Mike_Walker

As we seem to have escaped these shores, here's a few from the Long Island Rail Road. Jay Tower at the west (city) end of Jamaica station. Hall Tower at the east end of Jamaica station. B Tower at Bethpage with a nice gantry of PRR position light signals. PD Tower at Patchogue where the Montauk line enters "dark territory". Engineer Reggie Tonry scoops up train orders from PD operator Joanne Sunderland.

To say nothing of Bionic Duckweed - Roger Ford's preferred fuel source of the future !

I'm not sure this correct. I've reviewed the NR Scheme Plans for the Reading project (I prepare train crew route diagrams for GWR and other TOCs) which make no reference to altering the alignments of Relief lines and Loop at any stage during the project only alterations to the signalling and designations. On scheme plans, new works are shown in red, items to be recovered in green and unaltered remains black. On all stages the lines in question are shown in black and, personally, I don't recall the present layout being changed at any time during the works. Regarding the Slough - Iver area back in 2014 Mark Hopwood and I drew up a scheme to provide a 5 track passenger railway all the way from Farnham Road (west of Slough) all the way to Hanwell Bridge Junction. The additional line would have been on the Up or north side and would require considerable rebuilding of all the stations and many bridges although replacing the Wharncliffe Viaduct was seen as a step too far! The idea was to provide additional capacity to accommodate Crossrail and would make the present Up Relief bi-directional with "tidal flow" operations, used for Up trains in the morning peak, Down in the evening. It was submitted to NR by GWR as part of bids for CP6 but failed to fly.

They last ran on 28/12. All have gone for scrap at Sims Metals except for three cars of 332001 which are to become "gate guardians" at Siemens' new assembly pant at Goole. The five Class 360/2 Heathrow Connect units have been acquired by Rail Operations Group and moved to MoD Bicester for storage pending conversion for their planned logistics operations. The OOC HEx depot is now being cleared and will be vacated by Siemens by the end of this months allowing demolition to take place during March.

Kennet loop was upgraded from Goods to Passenger standards as part of the Reading project.

And here's the interior of Crianlarich Upper. 23 April 1984.

Portugal was a good AEC customer.

Signal DM203A at Cockwood Harbour. Not caused directly by the weather, but by a boat moored in the Exe Estuary which broke free and was driven ashore colliding with the signal. As a result all Down traffic is being operated over the Up line between Exeter West and Teignmouth with pilot working. The UM is not provided with bi-directional signalling except between Dawlish Warren at Teignmouth and the layout of crossovers means that once a Down train crosses to the Up at Exeter West (By the Exe relief channel bridge) it cannot regain the Down line until it reaches Teignmouth. As a result there were severe delays and cancellations. XC services terminating at Exeter in extreme weather conditions is normal, the Voyagers do not like passing through the "Dawlish Train Wash". The IETs aren't too happy either despite assurances from Hitachi that they would cope...

My apologies, I stand corrected. Could have sworn it wasn't there last time I passed through although I wasn't looking. Back in the old days before the station was "rationalised" and the King Edward Court shopping centre built (now Windsor Yards), American tourists would arrive by train, jump in a taxi and ask to be taken to the castle. The cabbie would oblige and exit via Goswell Lane, drive round town for a while and drop them off outside the castle opposite Central Station. The AM Slough and local council were forever getting complaints!

Great Western Journal 35, Summer 2000 has a reproduction of a Swindon drawing for a "GWR standard 6' x 6' corrugated iron hut" dated Feb 1904 if that's of use.

In addition to the Nationals that Jamaica film also shows many Leyland-MCW 'Olympic's. Here's an example of the early "Home Range" version "deskinned" for Weymann's official photographer. Apparently they had 150 Nationals.

Or this... Leyland Vehicles UTJ595M was a 1973 Leyland National 1151/1R/2811 with C22F body configured for executive commuting with desks etc. The larger pod contained air conditioning equipment. It failed to attract any buyers!

Though I'd add a few here. For me buses ceased to be of interest when the started putting the engine in the back and they all looked like boxes. I had an uncle who was a draughtsman at Weymann's in Addlestone and he gave me a collection of official company images which I shall share. Starting from two inside the works. Several 3RT3s in various stages of construction. A batch of what appear to be dual entrance-exit AEC Regals under construction for Lisbon. Anyone able to offer further details?

Three from the Southern. Bollo Lane Junction Signal Box built by the LSWR in 1878 and closed in June 2012. The typical Southern Railway signal box at Richmond built in 1939. It controls the NLL from Richmond to Gunnersbury. As it's in the news at the moment, Brading IoW.

According to 'Bus Lists on the Web' it's a Leyland Swift (not to be confused with an earlier AEC product of that name) with a home built PMT body which figures, surely no commercial bodybuilder with come up with something that ugly?! Those EL D/D bodies always looked as if the front was about to fall off.

Sadly not, it disappeared after the exhibition closed and the area turned into the shopping mall. I can't understand how they were allowed to convert the Royal waiting room into a bar!

A couple from heritage lines: Chinnor. This was originally at Mouldsworth near Chester, built in 1894 and closed in 1967. It was saved from destruction by enthusiast Ken Cruse and moved to his garden in Littlewick Green Berkshire, in 1975 where it controlled his 5" miniature railway for 32 years. After his death it was offered to the C&PRR and moved once more to Chinnor. The superb replica of Midsomer Norton South 'Box complete with adjacent greenhouse.

Yes, it was. Used by Thames Valley (later Alder Valley) services terminating in the town but not LT/LCBS.

The 'Box shown at Hungerford was a replacement for the original GWR 'Box which stood on the same side of the line but the other side of the crossing which was demolished by a derailed freight in 1971. This "Plywood Wonder" was formerly at Bristol East Depot.

That is, of course, Bicester London Road on the old LNW Varsity route. The area looks very different today. The station has been named Bicester Village by Chiltern Railways (in recognition of the nearby retail park) but it hasn't gone down well with the locals. The old station was latterly Bicester Town.

Brilliant news - best I've heard for ages. Something to occupy a couple of days when I should be modelling!

Probably some form of Engineer's mess coach.

An old friend of mine once told me of how he was driving an Alder Valley FLF along the Farnham Road in Slough. Having pulled up at a stop, his Clippie sought his assistance with persuading a passenger on the lower deck to desist from smoking. Job done, he was just about to return to the cab when there was a pronounced thump at the rear of the bus - a car had driven straight into it. The driver then accused my friend of reversing into him! My friend gave him a stare worthy of Paddington Bear and pointed out that: "The engine is off, it is in neutral, the handbrake is on and I wasn't even in the cab". After the usual pleasantries had been exchanged, he went back to his cab, pausing only to enquire: "How do you stop your car if there's no bus about?" Another friend currently drives the Oxford Tube - or does when it's operating. A couple of years ago he tells me they had an incident with a pedestrian. In a similar fashion to Alastairq's story above, a jogger ran straight out a park into the side of one of their vehicles whilst it was making a pick up so hard he knocked himself out! After he came to, it was agreed by all parties, including the attending police officers, that the Tube had done him a favour. If it hadn't been there the jogger would probably go straight into the busy road and been mown down.

That last one looks to be inspired by the WRs "plywood Wonders" or was it the other way around?

Sorry, no. It was the best part of half a century ago . As far as I can remember they were just ordinary vans. It was the fact they were marooned that caught my attention.