rogerzilla

Does anyone else think there is something odd about the tankside lettering on 4566? Was it a typeface only used for a certain period? The "GREAT WESTERN" is usually more stretched horizontally.

I did think the redundancies might have left the catering service short-handed. We were surprised the Engine House wasn't open until 45 mins after the first train arrived at Highley. It was probably in the brochure but meant a few other people milling about in the rain hoping for a cup of tea. The catering staff at Highley were very friendly but obviously rushed off their feet at lunchtime. The first shuttle from Kidderminster to Highley (which isn't quite a shuttle, as it resumes its journey after getting out of the way for a southbound train) was absolutely heaving, with only two coaches. The guard could barely get on. I was waiting for those Japanese subway chaps with white gloves to appear, and shove the last people aboard!

We went today. Weather wasn't good (cold and drizzly) but it meant bigger clouds of steam. Only got to ride behind the WC, Manor, Flying Pig and small prairie, but saw the other three at some point. Sad to see 2857 sitting in the rain, as it was my favourite home loco when in steam. Favourite loco was the Manor, which has a real "bark" and a fantastic paint job. Bonus points to Hampton Loade who had a (small) fire going in the waiting room. That was much appreciated. The museum cafe at Kidders was also very friendly. It was very busy despite the rain, and there were a few things that could have been better organised, mainly vis-a-vis the catering. Apparently Friday was being run with reduced facilities compared to the weekend, but SVR could have made a lot more money.

Staying in Bewdley tonight. Popped up to the station just in time to see Pendennis going through, heading for Kidders.

Would the 1959 redesign have been to the blue National lettering with the blue and yellow Mr Mercury head logo (as seen at petrol stations until the 1980s)?

A "might have been" Dukedog with twin Maybachs. You read it here first.

Thanks, so it looks as if Farish 373-650B is the N gauge option at twice the price 🤔

Am I right in thinking the tan livery with a red stripe on the tank (like Peco NR-162) was pre-WWII? If so, what livery would National have used in 1960? https://peco-uk.com/products/national-benzole-petrol-tank-wagon

Ok, that didn't work - there is no power to the loop when a train is routed through it. I will have to get the multimeter out and see what's happening. The points are secondhand and may have mucky wipers, so power isn't going up the inside rail. I will add a power feed to the loop anyway, but I want to see why it doesn't work as normal.

The British Gas boiler service man was telling me that his dad volunteered at SVR for years and went through one of the mutinies. He stuck it out, as he enjoyed the work, but a lot didn't.

I got the impression that Didcot made no money from FS's visit a few years ago, even though it was standing-room only across half the site. They had event staging costs of £250,000 that year, and I bet FS was most of it. 60009 turned up too, but I think it was on its way to another hire. So you have to be careful what you hire in - FS is going to cost far more than a random DB Schenker diesel!

Are galas generally more profitable? You get oodles more people but there are hire fees.

The SVR volunteers had previous big fallings-out with Gerald Nabarro and Colin Binch in the past, so they have form for the occasional mutiny!

I do like the pop-up railwayana stall at HL, or the Crypt of Crap as we call it. Have bought some great stuff there over the years. Will there be sales stalls at Kidders apart from the station fund one?

Thanks for the replies. It turns out they are actually #6 turnouts - better for running, as they're really long express points, but without the power routing options of #4. It looks as if the loop will need its own power feed if I want to move locos on there while the points are switched for the main line,but otherwise they should just work. They are "not DCC friendly" in the sense that adjacent point and stock rails can have opposite polarity, but the gap is so comically huge on Kato points, that a wheel can't cause a short.

On the subject of the Botley Road bridge, many people ask why more clearance is needed, since double-decker buses go under it quite happily. Anyone who's been upstairs on a park and ride bus from Seacourt will have noticed headroom is a bit lacking. Only special shorter buses can use that route. Edit: this video might make you clench a bit!

Presumably it was felt that transporting explosives long distances by rail was a lot safer from a theft point of view than doing so by road? It's easier to steal a lorry, roads aren't fenced off from the public, and lorries stop a lot. Depending on the era, it could be the Fenians, the Nazis, the IRA, or al-Qaeda who fancied a few free tons of bangy stuff!

The SVR finances are the reason I'm likely to retire to near the GWSR and volunteer there instead. I love the SVR and will continue to visit, but I suspect they've overspent on big new infrastructure projects in the last few years, as well as having a suboptimal employee/volunteer mix.

E S Cox had retired by the time Rail Blue came in, but he does describe how potential BR express liveries were trialled in a line-up of class 5s in black, apple green, GWR green and malachite, at Addison Road. Red was never considered because it was recognised that it would appear to be yet another example of the LMS takeover. Preferences were inconclusive for express passenger locos but eventually GWR green, or something like it, won. Cox wasn't a fan of GWR green without the traditional brass and copper trims, and thought it looked even worse on diesels. The "Marylebone mafia" had always wanted black for freight and secondary passenger locos, and Riddles managed to get LNWR-style lining included. Anyway, just imagine a class 5 in apple green or malachite! 😆

Weather looks rubbish for Friday but I don't think lineside fires will be the problem they were last April 😄

This is me on Saturday, wondering how that got there! 1014 was at the back of the workshop looking nearly complete. Cladding on and tender rivets* filed down ready for paint. *I thought it would be welded, but it definitely had rivets - or the biggest plug welds I've ever seen

Definitely one in Yorkshire between Drax and Sheffield. I guess they only make sense on low traffic routes, as the trains have to go up to them very slowly.

In answer to a post above, Didcot had Earl Bathurst/Drysllwyn Castle running fairly recently (2008).

Stating the obvious, the economics of steam changed when BR closed its last steam shop. They used to be cheap to build and maintain using the heavy equipment and spares stocks available, so you could drive a loco into Swindon for a heavy overhaul and drive it out 2 weeks later, good as new. Now it takes years, everything is bought in small quantities, the skills are rare (I think there are fewer than 10 copper welders in the country) and it costs half a million pounds each go.

That Class 390 looks like something sold at Ann Summers! Awful colour scheme.