mac1960

Can I say HS1 using French TGV tech did not do bad on time and budget, nor the Project Manager who was told he didn’t have the experience to build HS2 when he approached them about it. Did we employ anybody else who had done any HS rail with a none UK name , no we employed a Brit with no experience, indeed I think we maybe on number 2 or 3 a bit like PM,s sorry politics again. This project is so far off the rails it’s totally epic and I am struggling to think of anything in the UK in construction terms in modern terms. Some others have mentioned about very old rail projects and indeed IKB and GWR . Unfortunately he was the Microsoft of his day re - technology and was cutting edge, the train set is not , its upgraded old tech in a country too small to warranty it.

Melmerby A slight recovery, but it does not address Bonds already issued at different rates. There has been a concept perpetuated that money not spent on HS2 extensions can be used elsewhere. That money has yet to be borrowed it’s not in the bank to be used. What needs to happen is that we don’t draw down that debt. Would you be ready for say, the end of the Triple Lock, NHS rationalisation, cut in Defence budget, other infrastructure programs, the list can go on and will probably have to.

I’m not sure some of you realise but HS2 is paid for by borrowing , not from your taxes directly. It’s a bit like putting it on your CC and unfortunately going by the interest being levied on UK CC , we are not being looked on in the world money markets as being very credit worthy. The result is we are paying extremely high interest on our Govt Bonds in comparison with similar economies. As a result , who ever enters N10, and I know this is politics to a degree but it should be considered. However some party will have some very very tough calls to make, and to be honest there will be a lot more sacred Cows to be looked at ,over and above the expensive train set. Buckle up and cross what ever, as I am not sure it’s going to be very comfy for a lot of people.

Chris P Bacon You may feel that, however as a 63 year old construction professional, who has built quite a number of high profile projects World Wide, though mostly airports , only one rail station GMEX conversion for your information when a very young man, I am quite happy that the person I know on HS 2, who I have worked with on a number of projects ,is well aware of a train wreck when they see one. I will not dream of naming them on a public web site , however I think you should make a point of reading the Sunday Times article and their research, which makes highly disturbing reading, and then come back on here and say they, and I are wrong. Indeed I am quite confident in their assessment so when it goes North of the one hundred mark on completion, you can come back on here and call me out assuming we are both still alive ! Mac

Well there is an interesting article in the Sunday Times today on HS2 . Whistleblowers are talking about costs for the train set at £100b+ Govt are talking of £50b. People who have tried to advise Govt of the real costs are being dismissed and there is a large cover up going on . I have a friend working on it, and that £100b is on the low side apparently they believe! There is no way this project should have been undertaken with these numbers in place it’s a huge White Elephant nay Mammoth and costs are just out of control. The UK cannot afford this type of grandiose projects. It’s time to get real as to our position in the world and economic circumstances and stop believing some of the hype as to how important we are and what “ we need” to have eg Aircraft carriers, Ballistic Missile submarines or indeed an NHS in current form. Some big decision need to be taken by the next Government of what ever colour and they are not going to be popular. Mac

Well Friday night storm delayed Richards going to the Pub but Horton was the beneficiary as you can see with more Grass and shrubbery going down.

Well yet more Grass and a chance for you to see one of the advantages as Richard says of "doing it the hard way". As you can see our rolling Dale Valley side is in fact of unitized construction, which means the hills can be modelled in smaller sections and slotted back into position upon the lower frame. There has to be some careful thought put in to how and where you want the secret breaks to be, but it make's for lighter boards and also the chance to move sections into other rooms if required, as you can see see with the shot of a smaller section in Richard and Sharon's kitchen counter. Sharon I am told was not so impressed by this slight detour of the build ! That aside the unitized sections really work well, and do give you many benefits even if the initial sculpting of the foam takes time. I think we would both recommend it. It does look from some angles as though we have had a giant land slip but the sections fit back together really very simply and the view from the actual viewing side is coming to together really well, and surprisingly quickly. Richard has a new Grass spreading toy which he is enjoying using on here as well. I need to find an old HO bit of farm kit which we can have abandoned with grass and brambles growing through it to go in one of the enclosures further up the hillside closer to the viewing point. We have good weather up here for the next few days, so both of us will be working on 1 to 1 construction outside, Richard on the garden me playing with big boys toys on a high rise in central Manchester so it could well be a week or so before there is another update. So I will leave it here and go in search of something suitable for that distressed farm machinery which cant look to none British.

