MartinRS

There is a much better picture of the pillbox here. https://www.francisfrith.com/blue-anchor/blue-anchor-the-bay-c1955_b124023

I just think Hornby are hostages to fortune. The lack of recovery in the Chinese economy after the Covid crisis and the delay to shipping caused by the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping can't help. Some have suggested that the public's response to TT:120 exceeded Hornby's expectations resulting in production slots for planned new items being allocated to meet demand for existing models. Hornby have probably realised that they can't accurately forecast future releases because they just don't know what is round the next corner. (Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi). I share your frustration though.

Yes; your point being what? That you mistakenly thought the train was about to jump the track and plough a route in front of the building? I know that the GWR was different in the way it did things, but not that different, surely? On my screen when I put a sheet of paper with a straight edge above the top edge of the coaches I don't see any curvature in the roof-line of the coaches. I suspect the inverted V of the hipped roof building is causing an optical illusion. (It could be similar to the inward pointing/outward pointing parallel lines of equal length optical illusion which members of some cultures see as being of different length). When I mark off the distance of the leading edge of the third coach (behind the loco) to its trailing edge I measure a distance of 25mm (on my screen). When I measure the distance of the leading edge of the first (clerestory) coach to the trailing edge of the second coach I measure a distance of 60mm, which, taking parallax into account, appears to be consistent with two 'normal' length bogie coaches. There is no need to invoke the use of smaller six wheel coaches.

The train is about to go behind the pale building. https://www.francisfrith.com/blue-anchor/blue-anchor-entrance-to-foreshore-c1939_b124009

From the age of four to about the age of six I had a Tri-ang train set to which I added more set-track. It was still a train set. It became a model railway when I created a papier-mâché hill (with a final layer of green crepe paper) and added a couple of inexpertly built Airfix and Super-quick buildings. I had, hoverer crudely, modelled a landscape. I didn't discover flexible track until I was about ten years of age.

BUT what is the first coach, its very long. The clerestory front doesn't look to match the rear. That's because you have mistaken two coaches for one coach! may be an optical illusion but it looks too long for a 70 footer and bent in the middle so I think its probably a composite photo cobbled up for advertising , probably to get rid of the pillbox. Bent in the middle? I have carried out the simple action of putting a straight edge along the lower edge of the roof line and have found it is not 'bent in the middle'. In any event a lens can distort an image eg pincushion distortion or barrel distortion. Can we please concentrate on what is actually shown (or is absent) in the photograph and put an end to speculation about photo-manipulation?

I think you are confusing modelling with masochism.

Do you have an original paper copy of the image, and if so can you scan it again at a higher resolution? Do you have any information about the history of the photograph such as the name of the photographer and when they were active?

I think we have established a pre-1940 date due to the absence of the pillbox. Looking at the petrol tank detail is that a 1930 Triumph NSD motorcycle bottom left? See https://c8.alamy.com/comp/FB2N0P/1930-triumph-nsd-motorcycle-classic-british-motorcycle-at-the-vmcc-FB2N0P.jpg

BTW I would take care when relying on information about dates and locations of photographs in the Frith Collection. I have found errors in the descriptions of three pictures so far (with another I have yet to inform them about). I each case they agreed that I had found a mistake and amended the photos' descriptions to indicate the actual locations.

I'm out of my comfort zone when it comes to dating cars but here goes! The two ribs (or painted lines) on the bumper of the car behind the foreground vehicle (with the partially visible number-plate) suggest it is a 1936 Ford V8, if it is in fact a Ford. The single rib on the car behind that one suggest it is a 1934 Ford V8, if that too is a Ford. The next car beyond also has two ribs on the bumper. Lots of ifs there though I would suggest post 1935.

I don't know about being built on the Dart though it is certainly the case that two Algerine-class minesweepers, HMS Acute and HMS Jewel were attached to the stone frigate HMS Britannia in the 1950's. There is an (inaccurate) account of them rescuing the German coaster, Vormann Rass, off Start Point in 1959. The Imperial War Museum account of the incident has Jewel getting a line on Vormann Rass and towing it into port. I have heard an account from one of the ships' company that it was in fact Acute that towed the German freighter into port. The salvage awarded to the ratings involved amounted to almost a weeks pay. The ships were used to train both RN snotties and overseas students. One one occasion a Petty Officer on board Acute resorted to using bad language when one overseas student, a minor member of a Middle Eastern Royal Family, proved to be incapable of maintaining the ship on a constant bearing. (He was chasing the line in Jack Speak). The student complained to the captain about the the way he had been spoken to by the Petty Officer. This resulted on the Petty officer being admonished by the ship's captain. The student was then sent aloft for his stupidity and spent the next half-hour clinging to the mast as the ship practised manoeuvres!

Pondering the purpose of the blanked opening set me off looking for similar openings on other vans. The LNER version is square and small compared to the CR version and would only be suitable for loading rods or lengths of timber whereas the CR opening looks like it might have been used for loading rigid sheets. I also found images of NER vans with small square openings, just like the LNER vans. (The LNER vans could have been built to a NER diagram). Did the CR move lots of timber? I suppose the ability of the CR to shift lengthy rigid rods and sheets along with more conventional types of produce shipped in vans could potentially reduce the number of wagons in a train in cases where the 'lengthy load' was was quite small. Whatever the reason for the small end doors, it must have made the construction of the vans more complex than a conventionally built van.

