Gwiwer

Oh my goodness. Such things are seldom heard of. In which case the only possible answer is a diagonal shift to that lesser-celebrated locale of CALEDONIAN ROAD

Morning all. I regret that I have utterly failed to cover myself in tiny spots of white paint. The master bedroom and en-suite bathroom are however now white ex-mushroom and looking much better for a few hours work with brushes and rollers. I must now go and soak in the bath to remove the inevitable grime and perspiration before dining. And before attempting to remove the carpet which has today acted as a drop sheet protecting the floorboards beneath which are due to be sanded and varnished as part of the move-out process.

Utterly unconnected with SWT other than being an MTR franchise but the Melbourne suburban network offers single journey times of up to 75 minutes and a maximum cross-city trip time of just over two hours. Not a single vehicle has a toilet, neither do many stations, and there is not a murmur of discontent from the large number of wheelchair users conveyed every day. British trains may indeed be over-providing at the expense of the great majority of their customer base. Noted, however, that the class 707 units have no toilets and neither did their forebears on the Windsor lines namely the EPB and SUB fleets.

Even the WR used double-headed 37s on some expresses for a time. That's something I have never seen modelled yet would be very easy to show. Every day these 600s get a little closer. I can hear the distant chug of one even now coasting down the bank with an overnight working from London and easing back for the Hayle stop.

The 442s are based upon the standard Mk3 body shell so ought to be no different in height to the vast fleet of those vehicles which didn't - and still doesn't - seem to attract much negative press regards access. The real difference is in the door widths and therein lies a challenge for any future user. That said the way and the expertise exists as Chiltern has proved very successfully

Morning all. Beautiful Autumn day here with a sunny 17C. Seems like a perfect day for emptying the lounge, ripping out the carpet and painting the ceiling and walls. I shall return. Possibly sporting an application of tiny white spots.

The 707s are unlikely to be welcomed by passengers (not sure about staff opinions) where ever they end up. My guess is that they will enter service with SWT because the process has already been rolled out but will have very short lives there. GTR operates the class 700 fleet which is very similar and might take a fleet of suburban-specification 10-car trains for Southern's services currently operate by 455 or 377/1, 2 and 4 units. Of those the former is almost time-served and the latter wholly unsuited to suburban work and could be returned to main line duties offering increased capacity in the form of 12-car trains where 8 run now. 707s ought also to be able to run short-haul trips through the Thameslink core if fitted with suitable signalling equipment.

My family and friends on the Isle of Wight are also actively wondering what "more modern trains" might mean. They are also keenly aware that the Island line loses significant amounts of money and is unlikely to become profitable. In short it does not stack up for the usual investment criteria even if superannuated 1973 stock were released from the Piccadilly Line. The Bakerloo Line 1972 stock is slightly older but the '73 stock is expected to be replaced first by the under-development future tube train design. In other words London trains are not coming to the IoW any time soon.

DDA compliance will be an issue. Anyone who has attempted to board a 455 knows that. The steps from platform to train are in some cases very large and without an on-board person to assist with a ramp there could be breaches of the Act. What ever a new franchisee might promise new rolling stock to replace a fleet that size isn't going to be whistled up out of thin air within a 7-year franchise. I am already wondering how some of the so-called promises are going to be met and whether the government has been hoodwinked (or blinded by numbers preceded with a £ sign) and is this new mob offering something completely unachievable. The government has been proven wrong before when dazzled by £££ as two failed franchises on the ECML testify. The sheer number of additional "seats", however these are arranged, to and from Waterloo has me asking where the track capacity will come from. Some additional platform capacity will be created this August with 1-4 extended to 10 cars and the former International station is being returned to suburban use. But beyond the station there is still a finite amount of track capacity and longer trains take longer to clear the sections and critical pointwork and platforms. It isn;t clear (to me - have I missed something?) whether these additional seats are in fact additional over and above the 10-car scheme already being introduced under the SWT franchise or are they even more? If the former then this is misleading propaganda because these increases have already been announced and work is well under way to deliver them. As passengers on the Windsor lines and some main line stopping services have already noticed. The journey time reductions seem unlikely without removing some popular stops and as was mentioned above the Woking flyover will be required before very much can be saved there. The longer distance trains are already timed to just about the limit of the road, station dwell times are increasing as patronage booms so there's nothing to be saved there. Carving chunks of time out of an Exeter run is a recipe for disaster until the entire route is double-tracked; it has taken a lot of work and a lot of money to get that route to where it is today after the cuts of the 1960s and 1970s and to undo it by making the timetable too tight could return it to those dark days. I also question the reality of recycling the 442s. It is said by those who know them that they need a large amount of work done to ensure their continued reliability and safe operation. To replace all the traction gear will take many months, there are other issues which require attention and then the "new" units must be tested and drivers familiarised. The 442s have been off the SW for long enough now that few drivers will retain traction knowledge. Lots of money, perhaps three to four years (of a seven year franchise) before we see results and a catalogue of missed "Promised by" dates to answer for.

