Davexoc

You don't need to keep the batteries connected, but you do need to pull the Isolation switch and turn off all of the lights. A few hours on charge before starting will suffice, but a stone cold engine with stone cold oil takes some turning over before the oil pressure rises enough to open the governor to deliver the fuel. You will notice that alot of places will cover the exhaust ports, to stop anything getting in as some engines are basically open directly to the elements. I've seen a V16 that had 2 bent con rods due to water in the cylinders, but I think that was attributed to leaking liners. Coolant would have to be dropped in winter, as we had an 08 that had to have its block stitched back together after it froze up and cracked. Dave

Farthinghoe remains of LNWR Banbury branch during road widening Oct 70 J2402 Having used that road regularly over the last twenty years, I can say that it has never been widened. The part of the line where the car is parked is the entrance to the tip/recycling centre, the otherside where the pipes are has been recovered by nature. Looking on the NLS mapping site shows that the railway used to cross the road on a bridge, so I'm guessing it was the demolition site. Dave

Don't know what uses it these days, but the Gainsborough - Brigg - Wrawby Junction line was very lightly used. Famous for its appearance on Top Gear with the Class 31 versus Renault Espace level crossing clip IIRC.... Dave

J3345 is a powerful image, even if 409 appears to be slacking a bit. Just think if that was twenty years later, how many bodies would be hanging out of the coach windows relishing the sound? Dave

Looking at the first 3 photos, if you take the XR3 out of the first shot and if that TTA didn't have Procor logos, how many people would be able to guess the year correctly? Dave

Just trying to figure out what that van is between the SR PMVs in J3477, and whether it is bauxite/brown or just filthy. DMUs in the shot are Cravens Class 105 and Swindon IC Class 120. Regards, Dave

Back in 2002 this was the wagon used to supply the coal. These are two of the current wagons, a third was in the coaling stage, another OBA I think. And the bin wagon? This is the odd one because all the others are air braked, this appears to be unfitted.... Dave

The photo of No.1 end has the glass removed and replaced with a primed metal sheet with marker lights behind translucent discs held in with rubber seals. The photo of No.2 end shows that the panel is painted and the marker lights are now in lamp holders fixed with hinged lens covers. At a guess No.1 end may have been a temporary fix for a broken glass panel, then looking at the overall condition in the No.2 end shot, the loco has been through works where the markers lights have been upgraded. It could have been, and quite likely was different at both ends. Without photographic evidence, it would be hard to say. Dave

Its still there and still in use. Some 12 years ago at six in the morning while driving towards the bridge, the local news gave out the tide times (HT 0630). A couple of minutes later on approach the lights on the swing bridge sign were flashing and I joined the queue within sight of the bridge. Ten minutes passed as a solitary mast was seen to pass upstream and almost the same time again before the traffic moved. So it still works and although both sides are used for road traffic, when it does, it creates queues to(wards) Spalding and Kings Lynn adding about half an hour on a journey. Dave

HST disks are pretty thick, can't remember ever seeing a dimension, but you've got to think that the four pieces for each wheel are bolted on. Some of those bolts are fitted, meaning they are a tight fit in the holes, others are in clearance holes. Now on side you have the heads of the bolts so the disks are counterbored for the bolts to be below the brake surface, and the other side similarly to allow the locknuts to be fitted. In the mid 80s the inspection regime was beefed up and the allowable cracking was reduced. An updated Standing Order meant that no crack was allowed through fitted bolts, and the inspection had to include the whole disk, meaning that all had to be checked once, then the set moved a couple of feet to reveal the areas previously hidden by the brake pads. IIRC there had been two instances where during a brake application, part of the disk had broken away, once nearly hitting a PW gang, and the other felled a lineside pole. Dave

IMO it gets trumped by the 40 in C5224 , lighting and composition beat it... Dave

It would have to be Crewe in BR blue days with so many different loco classes. Then even the early 2000s with Pendolino drags and the DRS 20s on flasks, still a fair bit going on and all too easy to miss something at either end of the station or using the avoiders. Dave

From the 80s I nominate Wembley Central and what back then was Wembley Complex. Central was served by the prison barred 501s, and Complex was a bridge and bus shelter with views of the old Wembley Towers... Dave

That and when we actually build some more power generation capacity that works when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow, to power all the extra electric stock and all the car chargers as we are forced out of diesel driven vehicles. Has someone pointed out that having delayed the decision on Hinckley Point, that we might not have enough oomph in the system to keep everything running, and thats the real reason? Next big U turn will be the cancellation of the new runway at Heathrow because as reported today, the airspace is nearly at full capacity. Now if HS2 ran to Heathrow, all those domestic passengers could catch the train and the freed up flight paths could be given over to International flights and they wouldn't need to build another runway. That money could then go into finishing the electrification projects instead..... Dave

An alternative use being proposed for Catesby Tunnel, road vehicle test site at up to 100mph. Reported here; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-northamptonshire-40517407/former-catesby-railway-tunnel-to-be-used-to-test-racing-cars Dave

I always think they must have had somebody from Ryanair working for them when they called it Daventry, the town being one of the larger places on this island devoid of a railway, and the terminal being at Crick and nearer Rugby. Tesco/Stobart still run to Scotland as well, not sure of the destination(s) these days, but apparently there is a decent sized Tesco at Kirkwall on Orkney, which in theory could have containers shipped on the ferry from Aberdeen. Dave

Some communication doors were plated over in the late 70s, and still included the foot steps. Also still remaining were the bodyside bands on all but the new plates, which was a later modification due to corrosion issues, which also lead to the buffer beam cowl removal as well. Boiler filler steps were plated much earlier, probably more of a safety issue with OHLE than anything to do with refurbishment. Dave

The Manual for Enginemen states that initial brake application reduces the vacuum to 18in. which is proportional to the 10psi in the air brake cylinders on the loco. This was always said to just get the blocks on the wheels, ie. take up all the slack and stiction in the brake rigging. One interesting thing the manual reveals is the Empty/Loaded selectors on wagons. When Empty is selected the brake is on just a 15" diameter vacuum cylinder, whereas when Loaded is selected a second vacuum cylinder of 18" diameter also comes into play, thus more than doubling the brake force available. Dave

I witnessed a Lincoln - Leicester service have the signal returned to danger just as it was about to leave Lincoln once. The unit had terminated and shuffled across to the up platform without the tail lights being switched off, the bobby leant out and jesticulated to the driver. Don't know what would happen now though as the box is down the line at West Holmes. Dave

I thought I could detect a couple of wheel flats in there too. Could it be a couple of engines have shut down to save fuel while coasting? Dave

The WR didn't have many MetCam DMUs, by 1979 the only TCLs were W59546-551 except 548 which was Scottish. They were classified class 171 and the Pressed Steel TCL was class 176 back then. Dave

CWR is the finished installation, LWR is what is delivered, but not on Salmons and like, but by the Long Welded Rail delivery train. Cowans Sheldon video here; HTH Dave

Could well be the Willesden BDT, and according to the headcode, 1Z99 it is going to clear the line. What happened at Lichfield in July 75? Dave

When Swindon Works closed, some of the painters were employed at Old Oak Common, usually based in the Pullman shed where they repainted for GWR 150, then NSE locos. Process was remove flaking paint, fill, rub down and then paint. 47500 must have been the widest 47 on BR the number of times it was tarted up for Royal use! Back then paints were still high in solvents, so standard kit alongside the paint, thinners and brushes was a pint of milk. Dave

Kings Sutton just south of Banbury looks like this; You can see where the stream runs through an arch in the platform, just below the trespass sign. Dave