rogerzilla

Yes, the 31 couldn't have the 12CSVT because the Brush electrical machines, being designed for the original Mirrlees engine, couldn't cope with more power. Imagine the chagrin at Brush when they found out EE engines were going in their locos!

Swindon & Cricklade Railway, once out in the countryside, is being encroached upon by the north Swindon estates ("Stabby" Meads) and has had a lot of problems, including a Thumper destroyed by arson.

Some of the Railroad steam stuff would be quite acceptable if they didn't deliberately cheapen it by omitting cabside windows. The locos in the main range can be fragile to the point that finding an intact s/h one is almost impossible.

I remember one of George S. Patton's colourful quips which went roughly, "The average Maltese has never seen a railway, forest or river, and he is happy with that."

The EE V12 wouldn't fit in place of the Crossley engine (they thought about that), so it had to be a V8.

Any idea what the output of the MkIII was? Presumably the electrical machines could only cope with 1100hp, so it wouldn't have been much of an upgrade from the class 20 engine. Maybe just a bit of intercooling.

It was an LMS service, though!

Ok, it's sheet music, but I couldn't let this howler go.

The older 31-550B is still good for about half the price, but you must get that particular model and no other 31- prefix V2. It's the only one without a split chassis. Main disadvantage is that it's Green Arrow "as preserved" so has OLE flashes. You would want to erase these for a period layout, if it bothered you.

If you are an inveterate collector of locos, DCC is unattractive because (a) of the cost and (b) you might not run them much, if at all. So I think there is still a huge market for the DC stuff.

What do you mean by "analogue engines"? Those without a DCC socket?

I used to work with one of those Sealed Knot chaps. He was a Roundhead pikeman, and very serious about it!

The serious modellers want "useful" locos that would have been common on the line being modelled (or at least the line used for inspiration), which means a lot of Black Fives, 0-6-0 goods and similar workhorses. Most other buyers want something "interesting", which could be a nice livery, a big Pacific, or a one-off. The U class, being plentiful, a bit less flashy than an N15 or Schools, but with several nice liveries, fall somewhere in between. I suppose I'd buy one in malachite.

The Hornby model looks much neater than the prototype because they didn't bother to replicate the invariably rippled cladding.

You've found an angle that makes it look not-as-ugly!

Ebay. I picked up an unused BR late crest one for £40 as the basis for a W class conversion, but never got around to it. Sold prices are in the £40-50 range for nice ones. It's a strangely unloved model. I have a wartime black one that cost more, but that was a Modelzone special edition and was genuinely unopened.

I wonder if the absence of a U class stems from the relative lack of success of the Bachmann N class, which is about £40-50 in mint or unused condition? I like my N class, which has none of the supposed running problems,but it has a "reputation" and a U class doesn't look very different.

The F2 brake button seems to mainly be a Bachmann/Zimo feature, although I have a factory DCC Farish 24, some years old, which has the same brake functionality on F7. That uses a Soundtraxx decoder, so some others do it too. If you post the manufacturer and version codes, someone on here may know if a brake function can be enabled. The documentation that comes with decoders is normally useless.

Surfboards were taking up our pre-booked bike spaces the first time we went on a Class 800 to Bristol. We had to stand in the vestibule all the way, being tutted at by other passengers. At the starting station you could possibly get the railway staff to do something, but not in a 2 minute stop at Swindon.

Possibly quicker to fill the tender from the big tank than from a bowser*, too. *hasn't the main operator of water bowsers ceased trading due to driver licensing issues?

Any tips for fitting the headcode discs? I can't actually see any holes in the body for them to push into.

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/23365421.blue-light-spotted-swindon-night-flying-banana-train/ Caused some scratched heads on going through Swindon, according to the local rag. Mind you, we have UFO enthusiasts and even a new witchcraft shop!

The bike spaces are my personal bête noire, as I use trains for one-way rides. They aren't wide enough for two bikes side by side, they aren't tall enough for touring bikes (the rear mudguard will drag on the ground), and they are usually full of luggage anyway. I suppose we pay nothing to take bikes on the train, so they give us what we pay for.

Agree on the type 2s having an uneven idle (or on low power). The class 24 at the GWSR is noticeably lumpy compared to the 45 or 47 that were also running at the laat diesel gala. I think EE engines are quite different-sounding - class 20s are called Choppers and class 37s Tractors for a reason. The V16 in the class 50 is smoother but you can (or could, in the 1980s) hear it nearly a mile away at 100mph. The Metrovicks were going to get uprated class 20 engines (EE provided a quote just before BR decided to pull the plug on the smaller classes). No idea what they would have sounded like.

My Lima Western, with all its inaccuracies, was the only really reliable loco I had. The traction tyres meant it could pull every bit of rolling stock I owned, at once.