Compound2632

Plus ca change...

Holy mackerel! What a shoal of cod spellings and red herrings - clickbait not whitebait.

That is indeed the classic position, as expressed by Edmund Burke: https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch13s7.html This position was more radically expressed by one of his contemporaries, whose contempt for the opinions of his electors was compounded by his boast of the liberties he had taken with their wives - unfortunately I've not been able to track the quote down.

GIGO applies. As it is us the electorate that is responsible for the GI, we have only ourselves to blame for the GO.

The Midland Railway Society will have a stand, with Society publications and Journal / Modelling the Midland backnumbers for sale and a display of Midland wagon models in 4 mm scale. Thanks to Tony Sullivan for this opportunity for the Midland in Berkshire!

A frequent orthographic slip - odd really, since it's surely single carriageway roads that are more suitable for duelling.

Knowledge gained is never knowledge wasted. Without @monkeysarefun's vehicular interjections, I would have been stumped by 2 down in the TLS crossword: "Vehicle from Perth may be seen in Buteshire (3)".

I dunno. Perhaps it's a different size of bus on a Friday?

That is weired. Perhaps it is a relic of a route / timing difference in previous timetables?

That bus is shown as running at that time both not on Fridays and Fridays only; I would interpret that as meaning that some part of its route and/or timings was different on Fridays, but just not at this particular stop.

One wonders what was the basis for the 1910 The Engineer drawings. E.L. Ahrons had been a Swindon apprentice in the 1880s, so may well have had access to first-hand information about these engines.

Evidently bad news to be a tunnel beginning with C on the Midland - grave danger of being opened out. Cofton, Chevet; fortunately Clay Cross and Cowburn are still with us.

... but a membership richer, which more than compensates!

A hand-bell would be effective.

Halesowen Junction, after, cough, cough, Cofton Tunnel was opened out and the quadrupling extended to Barnt Green.

The thing is, since the mystery photo was posted, someone on the MRS IO Group has conclusively identified the location, and this isn't it. To put you out of your misery, here's another photo looking the other way, at the true location, but with renewed signalling: [Embedded link to Warwickshire Railways.] There's that mystery platform again. This section wasn't quadrupled until the late 20s... Cough, cough...

Close, but not close enough, I'm afraid. There's no signal box just the other side of that bridge. But what is interesting about that photo is the leading vehicles: [Resized crop from Warwickshire Railways mrknpreg291.] At first sight I thought the leading 6-wheel passenger brake van was one of the S&DJR ones but looking more closely, neither it nor the following 4-wheel van have waist panels, though they do have eves panels. I think that makes them L&SWR vehicles, which have either come via the S&DJR and Bath, or the M&SWJR and Cheltenham.

That stretch of the Leicester & Hitchin was only ever double track. There was a section between Wigston South Junction and Kilby Bridge that had goods lines outside the fast lines, but this isn't it.

Yes, and, yes, but with restricted clearances: the Wikipedia article is interesting: Remember, too, that although the gauge was 2' 3¾" greater than normal, the actual dimensions of the rolling stock of the time were pretty much within the later loading gauge.

Turns out the date matters. Cough, cough; hint, hint...

Does anybody know of a supplier of these in 4 mm scale? There are some nice ones that come with the London Road Models D20 short cattle wagon kit but as far as I'm aware they're not available separately.

Surely it's bends that warrant chevrons, not mere curves. Or have things changed since use of the steering wheel was abolished?

Mystery photos: https://www.midlandrailwaystudycentre.org.uk/mystery.php. No. 18 has Birmingham area written all over it: [Embedded link] ... but I just can't match it to anywhere on the main line either between Kings Norton and Halesowen or Saltley and Water Orton. W.L. Good does seem to have been standing on a possibly disused platform that isn't matched by one on the other side. It's June 1931, rather after the 'classic' W.L. Good 1920-1926 period. The goods lines clearly continue beyond the box, with a crossover to the fast; a train is signalled to run through on the goods line.

Happy Birthday!

At an earlier period, I believe there was a Midland banker - so Kentish Town is in for the count.