rogerzilla

The Spirit of Sandringham project is selling a teatowel showing the various B17s - I bought one at Bewdley during the SVR steam gala. The apple green B17/5 doesn't look particularly dumpy in profile - the black one can. https://www.b17steamloco.co.uk/hikashop-menu-for-categories-listing/product/154-teatowel

And a yellow smokebox door. In fact, sod it, let's go full Large Logo and have a yellow tender and smoke deflectors too.

I have standardised my DCC stuff on Bachmann (Zimo) decoders with brake function, generally on F2 but on F7 where F2 is used for some kind of lighting control (Dapol are fond of this). The exception is the class 03 but you don't really want much momentum in a shunter.

You can change controller system without reprogramming the locos, or in fact doing anything at all to them. The decoders hold the CVs, not the controller. This means you can start out with a basic controller, maybe one that came in a DCC train set, and upgrade easily when you feel you need to. Open standards and all that.

Wickness Models used a Lenz Silver Mini in my Farish 03, which is split chassis and very small!

I had a new, dead Bachmann decoder this week. Loco just made a "zzzzt" noise and the DCC controller indicated a short circuit. Checked that the wheels were properly railed, etc, but no joy when trying again. Loco worked fine on DC with the supplied blanking plug, both before and after the short. Swapped a Next18 decoder in from another loco and it ran fine on DCC. Sending it back for a replacement - looks as if a few bad ones do slip through quality control.

"Sir Priapus" would have been funnier.

Or the Bay of Thieves (eBay), if they're stupid.

SVR had some nice looking stuff today. The Terrier was being coaled by men with shovels and wheelbarrows due to its tiny bunker.

One day 66s will be as popular and feted as Black Fives. Maybe.

On display at Kidderminster today.

During their current spat with the ORR, WCRC is running ECS trains in place of the Jacobite to avoid losing the path (in the same way that airlines fly empty planes to avoid losing valuable Heathrow landing slots). It's moronic.

I'd guess the cost is excessive. "Oil" in this context normally means the filthiest, cheapest "bottoms" from the refinery, known as bunker fuel in the shipping industry. It has to be heated with steam coils just to.make it flow.

Oil firing would put me off going. It has an unpleasant smell and, at some point, hopefully well away from any houses, the fireman has to clean the tubes while the loco is steaming. The resulting black cloud is not a good advert for preservation.

I REALLY miss the on-train brunch muffins from the 90s. The train coffee was terrible, so I always bought that at New Street, but the muffins were in the buffet car. I spent a summer working in Derby and was getting breakfast expenses because of the early start.

I wasn't that bothered about seeing it but some people may have booked gala tickets for that reason. Oh well, it's all in the small print!

Swindon is pretty grim. The newish platform 4 is ok (if uninspiring) but the main platforms 1/2/3 are awful, with a very weathered GWR canopy, a scruffy main building and the legendary "we've stopped caring", Railtrack sensory garden, which ended up as a few desiccated weeds and was eventually reserved for BTP because, well, crime. https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/11868464.sensory-garden-at-train-station-makes-way-for-police-base/ I'd also nominate Bristol Parkway because it looks as if it was built in a weekend and designed to last a year or so. Mostly corrugated steel, and utterly hideous.

More generally, if the layout isn't too large, join all the track and let it "float" on the baseboard. Check for any kinks or separating joints and ensure it's all unstressed before fixing it down. For large layouts, at least get any continuous-run loops done in this way. Sidings can be treated separately.

The SVR website says it won't be running at next weekend's steam gala. Must have teething troubles.

I only have a car licence, so 7.5t is my limit! I agree air brakes are rather impressive.

The other factor in the Abermule collision is that the train crew that took the wrong token were not keeping a proper lookout. The station staff realised the error before the train was out of sight and tried bouncing a signal to attract their attention, to no avail. It also seems they didn't see the oncoming train at all, as they kept steaming until impact. The crew of the other train certainly did see what was happening, and survived by jumping out at the last moment.

It was quite a few years ago, but about 20 years after they became compulsory for cars.

The last time I hired a big lorry (7.5t) it didn't have seatbelts. When a vehicle exceeds a certain mass, it isn't going to stop fast enough to throw you through the windscreen.

Probably repackaged locksmith's graphite like mine!

My only two criticisms of my Gaugemaster DS are: 1. The wiring terminals are too small for really fat bus wire 2. The colour scheme looks like something from a 1950s Magnox power station.