railsquid

If you are modelling Deutsche Bundesbahn in the 1950s but are short of German coaching stock, feel free to drop in a Mk1 BCK behind the Danish coach: The consensus here (German) is that it is indeed a Mk1, but no conclusion has been reached as to the how and why.

Fairly classic "roundy roundy" with curved platforms and the main line's disappearance into the backscene quite skillfully disguised with an inclined overbridge, which somehow draws the eye. However they've gone and spoilt it by putting not one but two buses on the bridge. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicjoynson/53246874513/

Nice little Woodhead diorama, probably N-gauge. https://flic.kr/p/2py8nyu

So, one of the things haunting my workbench is a ziplock bag full of the remains of an ancient Kato EMU set which I acquired second-hand in poor condition, and which I let the Squidlet play with on a push-along basis when he was smaller, but due to its age and the brittleness of the plastic (apparently an issue with early Kato stuff) and the fact that the Squidlet trod on one car, it is in a state of terminal disassembly and I was keeping it around in the vague hope I could Do Something with it one day, but have reached a point where I know that will never happen, and in a flash of inspiration put it for sale online at a knockdown price (ha) and within a couple of hours it was snapped up and is now gracing the Japanese logistics system on its way to a new home, so that's one more thing no longer cluttering up physical and mental space. The set in question:

A few days ago I had a box full of ballast-orientated bits and pieces fall down behind some other boxes under the workbench, and was dreading the cleanup operation as it sounded like there was a lot of loose ballast and orientated bits spread out over the surprisingly wide area such stuff likes to spread. Happily I have dug down to the affected area and by a stroke of luck the box fell upside down with its lid mostly still in place, so the chaos was limited. Bits transferred to a better box, which has been freed up by the ongoing reorganisation/sale of stock and stuff.

In a former job, I once had to fly to their Indian subsidiary (which did the bulk grunt work) to install Linux (long story), and was mildly bemused to see that every time the boss entered one of the offices where said grunt work gets done, everyone stood up like it's 1955 and the headmaster has just entered the classroom.

Probably not technically a ghost in the machine, but a ghost of GCSE studies past I found while downsizing the archives (written commentary from a much younger Railsquid):

I think it's a "no". https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/21/24011448/hyperloop-one-shut-down-layoff-closing-elon-musk

Heh, early 2023 I was in the process of reorganising my workbench/shelving/storage when I was struck down by the Currently Fashionable Lurgy (medium-long edition) for a few months (better but still not 100%), then had to dismantle the layout for construction access reasons, and while I managed to reassemble the layout boards, I decided to reduce the layout area somewhat, so ended up with piles of layout stuff on top of the other strata of stuff going back to the start of last year. I've gradually been working through it (it's a bit like a complex, slow-motion game of Tetris) and finally had a day recently to get all the way down to actual horizontal supporting surfaces, rediscovering a number of old projects and new stock I'd forgotten about. It does feel better to have (mostly) taken back control. Also making a concerted effort to sell off unwanted bits and pieces, which is also freeing up space.

I assume this is well-known, if so apologies for duplication, but I would just like to record my fleeting delight at spying this NSE remnant at Marylebone when passing through earlier this month.

Meanwhile I have just discovered that there is a first class section on this train, but getting off next stop so not worth the hassle of moving. Well, that will have been a different trip (Tokyo ~ Welsh Marches in 36 hours with 6 trains and 3 planes) to the norm. The trip back will be somewhat more gentle, provided I can work around these strikes).

Actually now the driver seems to have found the accelerator and the whole ensemble is heading northwards at quite a lick, it is a little wobbly. Still, better than what I was expecting to turn up, viz a many-times refurbished late BR era DMU of some description. Meanwhile it looks like the Abergavenny Party Girls have just boarded the train, showing blatant disregard for the prevailing weather conditions.

I spent a pleasant forty minutes or so sampling the delights of Newport Station, working on a theory that they could save a lot of money on expensive LED signboards by replacing them with the word "cancelled". By some administrative error the train I was waiting for arrived (eventually) and somewhat surprisingly it consisted of a locomotive and 4 coaches (Mk4s?) which (now I have a seat) do seem to be a comfort upgrade (in terms of seat comfort and ride) compared to the preceding 800.

