Supaned

The one glaring oddity regarding Polish models is the narrow gauge sector. Bemo make a RTR L45H diesel (Polish Lxd2) and have released a wide variety of liveries in the regular range including some arguably very obscure examples , but the only way to obtain a PKP Lxd2 is via a German distributor who seem to make some very limited edition models every year , which unsurprisingly sell-out. Whether they have some exclusive deal I'm not sure, but it seems odd that I can buy a Colas version off the shelf easily enough, but not a mainstream Polish example. It is good to see models from further afield though overall, I agree completely.

That faded blue effect is excellent Bob. Hope retirement is treating you well :)

Locking doors out of use on main line trains is not an accepted method of working - doors should only be locked out in the event of a defect or if the train is not in passenger service - I suspect the Welsh NG lines do so under the light railway order conditions. Per the NR rulebook , if certain doors on a vehicle are locked out then the entire vehicle must be emptied of passengers and taken out of use - this isn't practical even if it were an accepted method of working.

If I could add a few thoughts on this. Regardless of my own opinion of WCRC and their operations, one thing that seems to be overlooked here, although touched on in a fashion, concerns the actual behaviour of some passengers and is perhaps very pertinent in this day and age. For all of those blaming "health and safety culture" and looking back to to the glory days of BR steam in the 1950s, they perhaps miss the point that equally in the 1950s there wasn't the insideous creation of social media, with the likes of Instagram and Tik Tok, and "influencers" effectively making a living from such things. I've seen countless images and videos of people hanging off the side of trains in the likes of Sri Lanka and India, and sadly there are some cases of people falling from trains or indeed colliding headfirst with signal posts, OLE masts and many other railway items which fall well outside of the normal loading gauge of a coach and which passengers if travelling in a vehicle in a normal manner ie sat down or stood within the vehicle envelope would never come near. I'm led to believe that the Jacobite service in particular is more likely to be conveying people seeking such imagery , and so the likes of CDL and possibly some sort of window barring is necessary. There have also been several high profile fatalities involving people leaning much further out of vehicle droplight windows and striking obstacles, and again, this is potentially an issue on the Jacobite but equally with most if not all droplight fitted stock, and on most charter trains these days such behaviour is prohibited and stewarded accordingly, with the ORR keeping a keen eye on operators to ensure this is done with the threat of removal of operating licenses (as we've seen here) ever looming. Equally in the rose tinted common sense days, there wasn't a litigation culture like we have now with "where there's blame there's a claim" solicitors and arguably a reduction in the personal responsibility of the individual to act in a sensible manner (eg not hang off the side of a moving train) and more onus on the train operator to ensure that passengers aren't able to act in that way in the first place and cause themselves harm, with significant penalties if harm does occur. CDL is part of that process. Other operators of slam door stock have fitted or are in the process of fitting CDL and other safety devices to their slam door stock to comply with the regulations and ensure that passengers are kept safe , and equally that such stock is able to continue to operate on the main line, so I fail to see why WCRC think they should be exempt. The ORR could equally have just decided that main line steam is too much trouble , especially when you factor in the many trespass incidents that surround certain locomotives, and then everybody loses out. Our railway is on the whole far safer now that it has been for some years, and to run on a modern railway trains need the appropriate safety equipment, no operator should be exempt from that. I do have course have sympathy for the front line staff now thrown into uncertainty by the actions of their employer and hope the matter can be resolved in a satisfactory manner for all concerned ASAP.

Re the Alsthom diesels, as built they had SEMT-Pielstieck engines , which many of those remaining still have . SRT undertook some rebuilding with newer power units in two distinct groups - one group had an MTU fitted, these carry a blue stripe around the body to indicate this , whilst the other group had a CAT engine fitted, these ones have a red stripe around the body. There is only one Krupp hydraulic based at Thonburi, 3107 , which is a bit of a depot pet, It does have the odd trip out on the Southern line stoppers , presumably to keep it in working order and crews current on it, they use it during floods as well as being a hydraulic it can "paddle" unlike the diesel electrics. In more recent years I've seen Hitachi 4500 class and GE 4550 class working in and out of Thonburi , so pretty much anything goes loco-wise, considering it's a small secondary terminus.

oooh! I spy a GEK shovelnose......

CSX 4413 also had some unofficial cosmetic work done there , being one of the last surviving YN2 locos, the nose end and cab got a clean and tidy up. I had read that the Chessie one had had the red section on the nose repainted blue by CSX depot staff but that the rest and the cat logo was still in place.

Watching with interest. Thonburi is certainly a very modellable station, and some interesting operations too including shunt release (previously a Henschel shunter now a Vacuum brake only GEK Shovelnose). Nice Alsthom diesel too.

I agree , the repositioned buildings look really good now - I particularly like the view looking along the street with the Cooke's shop in the foreground - at a glance it reminded me a bit of Jim Thorpe in Pennsylvania, more to do with the architecture and the hills and trees rather than anything else, but I'd certainly say you've got the US "look" to my eyes anyway..

The real Humboldt Industrial park has 3 companies that receive covered hoppers - Vitapet pet foods and Cargill (which presumably receives cocoa beans to make chocolate) . There's also a company by the yard office on White Birch Road that takes plastic pellet hoppers inbound. liking the theme

Amongst other things. But not the sole reason.

