C126

Quite true. I should qualify my statement with something like, "if you are lucky enough to have it".

@Reorte I quite agree happiness over-rides all in employment, but when we get employers and politicians saying they want to maximise the nation's/employees' talents, etc., etc., their propositions amuse me. And I wonder why some of my colleagues are working in their jobs, as well.

I agree with @The Johnster , if not put so brutally, but have not experienced his situation so badly. However, with my employer (Higher Ed. Libraries) we appear to have accepted the ridiculous system of massively over-qualified applicants being appointed to posts 'as a foot in the door'. E.g., colleague with a Ph.D. and post-doc. professional qualification in Information Studies doing a job requiring four G.C.S.E.s and that could be done by an intelligent twelve year-old. Instead of training staff for posts using these qualifications, while appointing the adequately qualified, they stew with boredom and soon quit for something better. But my colleagues tolerate my droning on about the current state of public transport and its remedies though...

I remember the now-common grey steel fencing appearing around depots, etc., in the 1990's. Something like this: https://www.petersspares.com/p/wills-ssm317-modern-palisade-security-fencing-1460mm-fencing-only-oo-gauge ... but my memory could be playing tricks. Before it was the old traditional 3-strand-on-top chain-link mesh: https://www.ancortonmodels.com/product/oof8-security-fencing-kit-9ft-high-with-3-strand-barbed-wire-top-x-480-mm/ Caveat: I have neither bought these products myself or have any connection with the companies. Hope this helps.

Perhaps I am imputing my own prejudices into my reading of the article, but I like his suggestions that (1) most of us in employment waste our abilities, and (2) the anarcho-syndicalist tenet of 'mutual aid' is ignored by the dismal 'science'. Danny Dorling remarks in one of his books a very specific personality is attracted to study Economics. Thanks for the link. Very good.

Reading Stephen Poole's excellent 'Behind the crumbling edge...' (2002), I came across the following (p.20) which I thought might be of interest to readers if this thread. If anyone can add to it, I hope s/he will: "From time to time there were mock incidents to test response times and communication channels. I was involved with these as a Controller and later as an Assistant Station Manager. One such was held at Lenham in Kent and was a mock nuclear accident. Nuclear flask traffic was a regular feature on the South Eastern Division, taking spent fuel from Dungeness Power Station and the naval dockyard at Chatham to Sellafield. The need to have clear reporting lines and rehearsed responses was vital, mainly to allay public disquiet. In reality, it would take an unimaginable force to rupture a nuclear flask and, in fact, a new flask carrier had been derailed at Gillingham several times in 1977. The Lenham exercise was necessarily based on the so-called 'worst case scenario' in which a radioactive leak was supposed to have occurred. Of course, at Lenham we only pretended there had been a crash - unlike the much publicised and televised British Nuclear Fuels stage-managed collision of July 1984, when they ran a class 46 diesel at speed into a flask carrier in order to show how safe the flask was."

Please forgive what is probably a daft question from a non-railway person, but was there a culture of the Driver and 2d-man/Guard if sharing a cab calling out the signal aspects to each other to confirm/corroborate? I remember a television documentary where this was done (India?). Thanks.

Thank you all for the kind comment, sympathy, and likes so promptly. There is a contradiction between the results I want (and see at exhibitions) and what I am capable of achieving. I realise now I bought enough ballast months ago only for the three goods sidings to relay, but then 'remembered' erroneously I had more to do the passenger station as well. The 'header photo' is a 'Nice Thing' to cheer me up, and quite irrelevant to the topic in hand. But who wants a boring picture of Peco points boxes, when one can remember the excellent cake at Durham Cathedral on holiday last year...? Thanks again for giving this your attention, and all good wishes.

I have not posted here or done work on the layout for a long while, owing partly to the temperature of the garage and partly to reluctance to start the destructive relaying and points replacements in the goods yard. I know I will leave this half-finished and unusable for ages if not fully motivated. Inspired by @Andrew P 's scenic work on Tonleigh Bridge East Yard and @young37215 's wonderful photographs and work on his West Highland Line, I decided to devote the long Easter weekend to doing something constructive, namely the passenger station on the viaduct at the back of the layout. However, I should have learned by now, "Man proposes, God disposes"... Spent Friday placing the hard-board 'sky' over the 'Rustic Fletton' stretcher-bond wall I have grown used to, and lifting the viaduct off the back to lay the track. After a dozen attempts using the fine Peco track pins and bending every one, I gave up and used the thicker pins, to the detriment of the sleepers, not having a fine enough bit to drill the holes before. The left hand (bi-directional) line into the distance looked too close to the edge of the viaduct, despite repeated measuring and calculating, so I have skewed the lines to run to the right side of the viaduct. Looking 'up' the line, the sidings nearest the camera from left to right above are: Milk discharge siding (to depot in arches below), Platform 1, Platform 2 (for locos), Carriage siding. The conceit being the line was rationalised in the early 1970's, the right hand line is a run-round loop (the points at the Up end being 'off-layout'). I drilled the holes for power (D.C.) and siding isolation ends, popped the viaduct back on the layout, and almost looked forward to doing the ballasting on Saturday. But I had not realised I needed more than one 200g bag, so ran out after covering about a third of the track. There appears to be a shortage of Gaugemaster N-Gauge grey prior to its release in a new form. The results thus far: Used the spare time to spray-paint for the first time a tanker ferry-wagon, which went wrong: the white top-colour being too thick, so needing stripping and repainting. The Peco platform edging was more successful, including the curving in hot water, so I have ended this weekend by taking a few photographs of trains in situ. I had hoped the camera would sit lower, and not reveal the lack of platform top. Must get some head-codes. 33 039 waits to haul the 18.55 Atherington Victoria to London Bridge. The head-code will be "59". 33 039 again, with 2H 1122 waiting to follow with the 19.14 departure for Tonbridge, the latter's head-code will be "32". A milk tank sits on the siding. While the above has cheered me a little, I am weary of the lack of progress; I thought of this layout three years ago. Wanting just to 'play goods trains', I had hoped after this time all would be running, with only the detailing to complete. Seeing the fun of modern Lego trains (e.g., Fareham station), part of me wishes to sell up and buy some Lego bricks instead. Perhaps now the weather is warming I can stop sulking, get on with some constructing that gives a 'big result', and returns the operational interest. I have tried not to be negative here, but feel 'irritated' at the end of a long weekend with high hopes, for want of a better word...

