rogerzilla

I remember when something similar (HS1, I think) was being built, there was an opportunity for the public to attend an open day. The tagline was, predictably, "Come and see our giant boring machine". Careful how you stress that "o".

The problem with that approach is that the original design or manufacture was flawed, hence the number of V2s with outside steam pipes after the monobloc had to be replaced. Iron alloys might be better these days but there's not much residual experience of making large steam loco castings.

It still amazes me that Mallard was steamed up and run in the 1980s.

Is there any plan to add a second platform at Highley? It always strikes me as a bit of a bottleneck, as trains can't pass without one of them unloading passengers and shunting onto the middle road.

I don't think the signal lights are even paraffin these says (the loco headlamps are, unless it's Taw Valley). It's just that not much light from a yellowish source gets through a blue spectacle. The red ones are a lot brighter.

Night running is back for the autumn gala. Be amazed at how invisible oncoming trains are, and how weak the green semaphore lights. Bridgnorth is well worth a visit after dark just to see them all simmering away. No idea on guest locos yet.

SOP if your car's engine conked out on a level crossing was to put it into 1st gear and crank it clear using the starter motor. You can't do that any more, as the clutch or brake pedal has to be depressed on most cars before you operate the starter. Of course, you should never drive onto a level crossing unless the exit is clear, so you should never.need to stop on one. People don't even understand box junctions or KEEP CLEAR zones, though.

Amos? There be panniers in the lower acre again. Get Jethro and his border Burrell down there to chase them off!

Hixon is the prime example of that. You couldn't really block a crossing with anything worse than a giant transformer.

I think UK non-high speed lines are fairly unique in the world by being fully fenced. Elsewhere, there is more of an onus on the public to keep off the tracks.

I wonder how there was time to get an emergency vehicle to the scene but not stop the train. I suppose the vehicle happened to be in the immediate vicinity and maybe US trains don't all have cab radio.

It's not a UK crossing, nor is it especially stupid, but the typically American reaction to the sight of Stuff Being Wrecked makes this worth 10 seconds https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-65859078

Ah yes, they were doing that in the late 80s too. I never saw if they changed the loco, or just put it on the other end.

Common in the 80s due to breakdowns! In the 50s and early 60s, water for steam heating boilers may have been an issue as water troughs (some early diesels had water scoops - Ramsbottom would have been proud) and columns started to disappear.

A work colleague (who happens to be an ex-policeman) was on a busy train and the passenger seated next to him was browsing the Internet on a laptop. It started with fantasy gaming sites, then "glamour" sites, then men and women doing things to each other with no clothes on, and then men doing things to other men with no clothes on. My colleague asks the guy, "Do you think you should be looking at that stuff on a train?" and is ignored. So my colleague, who is absolutely immune to embarrassment, stands up and announces to the entire coach, "Hey everyone, this guy's looking at gay porn." Laptop slammed shut, guy leaves train at next stop. I like to think it wasn't even his stop.

You can't even make a 2G voice call on the GWML unless you're sitting in one of the main stations. Good luck getting a 4G/5G data connection.

Ah, that's worthy of a dining train!

External finish "Good"...based on those photos, I wonder what "bad" looks like!

Timetable slipped again today (by about 40 mins at 4.30pm) but some good stuff on show. Highlight for me was seeing the class 88 coming through the cutting to Arley. A really unique spectacle. The other revelation was how well those ScotRail air-braked coaches rode the SVR track compared to BR Mk1 (or older) coaches.

We're off up there today. Early start.

I like the way the train keeps going. That is the thing with steam - it sort of works even when mortally wounded. Would probably never restart on one cylinder, though - no torque at front or rear dead centres!

Is it cast in one piece with the smokebox saddle? Looks too far gone for metal stitching.

Call Piglet!

If you can get hold of the book "Green Diesel Days", it is organised by region and has colour photos of everything indigenous to that region. 26/27 is the type most associated with Scotland, although nothing was a "Class" anything then...BRCW Type 2 🙂

My employer has claimed many different anniversaries over the years depending on what predecessor they decided to pick. Under the current name, it's 1970s, but historic merger partners can give you 170 years if you like. I think the current administration is claiming less - it goes down as well as up!