second batch the minimum order will not as high as for the first- the design and tool work has already been completed, but of course there will still be a need for a minimum order of X units. I don't think anyone suggested otherwise. Can a 'manufacturer' gauge likely demand from Ebay prices? No, not really; it will be one of many indicators they use to gauge such demand. So let us put this a different way: If X model was listed from multiple sellers on Ebay and they were constantly being re-listed, never selling except at silly low prices you'd take that as an indicator that a second batch would be a failure, wouldn't you? Don't forget that whilst 89 has never been released RTR before, Rails has a long history of selling both new and second hand units and they will by now have a good idea of the type of models that sell quickly and those that don't. We do not have that same data. You're right. Of course some 60s have carried on and that gives the class overall longevity, plus there are many more of them. It's a very good point about the BR Standards- it's easy to overlook the short timescale they had, but again there were many more and spread over the whole Country. I wonder how sales of BR Standard models compare to the NER E1/ J72. That was produced in batches for over 50 years from the late 19th Century to the middle of the 20th. Although relatively low in numbers compared to the likes of the BR/EE 08, their longevity between the first production and the last withdrawal is getting on for a Century- though I bet the sales are lower than the BR Standards overall. I have no idea about LSL/ ROG etc. Sorry. For me, railway history- both real and model- stopped in 1994. I wish all the very best to those behind 89's return to the main line. One last point: Why do people call the 89 'Aardvark' or 'Badger'? I'm told the sloping front resembles the nose of a badger, which it doesn't to me. Why not call it 'the 89' or even 'Avocet', which is the name it was given on commissioning.

I suspect- though without evidence- that RMW is the place that generates the most 'leads.' I could be wrong. I have no idea why they are doing it. You'd need to ask them. Thanks for the info re: Deltic. I was not aware of that, having missed out on the original run. I remember seeing it the first time not long after it ended up in the Science museum. An impressive sight. The 89 only had a history of around 15 years, but it was always a 'celebrity' loco, even when new. I saw it at Bounds Green around the time of its commissioning (though I seem to recall it was quite a while between leaving the factory and actually entering service, even on test trains). By comparison, the Deltic protoype didn't even manage 5 years.

I'm not privy to the inner workings of Rails, so I will have to go with your view. Personally I doubt if they'll make a decision based on EOI. In business, to use the irritating cliche, raising a flag to see who salutes is the sign of a business that won't make it and that surely cannot apply to the very successful Rails. I'm not sure I understand your second point. The people giving EOI on here are surely the same ones who are making comments on here. That's very true. However if you regularly find two people wanting it and they are quickly sold then it would suggest a demand exists- but of course it's not my money I'd be spending to find out. A tough one that and I'd agree it's a very good response. But my point was really that Heljan sold out of all Kestrel, Lion, Falcon and DP2. I believe Bachmann's Deltic prototype has sold out in all stockists too. Certainly if 89 returns to the rails- as seems likely- then a marketing deal between Rails/ Accurascale and the 89 operators could be achieved... I would guess on-board sales of model 89s would be a good money maker. Of course, how the £split would work to make it worthwhile all three parties is a different matter.

Jools- Surely it is already fitted with GSM, or was that removed when it was made redundant previously?

Maybe- and I'm only speculating here- those in the operational departments (drivers, guards etc) were career railwaymen, whereas in clerical positions they were just as likely to come from an accounting background as railways. I'm not suggesting that having your Dad working for BR was enough to get you the job, but it did mean you could get help and advice to prepare for the interview and if those doing the interview already knew you and you could show a track record of relevant interest- ie learning about the operation, rules etc... rather than 'train spotting' then that would be something to put on your CV. ANYTHING that is relevant to a job will help at an interview. Anyway, we're drifting off topic. My prototype for everything would be a disgruntled me walking away from Kings Cross in 1993 and deciding to go into bus and coach instead. Incredibly, apart from helping my Dad empty his office, I've never been back.

All I can say is to reiterate my experience. When I expressed an interest in a railway career, my Dad's line management actively encouraged my Dad to let me visit at the weekends, school holidays etc. I knew the controls of a Brush 4 before I knew how to ride a bike. Yes really.

Very true. It's easy to judge the hobby based on one thread, but look at the total amount of RMW users for starters. Then how many in the hobby who don't use RMW and then, as you rightly point out, plenty of non-modellers who may also be interested. My Dad worked with someone who didn't model trains, yet across his living room at home had a full ECML spec. HST, a Deltic+ MK2s, A4+ train. He was a ECML driver. Didn't model but still had a collection of the stuff he'd driven.