Wuggie Norple

Being slightly pedantic, that address is postally correct only if you remove 'Huddersfield' from it. I pointed the error out to Cygnet Magazines recently, when I renewed my subscription, so perhaps they will amend it in future editions of MRJ.

Irrespective of what's happening with Vol.2, a reprint of Vol. 1 (or an updated edition) would be very welcome for folk like me who missed out when it was first published. To judge by the prices asked for secondhand copies of Vol. 1, there is considerable pent up demand.

I requested this book as a 70th birthday present and what an absolute delight it is, both in content and design. Being born in 1953, I have always loved the film, especially for the nostalgia it evokes in me for the Britain of that era, made immeasurably more vivid by being shot in colour. I find the same thing with some BTF (British Transport Films) documentaries of the time, most notably for me in Any Man’s Kingdom with its achingly wistful scenes of 1950s Northumberland. To return to the book, to which the hackneyed term ‘a labour of love’ scarcely does justice, it is clearly destined to be the definitive work on the subject. It is one of those rare books that does not leave you craving more information on its subject. The text is beautifully crafted and mercifully free from grating typographical or grammatical errors. I found the insight into how films were made at the time to be particularly fascinating. The pictures are simply a joy to behold, with informative captions, and the paper quality and reproduction are of the highest order. The choice of Stephen Phillips as designer was clearly an inspired choice, the typography and page layout perfectly complementing the text. The map showing the film locations is a particular high point. If this all sounds a bit gushing, let me say I have no connection with the author other than as a happy reader. I am a very hard man to please, and after giving a rather lukewarm reception to another recent Wild Swan title, I am delighted to say The Titfield Thunderbolt represents a triumphant return to form. Simon, I salute you, and you should be rightly proud of what you have accomplished with this exceptional book. It will be a treasured addition to my library. Nick Morris

I am pleased to report a solution has been found. It now resides happily in a magazine file holder with other members of the model railway book 'awkward squad', namely those slim titles from Wild Swan and Irwell that have a stapled binding and no spine. James's book is in good company alongside several by Iain Rice. Nick

At the risk of sounding ridiculous, the landscape format of this book has a downside which I have only just discovered when, during a pre-Christmas tidy-up, I went to put the book in my bookcase alongside my other railway modelling titles. Simply put, the book overhangs the shelf – my bookcase is an Ikea ‘Billy’ which I suppose could be considered an industry-standard, and the shelves are 26.5cm deep, whereas the book is 28cm deep. An overhang of 1.5cm - my inner librarian simply cannot cope! Perhaps I should get out more? Or buy some deeper shelves? Nick

Ordered from The Titfield Thunderbolt bookshop and arrived the following day in the usual bomb-proof packaging and complete with a personalised thank you card from Simon which is something you don't get with Amazon! I like the content of the book. It is worth noting that of the 24 plans, 14 have 0-2 turnouts, so if really small layouts are not your thing, the book may not be for you. My favourite plan is 'The Interchange', based on Wapping Wharf in Bristol which I remember in the Western Fuels era. A few small issues detract from the reading experience for me. Firstly, I do not find the san-serif font used for the body text very easy on the eye. Secondly, it would have benefitted from a visit by the Apostrophe Police - there are several instances of "it's" where "its" would be correct. Finally, I feel that the hand-written text on the otherwise excellent plans would have been improved by using an implement with a finer tip. As an aside, with this book I also ordered the GWR Goods Services three volume special offer and can highly recommend this - a feast of classic old-school Wild Swan for £30, while stocks last. Nick

Possibly a problem with the date/time on your computer? Good article on this warning message here: https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-how-to-your-connection-is-not-private.html Nick

Rob, to be exceedingly pedantic, given that the dialling code for Cardiff is 029 and Cardiff phone numbers have 8 digits, it should be: 029 2066 7225 (it is correctly shown thus on the L&B website) Nick M.

If you are using the 5-way Wago 221 connectors and want to attach them to your baseboard, there is a handy mounting carrier available, part number 221-505. These are available from CPC amongst other suppliers. In the photo, to the left is the carrier as supplied, in the middle I have trimmed off the front section which I do not require (I use the screw holes under where the Wagos clip in), and the right hand image shows the Wagos fitted. As shown, multiple carriers can be joined together. These carriers are also available for the 2 and 3 conductor Wago 221s.

The printer changed from Amadeus Press to Elgar Books Ltd with effect from issue 282. To my eyes, the paper and reproduction are as good as they ever were. Nick M.