Oooh, snack trolley just came past again, time for another cuppa. Going by the way the train is shaking, I presume we have now been diverted along some rural branch line, or the DfT people put something like "make it run like it's rolling over driftwood" in the specs.

Though I must say I fully understand the complaints about the seating on the 800s, I assume they were specified to order by someone with a Spartan fetish because they are like no seat on any Japanese express train I've been on. On the plus side there are free drinks and snacks, which I wasn't expecting and am in kind of need of, not having time to grab something on the way. Was pleasantly surprised by Heathrow for a change, leaving aside the delay, it was about 30 minutes from deboarding to getting on the Heathrow express, including passport control machine, baggage claim and SIM card acquisition.

I do indeed. Just pulling out of Paddington on a GWR 800 formation which is missing half its coaches, which justifies my 1st class "splurge". Saw a rusty 08 and a collection of sad-looking BR-era coaches on the way in from Heathrow, which was kind of nice.

Right, made it to a very snowy Prague, the delayed BA flying machine is now ready for boarding...

OK, one 2-day Britrail flexipass ordered, which will meet my travel needs perfectly! Saves a lot of hassle, thanks once again! (Actually I went wild and splashed out on First Class, which I've never experienced before on UK rail, partly because i have a slightly insane series of flight hops before I have to wrestle with Heathrow Airport).

Oh, that does look like a convenient option, would never have thought of that, thanks!

(delurks) Kind gentlepersons of this thread, circumstances have conspired to send me to Blighty, where I will need to take some mainline trains for the first time in a decade, so I would like to delve into the pool of collective wisdom and ask what is the best way to purchase tickets these days, as I hear all kinds of stories. Specifically, I will arrive at Heathrow and travel to Hereford via Paddington and Newport, can one just roll up at Heathrow Station and purchase a ticket for the whole route, or should I book online, or what? The situation is slightly complicated by a risk of flight delay, so I don't want to end up sitting on a non-refundable advance ticket. I am aware of the strikes planned at the start of December (when I'm travelling) and will route round those.

Proof of the scenic potential of the much-maligned roundy-roundy: Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/penmorfas/53212332578/in/faves-129145651@N06/

Nice little 70's station diorama, haven't seen that particular Peco backscene before. Not sure about the "driver striding over the tracks" pose, unless that centre track is not routable, looks like a recipe for derailment. The be-anoraked trainspotter on the left looks a trifle under-scale too. Sheffield Midland Yorkshire 1st September 1973 by loose_grip_99, on Flickr

Indeed - I was lucky enough, some years ago, to find gainful employment closely related to an open source project I've been involved with for many years, but as it's gained popularity it's become ever more commercial, and the company I worked for was bought out by a bigger player which is in hock to the kind of people who'd sell their own grandmothers if it looked good on the balance sheet. They decided the other week, pretty much on a whim, to lay off an 8th of the company to free up funds for the new "shiny", and announced it in such a way that it wasn't immediately clear that the process was already over when they announced it; fortunately I was in the other seven 8ths, but it hasn't done much to improve the mood, and at this point I'm basically there out of inertia. On the plus side I have been pootling away at reassembling the layout out of bits of preceding layout attempts.

I'm not a fan of snow scenes, but this one is quite nicely done, though the trees do, as so often, look like they'd be more at home on a Christmas cake. Also, the photo is marred by the shadow on the backscene, and despite weathering attention to the undercarriage, the loco's body is still in that fresh, just-out-of-the-box shine. 143 596 bei Hinterzarten 14.01.95 by Bahnbilder von W. + H. Brutzer, on Flickr

Not relevant in my case, as the infection occurred in winter when the A/C wasn't in use at all. It's not a closed system and I've never heard of A/C use cited as a compounding factor in existing infections. Though I do imagine needing to use A/C in the unprecedented long hot eversummer (thanks climate change) we're currently "enjoying" might make breathing more uncomfortable than otherwise. I do recall in the first couple of months of the pandemic Japanese TV showing simulations of A/C-induced airflows in public places such as restaurants which would explain known clusters, which is why Japan was big on ventilation and masking while the UK was still wittering on about hand washing songs.