SamThomas

The HO Heljan Nohab I bought was not a silky smooth runner out of the box - I contacted the dealers & it was the last one they had & was assured that it would get better with running in (not usually something you have to do with HO European models in my experience) - it lasted less than 10 hours running at half speed on it's own before failing. The dealers were no help suggesting I contact Heljan - when Heljan eventually responded (after, IIRC 3 e-mails) they simply did not want to know. Never bought anything from Heljan since. Read plenty about them being power hungry though since.

I'm not too sure of the type (without looking & they are stored ATM), but I also have a set in orange & beige livery. I bought the Toshiba ones many years ago because they looked nice & have never seen any since - they were not in Roco boxes. Just done a quick search - looks like the catalogue number was 44020 for a 3-Car set & additional coach was available.

The "migrant labour" issue is just one part of the "big picture" as is the lack of HGV driving test slots & IR35. However, the driver stortage had taken hold long before CV-19 & will take far more than 12 to 18 months to stabalise. The situations & examples I have put forward fefer only to the domestic supply chain. Wages will simply have to increase substancially if new blood is to be encourage into the logistics industry. I'm in the south east - the situation may very well be different elsewhere.

The haulage companies & individuals mentioned ** deserved to recieve the full weight of the law. Those that took advantage of the "cheap EU drivers" situation have created their own misfortune. When on agency I drove (one day was enough) for a company based near Maidstone & when in stopo/go/walking pace traffic on the M20 had diffeculty keeping it's air pressure up (causing the brakes to not fully release) made it to the hard shoulder, phone traffic control & then the company - got a chewing off from the owners daughter becuase they then only have an hour to get it recovered & waited by the roadside. Compay van turns up with another driver who continued to drive the truck & I got a lift back to the yard where I walked out & went home - no money for the day but a clear consience. ** I do sympathise with the driver in the case of total brake failure - if that had happend to me & I am very fussy about my "daily walk round" & refusing to drive any vehicle with a safety related issue (even a warning light).

I have an HGV SatNav myself. Last Saturday it failed when on-route, a route I had not done before on roads not familier with. I resorted to Google maps & extra vigilence on my part. Due to live traffic routing I did end up on some unsuitable roads but no damage or harm done. Luckily, the company I work for are "not on your case" every five minutes, unike some. Unfortunatly, there are too many HGV drivers that simply will not look after other peoples kit - cabs that look like a new style wheelie bin, knobs pulled off switches & so on - I dread to think what they would do to a company issued SatNav unless steps were taken to make them pay via their wages** for any damage/loss. It needs more care all round - NW & the Highways Authorities need to make sure that correct signage (taking into account road resurfacing/increased truck lengths ect), automatic warnings correctly calibrated, physical barriers and maybe something like those hanging poles you have in the Blackwall Tunnel. Some actual locations may need a combination or what is possible. NW need to face up to their moral obligations to protecting their property from those who either make a genuine mistake or those that are irresponsible. After all, the running tracks are fenced off to prevent the terminally stupid from instant demise. Human nature will always encourage some people to "chance it" - thats whay we have interlocks on washing machine & microway oven doors & so on. In this technological age it should be simple to avoid, but does not appear to be so. We should be concentrating on preventing incidents rather that finger pointing after incidents. NW's proposals to "go after" errant HGV drivers personally is a typical example of corporate bullying - can you imagine the results of say, a £5m claim - a driver made bankrupt resulting in NW loosing even more money via legal fee's & bad publicity when certain newspapers "report" the story. If NW really do want to pursue this unfeasable idea they should also apply it within their own remit when their own employees make mistakes but then lets not open one of these pictured. ** Not too sure if employment law allows this ?

If you read the details NW are considering reporting drivers to the Traffic Commissioners (TC) - nothing new here - anyone can report a driver that holds a vocational licence to the TC for a traffic offence. The TC may "invite" the driver to their office to discuss the reported incident. At the end of the discussion the TC may revoke the vocational entitlement there & then, also may apply conditions - however, this does not effect the drivers basic licence. During the discussion the drivers previous record will be taken into account. All those "anti HGV drivers" (& I'm generalising here - not having a pop at Kris) need to take a step back & see how perfect they are themselves. Again, I'm not condoning HGV drivers that are "less than professional" but a lot could be done to help but one things for sure - costs will go up.

