Covkid

Having googled, I see a date has been given for the "White Rose" tour which seems to feature "the fourth jubilee" along with a WCR diesel. So suggests 45596 is operated by WCR even if it is still owned by a group on the K&WVR World jubilee domination !!!

Indeed. Nice guy. He invited me for a whole turn on the footplate of a BR 4MT tank along with his brother as fireman and during the course of the day two more drivers from their depot. Had a great time and really enjoyed the experience, albeit on a dirty old steam engine. I am told that the 80xxx are supposed to me one of the smoothest riding steam locos, so I dread to think what a rattley old knacker rides like !!! A mate of mine was on the following Bristol-Paddington HST at Wootton Bassett and had to confirm each signal to (I think it was) Swindon B back then. Fortunately it turned out to be a huge "lesson learnt" for everyone involved.

I heard this story a couple of months ago and thought it was a done deal for Mr Smith - shortly after 45110 was sold to him. If true, t means WCRC will operate three out of the four surviving "Jubes" 45593 45690 and 45699.

Technically, it doesn't have to. Although the 25kV installation at Oxford might be better in one hit, AFAIK the MKC trains would / could be terminating in the bay platforms. So had Oxford-Bletchley been equipped for electric trains, the service would have been much "cleaner". Not only that a fleet of 12 years old, 100 mph capable EMUs suitable for operating the service are currently sat in Worksop yard growing mushrooms. The lack of keenness to make the EWR a showcase new service, particular from the "city of learning" is a big disappointment

Dave - what is that piece of yellow plant behind the JCB in this view. Is it a box scraper ? Thanks

Agree with that "wombato" Particularly as I saw a very brief preview of the new XC livery on a computer screen the other day. Not sure how finalised the design is but it will bring a fresh splash of red and white to voyagers and turbostars as it is applied.

Just checking Dave that your Cat D7 kit - is it the same as this one ? I bought one of these from Orange Hobby a couple of years ago, and admit the purchase was a protracted affair from the Far East. You thread has prompted me to dig it out trmorrow !!! Orange Hobby G72-213 1/72 U.S.Army Bulldozer D7 Complete Plastic Model kit

Regarding the linking up of the Corris and Talyllyn - it actually was more feasible than you think. THe Upper Corris branch actually separated our property running between the back of the house and the "allotment" down by the river. The tramroad terminated probably a couple of hundred yards from us by a couple of old sheds. There would have been a steady grade up beyond the village and the route would have turned left along a hanging valley, then ended up somewhere near to Bryn Eglwys. The point though is some of the quarrying was at a higher level, maybe 100-150 feet higher than the tramoad in Upper corrris village. So as a means of taking slate across and down the Fathew valley to Tywyn, I don't think it would have been impossible. I do agree that so much industrial heritage was lost when Braich Goch was flattened, and a pipe dream of running the Upper Corris branch from Maespoeth to the industrial heritage centre would have been really really nice. If only I could turn the clock back fifty years

Can you be a little more specific please ? CCTs were a BR standard design so on the headstocks they had L-R buffer, vac pipe, drawhook, steam pipe, buffer The rubber vacuum pipe was fitted to the casting with a type of metal clip The steam pipe was fitted to the casting which also had a cock to shut off the steam flow, and when newer had a metal stay to prevent the steam pipe flailing around in the wind.

Wow Dave, I am really envious. I mentioned earlier about the land reclamation project at Corris. I spend hours and hours just watching the plant reshaping the valley. Cat D8Hs and Scraper boxes, as well as D8 dozers shoving the late waste down the mountainside. I could only gaze at the operators and wish I were up in the cabs driving those machines. It got to my fifteenth birthday and I still secretly wished for someone to sponsor me and send me to the CITB in Kings Lynn. I joined BR instead !!! Maybe we need a new section for pIant and I can add photos of what I have collected. One item I really need to focus on is Hywel Thomas' creation of a Hymac 580 excavator on his South Wales based layout, but the Hymac 580 was a relative lightweight for coal sludging. More for ditching, forestry and arable uses.

Fond memories of Foden "halfcabs" Dave but my memories were of the slightly bigger three axle trucks used by Hayward's of South Wales in the 1970s. They had a huge land reclamation scheme in the valley above Corris, drawing the slate tips down from above Braichgoch quarry and reshaping the valley. From my memories they used Cat D8Hs dozing and with scraper boxes, around half dozen Fodens, a small handful of fairly new Volvo BM artic dumpers and a collection of Poclain "360s". The Fodens were quite beaten up but had the feature where the exhaust was fed through the tipper body to make the load easier to tip. I remember the exhaust smoke coming out the tipper body. Great work as always Dave

Indeed. I only ever managed to bag one Hornby trout up until now, so this is a very welcome announcement, although it is the only 2024 catalogue item for me.

