31A

If it is the ex Airfix GMR type body moulding it can be used with the Parkside (from Peco) PA16 underframe kit to represent LMS Diagram 1892 vacuum braked with clasp brakes, or with the Parkside PA35 kit to represent LNER equivalent, Diagram 210. I have done both, although I think I did the ex LNER one using whitemetal parts from ABS for the brake gear rather than the Parkside underframe kit.

I got involved with that a bit when I worked in a Travel Centre that handled Motorail bookings. I was trained on that job but don't remember actually having to cover it. We held the Reservation Charts for this particular Motorail service. It was formed of GUVs, not double deck CCTs. Length of vehicle was one of the items the customer completed on the booking form, and you then had to allocate spaces by juggling the cars between the railway vehicles to achieve the best fit. Sometimes it resulted in the train being 'full' to new applications for long vehicles, but a Mini (for example) could still be accommodated.

Ah the good old Woolworth's screwdriver (or so my father called them, so I suppose they were). I've got about three; they seem to be indestructible and can sometimes reach into places where other screwdrivers fear to tread....

I agree re the use of Bar Keepers Friend; it does make a lovely job of cleaning up brass parts. It does turn solder dark grey but doesn't seem to do any other harm, and can have a similar effect on white metal castings, but I hadn't noticed any damage to them. Possibly if it does roughen the surface slightly, they might take paint better? I believe I have read that Bar Keepers Friend is the American version of Shiny Sinks (or vice versa?); originally I did use Shiny Sinks (bought locally in the UK) but when that ran out my nearest hardware shop had Bar Keepers Friend in stock so I bought that instead; they certainly seem very similar. I think both products do a better job than Cif, though.

Third of second batch; I think possibly Doncaster MPD.

I wonder why "The alternate route adds an hour for domestic travellers and two hours for international travellers"? Will additional loco changes be necessary for international trains, or something?

Mine have plastic handles, or did have, and I used to hold them by hand until most of the handles cracked and fell off, so instead of spending money replacing them I hit on the idea of putting them in a pin vice - it seems I wasn't alone! Didn't think of putting them in a drill, though ....

E1106 also had 'different' windows..... https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/15452832393/in/photolist-pxvNGH-bkUQmB-SicRjs-mabsaL-2mcK5yB-2jmVJp3-riVvhf-c67jfs-2ncx6TL-oqkn7V-oi8aM5-VDZTgG-HPWC93-3qAyDc-2ffcdiM-7QDiSw-Sm1BhA-j1o7jR-24SB3CZ-ARXjve-bc7mSg-aXDBgn-2jtM4Jm-2jHfYAz-aF5Xb4-TQfZVs-2mK7Nv7-2meAgyq-2gewPNR-2mQqf4N-2oR1ieL-Qq6nKd-2nSz1y7-2jtPSvB-2jtRfdo-2oMgo7J-2jFEetP-2jtPSuz-299s9Sf-NwsBxF-2ggBhDA-2kii3LC-2jtRfh6-LKjkLz-2jtRfdi-2maGBLd-2kRJaMg-2maA5LM-26KAbtu-2jNWuJ9 https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/16611739066/in/photolist-pxvNGH-bkUQmB-SicRjs-mabsaL-2mcK5yB-2jmVJp3-riVvhf-c67jfs-2ncx6TL-oqkn7V-oi8aM5-VDZTgG-HPWC93-3qAyDc-2ffcdiM-7QDiSw-Sm1BhA-j1o7jR-24SB3CZ-ARXjve-bc7mSg-aXDBgn-2jtM4Jm-2jHfYAz-aF5Xb4-TQfZVs-2mK7Nv7-2meAgyq-2gewPNR-2mQqf4N-2oR1ieL-Qq6nKd-2nSz1y7-2jtPSvB-2jtRfdo-2oMgo7J-2jFEetP-2jtPSuz-299s9Sf-NwsBxF-2ggBhDA-2kii3LC-2jtRfh6-LKjkLz-2jtRfdi-2maGBLd-2kRJaMg-2maA5LM-26KAbtu-2jNWuJ9

Whenever you post these pictures of the S&D 150 at Sheldon I expect to see myself in them! Haven't done yet though .... Thank you for continuing to post all these lovely pictures every day.

Has happened to me a few times this evening, the last time within the last 10 minutes or so. I'm a premium member, using Safari. I realised it was a scam as there would be no reason for BT to be advertising prizes in Dollars! At first I thought it was a virus in my laptop, but evidently not as it only happens when I open RMWeb.

Thank you for a very interesting article. I often use Carstairs station, as I have relatives living nearby. This Information Board stands near the junction of Strawfrank Road and St. Charles Avenue, close to where the tramway would have started. It includes the same photo of the tramcar that you have used to illustrate your article.

Regulator rod. Maybe replace it with a bit of wire?

Thank you Paul, no need to apologise! There is obviously more to this S&T stuff than I knew (and I did think I knew a bit), so it's always good to hear from somebody who DOES know.

