KingEdwardII

Unless you use open source, like JMRI. But they too have upgrades - they don't force them on you, but you have to beware of other changes like operating system updates that might mean an old version of the open source no longer works properly if at all. Yours, Mike.

Sounds like your average trip from Wales to a rugby international in Edinburgh... Yours, Mike.

I was thinking of the crowds of irate Essex folk, carrying pitchforks and other implements of ire, demanding their direct Heathrow services... Yours, Mike.

What Pi are you using? I run JMRI on a Pi 400 with 4Gb RAM and it runs just fine. With older Pi models, the lack of RAM can be a major issue and will slow things down considerably. Yours, Mike.

Regarding the pointwork. DCC does not require that the points are motorized, but if you are considering automation, then motorized points are necessary for that. DCC control of the pointwork is a good approach for that. Most DCC controllers support the control of accessories like point motors, although you need to consider how best to provide that control (e.g. via a handset, via a control panel, etc). There is a wide range of point motors available. There are two basic approaches to DCC control of them. Some motors have DCC decoders built into them and you feed the DCC signal straight to them. Others are essentially analog devices and require a separate decoder device to receive the DCC signal and drive the motors. There is also a decision to make regarding whether to select "slow action" motors or fast switching solenoid motors. You can find discussions of these choices here on the rmweb forums. Yours, Mike.

I think that some of those locos are going to have minimum radius requirements that are too large for some of that trackwork - expect derailments! I assume that the layout's not finished, since a few of those sidings at the top are not yet connected up. Yours, Mike.

Aberystwyth was a 5 platform terminus, but was the terminus of two separate single track lines. Yours, Mike.

True, but the decision not to repair them was made by the local authorities. I also remember the destruction of the electric trolley bus system in Cardiff - and that was in 1970 having been first established during WWII. Yours, Mike.

One item that stands out for me is that trains will *not* be running from Shenfield to Heathrow, according to your description. Now that was one of the items originally promised to the good folk of Essex, I believe. Is there a plan to commence such services at a later date, like next spring? This affects me personally, since my approach to using EL is to drive to Hayes and get on there. Heathrow -> Shenfield services would mean no changes required to get to Stratford and points Essex. Yours, Mike.

Well, town/city authorities in the UK massacred their tram systems from the 30s to the 60s, without much outside intervention. Only for some to start re-creating them at great expense in the 21st century. Yours, Mike.

"All I want for Xmas is a new fast train, a new fast train..."

The route from Bedford to Cambridge has to deal with the realities of the 21st century and cannot and should not follow the route of the old line. Cambourne must be part of the plan - and the new line ideally needs to serve the future growth of Cambridge as well. I know they favour a southern route, although to my eyes a northern one looks more in tune with Cambridge development. You are right that there is always a tradeoff between fast services between major centres and serving comunities all along the line. The ideal is to allow for both but this requires siginificant infrastructure at the smaller stations to provide passing capability. No simple answer there. Yours, Mike.

Yes, British inability to plan - plus myopic London-centricity. It is quite clear that the arc Oxford - Milton Keynes - Bedford - Cambridge is one of major development and economic success outside London. Good transport across that arc is essential and will boost economic activity. For me, that includes both rail and road. How is it so hard for both government and for the locals on the ground to grasp this. Everyone seems to be myopic and parochial beyond belief. Let's hope Bletchley to Oxford opens ASAP - that can only help boost things. Just a real shame that it will not be electrified. Yours, Mike.

Yes, I agree. In some strange way this parallels the history of the railways. The first line in 1844 to the south west was the GWR + Bristol & Exeter via Bristol - equivalent to the M4/M5 today - the "Great Way Round". Then the LSWR created its direct route via Salisbury and Yeovil in 1860, roughly equivalent to the A303. The GWR eventually created its "direct" route only in 1906 - but the bypasses at Frome and Westbury were only built in 1933! So the south west has been something of a Cinderella. Yours, Mike.

It is indeed to avoid a short between the (open) switch blade and the adjacent stock rail. It can and does happen even with modern locos. My Hornby 2-8-2T did it with a medium radius Peco turnout - I think there is enough play in those long wheelbase driving sets to allow them to touch the switch blades. Linking the switch blade electrically to the adjacent stock rail is more about avoiding issues with the contacts between them that might cause stalling. Yours, Mike.

That is an interesting question. Automated systems certainly can go wrong and humans may then intervene to save the situation, but equally, humans may misunderstand the situation and cause disaster. Two aircraft incidents stand out in my mind - the good one, where the BA plane crashed just short of the runway at Heathrow because of a problem with fuel to the engines, but everyone survived due to the skill of the pilots. The bad one, where the Air France plane went into the Atlantic on a journey from Brazil, after icing caused incorrect speed readings and the autopilot disengaged, only for the co-pilot to send the plane into a stall. The first one was especially interesting when they programmed the situation on a simulator and other pilots found it very hard indeed to reproduce what the BA pilots had done and land without a disaster. Yours, Mike.

Yes, they are the "mañana merchants"...

Cheddar had: - a gated siding for Bristol Water Works pumping station - an ungated private siding for a single company, alongside a loading dock - an ungated siding for a quarry stone loading point, again provided for a single company Meanwhile Wells, on the same branch line, had a rather large gated set of sidings for a Ministry of Food cold store built alongside the goods yard during WWII. Yours, Mike.

Amsterdam Centraal is not so much "riverside" as "in the river" - much of the site was open water before they built the station and they had to import a lot of sand from elsewhere to build it. Stations built on reclaimed land could be another theme... Yours, Mike.

Pi 4 / Pi 400 is pretty speedy and has a lot of RAM - with JMRI etc, its more likely that the small amount of RAM is the issue with an older Pi. Power up is also fast, especially if you're booting off a fast flash disk as I do. Yours, Mike.

If size is a problem, then the MTB MP1 slow action point motors are an alternative. One built-in switch that can be used for frog polarity control. Reliable in my experience. Yours, Mike.

Which Pi do you have? Yours, Mike.

Might as well have put a face on the front too...

More importantly, when did coaches of those types acquire NAMES !!

Ah yes, the magic of preservation pristine!! No stains, no blemishes allowed. Wash it off, paint it over...