Cancelled.

Given the terrain, maybe have the branch line serve a quarry or mine?

Not sure when Gloucester was last resignalled, but from the Cardiff end of the station there is a signalled move from Gloucester West Junction into Platform 2 via a No4 Route indicator.

on a related note , will we see a re-run of DVTs and Mark 3 stock to be able to model the appropriate WCML trains?

I can also recommend https://www.railcarphotos.com/ as a source of inspiration for weathering & detailing

Point of order , it's the ORR that stipulate the amount of time needed to train a driver and the amount of handling hours they have to achieve to qualify. From what I recall the one route stipulation is also one of theirs , and partly stems from lessons learnt following incidents such as Ladbroke Grove, where driver training was thrown into sharp focus. I really don't think ASLEF have quite the dramatic influence that you might infer , I'd argue that perhaps on a TOC not too far from the one that you and I might be more familiar with, a certain "God" figure holds a lot of sway, but less so elsewhere. As you should also be well aware , drivers salaries are a product of both the politician's beloved "market forces" where TOCs chose to pay more to attract and retain staff rather than training enough to do the job, and because in some cases drivers have "sold" a lot of T&Cs to achieve that salary. I do however agree that Wilkinson's stench is lingering around the current situation.....

The train supply is normally provided from the rear power car because if for any reason the train supply drops out or the power car providing it shuts down, you can only switch the train supply on from the power car you are in, so thus the driver can do so on the move in the leading power car rather than having to stop and walk back a train length to sort it out. The train supply also charges the batteries in the power car which supply essential kit such as brake control unit, AWS/TPWS , Fire protection to name but a few, so it's important to keep the train supply on. Noise is a minimal concern as with ETS on a power car usually runs in notch 2 of 5 to supply.

Without weighing into the pros and cons of trade unions on this particular thread, a few points to add if I may as one who sits in the pointy ends of HSTs. It isn't in dispute that the Carmont accident was an exceptional set of circumstances and not necessarily survivable given the speeds and forces involved, however, I think the thing that has resonated with me is that the cab "module" completely detached from the main power car. That cab module is held on by a dozen or so fairly hefty bolts, not much else, and given the age of the trains one does wonder about the structural integrity of the mountings. Not all day, not every day, but something that occasionally comes to mind when dashing along at 125mph. In the Ufton Nervet accident, I believe the driver was effectively suffocated when the power car turned on it's side and the large side window was broken and scooped up ballast and earth which filled the cab. Good servants though HSTs are and have been, like other motive power before them, they are now starting to show their age, and perhaps replacement with something more up to date and designed with better crash protection is not necessarily a bad thing for both passengers and staff. Even the much lauded mark 3 coaches have shown to have some flaws in accidents , particularly with window size , compared to, for example, the 390 at Grayrigg, and whilst I'm not advocating letterbox sized slots either, something to consider. No railway wants to have any accidents, but they can and do happen, and when they do, surely we want those involved to have the best chance of avoiding injury or fatality. I have it on very good authority that the only reason the XC HSTs are being dispensed with is purely on fiscal grounds and has absolutely nothing to do with any missives from "militant" trade unions, so perhaps those lamenting this decision would do well to direct their ire in the correct direction rather than regurgitating media tropes in this case.

Without getting into the technicalities of AI and computer programming, something that the tech evangelists rarely seem to mention is the socio-economic impact of replacing a whole swathe of professionals with technology. What exactly do they intend for all of these displaced people to do for a living ? or is it a case of "we don't really care as long as our programming skills are still used"? Whilst I'm sure there are cases where AI and Technology can and arguably should be used, to coin a phrase from a popular 1970s sci-fi film "don't be too proud of your technological terror".

Knightcote isn't it where the Oxford & Rugby bit goes off? I was always told that the embankment at Fenny Compton was constructed from ash/cinder and as such that was why it was unstable. I recall a few years back they were pumping concrete into the voids to try to stabilise it, evidently there's a new issue , the dip that has developed recently is quite a nasty one.

Absolutely. My 25 years of working trains along that piece of railway is meaningless.

They'd be better off actually regulating trains properly from Didcot to improve capacity towards Oxford rather than blowing millions on 4 tracks that aren't really needed, just a few sheets of A4 explaining how running a late freight train staggering along at 45mph will then put 15 mins into a class 1 passenger to Oxford...

have you considered a parcels red CAR van like they used to have at Bristol?

To be honest I'd have thought a 1st generation DMU such as a 101 would be a massive seller - yes I know there was the Bachmann Brass one and now a kit from Easy build (which judging by the issues people have with roof profile seems to be somewhat of a contradiction), but given the widespread use and timespan surely more viable than something like a 153. On a related note , I'm surprised at the lack of "joined up" thinking in 7mm. The upcoming Heljan 73 being a case in point - no TC unit (for which Heljan need only tool up a driving trailer) or any other EMUs , yet a 33 and a 73. Like Brynna, 7mm scale appeals, but my skillset doesn't correlate with what is readily available , and I have little to no interest in GWR or BR period steam....