Only to a rather modest extent on a few journeys. London - Exeter is still firmly GWR territory based on journey time and it's often the cheaper as well. Waterloo - Bristol isn't really intended as a serious end-to-end option and to me looks like an ORCATS raid as the SWT services are very close in time to GWR ones north of Salisbury. You might find it hard to argue for diminution of competition over London - Reading when both Waterloo and Paddington have had established services for many years and again the former is not a serious end-to-end contender for most traffic. I suspect, without having any knowledge nor corroboration, that the tail will wag the dog much as it does on the ECML. I'd be willing to bet MTR have fronted the money and the deal with First is that the British group takes the larger share of the open risk acting as front man while MTR collect their secured share and ship it offshore pronto.

And some ..... very unofficially of course. In 1967 many drivers had just converted from steam and had displayed their exuberance on the main line with the final exploits of the Bulleids. Some continued with those exploits when they discovered how powerful a 4Rep was. Especially when coupled to just a single 4TC instead of two. My all-time third-rail speed record, timed by stopwatch and corroborated by the intermediate cab speedometer which was visible from the passenger gangway, arose on such a trip. Let's just say it was fast. Very fast indeed.

I am rather disappointed that Stagecoach was unsuccessful in obtaining a further term. They haven't been perfect but they have produced high levels of customer satisfaction, a generally reliable and punctual railway within their areas of control and have attempted to balance demand with capacity through some pricing initiatives. They have instigated major improvements to regional Somerset service levels and not even on their own patch either. Whether you consider the Frome and Yeovil services to be genuinely meeting demand or opportunistic ORCATS raiding who would have thought under BR, and even under the innovative and progressive NSE, that such options might one day exist? I am aghast that the combination of First and MTR has been allowed to take over. First has a very average reputation managing British rail franchises and its local bus operations have been almost constantly criticised. The Group was teetering on some sort if brink when Sir Moir Lockhead retired and has only been saved by some drastic pruning and returning certain management functions to a more localised level. I still have little confidence in them. MTR operates a number of franchises globally and some RMwebbers will be aware that I am employed by one of them. My opinion is that the Melbourne suburban rail franchise is nothing more than a money-grab. Staff morale has plummeted, there have been strikes for the first time in the private era due to erosion of conditions and the unwillingness of the company to negotiate - rather they attempted to steamroller through changes which would have removed conditions, pay and many jobs altogether. Maintenance has fallen by the wayside to the extent that a large number of track faults has simply been removed from the records as not requiring attention. The network is littered with mudholes, temporary speed restrictions and faulty equipment which is only repaired if it prevents trains running. MTR is in business to make money for China from other administrations. Let there be no mistake - this will be on the agenda at SWT and we can expect large sums of money to go overseas via the back or the front doors. While many staff will transfer over under TUPE they might find they have to bargain very hard to retain employment and conditions in the future. The British government has made its choice. A short franchise may mean limited investment but the current fleet is either relatively young or has been quite recently facelifted or repowered. It is, as ever, the British public (which will include myself as a SWT customer from mid-May) who has to live with these decisions. Other opinions, whether or not based upon actual experience of daily operation. may be available. Enjoy SWT while you may. I fear the franchise is destined to take a sharply downhill course. * * * * * * One one point above the fast Waterloo - Weymouth services introduced at electrification did not call at Southampton Airport; they were non-stop between Waterloo and Southampton and thence to and from Bournemouth. For many years the airport station (which only became a Parkway more recently) was served by the semi-fast Waterloo - Bournemouth trains (Waterloo, Woking, Basingstoke, Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton Airport, Southampton, Brockenhurst, Christchurch and Bournemouth). Clapham Junction stops are also more recent and while of use to many are certainly not required on all trains. Pathing might be the issue which dictates the number of stops here rather than demand since if all trains observe the same stopping pattern then capacity should be optimised.

