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I work with them. Trust me, many are. Also arrogant, self-entitled, thoughtless, and selfish. But the nice ones out-weigh them. As to nurse education now being degree-level, this was owing to professional rivalry with doctors. British industry's investment in training for its workers has been neglected for decades. See the several books on the nation's economic decline and short-termism.

May I thank you all for your interest and postings thus far. I am sorry not to have contributed as hoped - Christmas was not as planned, as I should have anticipated by now. As well as believing we should have a dedicated thread to the subject, I wanted to learn from others here how the programme is progressing, now what I assume the easier targets of station re-openings have been met and the more difficult projects of line re-openings should be happening (or not). In the June 2022 Programme Update document, the line-reopenings are in two tranches: (A) 'Schemes Developing to Strategic Outline Business Case' and (B) 'Schemes Progressing Past Strategic Outline Business Case'. Under (A) we have: 1. Reopen lines ... Bolton-Radcliffe/Bolton-Bury. 2. Reopened lines ... Consett-Newcastle. 3. Reopened lines ... Gainsborough-Barton. 5. Reopen line ... Wareham-Swanage. 10. Reopen the Gaerwen-Amlwch line, Anglesey to passenger services. 11. Reopen the Ashton-Stockport line to passenger services. 12. Reopen the Askern branch-line. 13. Reinstate the Beverley-York line. 15. Reopen the Darlington-Weardale line to passenger services. 16. Reopen the Middlewich line to passenger services. 17. Reopen the Oswestry-Gobowen line. 18. Reopen the Rawtenstall-Buckley Wells line to pasenger services. 19. Reopen the Don Valley line to passenger services. 20. Reopen the Stoke-Leek line. 22. Reopen the Tavistock-Plymouth line. 23. [Reopen the Mablethorpe-Louth and Firsby lines.] Under (B): 26. To reinstate the Fleetwood line. 28. To reintroduce passenger services on the Leicester-Burton (Ivanhoe) line. 32. To reinstate rail access to Devizes via a new station at Lydeway. (Scheme Nos. as document.) Thanks to @HillsideDepot for relating their interesting experiences of 32. Nothing much appears to have happened for nos. 26 and 28, and these are the ones that have a 'business case'. For those still to prove a 'business case', there appears much excitement about the Newcastle-Ashington reopening for summer 2024, but little said about improvements to Consett/Newcastle (2) and Gainsborough/Barton-on-Humber (3), and reopening Darlington-Weardale (15). The York-Beverley line (13) appears to be waiting for funds from H.S.2 cancellations before anything happens, as does Stoke-Leek (20) and Oswestry-Gobowen (17). Sorry, I have lost the will now to comment upon every one of the above. Railways do need to be run to cater for a demand, but sometimes I wish I lived where a more Chinese attitude prevailed to national infrastructure (but with a liberal attitude to compensation). Like @The Stationmaster, I wonder how many of these schemes will have 'shovels in the ground' before yet more programmes and policies come along to subsume and reappraise them (e.g., 'Network North' and the scrapping of H.S.2's northern legs). Meanwhile, construction costs continue to rise... Hope this thread might be supplemented soon by more positive news. Thanks again for your contributions and consideration.

And was used by B.R.'s own "InterCity" for a while! 😀

Please let us know the bibliographic details of both articles a.s.a.p. Looking forward to reading them. Thanks.

Trust me, there are many of us eager to model inter-dependent railway networks/systems, but lack the space, time, and money so to do. 🙂 What I have in my garage, and what I doodle over a glass of port after dinner, differ massively in scale and operational interest. We have to work with what we have.

Just wanted to say thank you @montyburns56 for the diligence and perseverance in taking such a comprehensive survey. I have no connection with the area, but like many others here, I hope, your hard work is much appreciated in creating this record.

Could not agree more. And also explain why they may not hire more trains/coaches to alleviate over-crowding. More back-bone, please.

Do not know if this is of interest, but this was the first time 60 001 crept round the side of the Brush Works, I was told: 23d June, 1989. Thought I had posted it elsewhere, but can not see it.

