Wickham Green too

But when you quote the length of a railway carriage - or similar - in mm you really ought to qualify that as "At Room Temperature" ! ( I've grabbed a drawing - which happens to be a class 143 'Pacer' - and it's 31092mm long ................... sorry, but my eyes glaze over at the thought an' I can't envisage that ! ......................................... at least the three-car class 150 is easy : 60300mm is simply divisible by 300 so approx. 201 ft. )

( further ) off topic I'm afraid - but few modellers seem to be aware that plain disc wheels were to be found beneath ( pre-disc-braked ) wagons : tiddly ones beneath various machinery wagons and standard thee-foot-ish ones under some railways' brake vans ................ and then there were oddball four-hole and six-hole discs ................................................

It could be seen over the bridge 'til the bus got stuck an' lifted the girders !

The great thing about using Imperial measurements is the difficulty of getting the decimal point in the wrong place !

They look bigger 'cos they go further - within sight, anyway.

Nah ! ...................... doesn't look a bit like "Gordon".

How often would a wheelset need new tyres - or replacement with another set fitted with new tyres ?

Yes, it was a little murky when I was there - though it was only fifty weeks later ! ( 5/10/19 ) : -

Whale oil was used for lighting - rather smelly, I guess - but maybe there was a residue from processing it that was suitable for bearings ?

Reverting to Stockton - nearby is Heighington ; 5/10/19 : -

.... with lots of white levers ( not ) controlling the weeds.

....... or just make sure the skew is the opposite hand so directs the topple away from the oncoming carriageway.

'LIFT' ?

A handful that've passed through my scanner in the last couple of days : - Bopeeep Junction : 19/04/1986 ..... from a more favourable angle - sorry Phil Battle ; 19/04/1986 Robertsbridge : 19/04/1986 Wadhurst ;19/04/1986 Etchingham : 19/04/1986 Tunbridge Wells Goods Station : 19/04/1986 Grove Junction : 19/04/1986

Certainly did happen : Look at any pre-grouping wagon that's passed through military hands into preservation and you're likely to find a mish-mash of wheels. boxes, buffers etc. from a number of different origins that don't match the 'original' wagon. Not all pre 1923 RCH standard wheelsets were interchangeable, though.

These two piccies have already appeared on another thread - but ought to give you an idea of the nose shape : - ............. subtle curves and/or tapers in all directions .............................................................. don't forget you'll need bogies underneath !

Yes, Platform 5 booklets started in the early eighties ( the earliest I have to hand is "SECOND EDITION - JUNE 1981" ) ....... but I think the Combos came along a few years later - there's certainly an '85 edition. ( The earlier - yet fabled - Ian Allan ABCs didn't list individual vehicles within sets.)

That's when they weren't getting sucked into Brunel's atmospheric pipes ........................ or was that rats ?

Now, if ALL low bridges had been built on a skew like that so overheight vehicles were 'persuaded' onto their sides ..................

In certain areas it was / is recommended to check that any vehicle that's been standing for a while hasn't been 'relieved' of its brasses.

With the restricted headroom available on the Tube lines, I'd guess LU have FB rail rolled to suit ...... though, as melmerby points out there could be a difference in chair/baseplate thickness in the equation too.

As Tony suggests, it's not the visible part of the box that's meant to wear - the actual 'brass' will be replaced many times before there's any perceived need to replace the box itself - and on many patterns of box the 'SR' or whatever will be on a separate cover which is more likely to get broken and is easier to replace ....... and, of course, a replacement cover might not have the same lettering - just to confuse future historians !

If I remember rightly, the bullhead, being shallower than the flatbottom was effectively sitting on the bottom flange of the latter - with special chair--baseplates. Obviously you can't do that with a second flatbottom as the flangeway would be to wide. The Service with Unit1006 & 1005's Power Cars was the 10.35 from Hastings to Charing Cross - so 1006, at least, was in passenger use. Yes, Bopeep Junction was named after a local hostelry .... I don't know whether it's still there. The Long Thin Drag ran on 12th April using units 1011 & 1032 with the Power Cars of 1001 ...... it achieved the most northerly and highest points ever reached by Hastings Units : Carlisle and Ais Gill respectively. ( It was NOT named after a scrawny transvestite.)

Unit 1006 was among those stored from 26th April 1986 - exactly a week after these photos - and 1005 was among those which joined it in withdrawal the next day .......... though some of the motor coaches were retained in working order for a little longer. Incidentally - did anyone spot the odd track ? - Flat bottom running rail but bullhead check rail ! : -

You might well assume that - but you'd be wrong I'm afraid ! ...... a positioning move of some sort - 1005 reappeared shortly afterwards coupled behind set 1006 : - .... Yes, Bopeep Junction : -