Porcy Mane

3 hours ago, woodenhead said:

rt What was in this roped off area, it just seems to be an empty space

I bet you'd know about it if that empty space ran over your foot  (to the backing music of the 1980's hit by Stan Ridgeway).

47 minutes ago, 25901 said:

In tick over or cruising light engine the fan doesn't operate, there's not even water flowing through the rad elements at that stage.

Easy enough to arrange a cooling fan kicking in at a given loco speed or to run randomly with the loco moving only via cv adjustments.

Even on DC a small 50p voltage regulator could be arranged to power a fan motor independently starting at say 3 volts of loco motor voltage so that the fan will only spin once the loco had achieved a  certain speed.

11 hours ago, nigb55009 said:

Newport St. Trinity St. Station is beyond the bridge.

 That's it. The now, fully rebuilt bridge is know as the "Skylink Bridge".

A ground level view of the bridge taken a few weeks ago.

Although partially hidden by a road sign, there are still a few buildings common to this image of the derailment.

49 derailed dmu 27081968 by Nigel, on Flickr

P

50 D7557 breakdown train 27081968 by Nigel, on Flickr

18 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

Oh, hang on, didn't someone say they were fairly common in the Bristol area in the blue era?....

You could always use the Hornby fish vans to create the Flying Kipper.

2 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

a now forgotten extension of the Wisbech and Upwell tramway. 

Was that not the Wisbech and Tupwell tramway?

2 hours ago, NickL2008 said:

The switches turn the cab and tail lights on and off

On DC.

If you're DCC, and you have a recent decoder fitted they need to be in the on position enabling the cab and tail lights to be controlled via function buttons on the controller. 

42 minutes ago, gr.king said:

I was very pleased that there were a good number of traditional, steam-era, continuous-run layouts

I reckon it's an age thing.   🙂

4 hours ago, 96701 said:

I managed to get a phone snap of it in the morning sun streaming through the windows before the show opened.

For photographs, that morning sun was very helpful but the temperature variation on the track between that in direct sunlight and that in shade had to be felt to be believed.

6 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

This is Spain remember!

Who could forget.   🙂

https://maps.app.goo.gl/fp8LCfLE47xYfErn6

At least Rotterdam made a joke of it.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ahhew2ajXf9rYM6m8

7 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

Mine are going in the bin!

 The recycling bin?

42 minutes ago, johndon said:

I have no idea where the four small parts at the bottom of the photo below are supposed to go

Looks like the cosmetic mounting brackets for the centre section of the snow plough. Part no 82. Not needed on voyage dependant on your prototype.

P

54 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

PALVAN saga, and subsequent (unsuccessful) efforts

Of which, some were still running into the 1980's & beyond.

14 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

What were they smoking?

Maybe W H Stanier Esq. liked kippers for breakfast?

10 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

I wonder if the ones used as barrier wagons had been weighted to balance them up... 

Palvans that were authorised to travel at higher speeds had been retro fitted with balanced springs. Problems still persisted and further testing found that one of the causes of instability was that the van body was too rigid. 

The western region vans modified for pallet ops were only 9ft wheelbase hence no (or accidental) XP rating.

1 hour ago, 21D said:

I found it ! Pallet van W114301 at Thames Haven, 1961.

A fair bet that it has been in use to lead Van den Bergh and Jurgens product  (Stork Margarine) for distribution or transfer to another Unilever plant.

... and there's this. Stabled  in their usual spot.

https://www.railscot.co.uk/img/37/149/

I have a few negs and transparencies of the Kirkcudbright Palvans. Most of them have the legend, "Return to Irvine ScR (GSW)".  Guess who's spent a good bit of time researching Palvan traffic. Lever Bros assisted with the design.

3 hours ago, iands said:

Just to be clear, my "like" is for the photo, not the comment about 'burning pensioners' - now that I am one! 

I burnt out long ago.

27 minutes ago, franciswilliamwebb said:

The Government's 'Kids for Coal' trade-in scheme exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts.

Still not as popular as the Posh People can Burn Pensioners  (and people that look  like Harry) Scheme.

18 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

There was an accident in 1961 near Rugby Central where a palvan containing only some empty pallets

Makes interesting reading regarding the running qualities of the palvan.

Now let's see if the link works:

https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Rugby1961.pdf

3 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

I understood the problem as being that forklift drivers just dumped pallets into them such that the load was unevely distributed and they rode so badly as to cause derailements.

Somewhere; I have a report into the investigations into the bad riding and derailments of early Palvans. One part which sticks in my mind was that if, a medium loaded palvan with a un-worn standard BR wheel profile, travelling at above 40 MPH encountered rail depression dip of just 3/8" over approx. 10 foot of rail  (not uncommon at rail joints in areas of mining subsidence) one wheel would loose contact with the railhead.

Two Palvans in the rake of a goods train that became derailed whilst being looped at Eamont Jnc. in 1960 jumped clean over the trains loco and ended up at the head of the wreckage. Having not had sight of an accident report I don't know if the Palvans where noted as being a contributory factor in the derailment.

Don't take the dimensions noted above as definite as it's a long time since I read the report. I'll see if a can dig it out.

P   

No, no, no.  You need the accordion version followed by a mass banjo ensemble.

Hand turned. You could always time this one.

1 hour ago, andyman7 said:

a green footstep-shaped piece except I can't see anything like that missing from the model.

I've seen a few delivered with one of those vents detached. Mine was no exception, despite the witness marks of adhesive being used.

17 minutes ago, hmrspaul said:

And a grossly overpowered steel train

I'll raise  (lower?) you a couple of Presflos.

or four.

P