As you can see we are going Green at last !! So I went down to see Richard to discuss progress and have a Beer and was pleasantly surprised to see the very good progress now with the grass. We are now starting to talk about the fine detail stuff which will be coming up in the next month or so. All the buildings and platform positions are agreed but are yet to be cemented into place. The He Haw works a treat as you can see and greatly aids the perspective. Richards only complaint is you model what is in front of you from the back of the layout and then have to check again from the front, if you know what I mean. Also he has been really surprised how the Scale Dale buildings we have used, a Barn and Goods Shed have blended in.

My point was to free up freight paths and run them overnight rather than during rush hour. I have a colleague who spent the early 90, s recession doing a GC survey for a large main contractor / bank. The freight route was interesting as single track with long loops. Still a lot lot cheaper than any of the money squandered on HS2. Somebody made the point that the UK is really too small for high speed rail and that is probably correct. The other thing a I said earlier the UK cannot afford this type of project with current debt levels. The next Government of what ever colour will really have to make some big decisions on some sacred Cows and I am talking big Cows not a train set. These changes will be for things that UK population has got used to over many years but it’s simply no longer affordable.

Sorry 400kph is still faster than anything this side of the Channel and why 400kph ? The alignment is not the issue but the extensive environmental protection and tunnels required to minimise impact on local areas you may like living next to a railway many do not. The addition of extra coaches was more directed at those train’s transiting the North of England where you generally have to stand at certain times of day and extra carriages might make the customer happier at least in that respect and a far cheaper option. I have never been on the Eurostar as it is at the wrong end of the country for me and therefore quicker to fly to Paris / Brussels/ Amsterdam. It really is useful for those in SE heading for weekend away or their weekend houses in Northern France. For the rest of the country not really much use apart from some freight I suppose and of course the car / truck trains. My comments re ride quality was based on East Coast mainline which is really the only train I use in the UK. As for capacity why was the GC Line not reopened for freight up to the East Midlands at least to give this capacity requirement. However the real reason for cancellation is the Government Nond market which is extremely worrying and who ever is in power next is going to have to make significant changes as to the way UK functions as to put it simply the money tree is bare and there is significant interest accruing on that debt.

I think the basic problem with HS2 falls into two camps. First why was speed so important? HS1-was built on tried and tested TGV tech HS2 UK decided to re invent the wheel by upping the speed which is now having to be reined in anyway why ? This came at huge cost and nobody seems to be fessing up to who requested circa 400mph, sheer hubris by probably our government. Next did we need it, which is a huge debate, and personally as a regular Yorkshire to London commuter no definitely not, the time difference is meaningless. Northern Powerhouse please can we have longer trains like we used to have so people don’t have to stand so much. I know it’s not sexy etc but maybe put trains back to 11 carriages so yo can get a seat perhaps. I know it’s a very cheap option but would help 2ish customer satisfaction and it is difficult enough to wonder about at 125 mph for that coffee never mind anything higher.

There seems to be confusion here. Exchange was tacked onto Victoria and had the famous long platform linking the two. Central is across town and was Midland Railway terminus and was my fist site job as I worked on the original conversion to GMEX as it was then known with McAlpines. It shut as a railway station a lot earlier and was a car park for many years before it began to be an exhibition / conference centre.

I heard an interview with MACE CEO on Radio 4 Business who said he was told 2 weeks before Euston shut down. He should talk to his staff more as they thought something was a foot long before that. I really don’t think this railway is going anywhere near Crew, and Euston a daydream unless there is significant property price increase, and Euston is really not that sort of area in London. It has made me laugh when I saw Marsden as the Northern end of HS2 🙂 Would that be Marsden International!! Cheers Mr Mac

I did say that it was a railway going no further than Birmingham some time ago. Also current budget for that bit is also in real trouble hence drastic cuts and Euston pause. Gravy train hits buffers would be the headlines. Meanwhile those in the North get more platitudes and poor service.

