Zomboid

There's the switchbacks on various lines as well which do similar things (I've only experienced it on the Hisatsu line in Japan), though that's to gain height.

Theoretically possible if they're the transformer type, but I doubt that's possible if it's a switch mode supply. Admittedly the standard Hornby ones are transformers. And the rating will be so low that the current available at 230V will be next to nothing.

Still several layers of swiss cheese there, so depends on your approach to risk.

On my childhood layout (which was DC) we didn't put any breaks on the crossover, just used the automatic isolation that the points provided, and only used one controller if anything was to cross between the circuits.

I don't see anything in this plan to suggest that such an approach wouldn't work here.

Nothing bad would happen if both controllers supplied a section of track anyhow. Or it didn't when I tried it.

Now that there's a train service, if it runs at the right time then it'll likely that students will become part of the user base. Even with an hourly service most of them will be on one train in the morning (and if my college experience is anything to go on, a wider spread in the afternoon/ evening), but I'd expect there to be some use.

I imagine a decent uplift in traffic from Crediton will come too, as the service goes essentially half hourly. Though some of those will be catching a more convenient train than their previous Barnstaple train, rather than new traffic. Nothing drives demand as effectively as frequency, so I've heard.

20 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Parades of old and new exotic cars and the like are in the spirit of motorsport.

We should do the "festival of the unexceptional" parade at Silverstone.

See how they cope when an Austin Ambassador drops its oil in a braking zone...

I always thought the military involvement with sports events was a bit inappropriate and unnecessary. As a follower of the NFL it's way worse over there.

No need to say "look at our weapons" at a car race.

3 hours ago, Steven B said:

 

Children are no more or less interested in making things than they were "back in the day". My daughter and her friends regularly comes home from after school club with things she's made. Thinking back to my childhood, other kids weren't interested in making things - they'd rather be outside kicking a football. Little different to today really...

 

 

 

Steven B.

 

 

Children are just interested in whatever they like. Once they become teenagers then whatever is considered "cool" becomes a factor, but up until then if they like making things then they like making things. And though a lot of kids put on an act as teenagers in order to fit in, it never really leaves.

There are more outlets for creativity now than there were historically, so some kids will find that "making" things on a computer will scratch that itch, but it's still making.

I can't see OLE for roads working for anything other than specific captive flows, if at all. The major benefit of road is its flexibility, and requiring electrification basically eliminates that. And once you do away with the flexibility and have special routes that you can run on, it's basically a much less efficient train that needs one driver per wagon.

There's stuff I can do - I'm fairly confident at basic electrical stuff since I'm an electrical engineer, painting walls etc is no fun, but I don't want to pay someone for it, and things if that nature. There's also stuff I've tried and failed at and will now get someone else to do for me - tiling, plumbing especially. And things like plastering... No chance.

I don't have the tools to make even basic car maintenance possible, and buying them would cost more than paying someone to do the job properly, and that's before considering my lack of knowledge.

Cooking is pretty much a hobby for me. Cooking our dinner is a highlight of my day.

14 hours ago, LNERandBR said:

I doubt we'll get anything technical until the cars launch.

 

One thing I have wondered, having watched the way the WRC launched its new era of cars last weekend. I wonder why F1 didn't try a 'glitzy and glamorous' launch event for all the teams to unveil their cars.

 

I mean, hold it at Barcelona just before pre-season testing when the teams are all there already.

Each team having their own launch (on their own day) gives their sponsors a day where their logo is on the main news of the day. Smaller sponsors on smaller teams would get lost in the noise, and that would devalue their contribution.

Of course the same applies to the WRC too, but the format is much lower profile and by having it all together they staff a chance of getting some relatively mainstream coverage, which the "Hyundai's new WRC car" story wouldn't get on its own.

Not that I want to be a naysayer, but if Tavistock Junction (a site in largest city in the area with excellent road access and plenty of railway land) wouldn't fly, then the economics of building a container handling facility in the south west just don't stack up.

Something (or things) external needs to happen to skew the economics in favour of rail. Maybe decarbonising road freight will do the job, maybe the ridiculous price of diesel will, maybe road pricing, maybe a bit of everything...

There are several railways, both closed and open, which would fall into that category. For example, would there be much case to put the East Suffolk line (beyond the Felixstowe junction) back if it had gone? Doubtful. But it's still there so it's unlikely to go now.

Is it really essential to have two stations on the branch? It seems that it's a huge squeeze to get two in, and does it gain anything important?

6 hours ago, Hobby said:

Just sack him and give it to Horner, he was trying to do it for most of last year anyhow...

As were his equivalents from all the other teams. As you'd expect given that the rules allowed it.

13 hours ago, kevinlms said:

But Bulleid hated diesels, so the whole point of various experiments.

