62613

On 13/04/2023 at 02:46, The Johnster said:

Imagined, but not improbable, conversation in Council Depot as the working day get's underway:

 

'Ok, Jim, your team is putting this sign on the following junction this morning, then I want you to...'

 

'Just a minute, guv, it's spelled wr...'.

 

'Don't care, it's got to go up this morning, get on with it'.

 

(shoulders shrugged)  'Ok, boss, whatever you say'.

 

 

Welcome to the nittygritty of how UK local councils actually work!

Any modern day organisation, really

6 minutes ago, SHMD said:

Informative about the signal above Print Works Rd.

Platform 3 has always been regularly used in either direction.

(There must be more than 10 trains, in each direction, diagrammed each day to stop at the bi-directional Platform 3.)

 

10 years ago, after the first junction upgrade was finished, the point at the Manchester end of Platform 4 (up to Huddersfield) failed during the first week. this resulted all East bound Huddersfield trains using the bi-directional Platform 3.

 

So, I "copped" this bit of line early doors on my commute home to Mossley.

As we swapped over to Platform 3, what was "bang round" previously, I noticed immediately but the two ladies near me didn't. A few minutes later one pointed out to the other that we were now on the wrong track to Mossley - and left it at that. Leaving Stalybridge, they did not notice we crossed back to the Down line and proceeded on to Mossley. Entering Mossley, the first Lady then remarked "Oh, we have changed track again", oblivious to the implications of actually running "Bang Road" for that distance (or anything else)!

 

This Platform 4 point failure also resulted in the much more serious problems for the regulars of the Buffet Bar - they now had to run all the way round to Platform 3 BEFORE the train arrived, instead of just jumping onto the train at the door nearest the Pubs exit as soon as the brakes stopped squealing!

 

 

Kev.

They've got Belgian beer in the Buffet Bar, now! I don't think I've been in for about 6 years

More meanderings; the first signal Eastbound out of Stalybridge (near Printworks Road overbridge) has exchanged the three - aspect placed at the last upgrade for a modern four - aspect modular. Also, on the return journey, whilst waiting at the lights at the end of Wakefield Road, above Stalybridge Tunnel, a train appeared at the statiopn going Leeds - ward, but on the middle platform. This is the first time I've seen it used in full Bi - directional mode.

7 hours ago, The Pilotman said:

Whilst I’ve never heard of an incident quite like this (a signal aspect completely at odds with the actual route set), extremely unlikely events can occur as the Clapham Junction crash demonstrated. 

Farnley Junction Leeds in 1976 or1977; a miswire in a location cabinet resulted in a clear aspect when a a crossover was reversed, which allowed a Trans - Pennine unit to collide head - on with a train stood at a signal on the opposite line, killing the driver.

21 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

Red Bank empties at Marsden 1983 by Bob Avery

 

 

Extreme telephoto!

On 10/04/2023 at 14:24, melmerby said:

One of the comments from "Swansea02" amused me

"it's proposal to spend £100 billion on HS2 seems rather mad . Better to use the £100 billion to renew the existing railways. "

 

Someone needs to tell them it's not a proposal, construction is well under way!

And that the cash for renewals comes from a different pot to that for investment; indeed, he might like to learn exactly how capitalism actually works

21 hours ago, 62613 said:

What are you doing tomorrow about 1.00 p.m.? Stalybridge v Hyde at Bower Fold

Well, that was a helluva game! 2 - 2, with Celtic scoring a penalty in time added on, and having a player sent off during the gamesmanship melee which followed the award. The game was played in monsoon conditions, and the ref thought about calling it off at half time.

On 07/04/2023 at 21:00, franciswilliamwebb said:

The "What If" angle was something I thought a lot about for a GC layout that eventually fell victim to a house move.  My plan, as far as it got, was big on Peaks and Brush 4s👍

 

A nice burst of "What Was" from YouTube, some diesels amongst the steam...

 

In many ways, quite poignant.

11 hours ago, peanuts said:

Dont know if i quite fit in here properly Oldham fan experiencing my first season of non league after tumbling out of the efl last year .

What are you doing tomorrow about 1.00 p.m.? Stalybridge v Hyde at Bower Fold

9 hours ago, The Johnster said:

In that tragic incident, the two expresses were relatively lightly loaded, and the crowded one, the suburban service that had been routed to the up main ahead of the Perth express, was stationary at the moment of the collision.  If one were to replicate the circumstances with crowded modern services, say at Didcot with an up South Wales or Bristol 800 rammed with standing passengers at 125mph hitting an up train in the up main platform, to be struck almost immediately by a down 800 at a similar speed, the carnage in the up express doesn't bear thinking about...

Also, the platforms were still fairly crowded, weren't they?

3 hours ago, peanuts said:

Dont know if i quite fit in here properly Oldham fan experiencing my first season of non league after tumbling out of the efl last year .

Course you do! For all the Unsworth haters on Faceache, what would you think the first job of any manager appointed this season would be? I would guess to stabilise things. Along with Frank, he seems to be doing that. Over at Stalybridge, I can see us playing Atherton in the last game of the season and the loser being the team relegated.

