eastglosmog

Cellulose Nitrate coating? Hope they had a fire extinguisher handy.

I believe you are right, in that sea sand was a back cargo, to balance the downwards mineral traffic.

https://www.agg-net.com/files/aggnet/attachments/articles/a_look_back_in_time.pdf One that I came across today (bottom left of third page) - the wartime offices of the Institute of Quarrying at Trivillet Quarry, a few miles north of Delabole. Can anyone recognize the coach - from where it is I assume its ex LSWR but I could easily be wrong about that.

To get a bit back on topic, it was not unusual for competing railways to have considerable intertwining, especially in mining and industrial areas (which Cornwall was, though in terminal decline by the late 19th Century). Also, one railway having running powers over another railway was not at all unusual - the LNWR relied on them over the GWR to get to its lines in South Wales.

The Bodmin and Wadebridge (bagged by the LSWR to the GWR's annoyance) relied on china clay traffic. As far as I know, it was quite profitable, but was basically short haul to the coast (as was the GWR's equivalent down to Fowey) due to the arrangements to protect coastal shipping. The LSWR also had the huge Delabole Slate quarry to generate traffic. Trouble is, the slate trade declined drastically in the 20th century which dented the economics of the North Cornwall line a bit.

Kevin - I believe such amalgamations required the sanction of Parliament at that time. Suspect this would not have been forthcoming in 1914, but if it had I wonder what they would have called the new company? Great South Western? Greater Western? It would certainly have made a difference to the grouping!

In addition to the ones mentioned by Miss Prism, there was the use by the LSWR of the GWR route from Dorchester to Weymouth, in exchange for which the LSWR laid about 8 miles of mixed gauge track from Dorchester eastwards so that the GWR could run broad gauge trains eastwards to a field in Dorset! Somewhat later, the GWR obtained running powers to run trains from the end of the Didcot Newbury and Southampton from its junction south of Winchester to Southampton. I think that relationships between railways in Victorian times could be quite acrimonious at times, after the grouping they were it bit more harmonious. PS - Phil, the MSWJR was never a joint railway, although the Midland and the LSWR both helped it a great deal. Had it been, it might have fared better after 1923 (puts on tin hat).

Well, I once cut through a redifussion cable in Gloucester just before Coronation St, (or may have been Eastenders). Was I popular!

Thanks for posting this Stephen. Showed me where my problem was. I had these hunting problems at slow speed with my railcar until I turned the feedback off on my controller - now runs beautifully from crawl up to scale 80mph. Only problem I now have is that I have to remember to turn feedback back on when running the Dukedog and a few others heavily loaded as they don't perform very well without the feedback...............

Further to what Petethemole says, I have seen film of ships being unloaded at Southampton in 1942, well before D-Day (filmed by the SR film unit) with general supplies including food (in boxes) into various PO wagons, including Ebbw Vale coal wagons. Wagons were cleaned out after use - the consequences of not doing so thouroughly were shown by the fire and explosion of an ammunition wagon at Soham in 1944. Regarding ownership, PO wagons were still being built in 1943 (Alfred Smith of Bristol had some built by the Gloucester Wagon Co then). I don't know what use they got from them or quite why they were built. Maybe as replacements for wagons destroyed by bombing - I presume the Government paid some sort of hire charge to use all the PO wagons they had commandeered. There is also some film of the SR using Forsters (IIRC) PO wagons to transport demolition rubble from a bridge they were replacing.

I had that happen to me in a supposedly secure hotel car park in Manchester. They grabbed my rucksack with all my dirty washing!

See attached file, which I downloaded from the internet some years ago, but can't now find where from. Instructions for loading gauges and yard cranes are near the end.INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAINTING BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES.pdf

I suppose you ought to caveat that observation with a note that PO wagons did carry general merchandise after September 1939 when they were in the common pool although still owned privately (hence why I can load them with anybody's goods on my 1946/7 layout)!

Yes, I do remember something like that about that time. Slight problem that a double track mainline is only 9m wide at formation level, even a single carriageway A road is 13m wide and a 4 lane motorway 30m wide was overlooked. When you are dealing with cuttings in sloping ground, that can make a great difference in the amount of earthwork required.

If that's what they said, then they were telling porkies. The rock cutting for a double track railway is much smaller than required by even a 4 lane motorway - the cost saving would be peanuts. Compare the land take and earthworks of the WCML compared to the M6 through the Lune gorge and between the WCML and the A74 over Beattock. When Dorset County Council tried this on with the proposed Corfe Bypass and the Swanage Railway back in the early 1980s, it was pointed out to them in no uncertain terms (by myself, among others) that there would be no saving.

Many quarry companies had 5 plank PO wagons - see these Mountsorrel Granite Co examples as preserved by the GCR on the quarry branch. Being denser than coal, 5 planks gave adequate capacity.

Agree absolutely. They are the most iconic train of the last 40 years and I will be sad to see them go from the GWR on electrification. Of course any preserved example if not retro fitted with Paxman's will need a fake oil dribble gadget to recreate the original smear from one of the engine room ventilators that was so characteristic of them!

I had a similar problem with my Dukedog - see this thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/125359-odd-behaviour-of-a-dukedog/?hl=%2Bbachmann+%2Bdukedog with no DCC chip fitted. See response #4 by 34RD, which gives the answer which was OK for me running DC but not for you if wanting to use DCC!

From the reviews I've seen, the chocolate Orient Express looks a lot better than the film!

I have a track spike from the Penryn quarry tramway, a pony shoe and part of a coupling hook from the same source, all picked up on the Penryn quarry tips.

The 2-4-0T loco "North Western", of the Jersey Railway, was sold to the Jersey Eastern Railway in 1878 and then into industry at a Scottish Quarry in 1898. The Jersey Railway and the Jersey Eastern Railway were the only ones on the island (before the German occupation in WW2, that is), so must be counted as mainline!

Sadly, even miles of palisade security fencing will not stop a determined person, just delay them. 15min with an angle grinder will get through most such fencing unless it is wired up and patrolled as with MOD and Prison sites. (Assuming some pest has not already cut their way through the fence so they can take a short cut.)

I am not at home at the moment, so can't consult my copy, but I'm pretty sure the Chronicles of Bolton's Siding mentions several old mainline Bury's that were sold into industrial use after Issac Bolton had tarted them up.

I am away from my library at the moment, but I think the Baldwin's wagons were 9ft wheelbase. Will check when I get home.

Sadly, it is also Aberfan day, an event that overshadows Trafalgar for many of us in the mining trade.