Bob Reid

It's probably not in the shot - we had a "company" car! - The proverbial RAF blue Bedford (Astra) Van - or if the boss wan't using it, his "company" 309 - in same colour! I had 16v Black Metro GTi then (still wish I had that car) but I don't see it....

One wee thing I meant to add Graham. Most (if not all) of the ScR Carriage Depots did not have anything in the way of small roadway or yard lights. They all only ever had the large 15m? fabricated towers with maybe six lamps on each. Carriage depot lighting was notoriously bad. and it's only in the last 15 years that those at Craigentinny were replaced by the larger 25m Abacus masts.

This is just a teaser Graham, though it maybe highlights some of the points; From the Car Park round - Above the Car Park, a covered bike shed! followed by the Gas Compound (somewhat empty by that time) and also containing blue R22 Refrigerant bottles. The building over to the right of the road is the Plant & Machinery Workshop with all their junk outside. Below that is the compound for the oil barrels (racked), below that is the HV/ETS Compound, and below that the white thing is the Compacter. I'm not 100% certain of the date though I'm sure it was 93ish...... I was halfway up one of the 45' lighting towers on a steel ladder with ice all over it. I'm not sure what was shaking the most - me, the camera, or both!

Craigentinny - Concrete posts with 8' high chain link fencing Clayhills - Nowt but a granite block wall with a 25ft drop over it! Cowlairs - Concrete posts with chain link fencing - or in the remote parts of the depot where the Neds could get in, big steel fences..... Polmadie - Big Steel Fences.... Inverness - Can't remember for sure but it may well have been chain link fencing again with concrete posts. Carriage Depot security was never that great in the past - Usually only the one side (facing onto any public area) was fenced, the rest being closed by adjacent lines..... You once would have struggled to find a closed gated entrance (though the gates were alway there)

Hi Graham it's the "blog" format that doesn't lend itself to well to getting lots of feedback I fear. Nowt to do with the layout.... Perhaps (at a quick glance - so I may have missed the presence of them) you could consider adding some of the follwing, which were typical of Carriage sidings.... - A couple of waste compacters - something has to be done with all that rubbish that comes off the trains.... - A Propane Gas compound - Naturally, given the quantity needed we were not allowed to store them indoors.... - An ETH compound - Usually at the rear of the carriage sidings, containing the 415v & 1000v transformers and switchgear for the shore supplies - mind there were separate supplies at the end of each siding provided, for both HST & Loco-Hauled ETS. - A separate Boiler House for supplying the shed heating and the the Steam Heat shore supplies. - A tilted plate separator near the fuel point (used to separate out the waste Lube Oil from Coolant/BSM/Rainwater) for disposal.... - A remote filling point for the main fuel tanks usually somewhere on the depot access road where the BP tankers (from Grangemouth) could offload the diesel fuel, similarly there was usually a bulk offloading point for the Lube Oil) - Talking of Lube Oil, most depots had a separate fenced compound for storing the 45Gall drums of Lube Oil etc. - Again (almost) all depots had adjacent to the Yard Office, a large clock outside - just as a reminder to the train crew who might be booking on there! - Outside of the yard office was inevitably where the depot pilot sat (Glenn will remember this) when it wasn't shunting stock about. Needless to say this (as well as the fuel offloading points) was where the ground was heavily contaminated with diesel.... - Most Depots had a store (some like Craigentinny had it's own Laundry /dry-cleaners) where the replacement loose seat covers, sleeper laundry, and 000s of Blue & White Towelmaster rolls sat.... Before the stuff was cleaned and stored it often sat outside on small trailers or in the ScR, in redundant BRUTEs - for which most Depots had a couple of battery Tow trucks for.... - The larger Depots usually had accommodation for the Plant & Machinery staff based on the depot - often though, as they were not T&RS staff they had their own workshop separate from the Depot Staff - and usually with a lot of (seemingly) junk outside "Under or Awaiting Repair" (Tow-Trucks, Battery Chargers) and more BRUTEs - A staff car park! 24hrs a day operation and 365 days a year, meant that there was always a busy car park (except Saturday back shift usually)....... And inevitably the Depot Engineer and even the AME got their own marked space. Aye the power of rank! I could probably blether about C&W locations for hours, but you are probably quite bored by now! - I don't have a lot of photo's but there's a few that I do have that might pick up on some of the carriage depot details you might want to consider. When I've stopped lifting our (flooded) floor - no pun intended, I'll try and scan some for a wee article on my blog that'll maybe give you some pointers! Although your looking at some photo's from the electrification years, Carriage Depots (except perhaps Cowlairs and Bellahouston) were always that (relatively) clean compared to Diesel Depots. The Depots servicing HSTs were only constructed in 1976 and later, and apart from where the Power Cars were overhauled were always that much better - hence the reason we could paint the floors in the sheds light grey! Anyway, more later!

