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Thanks Jason, I thought it might be. As the design work was incomplete there is a fair bit of fettling needed to make the etches work as a chap on here username halfwit once did in a blog. Paul

Looks like a trip to Wigan and Widnes on Sunday then to goto show and collect mine. I am going to order the weathered ones anyway as I had already saved up to buy all 20 examples. So I will buy some extra ones now and do some modelling to change them starting with the data panels using the AME transfer sheet he did for his resin and whitemetal kit. In fact the thought occurred to me the other day just how many proposed and part produced versions of these wagons in OO gauge have been on the go over the years.... list time * High Peak Casters - resin kit with end plates, vacuum cylinders, Ratio plastic bogie kit, plastic T section and brass buffers - Nik Bak/Kevin Dowd via Buxton Model Shop 1986-88 maybe - 3 versions made * Appleby Model Enginering - resin body with whitemetal chassis, a choice of both bogies (roller bearing only), buffers, vac cylinders - 1996/97 samples made and a short production run made then no more * Modelex - had planned an etched brass model - nothing ever progressed on this * Uncommon Kits - had planned an etched brass model - a reduction of his existing O gauge kit - got as far as a test etch * P&P Models - had planned an etched brass model - intended to be a reduction of an O gauge Summers wagon kit made by chap in [Edit] Penrhyndeudraeth - Warren Shepherd models - got as far as test etches - then artwork passed/sold to Roxey Mouldings - still available * CP unknown - was to be a rtr model - nothing ever progressed on this * Cheshire Cat Models? - this was a revamp by Kevin Dowd of his original resin kit with a much improved resin body - short run production unsure if still available * Dapol - was to be a rtr model - nothing ever progressed on this * Hornby Magazine via Dapol - ditto * Wild Boar Models - this was originally going to be a 3D printed body and chassis with parts and Matthew got some nice sample models made up - production would have been resin copies of 3D parts to save cost - sadly kyboshed by announcement of Hatton's version * BRM and ? - whether this was true will probably never know but would have been rtr * Hatton's via Oxford Rail - see this thread! In N gauge there was the Ian Stoate Models kit and there is at least one 3D printed one available from one of the 3D online places O gauge - Uncommon Kits etched brass kit with whitemetal parts - I think this is still available & the kit for the Summers wagons again etched/whitemetal Cheers Paul

Sorry for the delay in posting details of the exhibitors, traders and demos but we have had a few last minute changes the past few weeks so I have been holding fire until got the nod from the exhibition committee... There will now be 23 layouts attending spread over two halls; the main large sports hall and the school hall The first 11 exhibitors are as follows: Ben Lord - Amalgamated Wagon Works - Steam/Diesel O Colin Oldfield - Calico Rock - American N Charles Insley - Maesog - Steam OO9 Steve Saxby - Axmouth - Steam OO David Forshaw - Nine Mills (1990's format) - Modern N Liverpool MRS - Corwen - Steam OO Richard Williams - Rothbury - Steam OO Bob Harper - Megantic Steam - ON2 Nick Gurney - The Sidings - Modern OO Shaun Horrocks - Wolfe Lowe - Steam O Pete Latham - Wormhill - Modern N Traders: Sawyer Models Country Park Models The Locoshed, Whitefield SMTF Squires Grosmont Bookshop Demos: Brian Rowney - Model Bus Federation Richard Wilson - Scenic Detailing & Weathering Ian Hallworth & Rex Ashton - O gauge modelling Stuart Broome - Figure Painting Kevin Parkinson - Loco Doctor Displays: John Tate - The East Lancashire Railway Dr Alasdair Renfrew - Stephenson Locomotive Society Philip Sweet - Manchester Model Railway Society More to follow soon Cheers Paul

They do look a lot darker more like a rainy wet day hopper look and I saw plenty of those passing Hazel Grove like that in their final year on the mainline.Paul

Take a closer look they are all different

However, the website has been updated with actual photos of 8 of the 10 weathered models... so maybe not far away now. The bad news is that the last two ICI006CW & 6DW are showing as 'not produced' and the pre-ordering option and banner removed.. hmmmm shame. Paul

Yes the 244 would be the tower number and BT1 and BNG2 the circuits. This applies to cicuits roughly to the north side of the Forth on the east coast side of Scotland.The central and southern Scottish lines have a route code only as do English and Welsh lines but one circuit may span several different codes. A local example to me is the 400kV circuit from Stalybridge to Macclesfield this starts on route ZZC then becomes YV where the latter tees into ZZC near Stockport. Cheers Paul

Thanks Bob. The tower plates codes are useful too.Paul

I asked Hatton's the other day via the chat function on the website about the 10 weathered ones that are outstanding and the lady told me they didn't know when they were due in stock. I asked if might be before Christmas but said they don't know when they will be delivered. Paul

Hi Jim, yes they are odd looking things - there are some similar ones on the east side of the M6 as you pass Castle Bromwich/Washwood Heath where the large L6 towers run parallel to the motorway. I think there are some more of these single pole stick things around Cambridge as well IIRC Paul

