Captain Kernow

Interesting, thanks, but this will actually be a NCB loco, albeit one allocated to a modernised Frog Lane Colliery, near Coalpit Heath. The livery isn't final, but I'll try to make the most of what's there. The shunters truck was merely being tested on the layout, as it had been converted at the same time.

Details on conversion to P4 using the new Ultrascale drop-in wheels on my blog here - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/21/entry-13402-Hornby-sentinel-converted-to-p4/

The drainage pipes are being built up section by section, to the required height. A specified distance will be left between the top of the concrete and the bottom of the sleepers, and this will be filled with ballast, to ensure good drainage and ride quality.

Yes, the tops of the containers are some way below rail height...

Who's taught him Photoshop - that's what I'd like to know!!

I think that NR would be able to demonstrate that all reasonable endeavours had been gone through, in terms of matching the granite appearance. The root cause of the problem is easily enough laid at the door of Mother Nature. It's not a question of changing the configuration of the low-level walkway at this point, although I'd prefer to see it rebuilt to match the existing higher level walkway on the rest of the Sea Wall - we're simply putting it back like it was before the storms. Then the whole debate about new Sea Walls, verses alternative inland routes, can carry on...

No, not for now, got to bear in mind that the structure has protected status, so we can't just alter the design without going through the appropriate processes. In the future, however, I'd certainly support doing that, and have already raised it with the relevant engineers.

A couple of weeks ago - or thereabouts - I noticed on the Ultrascale website, that they were developing a drop-in conversion wheelset for the Hornby Sentinel, in both P4 and EM. One of the features of both P4 and EM sets was the fact that narrower than normal/scale wheel treads had been used, which enabled the drop-in sets to be used without having to remove the outside frames and create more space. For some reason, I read into their wording that these wheelsets might be available already, so I e-mailed David Rogers, asking to have a couple of sets reserved for me and Re6/6, in P4. Mr Rogers e-mailed back almost immediately, asking if I'd be interested in trialling a set of P4 wheels. I, of course, replied immediately myself, saying 'yes!' The P4 wheels arrived the following day by first class post! Well, the whole job took about 20 minutes, if that. It was ridiculously straightforward... just remove the brake rigging (carefully, with a pair of tweezers), and then unscrew the three screws that hold the chassis baseplate in situ (these are crosshead types, of course, but a conventional screwdriver worked best, as they were very tightly screwed in). Then remove the Hornby OO wheels, tweak the pick-ups out to the P4 spacing and place the new wheels in place. Replace the baseplate and test run. I found it ran well enough like that, but stalled occasionally. I was considering adding a bit more weight, but then decided to give the chassis a bit of running in, particularly to bed the pick-ups in against the backs of the new P4 flanges. This was done by hard-wiring the power to the pick ups and running the loco upside down for 30 mins or so in each direction. The photos then show the results, with the loco posing on Callow Lane. Once the pick-ups had been 'bedded in', the loco ran better, and I don't think I've been able to get it to stall since. The narrower-than-scale wheel treads certainly haven't been a problem. The loco is a lovely, smooth and slow runner on Callow Lane, and hasn't derailed anywhere. I'm really, really pleased with it. When e-mailed my report and some photos back to Ultrascale, I asked what I owed for the wheelsets, but David Rogers most kindly said that there was nothing to pay, as a 'thank you' for my help. Apparently the EM ones also tested out fine, so a pre-manufacturered number of sets were advertised in both P4 and EM, and apparently they have all sold out already... The new wheel sets in situ: The pick-ups being 'bedded in' with the loco under power, upside down: The loco posing with a Bachmann GWR shunters truck, (which I'd also just converted using Exactoscale spoked wagon wheels and a lump of lead):

