Gwiwer

Yes. But not on the Strood - Paddock Wood line. They do come through Strood from St. Pancras but turn sharp left for Rochester and stations to Margate.

Meeting violence with greater violence only ups the ante. Meeting wanton destruction and lawlessness with firm resolve and zero-tolerance might seem preferable but also a little idealistic. Between those two there is a fine balance and a need to restore law and order. Bringing troops onto the streets will only inflame passions and exacerbate the violent response in the short term in my opinion. We are then faced with the same conundrum as existed in Northern Ireland for many years; what role do they play on a day-to-day basis and when do they leave? However based on the experience of the 80s from Brixton and other areas there is limited life to the novelty value in this sort of behaviour and the worst of the spontaneous copy-cat actions may fizzle out after a couple more days. The safety valve will have been released and tensions lowered to a somewhat more manageable level. Normal policing may then be adequate to deal with the determined ringleaders and remaining hot spots of trouble. Whether the availability and immediacy of social networking has had much to do with the events may come out in the wash. News travels pretty quickly by all sorts of methods. Thirty-odd years ago it did so by word of mouth and land-line phones. In Australia we are seeing patchy news reports with no real way of knowing whether a 5-second clip of something is a true reflection of the overall situation or not. Just as the classic footage of police charging through Trafalgar Square on horseback during the Poll Tax Riot does not altogether fairly reflect the full nature of day's events; I was there - it was largely peaceful until something or someone triggered the violence. Stay safe over there and don't let the unruly element grind you down.

Much the same chain of events occurred around 20 years ago starting in north London again. That was long before we had social networking sites. So far most of the areas affected seem to be very mixed culturally and many have a long history of tension between certain communities and the Police. That does not condone any form of civil unrest but might offer some background as to why one apparently isolated incident and a peaceful protest which followed ignited flashpoints in apparently unconnected areas. I was innocently caught up in rioting in Leyton and Walthamstow in the last significant period of unrest in London. It's a real concern for those who simply wish to carry on with peaceful lives since nothing is sacred to those intent on destruction. There may be some evidence that key targets are picked but most victims are quite innocent including the hijacking and burning of buses since they are "easy" and high-profile items. Keep your heads down and stay safe until this violence passes, as it surely will.

The service was advertised as second class only for the most part and would therefore have been worked by single or paired 2EPB units. There were some exceptions. Through trains to and from London (most of which ran via Strood but a few at times have run via Paddock Wood) generally had both classes of travel and were worked by 2x2Hap. These would have been attached to / detached from more coaches at Strood or Tonbridge. The very occasional appearance of a 4Cep was sufficiently noteworthy as to be commented upon in the various "unusual workings" sections of enthusiast magazines. In later years some 2EPB units were modified for conductor-guard working on this route. If memory serves they had a door cut through from the guard's brake into the saloon in the DMBS and all interior solid panels were opened out.

Based on the images seen so far I agree though that would take 10 seconds to modify with a mapping pen.

Motorbike or pushbike? Both can be insured. I suspect premiums are on the way up as a consequence of the GFC which will have affected insurer's strategic reserves. There might indeed have been a clutch of dodgy claims either from your area or made to your insurer either of which has a potential to affect future premiums. A 33% hike is quite steep all the same. Were you offered or paying a discounted rate before for any reason other than a no-claim bonus? That discount might have been withdrawn. It always pays to shop around. As you say you already have one of the cheaper polices available but have you tried the approach of calling your insurer and telling them you have a competitive quote from a rival for (say 10% lower than what your insurer asks) and can they match it to keep your business and loyalty? There is usually some leeway for them to do this but you don't know until you ask. My car insurance has hardly risen in cost over 10 years simply through using that tactic. It is therefore far cheaper in real terms than it was 10 years ago for the same cover

Beside a fair bit of maintenance to keep things looking presentable there have been plenty of short running sessions as the evenings steadily get lighter. In Virgin Trains livery a class 221 "Super Voyager" set pictured in what could be a scene from a sleepy rural branch but is actually on the main line at Penhayle Bay Just up the line the 221 emerges from the "up" bore of Nansglaw Tunnel with low sunlight at the far end showing through the down tunnel. A rear-on view of a freight at Penhayle Bay shows that all the wagons in this rake have had light weathering applied over the winter though I am a bit suspicious as to why one seems to have fingerprints on the roof! The 37 will be growling away on full bore as it squeals around the reverse curves and lifts its load up the short sharp 1:36 gradient to the summit. The loco is a ViTrains class 37 bought to use as a test-bed for weathering and has also been dirtied slightly as seen better here. High on the viaduct a class 158 dmu is pictured crossing with a Regional Railways service. While to prove it is always summer, on the layout at least, here's that Voyager set again heading through the sand dunes under a fair sky.