I will guess with the recently doubled Beauly to Dounreay L3 line? If it is this line then it was originally part double circuit for the first few miles out from Beauly after which it was single circuit using one side of the towers the remainder of the way. Paul

Found my notes there were four designs - Balfour Beatty, B.I.C.C., Blaw Knox and JL Eve according to the PDF a member of the PAS put together some years ago. I have a feeling there might have been a standard CEGB/NG design as well but need to check further. Paul

The number of conductors depends on the operating voltage and line capacity requirements but as a general rule the following applies: Up to 132kV: * Non standard small towers (that mostly pre-date the creation of the National Grid in 1930s) = single conductors upto 66kV * PL series towers (like Hornby kit) = single conductors upto max. 132kV for single and double circuits. * L4 the 1970s replacements for PL double towers = single 132 to 275kV: * L2 Supergrid towers introduced 1950s originally 275 most now 400kV = double - it is rare to see L2 towers on single often used to replace other towers * L3 which look like a smaller version of the L2 were mostly doubles but a lot are being restrung with singles. Same applies to L3C with long middle crossarms * L7 same as L3 often double when built some now singles * L8 used to replace or supplement L2 and hence only doubles * L6 most were four or quad conductors from new in 1960s a lot now are three/tri or even doubles. As conductor and insulator design and technology has improved there has been a big push to replace the quad conductors with doubles that will take the same load. Sometimes they replace quads with tri conductors. It isn't uncommon to see one line go from say quads to doubles especially where the line and towers change from L6 to L2 but the circuit is a through one. Paul

I'm sure I had some info that gave impression there were 4 L6 designs; Balfour Beattie, Blaw Knox, another one plus a CEGB design. I will have to look on pc when i get home to be sure.Paul

SMTF located in the grounds of Brookside Strikes Garden Centre near Poynton, Cheshire is open on a Sunday. Oh and anyone wanting to ride on the miniature railway you are out of luck as the little trains stopped running at the start of September and the new operator is not expected to start until December now. Cheers Paul

Oops yes four hidden towers I make it? Paul

Cool yep seen these ones a good few years ago now. The one on the left is a PL16 DT used to terminate the incoming single circuit PL1b 132kV line from east Manchester (former Stuart St power station). On the right is an L8 D10/30 bringing in the 275kV ZPA coded line from the tee junction up near Littleborough. I can see the other two ;-) Cheers Paul

Many thanks for the offer of the parts those would be very useful indeed. I will PM you to confirm details thanks.Passed the PL1s again today on the bus to and from Bristol. Cheers Paul

Thanks I need to have another go at my PL1 towers and repair the damage. I found another Hornby box the other day but it contained three built models so I will have to find some more to try the PL1b conversions like you have done. I saw some PL1s on the way down the M5 last weekend not far from J22 where they switch to PL16s for a while the M5 alignment presumably forced the line to move eastwards. And a nice PL1 D60 on the Exmouth railway branch not far from where the line crosses the M5 south of Exeter.Cheers Paul

Wow amazing modelling. What substation is that one in the first photo? I have visited a similar low height at the double tee between the L6 and L8 lines not far from Poulton on the Fylde coast. Photos on pc now but I took a load of photos last year when I visited the area.Cheers Paul

Ah I was wondering when someone might ask this question. These are Stocksbridge dampers and seem to come in single or twin versions depending on the conductor and operating voltage but essentially they act to reduce or elimate vibration in the conductor wire. The other fittings that you can see at either end of the insulator strings are known as arcing horns and as the name suggests they would in fault or overloading conditions allow a flashover. Cheers Paul

Hi Mike, the top wire is the earth wire and is generally on the peak of the tower itself. The other three wires often in a vertical stack take a single phase i.e. three phases total. Most towers are double circuit and so have a three phase circuit on either side of the tower. There are some single circuit designs most notably the 132kV PL1b. Common voltages are 132kV on the PL series of towers and the metric replacement L4 towers. 275kV started on L66 towers then an improved L2 design and these were uprated to take 400kV. For the heavy duty bulk supergrid circuits the L6 towers were introduced on 400kV and these are the large bulky towers you see. Add into the mix L8s intended as replacements for L2 and the L12s as a medium bulk design you end up with a mixture of towers. As with most things in life there are a whole host of single design towers that have only been used on a single route. Examples of such tower designs can be found near Coventry, Hull, Ludlow and the east coast of Scotland these mostly being 275 or 400kV. Again it is possible to see 275/400kV L2 towers in use on 132kV circuits especially in use by former local area boards e.g. Norweb, Manweb etc. Cheers Paul

I grew up knowing them as pylons but once I started becoming more interested in the different designs and obtaining information then towers or more formally transmission towers. Cheers Paul

Ok cheers Kev.. I could be wrong they don't always build new design L4 towers and sometimes they recycle older PL16 design towers. Cheers Paul

Thanks for the photo update. New tower *might* be an L4 metric design DT terminal tower. Cheers Paul