Are the seat backs high enough? And is red an appropriate colour for them accepting that a generic single-colour moulding has to be used for reasonable economy?

People have criticised banger blue for being a plain and boring livery but I found the single grey even duller. Adding a red stripe only marginally improved things. But that's a lovely piece of work Peter and with few clues apart from the curved bar of the Kadee to suggest it's a model.

1. Excellent news. 2. They do indeed have quite a number of commissions coming through about now. It ins't always possible to predict accurately when a project might be delivered when it is instigated but going back to the initial announcements the gate stock and the other items now appearing in a near-ready or on-the-shelf condition have been spread out over several years so might in an ideal world have been delivered likewise and thus not loaded the cabinet quite so heavily! I know that cabinet well. And just how heavy it is. A larger one would take at least two people to safely shift.

Time you knew better

Greetings to all. Special thoughts with those who have failed to adjust their clocks overnight and are waking an hour earlier than they expected Also commiserations to those who might be in any way connected with today's special event in the UK as the Calendar Gods have seen fit to remove an hour's sleep from all mums thus denying them the luxury of a full night's sleep before Mothering Sunday. Today marked the final Australian Grand Prix with which I shall have any form of involvement. I can't tell you who wins despite our time now being 10 hours ahead of the UK. I'm an ER not a Time Lord Significant crowds were handled on a beautifully warm day. Mostly in good humour too though some sore heads were evident from, perhaps, all-night sessions in the city pubs and clubs. I have worked a total of eight Grands Prix over the years, five with the trams and three on the railways. Today was in many ways very satisfying as we all pulled together to shift the crowds quickly in the way only public transport can do. All is reported well upon the Hill of Strawberries. i shall talk to mum later as my sister and I are making a special event of today for her in view of the recent loss. Tomorrow the cat has his rabies shot - provided I can catch him and get him in the basket!!! - and then it's back to the Palace for a late turn. I hope you can all manage to have a good Sunday.

Aside from the lining on the green one the white lining on the b/g one is wrong where it curves at the car ends. It should have a barely discernible curve to it, which can be reproduced in model scale, but should not have the large-radius curvature seen here. Neither should the corners be right-angled. Perhaps Dapol have taken too literally the issue of "no first-radius curves" I also am not convinced by any of the car-end exhausts not the exhaust pipework to the underframes but as these are EPS let's wait and see what the final samples offer.

Now that London has succumbed to the "out-of-town" shopping mall and traditional High Street supermarkets are thin on the ground a bus trip is often the only way for those who choose to live without cars. That will include us. There is so little need for a car that we can do without. But a decent-sized supermarket requires a trip to Kingston (10 minutes on the train then a short walk to Sainsburys) or perhaps an online order placed for delivery when we're home. There's Tesco at the back of Twickenham in a location they call Ivybridge (Ivybridge to me is in Devon) but it has no direct bus link in our direction. We might have to check out the Retail Park. On the other hand both Sainsburys and Tesco are doing a community service in buying up large former pubs on strategic street corners and making use of what might otherwise have become long-term eyesores. And there's a decent Waitrose at Twickenham station, but that's not out end of town and requires Sharon to hop off the train and back on a later one, or me to make a special trip for more expensive, but sometimes better quality, groceries than the others offer.

Morning all. Best wishes to those attending Ally Pally. I am obliged to sit it out this year being trapped in the Antipodes. A warm day here, 29C, which is good for late March and the week shy of the clocks changing. No doubt appreciated by the hordes descending upon Albert Park for the final day of practice and qualifying for this year's Grand Prix. It certainly brought out the crowds - today was one of the busiest I can recall. Not without its moments either as the fashion sense was decidedly in favour of breast exposure. Either fully with the absolute minimum covered or the more tantalising intentionally see-through lacy styles which deliberately permitted all to be seen. Either way my colleagues and I came away with a much greater understanding of young Melburnian female anatomy. One moment of "What the ...... " occurred. Middle-aged couple entered the station, were unfamiliar with the ticketing system and network geography and found it necessary to ask. Female half of the couple then said to me "You're so helpful. We're not used to being helped on train stations. Why are you being so helpful?" (No, I don't like the term train station either but that is what most people here use). She then had the temerity to report our helpfulness in the form of a complaint!!! It won't be taken seriously. Talk about darned if you do and darned if you don't. Tomorrow is the Grand Prix itself. I am expecting to be even busier. In preparation tonight's feast is a BBQ of sausages and burgers, with potato wedges thrown in, washed down with a couple of Aussie beers. There are some things I'm going to miss about this place. The beer isn't one of them Be good. Thoughts with all. Ridiculously early alarm call in the morning at 4.00am - on a Sunday - so it's an early night in a while.

