HillsideDepot

Since it was standing outside yesterday, something to look at whilst you're waiting:

The 9-car 800/3s have started work on Bristol services, although they may be "Saturdays Only" at the moment. 800304 arrives at Chippenham with 1C08 0930 Paddington - Temple Meads A few minutes later 800305 arrives with 1A13 1030 Temple Meads - Paddington. I travelled on 305 to Didcot (for the Swindon Panel event) and made sure I travelled in a trailer. Whilst there was no change in noise when moving off, the air conditioning fan rumbling away more than compensated for engine/motor noise. For all the noise the coach was hot and stuffy. Even with 9-cars the service had a full seated load, with some standing. We didn't see the trolley, and the electronic reservations weren't working. After a great day at Didcot Railway Centre I came home on 800031+800005 on 1C20 1530 Paddington to Weston-super-Mare, with no reservations indicated and no trolley. But at least the air-con was cooling the coach. I think 800307 was also in service, but its bit of a distance from the main demonstration line platform to the Down Main at Didcot Parkway to be 100% sure.

Here are few photos of 800304 taken this morning. Power car bogie Power car underframe equipment boxes Trailer bogie (as shown in more detail above) Trailer car underframe equipment boxes

Ah, there was me thinking he'd gone all posh and built a station with a fancy canopy, not that the Trans-Atlantic liner trade featured that large in Bleat Wharf's ledgers, they were ever hopeful.

This has just been discussed on Radio 2's Jeremey Vine programme and the opinion there (as selected for broadcast) was very firmly on the trespassers' side. Jeremy even suggested that lines should be closed overnight to allow such vandalism to be done safely. Strangely I didn't hear him offer to also open his home to the same people so that he suffer the same damage... Jeremey Vine also kept saying that it was a train which was being painted, and even said it had occurred "in Loughborough" such is his lack of basic understanding. But maybe my view as a transport professional is just at odds with the "arty" staff at the BBC.

You know you want to! Seriously though, the plans are looking great, and whether I can identify the class(es) of loco in use or not will make no difference to the overall scene. It's interesting to see that you fine-tune the plans with the majority (all?) of the buildings in place. I do that too, as I find I really can't visualise it without. It does mean that I build items I might not find a use for, but they can always wait for the next project. That shot in post #4703 of the B4 (I think!!) in the far, far distance is very effective. I can imagine coming across Bleat Wharf in maybe the late 1970's early 1980's when there is still some track in situ, enough to suggest that it had been an interesting place, and then trying to research it through the likes of Bradford Barton albums, Ian Allan pictorials, or if you were really lucky, OPC would have a thin volume on the history of the line, offering a few tantalising images of the line in times past...

They do come in different sizes. This one's labelled "small" (but is close to the camera) [Photo from Hatton's] Whereas this one is labelled "XL" (but is further away from the camera)

Why would the driver back out to the signal? He'd only do that if his duty told him to do so, and after gaining the necessary permission. His duty could just as easily tell him to take a meal break, or to wait until the following class 47 has run back light before making his next move, or indeed to couple to the class 47 so they can run together to Old Oak or wherever. Any number of things could happen next, but the driver will only do as instructed.

Peter Jeffree on the IET & HST Appreciation Society Facebook page reports: This is the first time that I have seen a 9-car reported in service. YouTube videos by Waverley John show units as high as 800314 (out of 21 ordered) on the Hitachi test track, although one from this week also shows a driving end body shell arriving on a lorry which is described as being for 800312. 800309 is shown as leaving on June 12th on its delivery run. Back with the 5-cars GWR has applied "#trainbow" stripes to the driving ends of 800008 to celebrate various Pride events across its region this summer, but many services remain a single unit when booked for two. A former colleague reported on Tuesday

But "good news" like that doesn't sell newspapers....

I use Revell liquid glue for most of my plastic kits (it does depend on what they are made of). It works fine on Wills Scenic kits. The only thing I find with it is that the feed tube, being so narrow, easily clogs. I just keep a piece of firm wire handy to unblock it.

It is interesting how the current rail problems are being dealt with by the media. For sure, its not a good situation, but the media want someone's head for this and are firmly on the side of the "commuter" (the lazy journalist term for anyone travelling on a train). Contrast that with the "expert" who the BBC brought in to explain the IT problems TSB have been having, and the similar problem Visa had one weekend recently. Did they call for someone's head to roll? Were they firmly on the side of the consumer? No! The answer, apparently, is that we should all have two bank accounts, and cards from two providers, and are fools if we don't. But Northern haven't shrugged their shoulders, bank style, and told Windermere passengers that they should carry a Stagecoach Explorer bus ticket along with their rail ticket, they are providing something. It might not be the usual level of service, it might not be enough, but they are doing something. Anyone who suggests that, in the current situation, it makes sense to continue running the branch has little idea of scheduling.