I do see where you are coming from & if the USA does not want to drag itself into the communications age then so be it. However, how diffecult would it be to provide a notice with a phone number to the dispatchers office & a loction number ? Surely, thesedays of satalite tracking they do know where their trains are, what direction they are travelling & their speed ? Virtually everyone has a mobile/cell/handy thesedays.

TBH I was generalising but used that quote as an example. & in gerenral I welcome being "put right" by people that are more qualified than myself on some subjects but on here I have a couple of minor issues ; There is often an undertone of rudeness &/or "I know better than you" in commments/replies & the way some appear to be picky to the nth degree when further discussion is pointless. Don't get me wrong, there is a wealth of good knowledge on here & some people have been very helpful. I also feel that I have something useful to contribute. However, I don't like being treat as an idiot or a schoolchild. Maybe I'll look for somewhere else more suited to my personallity.

Yes, connect up both bogies. To improve pickup on OHE/Diesel outline locomotives I replace the traction tyred wheelsets with plain ones. Unless you are pulling in excess of 10 coaches up a helix they have more than enough traction with plain wheels.

"Phone whom ?". Well there should be something in place to allow long/heavy/oversize vehicles to cross working railway lines/tracks in safety. As for what ? - as pointed out to me by another member on another thread "I'm not an expert" so I'll keep my suggestions to myself.

6 years ago we had a 4kW installation & "Power Bank" fitted for a total cost of around £8k. The panels were made in Germany as was the Inverter. The investmemnt will be paid for around 12 years. However, taking into account the electricity saved from the grid they "broke even" after around 4 years.

Whilst not condoning the actions of US drivers I do think that the layout of many crossings does not help at all. Maybe these crossings should be equiped with a phone to contact the signalman ("drivers of large or slow vehicles must get permission to cross") & somewhere for truck to park whilst the driver phones - maybe, they already do ?

Annual medicals for vocational drivers are already required & the driver or employer has to pay for it with no tax relief).

There is a whole world of difference between the wages that a train driver or airline pilot earns & a HGV driver. Of course, train drivers or airline pilots never make mistakes & they have signalment & air traffic controllers to guide & assist them. Tell you what (& this applies to any of those knocking HGV drivers). I invite to to spend a day with me in my cab & you will have a whole new opinion regarding us HGV drivers. (You will havwe to be at the yard ready for a 03:00H start).

Indeed - the last company i worked for had a system that applied the brakes HARD when it detected "something" in the drivers field of vision before he reacted - that "something" could be a bird or a bit of litter. Unfortunatly, the telematics recorded "harsh braking" (because it could not tell the difference between the auto system & the drivers right foot) & that gauranteed a "talk" with a driver trainer. No wonder most drivers turned it off.

Anything with hydralics should be locked in place before moving off - otherwise it is possible under some circumstances that vibration may cause pressure to build up in the ram & start to raise it. & no, I'm not an expert on hydralics but I know a man who is.

Many of the logistics companies already have SatNavs tailor made for the rountes/vehicle size/weight built into their telematics. Even if the company if a "budget" outfit if they cannot afford a few hundred pounds for a decent SatNav one wonders where else they have "penny pinched". On the flip side though you have the aspect of drivers who don't care about looking after the trucks equipment.

IMHO traucks should be fitted with such SatNavs & they should be included in the drivers daily walk round as a safety device. I have my own "truckers" SatNav.

If I found myself in that position then (if the truck had air suspension) I would lower the suspension & drive through very, very slowly & once clear return the suspension to the "travel" height. If the truck was on springs then I would drive through even slower. Incab height indicators should display the maximum height for a fixed body - for variabkle height loads it's up to the driver to measure the height & adjust the incab indicator.

The only winners regarding this incident will be the legal profession. SatNav's for commercial &/or large vehicles are already available so no need to "re-invent the wheel".

There is certainly a case for some (none bulk, as in aggregate) goods to go by rail but it would need some thought about what to put the goods in/on. Probably have to stick to what is now commonly used in the logistics industry which would rule out BRUTES.

Would these be the ones that you could make up as a mimic to your layout ? If they are I'm pretty sure that they did not have a name for the "system".

Thanks for the information Bernard, much appreciated.

It looks in nice cosmetic condition. Wonder why the valve gear was removed ? AFAIK smoke deflectors were not fitted ex:works on the 52's, but I stand to be politely corrected.

Agreed, as long as people take personal opinions as exactly that - opinions, not intended to be facts.