Just to confirm that Friday evening running is taking place. The place in Strawberry Hill is very close to the station but a modest walk from any bus. Not a mile but certainly half. Depending upon required destination the nearest is the 33 at Strawberry Hill House (Hammersmith - Fulwell) with the R68 (Kew Retail Park - Hampton Court) only a few yards farther at Cross Deep / Strawberry Vale. There are multiple routes at Twickenham Green which is slightly farther in the opposite direction and we are spoiled for all-night choice by having both the 33 and the N22 up at the Green (Piccadilly Circus - Fulwell) running all night every night.

Many thanks Andrew. Bookmarked for future reference.

I know of no actual club anywhere around here. There are the numerous BRMA members some of whom I am in regular contact with but nowhere with a club room and certainly nowhere with 34 metres of space. Apart from which Penhayle Bay is so firmly built into its location, around fence posts, house plumbing and even being bolted into the brick wall in places that it won't come apart cleanly. Every board is also custom-cut to its own unique shape and size.

I wish you all success in the first non-CK SWAGonia Festival. I am unable to attend due to being temporarily back in the Land Downunder though having relocated successfully to the Strawberry Hill area of Twickenham. My own layout will be enjoying its farewell performance on the 1st April. May I be the first to say "See you in 2018" and, provisionally, to offer my assistance for that event.

Ladies and gents. Just a reminder that next weekend sees the FINAL chance to enjoy Penhayle Bay in operation. Friday evening (only if there is sufficient demand) and Saturday 31st March and 1st April will be the last chance I have to offer an open-house to anyone interested. I shall keep the layout intact until the advertised closure date of 17th April - Easter Monday - but have to work on every other day until then. We have successfully relocated to London and a small flat in the Strawberry Hill area of Twickenham. Rail enthusiasts will be aware that this is also the site of a depot operated by South West Trains and currently home to the Bluebell Railway's preserved class 423 (4Vep) unit in addition to maintaining a fleet of suburban and main-line trains. The space available, smaller than we had expected, means that it will not be possible to retain a working portion of Penhayle Bay. While we have accepted a smaller property than intended or hoped it is in many ways very suitable for us. It is under two minutes' walk from the station which, with Sharon's somewhat restricted mobility, is extremely helpful. She has a reasonably easy and short commute to work at Kew Gardens by way of a change between train and bus at Richmond. We viewed numerous larger places including one I really liked which had a loft conversion that would have been a perfect railway room. However Sharon found the stairs too steep there and in several other places we saw which ruled them out and favoured the ground floor flat we agreed would be our best option. Those who have met Sharon will understand why a step-free (or almost step-free) home and trip to work are desirable. She can manage stairs but often only with some difficulty. The older London houses we saw mostly had rather steep central staircases - and in one instance without a continuous handrail. So what of the immediate future? I have set up my room in the flat with an elevated bed to maximise floor space. There will be space for a couple of sections of Penhayle Bay. There will be room to store Boghouses and return it to operable condition though it would need to normally live flat against a wall. There is room to use the boards originally track-laid for Beer & Branscombe either to finally built the Beer part of that project or, more likely, to build something else entirely. Something else entirely would be Southern electric-themed though I shall find a way to allow steam and perhaps the occasional WR freight to appear. Whether to weather is another conundrum. The flat is newly carpeted and I have no outdoor space of any kind. If I do "dirty stuff" it must be in the bedroom and with the carpet covered with a drop sheet. I already have nearly all the rolling stock I would need and of that nearly all is already weathered meaning I might not need to do too much more. It's "All Change" on the layout front and in many other ways. Come and enjoy Penhayle Bay if you can. While you can.