The sort who is smart enough to go online and research the answers

Not originally from Mark Twain. Most references suggest he in turn attributes it to Benjamin Disraeli. There are numerous other attributions and is probable that we shall never have a single definitive source to cite.

"There are lies, damned lies and statistics" (O. Wilde, attrib.) If you believe it is valid research then fine. Won't stop me using Safari

Was not the unit in question laser-scanned? If so I would have to ask a few questions on the rendering of those scans into plastic. The "1963" type emu front end is pretty much generic across the major classes of Cig, Big, Vep, Rep and TC so if Hornby get this right the tooling is set up for future releases of the other types. But if it's wrong now .............. As with the criticism of the Beattie Well Tanks it isn't always easy to be fair and objective when comparing photos of models with photos of the real thing. What can be done now that some samples are here is to compare an actual model with an actual Vep. As well as taking the fine measuring instruments to the model for verification.

Numerous other comments in the parallel thread here. Maybe it's time to merge the topics? Done

Agreed. Only 7808 was delivered new in b/g until the next batch from 7816 commenced delivery. 7808 was officially a trial AIUI but entered traffic at the time when plain blue was giving way to b/g more widely anyway and when the Veps were increasingly regarded as "main line stopping" units as opposed to "outer suburban".

Roy - the Veps as delivered in blue syp had all the aluminium brightwork unpainted. Window frames and headcode panel frame - the lot. Those delivered in fye had the headcode frame painted yellow but the window frames were not painted until 7808 was delivered (b/g from new) which had them painted in the grey colour. Subsequently Veps lost the unpainted trim as they went through the paint shop though I believe some retained unpainted window frames (and bars over the door droplights) until the advent of NSE livery.

From the video clip the set number font appears wrong and slightly out of position, the application of yellow around the gangway end is not quite how I remember them (though that memory has to go back a few years) and again from memory the yellow first class band was the full width of the upper panel not just the narrow strip Hornby show; the second (b/g) image posted above has it right while the first is as preserved in rebuilt form not original. Are there sufficient roof-mounted air vents; they seem too few in number? Nonetheless a quite competent rendering of the unit. As always I'm quite prepared to stand corrected particularly where memory is concerned.

Going back to the "as-built" condition of the units VEPs were equipped with pull-down roller window blinds on all three of the compartment-side windows which adjoined the side corridor. The one in the sliding door recessed into a housing which projected slightly into the corridor (as it could not project into the compartment since that would have prevented the door being opened) while the other two had housings projecting into the compartment. From memory all blinds were at least originally of a leathercloth or vinyl type material and beige in colour which incorporated the initials BR in an oval logo at intervals. Each first class compartment had a sliding door to the side corridor with the upper panelling in a pale blue melamine-type material and the lower in dark blue Rexine. Doors were hung from runners above the compartment and on the corridor side and were guided by a single brass strip along the floor. The original first class seating was three-a-side in a charcoal moquette with a checkerboard design of approximately 1cm squares in shades of grey. Armrests were provided which would fold up if required but were invariably lowered to jealously guard the additional seat width offered. Remember the second / standard class was in 3+2 in these units so rather "cosy". Upholstery was less generous than for main line Cig / Big / Cep / Bep / Rep / TC units of much the same age.

I see a lot of white space here but the computer tells me everything has loaded therefore I hope I'm not missing something vital but: Rod Stewart's version of Sailing always stood head and shoulders above Gavin Sutherland's original for me. EDIT - it appears the white space is caused by embedded links which are not visible to me while using a computer which blocks them. It follows therefore that I cannot upload them either.

