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Just wondered was there ever a review of these models in BRM? Seem to have missed it if there was. Cheers Paul

Hello, my new book Freight in the Peak District published by Amberley Publishing is due out on the 15th of July. The book looks at the freight operations in the Derbyshire Peak District between 2001 and last year when the book was submitted and is based around Peak Forest with images from Buxton, Great Rocks, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Chinley and Hope. All the photos were taken by myself mostly on film then digital cameras. So expect lots of Class 60s, 66s with some 37s, 56s, 67s and even a 31! Working all manner of stone aggregates and cement trains in the area. Regards Paul

Do you work starting with the square base section as shown glued to the four main legs then use smaller square section formers for want of a better description to keep the right shape as you go up the tower? I am used to using Plastruct and Evergreen when doing my quarry buildings for my kit bashed Walthers buildings for my Speedlow layout and other wagon projects. Are there any common sizes to use for the main legs the primary and secondary cross bracing? Cheers Paul

I always thought that the Hornby kit was a deviation tower D30 but modelled with suspension insulators like a D2 tower. And scaled down accordingly. Great to see the proper scaled models wow wish I could build them like that. Cheers Paul

Definitely no diagrams for those ones! Some sort of local area adapted tower design to suit the locations I would guess but certainly different looking especially the pair in the second photo. There is reference to a Crossing Tower design described as Used at Colne then Tamar/Tavy so this design must have presumably existed at these locations. Cheers Paul

The book was on sale at Crewe All Change on Saturday on P5 stand. Looks a good book from what I saw. Paul

I went out last Saturday to watch the UKRailtours The Curvey Weaver arrive in to Oakleigh Sidings at Northwich. Sadly all but two lines have been lifted and even these haven't been used since Winnington works stopped taking in limestone from Tunstead. Anyway 66078 and 66083 did the honours top 'n tailing a rake of Mk.1s seen here from the footbridge. Not much to see these days just bushes and trees see my photo. The tour travelled up from Euston to Garston via Arpley, Ditton and Liverpool South Parkway station then to Garston. Then off to Chester via reopened Halton curve round the triangle at Chester. Then to Oakleigh then to Crewe via Middlewich branch then back to Euston. Cheers Paul

Hi, as promised some of the diagram sheets. This PDF contains the three pages for the Milliken Brothers design of PL1 towers that Paul pylonking has built above. Unfortunately a lot of the diagram pages are missing from the book and so I only have D2, D30 and the DT/DT90 - the D60 sheet is missing as are some of the others you will note from the index page. Cheers Paul EE PL1 Towers Milliken.pdf

I think so i will check when home mid week. Not all of the PL series towers were fitted and only a couple of designs like the PL16 and definitely one other had them so fitted. Cheers Paul

Something to do with the need for double earth wires on the approach to substations I believe. There are some extra diagrams for these and an extra D is added to the tower code so the one in the photo would be a PL16 DD2

Yes i do from but i will have to do this once back home as away next week. They are plan only but include the leading dimensions in feet and inches and also include optional height extensions too from memory. There should be enough info to enable the main towers D2, D30, D60 and DT to be built. Cheers Paul

Ok just wondered. I will have to look at the photos more closely to try and work out what is going on then. Cheers Paul

Hi all, Something I have wondered for a while is whether a vacuum-fitted freight hauled by a pair of dual-braked Class 37s could be rescued by an air-brake only Class 60 in the event of the failure of both Class 37s on the mainline. Would the Class 37s be able to act as brake convertors if they are connected by the air-pipes to the Class 60 and to the vacuum-fitted wagons by the vacuum pipe only? Or would the Class 60 only be able to provide haulage power only? I would imagine both the Class 60 and the pair of 37s would need a driver each still. Cheers Paul

I've been looking for ages for diagrams like these for a few years now then all of a sudden they come along. I need to start having a go at bashing the Hornby kits around like you did but got a book and a layout/models to try and do first. Cheers Paul