Who knows?? I was expecting to see Scots Guardsman yesterday!

Anyone interested in learning more about how Main Line trains worked to Moorgate and other places in Central London over the LT "Widened Lines" could do worse that to get the two small books "Steam on the Widened Lines" Vols. 1 and 2 by Geoff Goslin (Connor & Butler, 1997). Although the text concentrates on the various loco types used, they give an insight into how the traffic was worked and include a lot of photos showing the stations and other locations on the route.

That DOES look like a locking or fouling bar, with the purpose of preventing the point blade from being moved while a vehicle is passing over it. Although again, that seems a little odd as (without detailed knowledge of the location) it seems to be a trailing point and trying to move it while a train was passing over wouldn't cause a derailment.

Well one WCRC train was running today and running well to regain about 70 minutes between Carnforth and York, despite being pulled by a Jubilee with a split personality!

Surely if the purpose of the bar was to lock the points, as the bar runs the whole length of the siding and a loco can't stand clear of it, the presence of a loco in the siding would prevent the trap points (and presumably also the points in the running line) from being restored to normal, the loco having just entered the siding from the running line, and the trap points would then not fulfil their purpose? So I'd suggest it is there to detect that a loco is in the siding, but not to lock the points, as Paul said.

I'd second the Hornby J50, and would also add the Hornby J15 - not really a shunting engine although they were sometimes used for shunting, and the best slow speed running RTR steam locos I possess.

May be an area where track circuits weren't used for some reason, e.g. because they couldn't be relied on because of contamination, or because there might be interference from the electrified rails? Just a guess....

The latest project is finished; its dragged its feet a bit! The original plan was to make two of these coaches, one for Gilbert's Peterborough North layout and one for mine. They're ex LNER 52ft Corridor Thirds; you may have seen its twin on Gilbert's thread a little while ago. I ran out of some parts, and also motivation, but mine is now finally done. To recap what I wrote on the Peterborough North thread, it's made using sides from Worsley Works, underframe, ends and roof from Comet and bogies and other parts from the MJT range. The Worsley Works sides are in the same format as MJT sides, i.e. each lower panel is a separate piece which has to be soldered into place individually. The sides matched up well with the Comet parts in length and height, and the holes for door handles were already etched and matched the MJT grab handles. Slots were also etched for hinges, but the etched hinges provided were too fiddly for me to get on with, so I substituted brass strip soldered through the slots then trimmed to length. The roof moulding seemed a bit on the narrow side, so I widened it with a strip of 10 thou plasticard on either side; unfortunately this has resulted in the edge of the roof (gutter) being a bit 'ragged'. I made the step boards on the solebars from 3mm x 1mm brass angle which was soldered with its short edge on the solebar, against the lower flange of the solebar. This makes for a strong and straight step, but needed a big (75 watt) soldering iron to get enough heat into the work! The cast battery boxes that I had, were too long to fit the 'short' underframe so I made my own from plasticard. I usually use Hornby wheels but I'm getting low on these and they're quite expensive now, so I used Wizard Wheels, unsurprisingly from Wizard Models, which are well made and run true. I was able to adapt a Hornby 61ft Gresley interior moulding, by removing one compartment. It didn't even need painting! Painting was Halford's etch primer (which is grey) followed by red oxide primer and finally Ford Burgundy Red. Lining transfers are Fox and numbers from a Modelmasters sheet, 'cut and shut' to arrive at a suitable number. As the droplight frames are separate items soldered to the inside, they had to be glazed individually with the fixed windows being separate panes in between the doors, which made for quite a lot of glazing work. I made the lavatory windows white by glueing white card inside. So there we are, something a bit different and a useful 'layout' coach, being a bit shorter than most corridor coaches. I shall have to think carefully about what train to put it in, as it shows up the inaccuracies of the Hornby Gresley corridor coaches which are in a lot of my sets!

I believe WCRC also run the "Dalesman" and "Scarborough Spa Express" trains under their own auspices. https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/scarborough-spa-express/steam-experience

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/news/four-more-stations-north-east-get-dose-classical-music-help-combat-antisocial-behaviour

Difficult to say, from the information I've got anyway. As you say, it is hard to photograph unless you are able to go trackside, so there aren't many pictures of it in books that I've got. It can be seen in the distance in a picture taken in the early 1950s, on p19 of "Railways around Harrogate Volume 3" by Martin Bairstow - sadly I haven't got vols 1 and 2! This picture only shows half the gantry, the side which currently has dolls on it, and as far as I can see in that picture the configuration then was much as it is now, except that the Home arm has a Distant below it (above the Sub arm). Presumably that related to Harrogate South box which was closed in 1981. The Sub arm controls access to the Middle Road.

Luckily I was able to do just that, several years ago now before I retired. I think the gantry has now got chunkier handrails, and the siding beneath it (on the left in the first photo) has been fettled up and is now used by the LNER Azumas as a turn back siding.