Sorry to be so dim-witted and drift this thread O.T., but I thought (purely from photos) that 'little brown job' vans out-numbered 3/5-plank opens considerably in the 1970's. If I got the sums correct, the air-braked vans:opens for Speedlink was 1,400 (+550 VEAs):1,300. If anyone could tell me what the prior proportion was for the last five years of 1970's wagon-load operation, I would be grateful. Apologies again for asking tangential questions.

In a light-hearted way 🙂 , may I just stick up for the honour here and on thread with @Peter Kazmierczak of my late O.S. mapper friend, who knew railways like the back of his hand, and certainly how to recognise a slip. One vignette he related was that the curve onto the Goods Lines from Lewes Tunnel southwards was so sharp, he could not use French Curves, but had to use a pair of compasses. But as said, I would not use an O.S. map to confirm track layouts, I am sorry to say. God bless you, Trevor G.

May I just thank you all for this sudden 'burst of knowledge' contributing to my question. Sorry I have only just read them; away for a long weekend. Will give this thread my full attention over Easter. Many thanks in haste, Neil.

Am I alone in hoping Mr @timdunn will one day do a supplementary series, "The Architecture the Railways Built and Our Leaders Destroyed", describing how useful much would have been to-day in reducing the effect of L.G.V. deliveries and the motor-car? Perhaps he would not be so relentlessly cheery though.

My favourite ferry-wagon, and one which I am desperate for an OO model.

I am not alone in thinking this effort of yours in any format most kind and generous. Thank you for taking the time to do this. It is a very useful supplement to @The Johnster 's writings.

Drifting off into both phantasy and away from the thread, I have wondered about using the start of the Ardingly line to branch off with another two tracks, with a new junction heading northwards to form a new 'Ouse Valley Viaduct' about half-a-mile eastwards. Tunnelling north, it would join the main line north of Balcombe Tunnel. All pie-in-the-sky and too long spent gazing at O.S. maps, of course!

Thanks to you all for your contributions. Pondering my own model railway set on the High Weald got me thinking about population densities, passenger flows, etc., and as @Nearholmer says (if I understand correctly), are there really sufficient people wishing to travel south to Lewes (who would not?!? 🙂 ), Brighton, universities at Falmer, or to change for Eastbourne? I fear not. While a railway line might attract new flows, I doubt there would be sufficient to recover the enormous costs of reopening Lewes-Uckfield, alas. I do not know the statistics, but I assume commuters and leisure travellers on the High Weald are more interested in heading to London, and more locally Tunbridge Wells, etc. Thanks as always for giving this your attention, and sharing your thoughts.

I did wonder if this body 'Transport for the South-East' had any sort of 'punch'. I have down-loaded all 124pp. of its report to investigate, but feared it was just another 'wish' by some consultant or interested quango/ local govt group. Quite why they think it will be so cheap, and be funded in the current climate, I would love to know.

Not sure if others have seen or posted this, but a friend has sent me this link: https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/transport/new-rail-line-with-fast-services-from-sussex-to-london-to-be-built-4075821 If you can read through the infuriating ads, pop-ups, etc., it appears to be starting with... rebuilding the Lewes-Uckfield railway line! As my chum and I said, 'We'll believe it when we see it'. All thoughts/more info. gratefully received.

I hope you remember to put the 2d stamp on the cheque, but you certainly won't get away with a 2d stamp on the envelope. Bring back Rowland Hill and the penny post! I can recommend an excellent stationery engraver - https://piccolopress.co.uk/ - and hope you seal your letters with wax and have a personal seal as well... 😀

Or perhaps they are HO wagons, behind a OO '37'... 😀 Hat, coat, gloves, scarf, brolly, exits speedily...

Thanks for the ballasting tips and info. Hope you will consider the classic 'brace' of S.R. concrete lineside huts of platelayers' and tool(?). Please show any point cleaning (of P.V.A.) tips if necessary; I am trying to get myself motivated to do my ballasting. Best wishes as ever.

Off-topic as usual, but I was struck by the amount of land-reclamation when comparing the O.S. and Rail Map Online maps. Sorry, I digress.

These writings are quite wonderful, especially with the sites' descriptions and details. Perhaps others here might be persuaded to set their memories to type as well... Please can someone ensure they will be invulnerable to the photo-wiping lurgi striking? Look forward to the next episode a.s.a.p. Thank you for going to all this trouble.

I am very sorry to drift off in a cloud of reminiscence, but I had quite forgotten "Access cards" - a phrase uttered regularly by my parents about 'paying it off' when they did their budgets. Thank you for this. Now, back to lovely fertiliser trains!