'Scottish Branch Lines' by C J Gammell (OPC, 1999) contains a 1959 photo by the author of the station building on page 12. It's a three-quarter view with the goods yard in the foreground and the station building towards the back. A highly recommended book which seems to be readily available second hand at modest cost. Nick.

Could it possibly be a slaughterhouse? There was a bacon factory a few hundred yards away: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17&lat=51.48899&lon=-3.23168&layers=168&right=BingHyb So perhaps pigs were unloaded at the cattle dock, taken to the mystery building and despatched, and then loaded onto road transport at the loading dock to be taken to the bacon factory? Nick

With regard to Accurascale's future plans for mineral wagons, surely the obvious gap in the RTR 16T mineral wagon lineup is the Diagram 109 riveted version: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/mineralrivet (With thanks to Paul Bartlett) Although built in far fewer numbers than the ubiquitous Dia. 108 welded version, there were still nearly 16,000 built which must surely make it the most common wagon type of the 1950s and 60s yet to be produced in RTR form. I think there were a couple of variations of end door, either riveted or pressed steel. I'm surprised that Bachmann didn't produce this wagon rather than (or in addition to) the less common slope-sided diagram. Nick

There are superb colour photos of the later years of the Severn Bridge (including its demolition) in Neil Parkhouse's wonderful British Railway History in Colour: Volume 2: Forest of Dean Lines and the Severn Bridge. Unfortunately it is currently showing as 'Sold Out' on the Lightmoor website: https://lightmoor.co.uk/books/forest-of-dean-lines-and-the-severn-bridge/L9983 The story that some spans were sold for re-use in South America receives mention, but no evidence has come to light to substantiate it. Nick

I can recommend Everbuild 403 Concrete Hardener and Dustproofer. It's a clear liquid which is very easy to apply - two coats required. The only downside is that it cannot be overpainted. Nick

As far as I am aware, the Eclipse 121 has a range of 0-1mm. My old 'Made in England' Eclipse 121 holds a 0.3mm drill very nicely.

Thanks for the link John. As an alternative, to have one of the original design stamped 'Made in England', there is this listing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ECLIPSE-No-121-Engineers-PIN-VICE-CHUCK-clamp-tool-Chromed-finish-New-Old-Stock/363090977538?hash=item5489e8a302:g:qdYAAOSwyNJfIZV0

John, this is interesting - in the 2011 edition of the Squires catalogue (found by googling for 'Eclipse 121 pin vice Squires'), a 121 pin vice is listed at £10.85 and the set of four at £45.99. Hence my comment. However, by going to Squires home page and finding the April 2020 update to the catalogue page, a 121 pin vice is now £4.79 and a set of four is £18.99. And on Amazon the same set of four is £11.88. Not sure where you found them for £9.99 though. This suggests to me that over time the design, sourcing and quality of these pin vices has changed, and not necessarily in a good way. I think this view is supported by Porcy Mane's findings.

Eclipse 121 pin vice has a 0-1mm capacity. Available from Squires and many other sources. Excellent quality, but not cheap. Hope this helps!

Probably the definitive work on this subject is David Larkin's The Acquired Wagons of British Railways - Volume 1 Fleet Composition and Brake Vans. (pub. Crecy, 2018). It contains many excellent views of Big Four brake vans in BR livery. There are 20 or so photos of ex LMS vacuum fitted/piped long wheelbase brake vans, and none of them have any discernible 'XP' branding. In contrast, there are 13 photos of fitted/piped ex GWR Toads, all with prominent 'XP' lettering. A strange regional inconsistency...

David Larkin’s The Acquired Wagons of British Railways Volume 1 - Fleet Composition and Brake Vans has a photo of an 8T mineral wagon and three photos of 10T mineral wagons (also three photos of RCH 1907-spec 12T mineral wagons), all with ‘P’ numbers. Sadly, none of these views are dated. Excellent book, nonetheless.

Well this is an uncannily timely and welcome piece of news for me. I am retiring this week and will be making a start on my retirement project layout in the loft, so the OO vs EM decision can be delayed no longer. The forthcoming availability of these turnouts and track now makes the decision a no-brainer. EM it will be. Time to renew my lapsed EMGS membership… Since I cannot build my layout entirely with B6 turnouts, I will need to build several turnouts myself. Does anyone know if the Peco Individulay sleepers (IL-111) and turnout sleeper strip (IL-114) match the “non-standard” sleeper thickness of the EMGS RTR track? If not, perhaps the EMGS should consider commissioning Peco to produce some matching thickness sleepers/point timbering? And perhaps even some 4mm scale chairs? Also, could someone from the EMGS confirm whether consideration has been given to using a HiNi nickel-silver variant rail for the EM track and turnouts. Nick