I am pleased to see what I think is a Southern Railway concrete lineside hut in photos 1 and 4. I knew they got everywhere, but... 😃

Glad to see you have posted a new thread in the 'Swiss Railways' section, with replies already. There is mention of helix construction (if HO) here which I hope helps: There are probably other, more useful, threads if you take the time to search RMWeb. I remember an article about Helix-construction in the Railway Modeller a while ago. Good luck with your new venture, and never be afraid to ask for advice.

Sorry, me again. I am genuinely interested in what you liked about the layout, 'mouldering and unobtainable'. Please do consider making a list of its good points, and a drawing of the layout (perhaps in another section of RMWeb), and we can give you suggestions/advice/etc., if you are interested. When your version is finished, and the ex-F.i.L. realises his has rotted beyond redemption in the garage, wasted and unloved, and tries to sting you for four times what it is worth, you can tell him, 'I no longer need it. Here is my own.' And he will be the loser. Nuff said.

Do not waste your life wondering about this 'original' and how you can (not) get your hands on it. Try and put it behind you. Make your own, based on the best bits you remember of his. Then you will have something that is wholly yours, and you can say to yourself with pride, "I made that!"

Sixth wagon behind the loco? And run what you want. When I was little, I had a 'Western' pulling a rake of a dozen 1920's P.O. 5-plank wagons on my 'roundy-roundy' in the loft.

They were also used (for road-stone) around Gatwick when building the M23 in the 1970's(?).

Well I always thought "Birmingham International" referred to 'Gateway's predecessor: http://www.internationalstores.co.uk/html/shops.html 😉

This is an interesting example I hoped someone would quote. Is it true the reopening scheme for this line started before the 'Restoring Your Railway Fund' was implemented?

There being no specific thread on RMWeb I could find for this DaFT initiative, I thought I would start one, even if it is closed now to bids for schemes. I have seen @The Stationmaster write about this in another thread, but if anyone 'in the know' would like to share their thoughts here, especially on recent progress of schemes accepted, I would be interested. The web-sites: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/restoring-your-railway-fund A document to read: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-your-railway-fund-programme-update Thanks and best wishes, Neil.

I used Precision paints on an ODA, thus : Brand chosen more because of my late father's devotion, than an expert comparison. Hope this helps.

I forget how long it takes him, but I am beginning to think the only way I will see a OO 4-CIG on my layout before I am quite gaga is by paying Danny Havlik for one of his exquisite models. Alas, approx. £800, I think (but worth it with the time and effort). Seen at D.E.M.U. Showcase 2023. Would a crowd-funded production-line bulk-purchase persuade him to reduce the cost?

Sorry, perhaps I should have posted my comment here. Forgot this thread!

Sorry to clutter this thread with marginal material, but I see from the 'Man in Seat 61' 's web-site, the V.S.O.E. no longer starts from Calais Maritime, but Paris Gare de l'Est in 2024. Bit unromantic, wot?!

I can only commend you for your 'glass half full' attitude. My comparative knowledge of passenger services is scant, let alone off the Southern Region. I was indulging in gloom about the freight services - my greater interest and default attitude. 🙂

Just to add my two-penn'orth, I think the whole network's staff are de-motivated, losing morale, and giving up. My T.M. was reduced to tears last month by the evening peak-time over-crowding and consequent abuse. What is the point in inspecting tickets on the train to get this, even if you could fight your way through? Station ticket barriers are left open, owing to reduced staffing or their indifference. On occasion, at peak time I have seen ticket barriers flung open because the queues are so long and slow feeding through. It is not just Cross-Country. Railway staff are talking about a 'second-Beeching by stealth'.

Shout me down if I am being daft, but it just struck me: could a manufacturer do a Mk. I carriage based E.M.U., using some sort of modular system? Like the convertion kits, clipping different sides and under-frames to a common floor/chassis. Bogies interchangable; cab fronts ditto (although I am thinking of the B.R. (S) family). Could this keep costs down? Alternatively, could @Darius43 be persuaded to set up a production line if we pay him enough...? 😀

At last bought and read my copy. Good spread of interest. Paul Shannon's Steel terminals making up for the delay in his book, and the photo of girders being unloaded at Truro Yard worth the cover price for me: very useful. Mr Rabone's article on 1971 York was a depressing list of 'What we have lost', splendid pics of 'Splott' I found impossible to photograph myself at D.E.M.U. Showcase 2022(?), colour photos of S.R. E.M.U.s. Something for everyone I hope. Many thanks.