roythebus1

As you say Jim, every move to extend the tram network in London has failed so far. My former office in Mitcham backed on to the Spratt & Winkle, a 2 car train every 45 minutes would meander past with a dozen or so passengers on board. Later, after it had been converted to tram, a tram would pass every 15 minutes in each direction quite quickly, and nearly always with a decent load. I was able to see the construction of the Croydon system from the outset and before, and tendered to provide the train replacement bus service during the conversion of the railway to tramway. Arriva beat me on price. There were many problems before the system opened, such as the contractors not allowing for gauge widening on several sharp corner in Croydon, this resulting in track having to be dug up and relaid, and a dip in Surrey Street when trams would derail. As for extensions, the first few trams were delivered with destinations for Uxbridge, Shepherds Bush, Embankment, Sutton and a few other bits. But then Leon Daniels was in charge of First Group who had the franchise for tram operation at the time, and Pete Hendy, also with First at the time, was later in charge of TfL. Both I've known personally for the lat 50 years or so. What was not all that helpful was the refusal of Croydon Council to allow the trams to run along London Road, hence the circuitous routing round Croydon. Proposals were in hand at the time to extend to Sutton, as well as along the A23 to Brixton and central London, the A23 being wide enough to take the tramway as it was the site of one of the first tramways in London. The other proposal was from Shepherds Bush to Uxbridge, again a road originally having a tramway. Again objections form the local councils killed the project. but quite why they are so over-engineered is a mystery. I am aware that they have to take into account the problem of the earth returns causing problems with steel and iron pipework underground. The Luxembourg system gets round that by using battery power in the central area and seems to work quite well. We were lucky enough to visit the Luxy system at an open day many months before it opened. Facilities were over-provided with a view to future expansion, unlike croydon which was built with minimum cost in mind. The Luxembourg system was largely built with EU money in the form of regional development grants. It's a pity the GLA and UK governments didn't make better use of those facilities to help build London's system. As an aside, my bus fleet at the time consisted of about 6 Routemaster and a dozen or so box buses. The first time tramline failed their controller phoned me for replacement buses, insisting we sent Rotemasters, he would provide some drivers and conductors. He knew we already had "tramlink replacement service " on the destination blinds as well as Croydon and Wimbledon.

My Cravens Parcel Car has resurfaced recently during a "tidying up" session in the railway room. I really ought to take a photo of it, but then I find I have a problem posting pics on various computer sites at the moment.

Wireless trolleybuses? We already have them in London, full of batteries that the Grid can't cope with during the day.

Try a DP spring loaded centre off switch and wire a 2 colour LED on the 2nd set of contact. That will show a red or green light when the signal operates.

Wot, no check rails??

To re-awaken this thread, rummaging through my drawers like we all do at times I've for another 2 or 4 K's Cartic bogies unmade, and maybe the other odd one with stretcher plate that I sent to Hayfield a few months ago. there's also a Motorail name board as carried on the side of the wagon, and some new K's Motorail transfers! Still interested Hayfield?

We can help C&L etc survive by learning from Wayne's products, Martin's Templot, and having to experience of those, use Martin's planning to make the more awkward bits of track that wouldn't be worth mass-producing. As Hayfield has said, the crossings and switch rails are ready-made and are an excellent start to hand-built other bits. Personally I find it tedious building crossings and trying to get them accurate, having built track since 1966 I still haven't got the hang of doing them easily!

Regarding track, does anyone use the Tillig TT track? I've used their HO stuff and it's quite good, better in my opinion that Peco.

Many years ago a friend was into TT, he was offered quite a bit of stuff form someone at work who was packing it up. This must have been 1969-1970. The collection included a load of kit-built locos and some modified pannier tanks. I don't know what happened to that lot, but my pal ended up marrying my cousin! I'll have to ask him where the stock went after all these years.

I don't recognise the bods in the photo, any idea who they were and when it was taken? the shunter in those days was either Noddy or Bungee. I heard Noddy passed away a few years ago. There was no guard provided, the shunter was the guard, but always a driver and secondman.

I used to work on that branch when I was secondman at Rugby in 1974. the "regular service" was a class 25 usually with up to 20 10T mineral wagons and a brake van at each end leaving Rugby at about 1030. The line was operated on the one engine in steam principle with the single line token being a lump of metal with the branch name stamped on it which was kept in the shunter's bunk on the up side. Sometimes we'd have to drop wagons off at Bilton bu pushing the wagons across the Ain road. The signal controlling that movement was a semaphore mounted on an OHLE isolation mast with the isolation gear turning the signal through 90 degrees! the we couldn't see it we could go. the crossing gates were open. What happened at the other end of the train was a mystery , I never got off the loco to find out! I believe the cement works had its own shunter which would take the loaded wagons off us and put empties on. The shunter would advise us when we were ready to go. Then we'd go to Marton Junction, secure the train and Ron round, then off round the branch to Southam. similar thing there, we'd leave the loaded wagons in the siding, collect the empties, run round and back to Rugby.

Could they not have fitted smaller neater couplings?

See my reply on the other post.

It would appear the connecting rod on the rh side is fouling the crank pin on the leading driving wheel. I had this problem on a Bullied pacific. I bent the con rod out slightly and put some keyhole waters on the axles to eliminate side play on the front drivers. But then it also appear the rh leading wheel is out of true as well. this could cause the centre drivers to "pump" to use your terminology. The trouble is with locos being designed for minimum radius curves there is often too much slop which causes problems. I'd be inclined to send it back again.

Wimbledon A box had "quite a few", 6 or 8 I can't remember. Up and down fast and slows, district Line up and down, Central side up and down, and the branch to West Croydon..

you could always have a double junction on the left end of the diagram in the original post.

Live or dead frog, you'll need to liven the one in the middle.

The IWSR are always on the look-out for 4 wheel chassis for their ongoing vintage 4 wheel coach restorations, but not at that price. Last time I looked scrap steel was about £40 a tonne.

If not it needs to be.

Maybe widen the track centres?

That looks the part.

The words "sensible government" and "England" just don't seem right in the same sentence. but let's not get too political here.

We were still running 57' non corridor stock without toilets on the ER until 1977. and there were a few used on outer suburban runs with toilets, they "shouldn't" have been worked to Moorgate but I bet they did! Something to do with toilets emptying onto LT track in the tunnels.

Yes, drill the rivet out.