I take note of the comments above and in particular that from Mod 5. Any passing is an occasion of sadness and mourning for those left behind. Those who had no choice and succumbed to an apparently random act in Norway cannot be directly compared with someone who has made some lifestyle choices in all probability knowing the potential outcome of them. I have made some wrong choices along the way. I have also made some good ones. And I am far from perfect and not about to preach to anyone. A couple of years ago I helped a close friend cope with the loss of her son through drug overdose. He knew what he was about and knew the potential outcome but continued anyway. It didn't even rate a mention in the local paper. From my point of view music has lost a talented individual whether or not one liked her style which I did not. That much I respect. I cannot find the same respect for the person who knowingly makes choices, learns the outcomes and then chooses to continue along the same path to the end. The official verdict may or may not indicate the same as the media are speculating upon as to cause of death. On balance of probability I feel there will be only one cause found. What kind of role model is this for the generation whom she sought to entertain and earn her living from? What message does it send to have so much media hype and speculation over one potentially avoidable passing compared with the lesser amount of air time, cyberspace and column inches devoted to a devastating event in Norway of a scale and kind seldom seen anywhere except possibly in the US? We mourn, we move on and we must keep a focus on the relative scale and importance of events.

Platform length at Liverpool Lime Street might have been a constraint. Given that a Mk3 is 23m long and a Mk2 around 21m too many of the former might have placed the train outside signal limits. For every six Mk2 coaches only five Mk3 were needed as replacements since fewer coaches gave the same capacity.

Six more weeks? Hardly a long wait. The MR sample may well have been air-freighted over for review while the main batch is at sea somewhere. MR and Kernow between them have also noted on FB pages that the motor IS in the passenger saloon as per the earlier renderings. I find that a great shame when the brake could have been used to hide it on the as-built version and to at least hide some of it on the rebuilt ones. Instead it is full view through the windows with no realistic way to conceal a large black lump.

The person who starts this year's inevitable "Hornby foam" speculation topic

It is very hard to tell for sure from the images seen so far but, including the shot MR published of their newly-arrived sample, the gangway connection looks to be a little too fat and rounded. A bit like lips with too much collagen. But not an insuperable "fix" for the skilled modeller. I'll wait to hear informed opinions as the Veps arrive before making a decision on purchase.

spelling copied from original As personal opinions your comments are valid. eBay is a place where any registered user may sell almost anything. Some is junk without doubt. Some is occasionally described in rather optimistic terms. However I personally have not found "dodgy deals" to be the norm but very much the exception. They occur but they occur on the High Street as well particularly where second-hand goods are involved. Many eBay sellers actually take considerable care to describe and illustrate their items fairly and many are not second-hand or "junk" but brand new or at least unused and in unopened packing. Bids can often exceed what many of us consider to be the value of the items listed but as with any auction (online or otherwise) something is as worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. Caveat emptor, or Buyer beware, most certainly applies.

It is my understanding that an eBay seller must not in any way misrepresent the items they list. This includes having either images of the actual item or of an identical equivalent. Use of library or "stock" pictures is common among the large volume sellers. If I spot a mismatch of image to listing I will always message the seller (assuming there is time) to alert them and query the actual item offered. If there is insufficient time then I won't bid. EBay should indeed be informed of whiat might be a listing error if attempts to get a response from the seller have failed. It might be a genuine error (I have had two of these come through but both speedily resolved)or it might not. We don't know. Include copies of your emails when you make your eBay report and be aware that although they usually acknowledge quickly they are notoriously poor at any sort of tangible follow-up. Distance selling laws vary between countries and eBay sites. You should act according to advice on you local site.

Which still makes the choice of headcode 44 unusual. Codes divisible by 11 were originally not allocated to electric stock or only for routes they might very seldom work. The logic lay in that these codes needed two identical numbered stencil plates on older types and avoidance of 11, 22 etc. minimised the numbers of stencils needed in each cab. "Doubles" were normally allocated to diesel-worked routes. The issue disappeared with the advent of roller blinds but until stencil plates vanished (with the last Subs) "doubles" such as 44 were still seldom seen on electrified routes. The use of such codes has become more widespread in recent years but it would still be unusual to see a Vep on a Charing Cross - Gravesend via Sidcup working. Very few trains (if any) ran through to the Medway Valley by that route. For those of us who wish to represent a particular route I hope the headcodes from Hornby are more easily changed than on the Bachmann emus. I would have thought plain 4 might be more appropriate for a unit coming through Margate (Charing Cross - Tonbridge - Dover - Margate)