On 04/04/2023 at 20:49, CWJ said:

There's no ballast bed prepared for a through line down the middle (but that doesn't mean one won't be added later).

I get the impression that one of each of the portal stanchions is positioned where such a line would run, through the station; there isn't much room anywhere else. As Peanuts has mentioned, it looks as if, on the east end viaduct, the portal stanchions are fixed externally. Seems a shame in some ways.

Over the last couple of days, I've had a mosey around while visiting Tesco in Stalyvegas, and the tip, and noticed the following:

The gantries are more or less complete right through the station; there's one missing at the Eastern end. They are also complete from the West Junction as far as the B6175 bridge on the Guide Bridge line, and through Guide Bridge yard; quite a few of the registration arms are also in position. There is nothing at all across the viaduct between Ashton and Guide Bridge yard; I wonder if this is to to with gaining access to the viaduct without disrupting the businesses in the arches below?

The new signals look to be of the modern modular type, as stated before. The ones at the western end look like they are 4 - aspect. The feather on the one on the platform nearest the tip site is towards Piccadilly

I've no idea on progress on the line to/from Victoria. 

While waiting at the ASDA lights on my way home, a class 185 came over the viaduct heading East.

I wonder if Jvol4208 is a tulip special on its way to Spalding?

2 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

And that Roman map only shows the main lines, not the branch lines such as that through Caersws to the Roman lead and gold mines.

Jonathan

Neither did it show the road from Mamucium to Eboracum, some of which my mother helped to trace, on a WEA class

8 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Perhaps the Government knows more than it is letting on.

 

By 2040 Scotland will have gained independence as will the North of England, so Birmingham will be a border city with people needing passports to travel onwards.  Makes complete sense to stop HS2 at Birmingham just as HS1 does not go farther than London.

 

The North as Northern England will be known will offer a new service using the Shropshire Canal to allow passengers to get further north, as it will be all we can afford to borrow.

HS2 Phase 1 is finishing in a field somewhere between Lichfield and Stafford. Birmingham is on a branch.

16 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

Westbury 1983 by Jamerail

 

 

Four vans, all different!

12 hours ago, rogerzilla said:

There's the rub.  GWR used comparatively low superheat, something Stanier took with him to the LMS but was quickly corrected when his first design was seriously indifferent. 

 

Churchward wasn't a fan of much superheat and Collett continued the same design principles of high boiler pressures but low superheat.   It wasn't until Hawksworth that GWR superheating temperatures caught up with the other railways.

 

The thing is, GWR engines worked well and used less coal, regardless of the failure to truly embrace superheating.  Welsh coal and really good valve events hid a multitude of sins.

Yes, just enough superheat to prevent the steam reaching its saturation temperature when the piston reaches the exhaust port opening point, I think

On 11/02/2023 at 14:49, OnTheBranchline said:

 

 

All pretty spectacular, but the last one is still my favourite, for some reason! I suppose it shows just how risky thre early flights were

Trying to remember what headcode 82 on the Kent Coast line was; I can remember them at Dartford.

On 28/03/2023 at 14:53, Compound2632 said:

 

I have the impression, from the number of STNs that survive, that the conveyance of out-of-gauge plates from Sheffield to Barrow* was relatively infrequent - not every Sunday. I expect most armour plates were of sizes that could be carried comfortably with the loading gauge. Otherwise it would become very expensive to transport them. This must have been a consideration the naval architects were well aware of.

 

*About 15 or so from 1907 - 1913 and a smaller number, Sheffield to Scotstoun.

My reference (British Warships of World War 1, by Dittmar and Colledge) gives only one R.N. Dreadnought battleship built by Vickers in Barrow; HMS Emperor of India, an Iron Duke class battleship, launched in 1913, and no other armoured ships at all. So unless it was for a foreign navy, I can't think what it was for.

Others building there at that time were the Japanese battlecruiser Kongo, and the Ottoman battleship which became HMS Erin.

2 minutes ago, LMS2968 said:

 to the best of my knowledge, it was still in force in the mid-1920s, and wasn't broken until the Southern built LMS 8Fs for the LNER (confusing, I know, but that's what happened!).

Wasn't that during the exceptional event which occurred between 1939 and 1945, though?

25 minutes ago, Crun said:

Pretty good CGI, that!

On 07/03/2023 at 15:08, iands said:

The photo caption says 'Delph station'.

On 07/03/2023 at 15:08, iands said:

The photo caption says 'Delph station'.

Delph Station, at the end of the LNWR Delph Branch (a.k.a. the Delph Donkey) off the Standedge line. Closed to passengers in 1955 and to goods in 1964. The photo looks as if it was in the last two months of passenger working, when the the standard 2MT tanks had replaced the Fowler 3MT tanks on the push - pulls. The train would be for Oldham (Clegg Street) 

3 hours ago, LMS2968 said:

A clean WD! Wow!

I don't think I've ever seen a photo of one of those with a 6 - prefixed number before. in Jvil 7373, Ford Castle appears to be carrying a stopping passenger disc. Looking at all those ex - GER vehicles in the train, I'm not surprised.