Well I thought with Autumn just around the corner we should update with some of the rather wonderful autumn tinted trees made for Horton by Treemendouse which were made some time ago. They thoughtfully gave us some more leaf mix so that we could enhance the autumn feel with some leaf scatter which will be going down post grassing. Also those keeping up will have noticed the return of the goods shed which we were having doubts about, or more precisely Richard was, and I was a more of wait and see. So the consensus's is, that though when you look from the front or side of the layout it sort of jars a little, when viewed from the audience side (remember the stage analogy ) it looks very right we feel. Any thoughts or comments welcome.

rugged peak A pretty accurate commentary on the subject. CLASP was mentioned earlier however this doesn’t have the same issues. It was primarily designed for use in areas with mining subsidence. The biggest use I have come across is the 1969/70 buildings at York Uni where CLASP was used though no mining subsidence. Cheers Mr Mac

Two I can think of from steam era. Woolston Grange turned up in Huddersfield on a working from the south coast to Bradford after failures of replacement. It was taken off in Huddersfield as it had damaged some platforms on the route from Sheffield via Penistone. It was returned light engine via Stalybridge and Crew after a stay of a few days. The other was A3 Limburg which worked a Newcastle to Liverpool relief into Leeds on Christmas Eve. The locomotive on had failed and the Liverpool crew taking wanted to go home and took the A3. Not sure what happened when control found it in Lime Street but it was returned as a special working like the Grange via Calder Valley which had better clearance as occasional V2 went that way. Both those were in 60,s and I didn’t witness them personally, but both well documented especially the Grange. I did see a number of 50,s in Sheffield when a student there in late 70,s when they were still Blue all over running to York after issues with locomotives In Birmingham.

As you can see work has pushed on in the cattle dock area with the addition of the proto typical Midland fencing and the bonding of the cattle dock in place so it will not be moving again along with completing the weathering ! The barns are ongoing projects as you can see from attached photos. We took the cottages out to ease access for modelling, but you can see the footings where they will be located. The look of the station area has the grime and run down look which we are trying to achieve. The model is being done in autumn with a time frame for the model being between the years 1964 -67 and towards the end of steam when the S&C was itself being run down. The video by Ken Ellwood - Last Days of Steam has been a great help in getting the feeling of the area in that time, though that was filmed more into the winter period. Anyway as we progress I will post further updates, we hope you enjoy seeing what we are about, and also that it works, though both of us now think it probably will, so a lot more confident in that regard.

Well the ongoing English summer (not) has allowed further progress on Horton to the detriment of Richards 1to1 Drystone walling so the loading ramp has been completed. Apparently quite a bit of searing involved in constructing the ramps.

Well todays question is quite simple, Goods Shed or no Goods Shed. Richard prefers no Goods Shed, I am a bit on the fence, so looking for some feed back either way, as I can see where Richard where is coming from, and we do not have to make any immediate decision, but we would be interested to hear what the 2700 of you who have had a peak at this build think ? That is not to say we would act upon a majority, after all that is how we got Brexit - sorry I am a, as I think Richard is a, Remainer. No more politics I promise just a good line ! Cheer's

Well due to yet more rain, Richard was able to get the cottages moved and bedded in their new location ! It is just a pity that you will only see one side of them, but he and I both know the back is there ! The photo looking South down the track really starts to evoque the S&C we feel, though obviously the OO barn throws it, as it looks the size of a block of flats, but do bare in mind you will never view this stage from this angle. Anyway onwards and upwards. Cheers

drducan So are we 🫣 cheers

Some further photos following the appalling weather of last weekend which allowed Richard time off on the 1 to 1 scale stuff and he cracked on with Horton and cost England the Ashes. However he did find one snag. The Railway cottages which we had moved and done new footings for look wrong ergonomically now, and we are going to move them back to their original position. However the original footings have been filled in so will have to be r e excavated as a result.

The view looking "West" and up slope where you can see our Ha-Ha drops. In the fore ground you have what will be another slew bridge and then a sidings and the line to what would be the Quarry if we had the space so the line is a dead end and just eludes to the presence of the Quarry or I suppose you could even call it a branch line but we are staying with the Quarry as the prototype. The buildings are only temporary placed currently in the previous post and indeed only the station and and the shelter are in the sort of correct position.

As you can see yet more walling under way and yet we still need more so another order to Osbournes for another two packs which will be with others later next week. Their laser cut walling has been a godsend on this layout as you can fold it into the landscape as you can see over these and previous photos . All these photos are taken looking "East" from the side the model will be viewed from, so you are looking down slope so to speak, and therefore you do not see the changes in height as the land folds away, which allows us to give the perception of distance and depth which we think is working rather well. I will post a photo looking the other way which the model will never be viewed from, to show you the falls in the landscape . It is reminiscent of what garden / landscape gardeners did with the Ha-Ha back in the 17th Century. When you see it you will either think what a great idea or that we are both mad !