roythebus1

There was a lorry wedged under the bridge at East Cheam Station yesterday according to a friend who was stuck in the traffic behind it for over half an hour in the Banstead area.

I find it odd that the government are worried about. mere £25m with South Eastern, yet are seemingly unconcerned with the £37bn track and Tracey has cost them, and the £8m ferry company with no ferries, or the PPE stuff not fit for purpose.

You may find you need to use single wheel drive or fit some sort of differential to make the buses corner more easily, just like the real thing. On corners the back wheels need to turn at different speeds.

I worked on the line from 1980 to late 1988. Stock was usually whatever CEP/BEP/VEP was available with the odd 2HAP stuck on for peak workings To see EP stock was very rare and SUBs not at all. SUB stock was "forbidden" west of Woking after the line voltage was upped to 750v. There was also the question of non-compatability between EP and SUB stock. Most trains split or joined with the Basingstoke portions at Woking. I've never seen a DMU on the line, there was no need for them. The only locos were on the oil tank trains, usually a 33 or 47. But of course with the Mad Ants opening in the mid 1980s, through running with all sorts of locos was possible.

I've used Templot successfully on my applemacbook and done the planning for the Alkham Valley layout on it. But that was with the slightly older OS. Everything seemed to work on it, and I've done a couple of other planning projects on it. Don't give up!

Didn't the E3001 have an AL2-ish bogie frame? the Hornby Dublo sideframes were much better, but the wheelbase was too short. The Trix AL1 wheelbase was a bit too long, but the sideframe patterns were made by the late Adrian Swain of ABS models fame and were superbly detailed.

I think you mean knurled wheels? the ones with serrated treads? don't ever try to turn them in a lathe, they'll blunt every tool you use!

Sorting through boxes of stuff cleared out from mum's attic a few years ago I find not one but at least 3 Ks Black Fives. 2 have etched chassis, Romford wheels and Portescap motors, another has the old Ks brass chassis and MW005 motor. I have a Q1 with a couple of bits missing, built once then stripped down, bits of a 2-6-2T loco, and a Beyere-Peacock also part-built with some bits missing. I have one of their p'way wagons with the oblong slots in the side which I put onto an Airfix meat van chassis, at least it runs now! Anyone interesting in taking on these projects pm me. I'd rather them go to a good home.

At least with an Allegro you could hit it with a hammer to get it going.

I seem to remember seeing that Wine is no longer suitable for the latest Mac OS. It would only work with the paid version of Crossover. I had no end of trouble with my Macbook over Christmas when I installed the latest Mac OS (Sierra?) and found Templot didn't work with Wine. As a result I uninstalled the lates OS and reverted to the previous one, in the process pressing the wrong delete button and deleted my backup disc entirely, along with my music collection of over 24,000 songs!! It's taken all this time to try to get most of them back! I haven't tried Templot recently, but it seemed to work on here with the older Mac OS with Crossover. Don't give up with Templot, once you've got it running and mastered the basics (which I'm doing after 12 years of using it) it's a pleasure making track that looks right.

I don't believe there's such a thing as an "etch tool". Surely etching is a photographic and chemical process? Or it was when I was producing kits many years ago. The actual etching is done in an acid bath of sorts. So many people over the years have wanted to "wait for someone" to produce their favourite bit of railway as a kit, but few are prepared to pay the price for what they would actually cost to develop and produce with enough left over for the maker to invest in future products let alone make a living out of it. Then whatever kit is made, someone always finds fault with it, so sales don't go as expected. OK, there's been some bloody awful kits around over the years (MTK tube train anyone?), and some excellent kits. Few have sold in numbers that could earn the maker a living.

When I mentioned the glazing to the C&W Dept. on the KESR they had to get special dispensation from the safety organisation. the galzing is a standard used on buses and coaches and ok for normal road use, but the pressures on rail use are different, especially with passing speeds of up to 200mph (with 2 trains approaching each other doing 100mph). I've had Plaxton coach side windows fall out at much lower speeds due to the bad fit or worn window rubber. As the KESR is unlikey to pass at 200moh closing speeds it was deemed suitable for 25 mph operations!

The van windows seem rather similar to those on "Petros" on the K&ESR. Held in with Claytonrite bus window rubber. https://kesr.org.uk/facilities/petros/

Surely the REPS were converted from existing loco-hauled stock, so were not new build at all.

Which also prompted CJ Freezer coining the phrase "Modelling the Modern Image" on the front cover.

Going at a slight tangent, I note from the K&ESR FB page that their passengers numbers have exceeded all expectations with the first trains from Tenterden being fully loaded, and passengers joining at Bodiam at record levels. I gather the IWSR is also experiencing the same sort of luck despite the problems with the other Island railway.

Looks a bit like the TTA in Belgium, which has recently been badly damaged by the floods in the area. quite what the damage is hasn't been reported yet. but I digress.

Lisa and I attended the funral today, it was well attended with a contingent from the MRC and Tallylyn Society present, as well as family and friends.

Pway certainly do still use chains as measurement. The metric requirement for height signs came in in 1985 TSRGD regulations. Height had to be in metric and imperial, but still drivers of overheight vehicles hit low bridges. There used to be some interesting traffic signs off the road that goes from Camden Town towards Holloway. The side roads were marked "6'6" width restriction in 50 metres". BR started using metric weight in 1973 with the introduction of TOPS, with train loads being measured in tonnes not tons.

No doubt they'll be waiting a while for empty lorries to move all those containers. And drivers for the lorries.

Yep, still got mine in original sleeve.

Luckily the later standard is simpler, red ends for automatic brake pipe, yellow for main reservoir pipe. Except LT who used red for brk pipe and blue for min res. The difference is also in the pipe coupling heads. The brake pipe has a hole, the main res has a star valve. It the train breaks away, you want the brake to apply, so air vents to atmosphere. On the main res pipe, the star valve closes with air pressure behind it to prevent the main res pipe leaking. Westinghouse fitted steam locos operated on the single pipe system. There's only a couple of heritage railways that use Westinghouse, the notable example being the IWSR.

Surely all the Swiss lines are "high" speed at the sort of altitudes they run at.

I may have mentioned it on here before, the first secondman job in 1974I done at Rugby was a parcel train to Crewe. a class 83 9I think) and a single SR utility van.

Sad to announce the passing of Richard Reidy, (Dick) of The Model Railway Club in the early hours of this morning 20th July 2021. Dick was a member of The Model Railway Club from the early 1960s, taking an active part in organising the exhibitions at Central Hall, the Horticultural halls and Wembley. He became Exhibition Manager in the early 1980s and was vice-president of the Model Railway Club. He was Borough Surveyor for the London Borough of Islington and had his own private survey practice. He was also a member of the Tallyllyn Railway from the early years.