OK folks - a spare few mins, and this time I'm going to prioritise topics other than Dawlish (including my blog), and taking time out to eat a Gert Big Pasty picked up at a farmers market in Bovey Tracy yesterday... - The vertical pipes are confirmed as vertical drains. - The mode of construction (for those who haven't already worked this out) is to place a row of pre-cast concrete blocks along the outer edge, right next to the metal containers. - You then drill them horizontally and insert very long stainless steel anchor pins (these anchor the pre-cast blocks to the concrete that will be poured next) - Next - you pour concrete - probably in a couple of stages - up to the top of the pre-cast blocks, level it off etc. - Extend the vertical drains with further extension pieces - Repeat the process until you've got the 'head of concrete' up to the planned level - Deposit X hundreds of tons of new ballast on top of the fully-cured concrete - Lay the new track that is being delivered and pre-assembed next to Marine Parade at the moment - Rebuild the missing parapet wall in concrete to the correct level above rail level - Face the outer wall off with granite that matches what Brunel used (our contractors are checking out local quarries at the moment) And certainly not least... fix the damage in all the other locations - the amount of sheer work necessary elsewhere to allow train to start running should not be underestimated, it's not just about the main washout site. And regarding the helmets, this is indeed to do with the way the site has been classified, so all is well and to be expected in that regard.

Sorry for fact that Weds photos still haven't been uploaded, just haven't had time, other urgent stuff going on elsewhere, which I hope to report on later next week (a bit of a good news story, in fact), also had relatives visiting last night. Still haven't heard back re official reason for 'sticky up pipey things', but will get that in due course too...

I think I recorded it on VHS once... not quite sure where that tape went, but there were many excellent railway scenes in the film. Pity about the plot line, a rather feeble (even for it's time, IIRC) 'cops and robbers' film...!

Well, that's six photos I don't need to post up on here separately!!

Now then, those 'sticky-up pipey things'... (technical term)... I did ask myself what they were (and no, Mr Stationmaster, I didn't have to go wading around in wet concrete - there were a couple of lads down there already being paid to do that, to level it all off as it came out of the pipe), and I believe their function is connected with drainage. Interestingly, the cement mixer 'doing the business' is right up on the main road, with a long pipe coming down the steps between Sea Lawn Terrace and Riviera Terrace, and then connected to the big 'spidery' type thing (another technical term), and thus down into the hole. My photos (to be uploaded later, visiting relatives permitting) will make all that clear.

I see that you managed not to capture me during my site visit yesterday... (photos to follow..)!

I can confirm the updated NR website states mid-April as the reopening target date. This has widespread support across the industry and the political spectrum and is a robust target to work towards.

I take your point, but really - don't be too hard on yourself! We don't just build models for the unforgiving macro lens of modern digital cameras!

Quite right - a large trench has been dug and filled with concrete as an initial step in building the railway formation back up, much more robustly that it was before.

I echo Tim V's point, but if I had any doubts about the value of making them work, you've removed them. Very nice work indeed.

I remember having a Hornby Dublo one many years ago, it was very heavy but an excellent runner, IIRC. Perhaps they'd have sorted some of the S&D's heavy trains out good and proper, if they'd been a bit more reliable (and had been allocated to Bath Green Park..! ). Now, that's got me thinking....

Well, having had a scan through various communications, there was more serious damage on Friday night at the site of the main breach. Damage to the containers (sea action caused them to become deformed, as some have noted already) and also the newly-erected scaffolding bridge, plus more damage to the masonry wall and - as someone already noted - a little bit more track suspended. At the height of the storm, our project team was helping the Police and Local Council evacuate houses in Sea Lawn Terrace, although the houses seem to have survived OK. There was a lot more 'lesser' damage (if that's the right expression - not sure it is..) all along the wall, including much of the remedial work done in the previous days... More containers have indeed been moved into place, plus a lot of work done over the weekend to tidy up after Friday's storm and start making progress in a forward direction again. The measures undertaken to secure the original containers in place do seem to have been effective, though. Also, there was a very considerable amount of damage to S&T equipment between Marazion and Penzance, which has resulted in services in and out of Penzance being suspended for the duration. ECS moves to and from Long Rock at the St Erth end can now be implemented to start and terminate services from St Erth. We are going to give the S&T teams a 'clear run' by the looks of it, to get the signalling fully repaired, rather than delay it by having to stop work every so often for trains running under pilotworking conditions. It seems as if the PW in the area got by relatively unscathed, fortunately.

Sorry, been out of the district for the weekend on urgent/difficult family business. Just in the process of catching up now. More from me in due course.

I think last time I checked it was concrete, Mike, but I'll get another update in due course anyway. Effective method of keeping ballast in place in moderate sea conditions, Andi - I was talking with one of the PW guys about this yesterday. We put them in over 10 years ago, and they have worked pretty well under a lot of 'lesser' bad weather conditions...