HillsideDepot

The whole stop marker thing has gone madly out of control. Not relevant to Crossrail, but on recent travels around the South West many of the smaller Cornish stations now have more stop markers than passengers! 2, 3, 4 for Sprinters, 5 XC, 5 IET, 2+4 HST, 2+7 HST, 2+8 HST, 10 IET, and finally 11, 12, 13 left over from loco hauled days. How ever did we mange in the past?

From the Cambrian kits website: Most small derailments were dealt with by jacks and packing, or even unofficially with "tools" improvised from materials to hand and a loco with a chain to pull things back on, so by definition it was only the bigger derailments which needed a crane, and therefore a big crane. Even then the breakdown vans would often be sent out without the crane itself having enough gear on board for the job in hand.

A few from Saturday; first observers of the railway The Royal Albert Bridge linking Kernow and England (during the Saltash station stop the chap in the photo arranged with me that he'd take a couple of shots, then duck inside to let me get mine) Enthusiasts throng the platforms at Exeter St Davids. Who says railways are no longer interesting? The serious task of HST trailer number taking at Exeter St Davids Secondly a few railway staff going about their business. A Guard keeps a close eye out as her HST departs westwards A quick few words chat during the crew change as the train reverses Dispatch at Chippenham

Thank you for your interest Jon. Sadly little has happened at Mortimore's Yard recently (for pretty much a year now) as I seem to have lost my "modelling mojo". I think I now know the reasons why this happened (and nothing to do with model railways), but getting back is proving hard; I need a few "quick wins". I've just finished an 8 Freedom of the South West rail rover, which is why I've taken a week to reply, and looking at the brown fields from the train reminded me of the summer of '76. That was, of course, the final hydraulic summer, 2018 could well be the final Inter-City 125 summer, there seems to be a sort of symmetry. I really ought to get some photos of yellowing grass for reference should I ever model '76 (or '75 which was also hot); I nearly bought some yellow-ish Woodland Scenic scatter at Kernow Model Centre last Friday, but that might tie M Yd too tightly date wise (and that green/full yellow class 22 which Dapol have just done looks tempting, not to mention the EP of the D600 so I need to keep the date flexible). Hopefully I'll get the back to M Yd with my camera very soon, and get into the "Day in the Life of" which I mentioned last year.

Back on the 800s, the closed I came to either a lion or a leopard was a bear, from darkest Peru! I went down to Cornwall on 1C04 today, one of the workings which had been expected to be 802s from Monday last. The Train Manager told everyone that that was the case when he explained that the seat reservations for the expected new train, don;t match the seats in the actual old train! The platform announcements were also geared for 802 operation as they mentioned at-seat catering. On alighting at Camborne I was talking to the Train Manager (not the one who made the reservation announcements) as she walked back up the train ready to dispatch from the rear. She was passed out on IET operation yesterday, and told me that the reason for the delay in entering service was due to problems getting the GPS selective door opening to work reliably at all the short platforms in Cornwall. Whether that's true or not, its what she said. At Swindon this evening, as I was waiting for aforementioned bear (coupled rear of 030) I scored a bonus as 802006 came through on 5Z57 1948 North Pole to Stoke Gifford.

For all the froth and excitement, am I the only one planning to catch 1C04 and actually go and see? (OK, I have a Freedom of the South West Rover and am building it in to my "Penzance day" not going specially). I'm hoping that the announcement will be class 116 and/or 118 variants of the Bachmann 117 DMU.

Two YouTube videos from Legomanbiffo and

The problem is the "old" footbridge at Chippenham station. It was supposed to be OK for clearance but now apparently isn't. It may be down to the new EU regs which the DafT didn't bother to get a derogation for. The masts currently stop around Cocklebury Bridge on the approach to Chippenham, and then there is nothing until beyond the Western Arches (or Chippenham Viaduct to the railway) where there are some masts with arms installed, some just masts, some just piles and some gaps with nothing at all. Then most masts are in place from Thingley East to Thingley. Beyond Thingley there are three road bridges which have been rebuilt, a foot bridge and an aqueduct (although that was life expired, so due for replacement anyway). Then there was the lowering of the track in Box Tunnel, at Bathampton Junction and Sydney Gardens. There are piles in various locations across Newton Meadows (Twerton Tunnel to Saltford) and the furthest west I have spotted a pile is at Foxes Wood, one driven and two unused reinforced concrete cages. They also lowered the track and rebuilt the platforms at Keynsham, but then realised the surface was unsafe as it sloped towards the track so had to do it again. Every single penny spent on the above (with the exception of the aqueduct) is now wasted. But that's not all. On my recent travels I have noted various piles driven in, but unused (the wires are up) as well as piles just abandoned in the grass. There are some just west of Bristol Parkway that stick up into the air higher than a train! Some of the issues are down to having to relearn the engineering skills, others down to the failure of the HOPS train to work properly but so much more is just plain incompetence in planning. What a way to run a railway.

