trapoint

I was a little bit disappointed that Hornby chose not to release a new version of one their TT locomotives from the sixties as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations this year . Of course there are many good reasons why they did not but a new retooled version of a Britannia or class 31 would have been nice with fine scale wheels . What do you think ? .

Has any one used the Tillig bedded track it looks chunky I also would like to find a track that will take Tri-ang stock. Do kato make HOm track ?

The semaphores were due to go a couple of weeks ago but most of the project has been delayed by almost a year as you will soon read in the railway press . Reedham junction signal box recently closed and the line to Yarmouth via Berney Arms will stayed closed until next year ! Some work has been done at Brundall but the big one at Lowestoft that will see the demise of all the steam age track layout and semaphores will have to wait until the winter.

Oh well looks like I will have to cannibalize the remainder from my American "S" scale layout that I am unlikely to sell. However I will look around Alley pally show this Sunday but not hopeful.

Further to the above I have now found two caboose industries point throws that I purchased many years ago from Victors . They work well but I will need more having looked on their website they make one with a adapter for Peco points . Where can I buy them in the UK ?

That was very interesting to read . All we need now is more photos. I feel sure lots more pictures were taken of goods trains on the underground but they have yet to surface they may be in private collections and the owners just forget they have them. Also it was not just the use of Distant signal discs that made the signalling interesting. But in some places the operation of points and signals in conjunction with goods trains could be complex. For most locations a ground frame would be Ok but with more complex track layouts sometimes more was needed. On the central a brand new signal box was built for the task at South Woodford and they extended the one at Leyton each had Two lever frames a full sized one for points and shunt signals used by BR goods trains and a miniature Westinghouse frame for colour light signals and power operated points used by the underground. I am not sure if Two signalmen were needed ? On the ground as far as goods trains were concerned point locks were required not just on facing points but trailing as well and maybe in the goods yard if the points were worked from the box and far greater use was made of trap points as well one for each siding. Mixing the two signalling systems was not always easy.

I am both a member of both Bishops Stortford railway society ( where I used to store the layout ) and Harlow model railway club both of which are not suitable for the task . Joining a third club would not be a good idea and I live a fair distance from Chelmsford anyway. Although I have no doubt both them and Mid- Essex club could do a very fine job of restoring the layout. As for the work involved - Baseboards and fiddle yards will need some attention, Track will need renewing the hand made stuff on there is now showing its age the new peco bullhead track will do fine and of course rewiring. Buildings and structures have been knocked or broken here and there over the years ( More so recently ! ) so repairing or replacing these is a must. And the scenery needs sprucing up and some big elm trees are needed ! Although the layout is safe for now possession is nine tenths of the law as they say and I really would like to store it somewhere else before things get complicated in that area even if the restoration is done elsewhere.

No that one was a special very compact version built by a local chap for his own use at home and was not intended for exhibition use. I went to that same show that day as well and I remember him declining invites to shows. This made me realise that I could have a winner on my hands except his was about 5x1 in feet mine is 20x3 and if the Ongar bit is ever found another 8 feet ! Also at that Shenfield show was a layout of Wooton station on the Brill branch I thought that was very good but not seen that around recently.

I was member of Ongar & District MRC during the last 12 years of its life . During the seventies the club built a 00 fine scale layout of both Blake Hall and Ongar stations set in GER days. By todays standards it looks crude but was fine in its day can any one remember seeing it ? By the time I joined in the early nineties the Ongar half of the layout the had been donated to some charity maybe ORPS ? Can anyone tell me if it still survives or know where it might have gone? As for the Blake hall section that went to few shows on its own before it was retired in the late nineties. When the club disbanded in 2001 ( A sad loss ) I became the owner of the layout I stored it for a number of years then in 2013 I I gave it a make over and converted it to a LT layout not that hard really and took it to Chelmsford exhibition the following year where there was a lot of interest shown by the public. Before I can take it on the road it needs a major overhaul and so It will need somewhere to be worked upon by a team of skilled modellers with a combined interest in LNER/ LT it will also need funding. So if anybody out there can help with either of the above please write in,

With the re -signalling of the Gilberdyke area now completed attention by us is likely to focus on the lines to Yarmouth & Lowestoft in East Anglia. The new signalling is due to be brought in to use at the end of March ( Unless it is delayed ! ) . Work starts very soon on track remodelling at Lowestoft and Brundall as well as finishing the work at Reedham junction . The new signalling will be somewhat basic with more Two aspect signals then three . Five Level crossings will be provided with barriers and CCTV and another at Oulton Broad north with CCTV. Several others will be provided with Miniature Stop Lamps. I went up there last October to take a few photos thinking I might well go back this March but I may not now so I hope those of you who live local will take plenty of photos and post them on here both of the old and new stuff.

Last Saturday I picked up a second hand copy of volume 3 of R H Clarkes selected great western stations for £12 50 . It seems Mr Clarke died while writing the third volume And Mr potts had to finish it off . I am now on the lookout for volume 4. As an aside as far as I am aware no books on LNER track plans were ever printed which is a great pity. But I do own a book on track plans of the stour valley line between Marks Tey and Shelford. There was also a second book covering other GER branch lines in that sort of area but I have never seen one of them on a second hand stall yet ! .

It is great to talk about TT scale and continental modelling . What I would like to know is there a society somewhere perhaps across the channel for us TT (2.5mm ) modellers ? Rather like the British 3mm society.

I recently purchased a original Tri-ang Hornby R758 green Hymek of 1967 vintage from a toy fair boxed. Although it is in fair condition for its age something looked odd about it . I thought they were all green but it turns out according to Pat Hammond in his book they did have a yellow panel which was stuck on the front with two white dots for lamps. They are absent on this loco . What can I do ? Are replacements available or will I have to pay somebody to paint it instead like the original.

In the seventies Wrenn once made universal metal point levers which were held down by two shrews . I would like to know if there are any companies out there that make something like them today in that style ? I could use the ones made by caboose industries but these are made of plastic so not very robust are there any others ?

If my memory serves me right these signals were made in America then shipped here. Having two heads one above the other is very common in the US and fixing them to the side of the post is also common out there this meant the signal was permissive or if the heads were in line with post it was a interlocked signal ( controlled over here ). I am not sure why the LNER wanted this type between Gidea park and Shenfield as the ones out to Chelmsford and Southend Victoria were a different design.