C126

With their latest news-letter delivered this week, I have only just heard of the redevelopment of Liverpool St station, but the pages on the Victorian Society's web-site might be of interest, e.g.: https://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/news/relaunched-liverpool-street-station-campaign-names-griff-rhys-jones-as-president-and-asks-public-to-sign-petition

No fault in your writings; I made the mistake of assuming the loading dock would be exposed to the outside on an external siding. Sorry. Thanks for the link.

Forgive me if others realise this already, but it appears the siding goes inside the shed, allowing loading 'out of the weather'. No loading-dock adjacent, or one would see it in the shadow of the roof-line.

Do not forget the oblique shots at the National Monuments Archive of aerial photos at Swindon. But again, this takes time and cash.

Any pics of Horam station environs around this time? Anything in the Middleton Press series? Just wondering if anyone has checked these. Just checked the Middleton Press web-site, which identifies "Horam" as being in: 'Branch Lines to Tunbridge Wells from Oxted, Lewes and Polegate', and 'Steaming through East Sussex'.

I fear it is way beyond my abilities, and am wondering about saving money to get a pro. to do it. I started assembling the white-metal body, and discovered the boiler did not sit 'flat' on the plate between the water tanks but appeared 'splayed' from above and was twisted. I.e., the cab-end of one bottom edge has a gap visible. Not sure how to cure this. They are lovely looking beasties though!

Is it Langley Models? My late father half-built one, subsequently sold on 'an auction web-site', and I still have one even less built lying around with a (recommended) Hornby Flying Scotsman chassis. An L.B.S.C.R. 'L', I think. Sorry, I am no expert on steam. Hope this helps. https://www.langleymodels.co.uk/awd1/index.php?route=product/product&manufacturer_id=11&sort=p.model&order=asc&page=13&product_id=5655

As a Southern Region chap, I am glad to see you have a 73. As @crompton suggests, what will these be pulling?

Please may I just add to this thread a query about the T.O.P.S. code cited in one of Colin Marsden's books, as "VFV"? I assume this was a bauxite-painted van, rather than the 'Express Parcels'-branded S.P.V. Also, I have seen an 'N'-scale model fish van in Speedlink red/grey on layouts at exhibitions, and assumed it is fictional. Can anyone confirm this?

Looking forward to my first visit to this, and crossing everything to stave off rail-strikes... Many thanks for the continuing info. and web-site.

Glad to read the layout is installed safely in its new home. Hope it will be working fully soon, and you can continue modelling on it.

Thanks, @Ravenser , for the reassurance. I was not planning on running Mk. IIIs into the platform, but made the foolish assumption the 1" from the track centre-line would allow for curves for all stock as well. I have learned another lesson. I did wonder if the platform height looked o.k.; I think Brighton, for example, had a high step up to the loco-hauled stock's floor on the old Kensington Olympia inter-regional trains. Thanks again for your contribution and time, and best wishes. Neil.

It has been another case of 'two steps forward, one back', spending a few days off in the garage on short tasks. Panicked last night at realising - why only now?! - that if my track around the passenger platforms was raised on 2.5mm. cork, there would be an unrealistic step up to the coaches. It had not dawned on me that wishing to sink the buildings into a 'scenic base' to eliminate gaps, meant they would be too low. Next I was worried the curved platform was too close to the track, so the edge stones would soon wear a groove into the sides of passing coaching stock. I rushed out to the garage to check this morning: Thankfully, the former fault appears to have negated the latter, with under-frame detail safely within the loading gauge, at least on a Mk. I coach. I will need to check the multiple units when I get the viaduct wired and powered, and can only pray their battery boxes, air tanks, etc., do not stick out any more than loco-hauled stock. Apart from this, progress has been pleasing. The dairy-man now has a modified Ratio lineside hut as housing for his milk-tank filling machinery. The roof is weathered asbestos sheet, and I sunk it into the cardboard 'concrete' base after seeing the photographs: I had a go at painting my first passenger, a free Airfix sprue with my late father's model railway mag. about fifty years ago: ... and enjoyed it so much another seven followed (please excuse the bases still attached): The beautifully dressed ladies are Andrew Stadden, of course, and my painting does not do them justice. From left to right: Sir Humphrey watches 1122 arrive, to form the 07.40 to London Bridge, although he requires Victoria for Whitehall. Col. Chutney, K.C.I.E., waits with his wife Eliza - she of the Fundamentalist Victorian Wing of the 'Irrational Dress Society' - and their maid Maud (Airfix) in the long brown coat (my first attempt at using Milliput to lengthen a costume to an attractive silhouette) for a day in Town. Meanwhile, their daughter, Harriette, harrangues young Tom, alighting at East Croydon, for his lack of hat. Major Bloodnok gazes into the middle-distance, wondering when he will ever be able to retire from a dubious financial scheme of his that works. 'Master Stephen' is off to Head Office, to report on progress on the latest widget design by the manufacturing plant in Atherington. I thought my first attempts at head-swapping, body-carving, and pricking-out moustaches with a pin better than expected, and am pleased with the ties on Sir Humphrey, Tom, and Master Stephen. It is a shame Col. Chutney's stick is not more visible, made from a bent Peco track-pin. His fore-arm, 'donated' from a Preiser figure, is not quite right at all angles, but again I was satisfied at these first attempts. I must pluck up the courage (and find the ability!) to supplement some of the gents with umbrellas. Boyed up by my unexpectedly steady hand, I added name-plates to 33 025 'Sultan', bought at D.E.M.U. Show-case 2023: ... which sits on slewed and re-ballasted track to fit in the retaining wall behind without fouling the rolling-stock. Always measure, never assume! Another day of my life I will not get back. I started laying down a load of chain for an OCA: This comprises second-hand jewellery chain (mostly of the wrong link design) upon a card base painted black and reinforced underneath with long match-sticks (although it still distorted a little). Put cling-film in the OCA and press the base in, covering it in P.V.A. glue, and slowly lay the chain into it. After letting it dry, I brushed over Humbrol silver enamel paint. It requires more 'layers' of chain and paint to fill in the gaps and cover that chain with the 'wrong' links, though. I have also started re-painting a Coles crane to convert to a grab - three coats and still the logo is visible (should have rubbed it off first): ... made two-dozen brown boxes for pallet loads, and must get on with the bodged 'Inter-frigo' IIB on a Hornby VIX chassis. But these will be for other posts.

