Mike_Walker

Except that the Chiltern 68's differ from the TPE ones and are not interchangeable. In any case, the future of Chiltern's LHCS operations is under review and may be ending in the not too distant future, their use has already been reduced. Regarding the noise issue, when Chiltern operated 67s there were complaints about the noise overnight from those living near to Stourbridge Junction depot. Before the use of 68s was confirmed 68002 was sent to Stourbridge and its lower noise level compared to the 67s got a thumbs up from the locals. I had heard that EWR will be operated by "spare" LNwR class 198s no longer required due to the post-Covid reductions.

Possibly, yes.

Reminds me how Henry Crun and Minnie Banister got stuck down there in the Goons' Last Tram. Bluebottle got "deaded", naturally.

Not without huge expense and you can't see the DafT agreeing to that and you have the training issues alluded too previously. The only possible alternative would be Class 67s but they are also RA8 and would need modification to work with the Mk5s (as indeed were the 68s). None of the remaining earlier BR types come anywhere near being suitable. Both GWR and XC operate HSTs modified with power doors and accessible toilets without any apparent issues.

One small snag with that. Class 68s are RA8. can they work over all the routes operated by the HSTs? And why are the Scottish HSTs so unreliable? No one else seems to have had much trouble over the past 40+ years.

Mike, it's much worse than that - only four diagrams daily due to reliability issues and a lack of trained crews. AIUI within the set they are fixed formation like your typical MU.

Actually, the GWR drivers did have to do a one day conversion course before signing the Castle HSTs as they have a number of detail differences from their full-fat brethren, most notably power interlocks for the doors on the train. However, it wasn't so long a course as learning a completely new type. I would say it is almost impossible that the Nova 3s will migrate to the south west. As others have pointed out, the DfT seem hell bent on reducing the size of the GWR fleet even if that means short forms and/or cancellations (for which, of course, GWR will be penalised). It has been suggested that some of TfWs 158s might be transferred and 150s but the latter will be the last to be released by TfW probably not before 2025/6. Nothing has been said officially to indicate this will be the case. Anyway, as has been pointed out on another forum, the use of "new" trains on Class 2 services* west of the Taunton Down LOS is strictly verboten! There would be an opportunity to retraction the Night Riviera if GWR got their hands on the 68s but that might require modifications to the locos or stock or both and, given the complexity of the sleeper's operations east of Exeter, driver training would be a long and expensive process which is why any thoughts of replacing the 57s (with 93s or 99's) are for now on hold. * The Nova 3s are newer than our IETs.

Thanks Rob, praise indeed from such a talented modeller as yourself! Yes they are Tasma Products and would be suitable for O gauge.

As it's a bank holiday Old Ged is busy hoeing his prize winning cabbages and cauliflowers. I don’t know what “muck” he’s using but they aren’t ‘arf growing well! They were listed as OO but they actually look much too big to me so I think I’ll replace them with some N gauge ones. Meanwhile, Sam the Shunter or is it George the Ganger (depends if there’s a train about or not) is contemplating how great life is in the Camel Valley.

As it's a bank holiday Old Ged is busy hoeing his prize winning cabbages and cauliflowers. I don’t know what “muck” he’s using but they aren’t ‘arf growing well! They were listed as OO but they actually look much too big to me so I think I’ll replace them with some N gauge ones. Meanwhile, Sam the Shunter or is it George the Ganger (depends if there’s a train about or not) is contemplating how great life is in the Camel Valley.

Here is a classic example. 6165 brings a down passenger train into Bourne End formed of a variety of stock, a LMS brake, a BR Mark 1, a GWR Hawksworth compartment coach and a SR van for good measure in 1961. Photo by Mike Peart from the Marlow & District Railway Society archive.

I would also question the caption that 6106 was photographed at Reading a "few months before withdrawal". I believe it was the last steam loco overhauled at Swindon and on return to Southall she was a regular on the High Wycombe pilot for many weeks and was kept in immaculate condition. We schoolboys from the Wycombe Technical High School saw it every lunchtime. It later got sent to Bromsgrove for banking duties and photos there show it was still well cared for. In the picture at Reading it looks too shabby.

As long as you don't bump into Doc Martin on the way! 😁

A couple of pictures from that infamous day, 9 February 1986. 59002 having been declared a failure at Woodborough. Mutterings of "we told you so" and "what are we going to do now..." 56055 and 56031 to the rescue and dragging 59002 away from Savernake. I later got to know someone very senior in EMD who admitted it was not their finest hour and actually a huge embarrassment. I was told it was a simple wiring error made worse by the same arrangement having been used in every EMD product for the preceding 20 or more years.

Before someone asks; VCB: Vacuum Circuit Breaker.

Fine, but from where?! 😁

Kevin, can I ask which nursery you got the plants from or did you grow them yourself?

Simply superb.

Oops should have looked more closely! 😊

Interesting; that the bridge is posted as 14' 0" yet that bus is a highbridge type around 14' 6". Perhaps the middle bit is marked as 14' 6" hard to tell. The reverse of what existed in Staines where a bridge was posted as 14' 9" but clearance was actually less as London Country found out the hard way when they took a brand new Atlantean under it. Investigations showed that a Routemaster just squeezed under without the clearance everyone thought it had!

To confirm, I understand there was no error on the part of the driver so it was obviously down to a failure of the equipment either on the train or lineside. Hitachi and GWR are conducting an investigation.

Yes they are and the distance between the end of the OLE and the next bridge is 33 chains. 1C78 was non-stop so potentially was travelling at up to 110mph so whether this allows sufficient time for the ADD to activate I can't say. Given that automated power changes take place probably hundreds of times daily across the GW network (and elsewhere) without incident and those such as this can be counted on the fingers of one hand since they were introduced would suggest that is far from the case.

Not really, the automatic end operation of the pantograph and engine management at the boundary of the OLE takes a task out of the driver's responsibility allowing him to concentrate on the safe operation of the train. In this case not all trains stop at Newbury to effect a manual changeover. The driver can see this has happened correctly from the TMS display in the cab and should therefore intervene if it does not. As mentioned, the pan on 800316 failed to lower yesterday and hit the first bridge beyond the end of the OLE which at Newbury extends far enough west of the station to enable a turnback move to be made over the crossover. To early to say what/why but no doubt several "please explains" have been circulating. It is quite permissible to switch manually between diesel and electric only operation at full line speed in specifically designated areas and elsewhere at low speed (IIRC up to 20mph).

They are but something went wrong with 1C78 today - either the balise or on the train. It's happened there before apparently.

Even a green 9F