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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

Well I asked the question over on the FB group around whether L1, L5, L10, L11 ever existed and the response I got from two different members, one a former linesman but current industry and the other unknown. Both said that L1 was I quote- "L1 couldn't be used for towers, the spec had already been written and referred to LV poles." from Alan. and "I found a J. L. Eve foundation drawing from 1954 for an L5 tower - appears to be 132kV. So they obviously were designed if not used. I think I may have read somewhere that an L1 was a wooden pole design?" from Alastair. and "Alistair Correct, L1 was LV wood poles." from Alan. Alan the industry guy also said- "PL series, they were Primary Line contracts in the early days of the grid and were numbered sequentially. I suspect that some designs were rejected in favour of others, that would explain the gaps. Then a few designs became 'adopted' in other areas, like the PL7 which became quite widespread. Eventually the PL16 became the favoured tower and still dominates our landscape today. With fewer styles, manufacturing becomes easier, therefore cheaper. Maintenance stocks become smaller. Eventually it reaches a natural level." Cheers Paul

Yes, I have often wondered why there appears to be no L1, L5, L10, L11 type towers popping up in what little official paperwork and evidence appears. I too wonder what this extended Tower Bible contains and would certainly be interested in seeing a copy or at least a list of the designs that are covered if possible please. Cheers Paul

Yep, they are odd towers indeed and seem to be local to that area as I don't recall seeing them anywhere else on my travels round on the railways.

33 and 132 definitely not sure if any operating on 66 kV.

I've seen these in passing, there is or was a line that runs up the Erewash valley and crosses the railway line between Clay Cross and Toton at least once maybe twice I can't remember now but possibly originated from Spondon power station. No idea of tower designation but only a handful of lines known to use this tower type in the North East Midlands. I've seen them referred to as Christmas tree towers in reference to the shape of the towers.

Bishop's Wood to Ludlow was until recently Western Power Distribution but they were acquired by National Grid not so long ago. So NG ought to know about them in some capacity or another now, but should know the Eve towers from those it operates in South Wales from Pyle. The Ludlow line appears to have been built with 275kV in mind and strung accordingly with twin conductors. But up until a few years ago the suspension towers had short 132kV insulators fitted and the deviation towers had twin insulators but a line upgrade saw all that changed over to single conductors and insulators. Apart from providing a 275kV feed to the Ludlow area, I can't think of any other reason to build a 275kV capable line there.

As regards Thornton the only thing I know is that the west to east running line 4ZR from Creyke Beck to Osbaldwick first around 1967 and 4VC line running from Norton down to Drax came along in 1971/72 and at Thornton dived under 4ZR using a diamond formation using a pair of low height towers around tower 4ZR 88. So when Thornton switching station was established, both lines were altered and diverted in so that all 8 circuits now 4 lines terminated there. So could the tower in question been the one before the split down to the low height towers?

Nice one, I believe the D towers are L3c and the corner or deviation towers are a JL Eve design of L3 hence the different look. Off top of me head only one maybe two lines that use this design of JL Eve deviation towers up in Scotland, and in England and Wales, there is the Bishop's Wood to Ludlow line that uses the same deviation towers with JL Eve suspension D towers. Plus part of a line near Pyle in South Wales too and one Terminal tower at Shrewsbury all from a JL Eve design, so I was told some time ago. I did start to collate the Scottish line codes using Google Earth, but not every code shows up on the imagery of course, so any line codes are most welcome to fill in the gaps thanks. Cheers Paul

I believe this and or the pair in the background were the late Flash Bristow's favourite towers at Braintree

Could the 45 relate to either the provision of additional cross arms, at 45 degrees to the main cross arms on either side of the towers making a T shape?. Or is it something to do with the extra 'spurs' for want of a better description that appear on the tips of the cross arms presumably added to allow more downlead options?