I remember reading about a number of different proposals which varied from a double track mainline through Monsal Dale capable of taking heavy freight trains with a 75mph line speed and other options such as a passenger train (only) partially single track route with a 50mph maximum speed. Details are here, with proposals on page 51. The idea was rejected in 2022 with the government saying the route was, 'Not selected for funding at this time'. The door's not been closed completely then? Prior to the opening of the tunnels on the Monsal Trail an alternate footpath existed. I suspect much of the opposition to the railway proposal came from cyclists concerned about the potential loss of a psycho's path cycle path. It used to be a pleasant experience walking the Monsal Trail before it was opened to cyclists. I think an interesting compromise would be to go for the 75mph option and permit cyclists and trains to share the track. It is possible to fit a cow-catcher to a Blue Pullman isn't it?

Many of the early Middle-Eastern civilisations grew around the Tigris–Euphrates river system. Floods were just a consequence of settling this area and are remembered in several myths such as the Sumerian Eridu Genesis, the Atra-Hasis myth, and the Epic of Gilgamesh as well as the Biblical myth, Genesis. There is sedimentary evidence of extensive flooding about 3000 years ago from the ancient city of Kish to Shuruppak. Both ancient cities sit between the two rivers. I don't think you have to go back to the mesolithic to explain the stories, just look at where early cities developed.

Well it's certainly a nice looking model, though not in my scale! Just out of curiosity; what is the purpose of the vertical gap (covered by blanking plates) in the end of the wagon? It can be seen here, with one blanking plate missing. https://www.svrwiki.com/Caledonian_Railway_Covered_Goods_Van_302080

Here's Pete Waterman's views on the subject. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-merseyside-68321482

Taxi Replacement Bus service for Spartacus 2C55!

I think from the above comments and the Ebay link it's been established that this is a Piko train set. Here are some things you might want to consider if you are going to get it up and running. You will obviously need a controller. As your models are quite old it should be a DC type (not the more modern DCC type). I don't have any experience of using Piko locomotives though I have had experience of using older models of motive power. Some older models would only work with fully rectified DC, rather than half-wave DC. I mention this because some modern DC controllers don't provide DC power as such, they supply the track with pulsed DC which is similar to half-wave DC. If you are going to buy a DC controller I would take the locomotives to a shop and buy one in person after the shop has demonstrated that the controller you have chosen does in fact work with your locos. Most model shops have a short length of test track. If you want to extend your train set and buy some more track you need to ensure it is suitable for use with your rolling stock wheels and (optionally) can be made to join with your existing track. I suggest the requirements for connecting your existing track to modern track as being optional because one alternative is to just to ignore your old track and buy some suitable replacement track. You might have problems connecting you existing track to what is commercially available in the UK. Why do I mention the suitability of track? Your rolling stock looks to be quite old and could have deep flanges on the wheels. (You might see these wheels referred to as pizza-cutter wheels sometimes here on RmWeb). Track is usually referenced by its 'code', e.g. code 75 or code 100. The number is just the distance between the top of the rail and the sleepers in 1/1000s of an inch. I would guess that the wheels on your equipment probably need code 100 track. I have not seen the type of couplings on your models before though I don't model Continental railways. If you are going to buy any rolling stock you need to couple it to your existing wagons and coaches. Modern rolling stock usually has couplings which fit into NEM pockets. This is just a standard which makes it relatively easy to change from one manufacturer's type of coupling to another's. (Your rolling stock almost certainly pre-dates the adoption of of the NEM coupling standard). One trick is to buy a wagon with NEM couplings and fit a Piko coupling to one NEM pocket and your preferred coupling to the NEM coupling at the other end of the wagon if you want to buy something not equipped with the Piko type coupling. Another alternative is to buy wagons and convert them to the Piko type coupling. The German Railways forum here on RmWeb might be the best place to ask about the above issues as contributors there are more likely to have experience and knowledge about this manufacturer's equipment. I hope you get yor trains running soon. Enjoy!

Thanks for the link to the news web page. I see the article reports, 'There is currently a noticeable trend with this gauge in the western states of Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium as well as in the Scandinavian countries'.

Have a look at https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/oo-gauge-model-railway-platforms-40-w.asp

I never got to visit the line by the side of Tinsley viaduct. Is that an early MS&LR cabin at Meadowhall, about 28 min into the film?

Wow! Thanks for posting the video link. As part of my training in the S&T I did a couple of stints at Tinsley, once with the telecoms department (located in the main office block) and once with the Tinsley linesmen in their office and workshop below Tinsley Tower. Sometimes a wagon leaving the hump would stall on one of the Dowty retarders and the signalman in the tower would phone the linesmen, who would all give the wagon a push to get it rolling again. It was customary for the linesmen to thumb a lift on light engines leaving the top shed if they had a job at Shepcote Lane box. It was good fun getting to ride on the footplate when working there!

Yes, I can remember my late father mentioning it once. It was probably a provision of the Pharmacy and Poisons Act 1933, repealed by the Poisons Act 1972. My father had considerable knowledge of the law having served in two government police forces and two county police forces. (When he changed tack he became a senior trade union official and was asked by the local Chair of the Bench, a family friend and member of a prominent political family, to become a Magistrate. He declined the offer).

Thanks, it would be nice if the supplier would let people in on the secret on their web page. I've come across other model railway sites which omit to let potential purchasers know what scale they are catering for. It's just common sense to let people know what the product specifications are isn't it?.