Not really - the signal that causes each coach to apply or release the brakes individually is provided by altering the pressure in the Auto-Air Brake Pipe throughout the train. Sticking to application of the brakes, on conventional loco-hauled air braked stock, this alteration to the AABP is done by reducing the air pressure from the (leading) locomotive. In the case of the HST however, whilst the reduction in pressure is still initiated at the leading Power Car under the control of the driver it is also automatically reduced via an electric signal at the rear Power Car as well. This reduction in pressure from both ends at once, increases the speed at which each coach is signalled to apply the brakes, and proportionally reduces the distance required to reduce the speed of the train or bring the whole lot to a stand. No electronics are involved in the braking system of the Mark III stock, being entirely controlled by air pressure, the Power Cars however use an electrical system to communicate the position of the brake controller (and hence the application of the brakes) from the front to the rear PC. [Edit] Thinking of a more basic analogy - if the speed (and hence the rate) of brake application was dependant on letting water out of a 600ft long pipe what would the effect of letting the water out of both ends of the pipe at the same time be as opposed to just one of them?

Crikey Brian you've knocked me off my rant there!

Why would it have been 140mph? They were designed for 125mph though (as a result of being "hauled" restricted to 110mph. 140mph only ever became a consideration (and then for Mark 4 stock, on the advent of the IC225 project). Why would BR have considered retro-fitting the Mark 3s for 140mph, when there were no locomotives, nor any plans or funding to produce any 140mph capable locomotives after the Class 91s? You say it wasn't a priority? As far as I'm aware (certainly within INTERCITY) it was never considered let alone a priority, as the next step would have been the Mark Vs - I'm not disputing it ever happened however I certainly don't ever remember a "if only we'd though of that' moment or 'we should have employed a Systems Engineer', in respect of the Mark III stock - Why on earth would they?. The Mark IIIs were well designed and executed and their length in service has proven that time and time again. BR was already full of capable engineers - and a had plenty of competent and active Systems Engineers. The only thing BR lacked was a cohesive plan for the progressive replacement of rolling stock, such as had existed up until the end of Mark III construction, which would have course have necessitated a government that wasn't intent on running BR down.

Don't worry about your hat just show us the error of our beliefs

I'll need to stop using that invisible ink

More like an Electronic version than EP, though the principles the same - each Power Car is equipped with a Davies & Metcalfe E70 electronic Brake Controller which through application valves on each power car (and the associated train wires), applies and releases the brakes simultaneously from each end, basically for the same length of train at a faster rate than a conventional loco-hauled set - we are talking fractions of a second difference in lag for either type however on an HST it's sufficient enough to reduce the stopping distance at maximum speed quite considerably! Aside from all that, both the Loco-Hauled and HST Mark 3s were originally designed to operate at 125mph!

It's like many of these stories that get put about- wrong rivets, too small, too big, whatever - no one ever puts any figures round it, any meat on the bone as it were...... The one about the height? of the HJ Clayton came out within the first week of release, and to date no ones put any figures to the difference. Could it be the kit Clayton's are wrong? Who knows without any supporting info? I'm certainly not out to look up or source the appropriate drawings as to be honest (like many of the purchasers) apart from the drive problems it looks better than any Clayton I'd seen modelled previously. In comparative price terms, the HJ - even at full price, are clearly streets ahead. Of course there is room for improvement, but I'd have to say, to me that fact doesn't detract greatly from what HJ produced. Some people are never happier than when they are decrying the latest release. Having returned to modelling a few years back now after an extended absence thanks to BR and the 12" to the foot version, I've been increasingly disappointed by the queue that forms to be the first to pronounce the "next-best-thing" from the manufacturers as a dud, or to spot the latest "oops" as if all the other modellers will be suitably impressed by their wealth of knowledge and prowess. As you say PMP, if there version is that much better and streets ahead of the RTR manufacturers, and yet costs the same price, then lets see it then - Get it out on the table

Nothing like stirring it up without any explanation? Forgetting the drive problems, what's the joke about it?

