Lord-Claud-Hamilton

Certainly plenty of inspirational images in this book. I've driven round much of the area.

Thank you very much for the advice Gentlemen.......much appreciated.

Gentlemen, I am looking for a book on the railways of Lancaster as a Christmas present for a family friend. He is not (yet) really a railway enthusiast, but always shows an interest, especially in his home town of Lancaster....he lives in deepest darkest Norfolk now! He just remembers the last days of steam, through to BR Blue. It's not a location of interest to me and my online searches have not found the number of titles I expected. So I wondered if many of the experts found on RMWeb could recommend some books for us to consider? Any advice greatly appreciated. Chris

There is an abandoned Brake Van on a disconnected siding just SE of Manea station on the Ely to March line.

I love layout idea's like this. But how would you 'backdrop' a layout like this....I guess a photo across the track to the stabling point?

I hope I don't sound too cynical, but could this be ".....a deliberate attempt to make a Public Sector entity fail", rather than 'ignorance'? "We've tried everything we can think of to make NR work, including the biggest investment in the Railways since Victorian times, and it still doesn't. What else can we do but ask the Private Sector to do the job?" Probably just me getting carried away with my 'Conspiracy Theories' again. I'm sure we would have noticed if something like this had happened before in the Public Sector.

Genuine question, as I'm not as knowledgeable on these matters as many of you, but is there a capacity issue between Ely and Ipswich....or is it more between Ely and Ely North Junction? I estimate/guess that there are six paths an hour (?) through the single line section between Soham and Ely. But I cant see how all those paths are used at the moment. Or is this for future growth on the line? Apologies if I've missed summit obvious here.

Could it be just north of the A14? That could be the A14 bridge on the far left and the electricity pylon might right as well.......hard to tell so just a guess really. Are the shots of the 37, 56 and 73's taken at Waterbeach? [Edit: I don't think my location for the 59 is correct....had the wires got that far?]

I don't suppose Mark and Dennis (Ely Platform Staff) feature on the layout do they?

Yes, very close for me as well. I wonder what year the photo was taken?

That first photo could Chesterton Junction just north of Cambridge. The bridge in the background looks very similar to the one that crosses the River Cam.

I passed one approaching Reading (on the way back from a day spotting at Cardiff Central) at 1925 yesterday. That was on Containers as well..... I dunno what was up with me yesterday. I missed loads on the way down (incl a 60 on Tanls just before we entered Newport!) and on the way back.

I passed three of the Colas 70's on short Engineers train at Swindon yesterday at 09:15. I'm not certain what they were working, but I've been told that they were 803, 804 & 805.....is anybody able to confirm this and/or get a photo of them please? [Whoops - just noticed I posted this question in the 'Discussion' section. I'll delete and move it if required]

My Dad served on the Ark during the 60's......not certain exactly when without checking. He also served on the Albion, Bulwark and two others I can't remember. I dont remember him talking about the F4's, so maybe that was after his time. I know he served with the first Carrier based Buccaneer Squadron. There was another jet as well but my memory is terrible..........Sea Fire's and Fury's (correct?) were the main stay when he first went to sea.

I finally got to have a trip on the ‘Busway’ on Saturday (20/08). I caught the train from Ely to Cambridge first, so got on the bus at the railway station. Initially the ‘Busway’ Stop was difficult to find, but now I know where it is, it’s ideally placed. In the past, I would have had to walk/taxi/bus into the bus station and then catch a bus to St. Ives. So, in this situation, this is ideal for me. The Guided Buses have been in use on the St Ives (via the A14) route for a few years and, despite complaints in local media since the route opened, I find them reasonably comfortable. My only complaint is that the seats are a tad slippery, so going around some bends and stopping had me slipping off the seat! This was only an issue when ‘Street Running’ and not a problem once on the actual Guided Busway. The return fare was £5.40, which I feel is a reasonable price in comparison to the cost of using other buses within Cambridgeshire. I found travelling on the Guided Busway section reasonably quick, comfortable and quite interesting. Although it took longer than the A14 service (which I’ve used a lot in the last 10 years) I actually enjoyed the journeys to and from St Ives. But that might just be the novelty I guess. For some reason, I did find the different services/routes offered confusing. This doesn’t usually happen but maybe it’s just a case of ‘practice’. I can see how some people will find this new service very useful, but I can’t for the life of me see how it’s ever going to help relieve congestion on the A14, which was the point of the investment in the first place! The targets for predicted usage are ridiculous and will never be achieved. The bus was less than half full on both of my journeys.....something that I don’t think would have happened with the old service. The problem is the ‘Street Running’ sections. You can go as fast as you want between St. Ives and the Science Park, but as soon you get onto Milton Road, and other routes into the City Centre, you are still going to get held up. I did hear a Council Bod say on the radio that he didn’t think people would notice the true benefits of the route until after the kids returned to school and the A14 got busier. He might be right I guess, but I’m not convinced. I don’t see anything about the service that will convince people to get out of their cars and onto the bus enough to make a difference. Time will tell........November should be long enough in my opinion!