They are certainly called "running-in-boards" by the GWR people and council officers on the Heart of Wessex Community Rail Partnership, and I'd suggest the name was more likely to have come to them through official rather than enthusiast channels.

Following Geoff's update on the works near Chippenham I took a little look for myself. True to form, for this project, they are using the "a bit here, a bit there" system of wiring. There is indeed overhead on the Down at Christian Malford, but it appears to only be a single length as there is nothing on the Up side of Friday Street bridge, nor on the Down at the River Avon bridge. But there is some, again on the Down at Langley Crossing. Clearance under the bridge looks a bit tight... And for the side wire, ummm, a bit of insulation is needed! There is a Works Compound here, with a generator making black smoke and seemingly a security man in duty. There isn't much in the way of equipment or material

A quick look at GWR JourneyCheck at lunch-time produced a long list of 48 Train Formation Updates, but none appeared to involve class 800s. O/T just had another look now and note various services altered...

But they haven't paid a dividend in years, and as staff involvement was important at one time there are a lot of longer serving staff, still working hard, but feeling very let down.

The Channel5 Paddington 24/7 programme had quite a lot of "Royal Wedding Trains" coverage last night, although I suspect BrianUSA won't be able to view it across the Pond. So a few snippets. A 4 car (2x2) Turbo was rostered for the service which was accompanied by a travelling fitter. A spare train was also available (we didn't see it, but I assume another 4 cars) It appeared that there was a driver at each end (although playing footage backwards isn't unusual for the programme) to speed reversals Windsor & Eaton Central was renamed Harry & Megan Central on the station name boards (and on screens at Slough) This touch rather backfired as people wanted selfies with the name boards while platform staff wanted a clear platform to despatch the shuttle back to Slough A "Just Married" vinyl was applied to one unit during the "quiet spell" There was a queueing system at Slough, outside the front of the station to control access to the train and avoid crowds being too close to the Down Main platform face There was a large screen erected at Slough for those who were either too late to get to Windsor or who simply couldn't get on the shuttle trains (and there were lots) GWR had bunting, confetti and special chocolates for passengers. There were problems at Paddington with connecting services, not least that InterCity Express trains need the driver on board to release the doors. The second train booked to stop at Slough was late off the depot, which was itself a problem, but a bigger problem was that the driver for the first Slough calling train was riding in passenger on it! Having been involved in similar special event movements on the buses the excitement and adrenaline takes over and its all great fun. But you don't half feel it once you stop and the adrenaline fades!

What a great day out at RailEx, well worth the wet drive from Wiltshire. Hornsey Broadway was every bit as good as I expected it to be - and as busy as I expected it to be - but every layout had something of interest to me, and all had several viewing during the day. Several excellent shunting type layouts which really prove that great things are possible in small spaces, and which hopefully will have encouraged newbies to have a go. So many things stick in the mind, but a Peak travelling at speed around the canted curve on The Summit was pretty special. A big "thank you" to the organisers and exhibitors for their efforts to make it all happen.

As others have said, less is more. Here is Hillside Stabling Point (long since put into store), but something which I'd suggest is more realistic. The layout from half way across the road in the left upper photo to where the grey road changes colour at the edge of the right hand lower photo is 5' 6" by 19" (an odd size, but it was built from a recycled Sundeala notice board!). I later extended the layout by two feet which allowed a crossover from the fuel road, back onto the next siding. The platform was added with the extension and could take a 3 car DMU and was assumed to be for an industrial installation (a bit like Filton Platform in Bristol) or for a football ground - I never did decide, but it was little used. In the opposite direction the lower line led to a private siding, but could go straight into a fiddle yard. For all the extra track in the proposed plan, I really don't think it adds anything to the operational enjoyment of the layout. But that's only my opinion. EDIT - description of photo positions edited once final post was seen on screen

The 267 was indeed hourly, but has recently been relaunched as "Discover" D2 and upped to half-hourly. The timetable leaflet even has a picture of Midford station!

I'd happily take mine (albeit in blue/grey) along the Calne Branch, if it helped the case.

No, it doesn't. Section 23 ends at the east end of Tilehurst and at Southcote Junc. Section 24 covers Reading, according to the map in Section 23, but I don't have that one.

It looks to me like a Down train in the cutting at Hazeland, although my knowledge of the line is sadly only from cycling it (although I am grateful for that access to it). I've left Calne on, to give a better fix on the location, and added a note of Blackdog Halt. Image from Bing Maps, based on Ordnance Survey data.

Here are two at Newcastle Central from my camera: 47581 91-01-09 Newcastle Central by Chippenham Lodekka, on Flickr - this was the Newcastle to St Pancras TPO 47582 90-11-24.1 Newcastle Central by Chippenham Lodekka, on Flickr on the Plymouth - Newcastle - Plymouth diagram, filling in for an HST

Is what the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald had to say about the arrangements. I presume it is basically GWR's Press Release, carefully altered by a journalist who thinks Windsor and Eton Central are two stations not one!