He didn't hate diesels, he thought that steam had more to offer/ could be developed beyond what the mid 1940s state is the art was.

23 minutes ago, Mike_Walker said:

But would just a handful of daily services prove attractive to the local population

If they're timed right they might. Islip between Oxford and Bicester doesn't have a hugely frequent service, but the local community had some input into which trains called, and what the purpose of each one would be, rather than an arbitrary frequency. So there are trains for commuters in either direction, and trains at the end of the day for evenings out in London/ Oxford, and so on.

7 minutes ago, JohnR said:

The Aberdeen flow is from Grangemouth, and Mossend. Thats about 200 miles.

But where have the containers come from before they got to Mossend? I don't know, but I imagine they've arrived from Felixstowe, Southampton and wherever else such ships come from.

And that's possibly the issue. There might be enough traffic into Plymouth to justify a train, but if the containers are from Felixstowe, Southampton, the Channel Tunnel and wherever else, where would the train be assembled? And would having to do all that skew the economics so that it ceases to work?

It would be great if there were a service to that corner of the country, but rail freight isn't subsidized, so it would have to make the operator a profit.

2 hours ago, Rivercider said:

In recent years I have made quite a few day trips to North Devon, by train to Barnstale then 21 bus service to Braunton/Ilfracombe/Appledore/Westward Ho! The bus stop is right outside Barnstaple station, the service runs every 15 minutes

I obviously realise that it's possible, but a change of train is a pretty good way to put off a lot of people, and a change of mode without integrated ticketing will be vastly more effective.

The point of reopening Bideford would be for travel beyond Barnstaple though. And for incoming travel from beyond Barnstaple.

Not that I expect it to happen any time soon, but I think it'll happen after Bere Alston to Tavistock, but before Okehampton to Tavistock. Has anyone even applied for one is those restoring your railway grants for the Bideford line?

North Tawton has the advantage of a railway with a regular passenger service running through the site. Doesn't look to be a big enough place to justify a service right now, but a platform, bus shelter and ticket machine is a lot cheaper than several miles of new railway.

59 minutes ago, Chris Turnbull said:

 

It never has been double track from Soham to Ely.  The LNER doubled the line from Chippenham Junction to Soham in stages in the 1930s arriving at Soham just before the Second World War.  Nothing more was done and the track remained, and still is, single.  The lack of room to lay another track was one of the reasons that Network Rail gave for not progressing the doubling scheme in CP5 (IIRC).

 

This is the line at Barway, midway between Soham and Ely.  If the photo looks familiar it is because it has appeared in Modern Railways.

 

 

Barway Siding was just to the left beyond the trees which hide the crossing-keeper's cottage.

 

 

 

Chris Turnbull

On the other hand they have left space under the footbridge to allow the line to be doubled in future without demolishing it. (And the river bridge at the Ely end which had to be replaced a few years back is double width). It'll probably be electrifiable without rebuilding, too, if that ever happens.

7 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Quite agree but the timetabling problem is very much down to the running time difference between Bere Alston - Gunnislake and Bere Alston - Tavistock

Only if you're trying to run two different services. PLY - TAV - GUN - TAV - PLY would slow down Gunnislake & Calstock to Plymouth journeys (hence trying to get some of it back by improving speeds on the main line if that's realistic), but would give those places a direct link to Tavistock and eliminate the timetabling issue caused by the different journey times. It would probably need a passing loop somewhere to achieve an hourly service though. 2 hourly might work without.

38 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

As a variation on what has been suggested so far, would operating Gunnislake to Tavistock and Plymouth to Tavistock, with double track Tavistock to Bere Alston as two separate single lines have any advantages? I suspect not although I don’t really know enough about the line and the sort of journeys usually made on it.

It would be a lot of extra track, though having the Gunnislake trains going *somewhere* would probably be advantageous (I don't think Bere Alston is really much of a destination).

Also a nice bit of symmetry with the current arrangements between Crediton and Coleford.

9 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

No way.  One trip to Gunnislake would show you that reducing the journey time there would be a major pipe dream when smoking whacky baccy.  Have a look at a  map - it's the ultimate in contour chasing railways with the straightest bit being over the  viaduct at Calstock

I realise Bere Alston to Gunnislake is always going to be really slow (wasn't it built as a light railway? It's all 10/15/20mph limits), but the former main line between BA and Plymouth seems to be a 40-55mph zone at present, and the alignment may well be suitable for more like 75.

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

As well how many more trains can be pathed across St. Budeaux Junction given the more frequent service now operating into Cornwall

From the aerial photography, that would be one of the simpler junctions in the world to grade separate, with the flyover portion already existing.

If the LSWR route ends up being a fairly busy suburban style route to Tavistock it might even be worth the electrons I'm using to share that thought.