Wonderful. Glad to see the first S.R. lineside hut in situ. Are you intending to paint the ballast? For sanity's sake, I suggest not... 😄

Sorry, @spikey , but is it an article on to-day's web-site, or this one: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/apr/15/uk-pensions-how-much-retire-cost-of-living-inflation-income by Patrick Collinson, 15th April? Thanks.

This could not be more timely for me, as my retired Beloved has had enough of being woken by the alarm-clock so I can go to work, and 'suggested' I investigate early retirement and drawing down pensions. Forecasts received so far say I would have about £8K per year to live on, which just pays my share of the essential bills. But to be honest, I am not sure what to allow for these 'essential bills' annually. Look forward to reading others' thoughts as well. Thanks.

Please permit me to differ, but I thought this is exactly what it did not do, digging deeper into the problems revealing the cause as the dead hand of H.M. Treasury, etc., beneath. I will watch it again a.s.a.p., as I could be wrong.

Can I thank you all for your advice, help, and kindness with my questions. I regret that the track is laid and ballasted, and if I have to modify it again (already wasted last weekend relaying the carriage siding), I will lose the will to live. Half the goods yard already needs relaying owing to broken points, which I am trying to find the motivation to do. I see Dapol do a 'R.T.R.' S.R. Platform Starter signals, so I will save for and buy a couple of those and see if they can be 'de-motorised', and I have Pryor's 'A pictorial record of Southern signals' for a picture of a Ground Signal. Not sure what I will do for the Inner Home/ Platform indicator yet. I invite you to amuse yourselves with further tales of exasperation and incompetence on my 'blog', forthcoming. A thousand thanks again and all good wishes. Neil.

I liked the programme very much, and even my partner thought it amusing and informative. A shame he did not touch on the dismal 'Restoring Your Railway Fund', but there was only so much time available. Will watch it again soon. I hope there might be a follow-up, perhaps in six months. Hurrah for Mr Elton.

Their uneconomic nature being commented upon thousands of times, it feels, in hundreds of different threads on RMWeb, does not stop me wishing for almost any decent R.-T.-R. S.R. E.M.U. I am now desperate enough to want a '377'.

@bécasse Thanks for your beautiful diagram. But would the 'inner home'(?) (The bracketed twin arm signal in line with the box, indicating which platform the train is heading for) need to be pushed back up the line, to permit shunting moves? Or would such a loco just obey this signal (and/or the ground signal) like every other train? Thanks again and best wishes to you all.

May I thank you all for your continued interest in this question, and helpful remarks and contributions. I fear I should have posted the proposed layout in this thread before laying and ballasting it! However, I will try and explain my thinking as to its operation. Only Platform 2 would handle loco-hauled trains (a daily inter-regional (poetic licence with only three coach capacity), rush-hour 'extras' receiving E.C.S. from London to start like the Uckfield and East Grinsteads, and newspaper/ parcels). So only one loco at a time. I was thinking of Eastbourne in the 1980's with the Saturday 'Sussex Scot' being handled on its P1, and returning E.C.S. to Brighton. Yes, the station was electrified just before the war; P1 is long enough only for two coaches (plus a bit more) and will contain the two-coach E.M.U. shuttle to the coast. P2 would be the D.E.M.U. to the (unelectrified) main line. I know this is unlikely (the London line not elctrified) but I wanted to run a representation of the loco-hauled commuter 'extra' (as above). I assumed signal f would be required to permit propelling of the loco-hauled inter-regional back into P2, after the loco had run round on the running line, ready to depart. Would something not be needed to protect P2? Thank you for @Flying Pig 's additional ground signal. I think I see how this is needed. But would this then be 'pulled off' for all trains arriving, or just locos shunting within the station limits? The Milk Dock I was thinking of shunting (I assume the loco would not stay with the tanks while being filled, like modern COY Block Trains) by having it pull into P2, run round as above, and draw out onto the running line to be propelled into the Milk Dock. This would be in a 'quiet period' of the station. (I assume one may not un-couple on the running line on arrival (if short enough so to do), pulling up short before the 'Y' point to the platforms, and run round via P2 and propel directly into the Milk Dock.) I confess I am quite out of my depth and rely on your advice, perhaps sought too late; I had not thought of single-line token requirements. My thoughts were 'unformed' about the nature of the two lines feeding the station, presuming they would be single-tracked, part-way at least, for rationalisation purposes. I hope this explains my methods, and helps any further comments. Thanks again and all good wishes.

There was an academic (female) in our library reading room a few months ago calling our holdings of such periodicals to study. All titles, it appeared. I was too nervous to ask just what she was studying them for. These are notorious for the bound volumes being labelled "Imperfect" on the spines, library jargon for 'some parts missing without trace'... 😀

Thanks so much for going to this trouble. Got to start dinner now, but will read and digest properly later. Best wishes as ever.

Wonderful little essay; loved the vignette about the First Class passengers supplying the 'wall-paper'. Something which would be lost/ unknown to most. Not surprised to hear there were no 'quiet rooms' at depots for those wishing to have a doze. Thanks.