Today I covered one of the Cheltenham Spa IET runs as far as Swindon, and got to ride on 800305, for the third time (its but a month old)! Performance over Saperton was probably as to be expected, adequate but not exciting. At Stonehouse only the front two coaches were platformed as platform extension work means there is even less than usual to stop at. As we were coming past Swindon Works North Yard the automatic voice advised "We are now approaching Swindon. Change here for Cheltenham, Gloucester, Kemble, Stroud and Stonehouse" all the stations we'd just called at! While I was at Swindon deciding where to rove next 800001 arrived on a test working, 5Z19 1001 North Pole to Highbridge. It then departed as 5Z20 1126 Swindon back to North Pole. The testing phase must be nearly complete as the litter bin in the driver's cab was almost full to the top. I then caught a pair of 800/0s to Bristol Parkway on a Cardiff working. All was fine until to Wootton Bassett Junction where the engine revs momentarily rose after the 70mph restriction before falling to silence. No engine noise, no air con. We continued the journey at about 70mph to Parkway with the driver making a couple of PA announcement asking the guard to call him. On the first announcement the driver himself said "bing, bong" as the system didn't! On arrival at Parkway it was apparent that the whole of the rear set had shut down, and the driver was requesting fitter's attention. The train eventually left, with only one set powering and still in service. I caught the next IET back to Swindon, another pair of 5-car units. While they sat in the platform at Swindon the front unit shut down, and that left for London with only one set powering. Next IET Down was brand new 800308 on a Bristol TM working, which I took through to its destination. This was all working, but for a brand new unit it had several bad stains on some of the seats.

Something is, apparently, coming home, leading to 800018 bravely waving St George's flag on its standard class driving trailer at Newport on its way to Cardiff yesterday. Whilst the opposite end of the car is clearly marked to show where lions may be seated on the train I can't help thinking that #whatajourney is rather too easy a target for unhappy Twitter users travelling on GWR. More seriously 800019 carries "It's coming home" then the names of the England World Cup football team followed by "and three lions." along its body side. It was applied last week, but one wonders how long it will be carried for.

Not wanting to "wish list", but another vote for the PALVAN here.

I came to the same conclusion with certain details of my model of Tunnel Inspection Coach, DW150144. What I couldn't quite work out I had to guess, with the thought that if I can't find out then possibly no one knows. But if someone does know and sees my error they will speak up. Until then, no one can say its wrong. Since I did the model some more information has come to light, albeit from a slightly earlier period. And Hornby have replaced their 1970s Colletts with rather nice super detail ones, and of the correct hand brake which will save me so much rebuilding the second time round. I still occasionally Google "DW150144" though just in case something new has appeared.

This sign went up at Bath Spa on yesterday along with platform coach letter signs. As it is on the stairs, its not really the best place to stand to get a photo, but I hope that the smallest font is legible. Am I correct in thinking that the London > Bristol via Bath IETs will be 2x5 car (with the option to split at Bristol for Weston, Taunton etc) while the new "express" London > Bristol via Parkway will be 9 car? Certainly the signage suggests Bath will usually be 2x5.

I'm part way through a Freedom of the South West Rover at the moment, and it is strange to think that by next summer (if all goes to plan) the HSTs will be gone. OK, not completely gone as the 4-cars will be here and XC's sets will by then be maintained at Laira, so will have at least some work down west, but they'll be much less common. As the drought summer of '76 was the Western's last, so the brown fields of '18 almost seem to be a repeat "Farewell Special" for the HST.

Is it this shot? Roskear Junction.1976 1071. by Stephen Burdett, on Flickr From the Flickr comments it seems that the coal was for Holman's, and that the use of a western was very unusual, possibly unique. https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/roskearjunction produces another photo of the Western, and a short class 47 hauled train a couple of days earlier.