Wish all the Hattons employees well with whatever comes out of this. I assume a vacuum will be created by this, and something might be announced in the next few days or weeks

Oh yes. BAC1-11 (pref 500) Viscount 800 Vickers Merchantman Lockheed L188 Avro 748 Dart Herald Fokker F27 Douglas DC6B Take me straight back to the late 1980s when my mate very graciously arranged so fantastic "events" for me. The ultimate was a VFR flight in G-SIXC Coventry-Manchester to convey a "full digger" of newspapers over to Dublin as a relief flight, then etys back over north Wales to Coventry. It would be awesome

PIcked up 100029 from my LHS today. An absolutely beautiful creation with a lovely "mass" thanks to the metal floor. I wasn't intending to have much air braked wagonry but cannot less this one pass !! Anyone fitted Kadees yet ?

Thanks to those who posted piccies of these wonderful beasts. They look really nice and I am pleased they are totally off my radar - could have been expensive. Well done Graham and KMRC for a wonderful product, I wonder if that class of Southern 2-6-0s which worked into north Cornwall might be rising a little further to the top of the list !!!!

Amazing. If you aren't happy with the price you really don't need to buy it. Some do some don't. It's like everything else in life, you either pay xx GBP for a premier league football match, or you don't. You can pay xx GBP for a football shirt if you want to. You can even buy handbags and Gucci watches, the choices rest entirely with you. AFAIK the reason it is EFE branded is because Kernow are involved, and IMHO when Kernow are involved in a product it is pretty good - after the DJM era that is. It is not for me because I don't model the Southern stabilizer rail territory, but would definitely have one if I did. I have hivered and hovered over a Heljan 10800 because I would love one, but sadly cannot justify it. Would never suggest no one else does though.

Many thanks indeed Andy Product ordered !!! Great stuff

I noticed quite few months ago there were some paths in the timetabling system for Mossend-Hams Hall trains reversing at Nuneaton. At the time I guessed they were supposed to be Orion services using the class 768s, using 25kV on the trunk haul, then diesel power from Nuneaton to Hams Hall. As far as I know these trains never materialised. From what I understand ROG sister company Orion had two of ten class 319s converted to 768s and one of nine class 319s converted to a class 326, and those three units are stored at Castle Donington. The Varamis operation is up and running and I believe they have two converted 321s in service on the Glasgow-Birmingham International flow which has been extended to Wembley. The video of the huge new Royal Mail centre at Daventry is amazing but just a pity they need a diesel to shunt the class 325s in and out of the terminal. Maybe a case for a Clayton dual mode shunting loco to charge under the OLE, then shove the 325s in and out of the facility. Thanks for the video link.

Hi all I am a 61 year old decrepit who wears varifocal glasses. I feel I need some kind of illuminated head-based magnifiers to do close up stuff in my hobby. As its is post Christmas I have an Amazon voucher to use, and having chatted to James Hilton recently, he used a non descript headset visor thingy from the far east. Looked on the Amazon site and confusingly there appear to be dozens and dozens of products on there. My main requirements are LED lit, preferably rechargeable, and able to use in front of my own glasses. There have to be a number of people with this kind of requirement. Can you please tell us what you use ? Thanks

Can I assume you have Ned Williams' book "The railway to Wombourn" published by Euralia press in 1986 ? Ned has photos in the book of Car 40 on the initial passenger journey over the line, and of car 53 at Dunstall Park approx 1930. Although the photos are unsurprisingly monochrome they are very useful from a modelling perspective.

With the greatest of respect, you are not doing yourself any favours by harping on about deltic speaker issues in a class 37 thread. From reading your post you appear to have beef with Accurascale, so why not deal with them direct. They are a really good bunch of people, and if you approach them in a positive and respectful manner I am sure you will achieve a positive result. Airing your dirty washing in this thread will achieve nothing for you except perhaps damage your reputation.

The dip switches under the decoder need to be set for either ESU or other decoders. I imagine Accurascale's models representing the first five class 37s (6700-6704) have the same lighting options, unless there is one featuring the late 1980s onwards square headlight.

That is a good call John. I think both kits had the lamp(s), but IIRC it was just a bit of moulded plastic

The OO market is not the same group of consumers at all. My modeling period is 1960-1974. Therefore, not matter how outstanding the Cavalex 56 and 60 are and no matter how fantastic the Accurascale 92 is etc etc - they are of zero interest to this particular consumer.