Do you mean the earlier photo's of the EMUs as well as the 156 - It's the Bright Orange of Strathclyde Transport..... See http://members.madasafish.com/~dysgraphyk/156/class156_liv-st.htm or strictly speaking Strathclyde PTE.....

Nice Mark 2! - Save yourself some time! Periscopes were not fitted to any of the Mark 2 brakes, having been abandoned (on all but the SR) in the summer of 1963, whilst Mark 1 construction was still on the go and two/three years before the Mark 2 BFKs were constructed. One less detail for you to model. I know you've mentioned the underframe equipment in passing however are you changing it to the earlier Mark 2 style?

Handy things those electrical hoses Ian. Great for spraying electricity all over the place

Kentucky Fried Chicken

on her horse

along the watchtower

amongst the nobs

Knowing nothing about Black Beetle's Dave, does this mean 2 sets or are they man enough for 1 and 1 unpowered bogie? Much as I Like the thought of a proper open cab for the Heljan Clayton, at ??42 a pop it's looking an expensive option, though of course one would be more reasonable!

Your quite right Jamie - seven points in the scenic area (C+L) and whatever it takes in the fiddle yard down the other long side. Main line trains certainly help as does the length to run them in - though I'll probably have to increase the A4 fleet by a couple and get my name down for a Bachmann A2... Oh and increase the number of Maroon Mark 1s - so if you feel like chucking yours in the bin, I've the perfect bin for them

I am Graham I've started constructing a 7mm diorama of part of the Carriage Shop at Glasgow Works (St.Rollox), purely to display / photograph the (infrequent) 7mm models I do, so therefore it's small (and non-functioning) in 7mm terms - which is about as much space as I have for an '0' gauge layout! Fortunately I do have enough room (21ft x 7ft) in one of the lofts to fill with a 4mm scale / '00' gauge layout. I've tried a few locations however never being able to settle on a specific location didn't help! As most of my 4mm modelling has been in the 1960-68 period, and I've a leaning towards main-line as opposed to branch trains, Auldbar Road is more than a probable as I guess it ticks all the right boxes. Fortunately trains on the Glasgow-Aberdeen main line in that period were well photographed - and allow a typical for the period Scottish mix of ex-LMS and LNER locomotives! Bob.

Good point 28ten! I still intend to use the blog for general carriage stuff - there is a lot I come across when searching out or creating drawings for folk that would be best suited to this "occasional" format I've chosen, that (obviously) are not particularly linked to a more specific layout or workbench thread! This 'drop by' format for me looks to be the best for that kind of thing! Bob.

Coming from the Scottish central belt you get used to the obliteration of track formations and structures caused by "progress" - goodness knows what some of the property developers would have done without the BR Property Boards once vast portfolio of redundant trackbeds and yards. The downside of this "progress" is that much of the recognisable railway has progressively disappeared over the years. Move out of the Edinburgh-Glasgow corridor north-eastwards (in our case by 125 miles) and it's incredible the difference it makes. Whilst over the last two years I've wandered here and there up and down for a location for a layout, never really settling on a location, it became obvious that much of what I was after was on our (literal)! doorstep. One prospective candidate was Auldbar Road on the Caledonian main line between Forfar and Guthrie Junction. The line closed in 1967, and though the station closed in the 1950s a surprising amount still remains - almost all still exists (if a little overgrown) bar the wooden station buildings and of course the track and signals! The original stationmasters house remains, and adjacent to that, Auldbar Road signalbox, functioning as a private outbuilding these days, but looking better than it did in the early 60s when it was then a "redundant" BR asset. Perhaps you can see why I'm inspired to use this location for a layout. For more info on this section of the Caledonian main line to Aberdeen I'd thoroughly recommend The Arbroath & Forfar Railway by Niall Ferguson published by The Oakwood Press Bob