Excellent work there. I took photos of each of the towers on the wall display though most were duplicated. Are the other drawings on the museum website itself? Cheers Paul

A chance sighting last Sunday whilst out on a walk with my partner saw this pair pull up at Lostock Gralem on a Northern service for Chester. Unfortunately weekday services are usually single units which often fill up on the peak time services. Cheers Paul

Following on from Pylon King's excellent models of the single circuit PL1b tower I paid a visit to the MOSI Museum of Science and Industry at Manchester the other week to see the Electricity exhibition before it closed. And came across these lovely enlarged tower diagrams for PL1 and PL1bs . Photos of each one taken for the record. It seems these diagrams came from the Science Museum London archives. Cheers Paul

I now have a single STS grey wagon courtesy of a friend and wow so much detail. All I can say guys is keep on doing more wagons especially PCA and some PGAs if you fancied trying some of those (plenty of designs begging to be modelled!) Cheers Paul

I have been reading this thread on and off for a while now and can certainly relate to the feelings and thoughts of fellow rmwebbers and modellers about having projects that have seemingly ground to a halt in my case due a series of events and life things. Having not had a layout of my own since my late teens I started to plan what would become my Speedlow layout back in 2010 via the traditional wallpaper backing paper and photocopied Peco point plans route and slowly developed the layout I had in mind for some time based on the Buxton/Peak District area in the 1989-1991 period. Wind the clock forward to now and the layout is still only at ballasted track stage with some partially completed kit-bashed quarry buildings, lots of rolling stock that needs finishing, converting etc. The layout is DCC operated and was shown at two local shows at the end of 2015 but not been out since and remains wrapped up in store. And still no further forward as I cannot put the layout up at home at present as not the room nor at my partners house to which she has very kindly given me some space upstairs in the back bedroom and the old kitchen table to permit me to slowly work on the quarry buildings. So at times the black dog does nip at my heels and I really do wonder what to do whether to just pack it all away and get rid of or persist and somehow try and finish the layout off? Even the thought of taking stock down to my local club to work on a Monday night does not have the same appeal anymore (nor does club membership sometimes). Ironic that the Buxton depot sector logo is a millstone grit wheel feels like I have one round my neck at times. The idea of having a small layout somewhere I can run my wagons, locos and shunters to potter about rather than them sat in boxes and drawers does sound appealing... If you want to read more about Speedlow then I have a set of blogs but be warned apart from a minor update I am well behind with describing the progress of the layout as above. Paul

I had same problem accessing site on my Samsung android S7 phone using the phone browser - thought initially it might be the browser update that was causing the problem but having logged in at work on dinner hour and found this thread I deleted phone bookmark, googled rmweb and used that page and logged in just fine. Cheers Paul

I'm just getting rained on sat in 142 coach 55640 on my way to Northwich on the Stockport to Chester so avoided the window seat as water dripping in even with window closed oh joy. I so enjoy seeing a Pacer pull into the stations... not. Cheers Paul

Here is a photo taken on a walk along the Shropshire Union Canal towpath today between Ellesmere Port and Chester and passed under the ZO 400kV L2 and spotted one of the D towers with the additional height insert - see photo - note the extra X section above the diamond and now half diamond (cut in half by insert) followed by other half of diamond then two full diamonds then you reach base of lower cross arms. Hope this makes sense! Cheers Paul

Amlwch to Mostyn sulphur trains were still running with HKV I think 2-axle hoppers. Some aggregates traffic out of Peak Forest was still using MSV tipplers and HTV hoppers until around 1988/89 I think off top of me head. Cheers Paul

Hartshead neck of the woods I remember these from a visit a good few years. Cheers Paul

Wow looking so good these L2 D towers. I will have to take some more photos to try and collect all the extention variations including the ones that have a short extention inserted above the two base panels on the standard height towers. I know of two locally only problem is trying to get a photo out of a passing train or passing car! Cheers Paul