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Ah cheers, never thought to look on Facefart! Thanks Paul

Does anyone know about Scale Model Innovations products at all? A Google search only seems to bring up results relating to Business Models and the only mention I can find of it on here is in the Middleton Central layout thread, where the layout builder mentions using some of their industrial window frames. In the February 2024 issue of Rail Express Modeller, Nigel Burkin mentions a resin printed kit that SMI have done for the Southern Region ZCV 'Dace' wagon in 4mm, which paired with spare underframe parts from the Peco/Parkside 'Grampus' kit, a complete wagon can be made. Just wondered what other items they might produce. Cheers Paul

See you on all Friday afternoon with the Hazel Grove gang and Smethurst Junction. We are looking forward to the show. Cheers Paul

Pleased to say that I have been able to purchase, download and print off two adult tickets now so thanks to whoever made this possible and the Ticket Factory bods too. Cheers Paul

Then why doesn't Ticket Factory state that on their page now instead of saying nothing apart from tickets on sale from Monday 3 April. Nothing about a 4pm cut-off last night. Not stating anything just adds to the confusion for people who might wish to attend at the last minute but are put off by non-avalibility of online tickets. I will keep an eye and see if they come back on as per Chris Ms post 46 minutes ago. Cheers Paul

Thanks for the mention Andy 😀 Cheers Paul

No problemo Andy, glad to be of assistance. Sorry I didn't see you for longer yesterday at Hazel Grove show, hopefully I will see you again soon or at Manchester show in December when there exhibiting the club layout of course. Cheers Paul

Ok, I have found Notepad 2 and had a look through and the earliest reference I can find to 6H66/6F67 is April 1996, when I noted down some rough timings in the pad between entries dated the 4th and the 20th. I can't remember where I got the information, maybe a friend, or the signalman at Hazel Grove see photo Warrington Arpley d. 05.20 WBQ, Winwick Jn, NewtonlW, Man Vic, Romiley 07.19, New Mills South Jn, Chinley North Jn 07.32, Peak Forest South a. 07.44 d. 07.45, Buxton URS a. 08.06 rr d. 08.26, Briggs a. 08.49. For some reason I didn't get the return timings but went back the same route. This was because the Hartford curve was out of use at the time. So, my first actual sighting of 6F67 was on 10th October at Marple station see photo 37211 was noted heading towards Romiley at 10.35 with 1 JIA 'Polybulk' and 3 PBAs in tow (the blue ones). Fortuitously maybe, I was signing on at the time and was given Marple as the office to attend at 9am, so a quick sign-on and browse of the jobs meant I might just make it to the station to see the Dowlow. If the advisor didn't dawdle or there were loads of others trying to sign on damm! A second visit to Marple station on the 24th and I just caught 37162 also in Dutch colours at 10.17 with the same formation of 4 wagons see photo I do have photos of both trains, but will have to retrieve the photo album and prints from home to show you. A later entry in the same notebook suggests that the route was altered to run via Chester with a run-round there, though I have not seen any evidence of that and timing remained via the Chat Moss and Romiley routing. It was a hard train to catch when it did eventually start running via Hazel Grove and often ran out and back very early. You will also note the appearance of the Toton - Castleton rail parts train as well in my notes too. Cheers Paul

I will get my thinking cap on hmm and consult my notes, pads and working timetables... Cheers Paul

Hi Andy, my guess would be the tripper was a convenient way of getting the repaired container flats back to one of the Greater Manchester waste terminals so either Northenden, Bredbury, Brindle Heath or Dean Lane by using the light engine move to the terminal to take the wagons back. The Binliners were still hauled by EWS at this time and a few years later moved over to Freightliner HeavyHaul. Cheers Paul

I recall seeing Blue Circle vee tanks in a mixed rake with the Metalair versions on an empty Widnes to Earle's Sidings working in Summer 1992, but thereafter, the vee tanks became scarce and I think all were stored due to the recession and downturn in the construction industry. Traffic to Northenden and Widnes went over to using the Metalair tanks only from then onwards. Many of the 9nnn series APCM/Blue Circle Cement owned tanks were scrapped and most of the 107nn, 108nn and 109nn series tanks, apart from the hand brake lever fitted 109nn series were kept in store. Around 2002, LaFarge started to bring vee tanks back into traffic from Hope and they initially tended to stay in fixed rakes i.e. all vee or all Metalair but eventually they were all pooled together. Any remaining stored Vee tanks, like those that ended up at Eastgate works, were I think eventually scrapped on site. I made a special visit there one summer Saturday just to get the numbers and photograph as many as I could before the bus was due back. All based on my own observations and recordings at the time. HTH Paul

Hmm not seen those before with those little earthwire crossarms very unusual looking indeed.

My guess would be is it a river crossing tower and the crossarm floors permit safer working at height at this location?

Good point, there definitely seems to be a regional split on the tower designers/builders for the PL type tower designs. Yep, I have seen SL mentioned as Secondary Line too for those lines operating at 33 kV and 66 kV too. Exactly where the phrase "pre-grid" appeared from I am not certain.

There is at least one PL1 single circuit tower near me that might explain what the S5S, if that is what it is, as the suspension insulators are angled to deviate the line. I haven't had an opportunity to go and have a closer look yet as it is off down a busy country lane, but if you look at this Google Earth location and the street imagery, you should see what I am on about. https://maps.app.goo.gl/7Am9T9Pqo4M2AbWD9 The next tower along south is also interesting too - would this be an Milliken S10 still? The next tower south appears to be a Milliken S30. Cheers Paul