I travelled on several IETs today with a Rover ticket; it would have been more but "old trains" kept turning up in the place of "new trains" to use Train Manager public address terminology. None of the sets I had today had the new seat covers/extra padding, but I find the original seats fine albeit the furthest I did was Swindon to Cardiff. The reservations indicator lights and screens were blank more than they were working, although one train manged to have electronic and paper reservations (which didn't agree!) and which was announced on the platform as having no reservations! Set 800026 was interesting as it has different door steps. The step board is as usual, but the first bit actually inside appeared to be a flip-over ramp. I'm not sure what that was all about, and as it was busy at Bath Spa I couldn't get a photo. I noted a few consecutive pairs running today, 9 & 10, 26 & 27, but the location of First Class is still a lottery, even the CIS screens and PA can't agree with each other on occasion! I travelled in the motor composite coach for one journey, and it had a mere 9 passengers in the standard section. But the interesting thing to note was that of those 9 one was sitting with no view in the first seat in from the vestibule, another was sitting in a seat which was mainly pillar and another had chosen a seat which is two-thirds pillar, one-third window. Of the others two were at a table, and the rest of us happy in our window airline seats. A small sample, but a random snapshot suggests that, despite the many moans on here, people really aren't bothered about seats and windows lining up. I'm off to try the GTi HST tomorrow; I just hope they do stop Camborne Fridays.

You're all wrong. Heljan are taking over Hornby.

It is very kind of Crossrail to offer that information sheet in 13 other languages, but I note neither Welsh nor Cornish is offered, despite a good number of direct trains to/from Paddington and Reading to the areas where those languages are spoken. Maybe I should fill in the box and request a translation (not that I'd understand whatever came back!).

Just another thought, and not disagreeing with anything said by contributors above, but why would the passengers get upset about the shunting? They'd only look at the time the train was due to depart, and that, should, make full allowance for any train preparation necessary. They're not interested in watching arrive, or when it arrived, or even if it arrived (well, not until they realise it can't depart before it arrives). One or two of us might carry fragments of diagrams with us and watch the arrivals screen as attentively as the departure one, but everyone else has no concern whether the train comes from near or far, from service or the depot, as long as it is ready for boarding about 10 minutes before it is due to depart.

BBC News are reporting that GWR are seven trains short (although they don;t say what they are) of the number required for a full service. The article is basically little more than a collection of "copy and paste" Twitter complaints though, so maybe the BBC is "critically short" of serviceable journalists....

That photo looks more like an "artist's impression" than the real thing. Very nice.

While I was at the GWS on Saturday I notice this dismantled tensioner along side the stop blocks at the far end of the Transfer Shed. The top The bottom, note that the angled piece as a bend at this end too, and a cross rail November 1883? I'd like to find a source for 4mm scale rail like this as there is so much [still] around for GWR and BR (WR) modellers to represent in minature.

It looks like a 5-car IET is standing in for an HST. As there are no "8 for 10" workings showing it looks like a HST short rather than a swap to make an IET working 8 cars when they only have 5 cars available but are booked for 10. If that's so one of the "5 for 10" diagrams negatives should be balanced by (in effect) the positive that the "5 for 8" would otherwise be "Cancelled".

It doesn't look much better today. This is the GWR Journey Check website summary at 08:20, with my note of formation alteration listed in each drop-down:

To suggest that the HST has "worked as intended," shows a short memory. Yes, for their overall life they have been successful, but in the early days there were problems with the late delivery of power cars resulting in sets of trailers being parked up. Then the WR hit on the idea of a generator van to get at least one set mobile. That generator van then proved itself useful when the power cars had engine and cooling problems. In hot weather it wasn't unusual for WR sets to be running "one engine only", whilst the Eastern fitted extra filler pipes through the radiator grille to enable platform top ups of coolant along the way. The missing section of grille is still visible on ex ER cars today. And don't forget that 43167-43170 were experimentally re-engined with Mirrlees Blackstone MB190 units as early as 1987. That those engines remained in just four cars suggests they didn't offer great advantage over the Valenta, but to experiment with different engines at 10 years old indicates they weren't "working as intended". That's not to say that they haven't done well, but they certainly weren't as good as many people now think.