daveyb

http://www.pueblorailway.org/Pueblo Railway Museum - Budd Company.html It's is mentioned in here which is an interesting read

Google and some links have answered most of the questions. It was a 63'6" frame, the bogies were LMS (thanks Bernard TPM) design (though still fairly primitive by Budd Standards) and it lasted until 1966. Pressed Steel became involved in DMU production and later were absorbed into BLMC /BMC /BL along with Metal Box. Had they done much railway work before then?

A quick google found this... https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/4948-did-anyone-ever-hear-of-the-silver-princess/

So pre-dating the Mk1 significantly...

Some examples from t'interweb Wiki Merfyn Jones, RMWeb Adrian Nicholls, Flikr

As I am without access to those drawings, a few questions leap to mind... Was it supplied with those bogies or are they the BR1 type they look like. Budd had already moved on to coil springs and equilizer beams by the build date so I think an opportunity was missed considering what was learned later about the BR1 ride. Is it possibly a Budd body on a Mk1 frame? (A closer look at the pics on a PC not a phone show it was lifted off the ship with them fitted... Also, it has no buffers but that appears to be where the lifting equipment is attached and they must have fitted later) Is it 63ft? It looks very short (like 57ft BG looks next to a Mk1 coach). What happened to it? Budd cars from the 50s are still in use in the US and Canada (though probably much like Trigger's broom after multiple refurbishment rebuilds) and seem to have lasted rather better than the Mk2 and Mk4 series, though no doubt the intensity of use has been far greater in UK. It might have been a very different looking railway if Britain could have or wanted to afford these. It would be interesting to know if there were any licence productions considered.

Another thing to consider if putting a prototypical cant on model track, is that you will need prototypical compensation (or at the very least freedom of movement - slack or slop in real terms) on all model rolling stock. Otherwise it will likely just derail as it would on poorly laid flat track. This may be helped by smooth transitions but no doubt the length of run is going to be compress, therefore the rate of change in the outer elevation will increase and though that may not in itself look unrealistic or cause running issues, it will accentuate the compression of the overall length and tightness of radii. You may end up with trains lurching into the curve (or seeming to) where a smooth transition was the designed aim

Unfortunate incident Near Winnipeg, MB Canada on the Canadian Pacific line leading SW from the city and involving a northbound coal train. Global News article here gives a few details but is down to usual press standards. It also links to a recent increase in public concern over rail safety in Canada following a few high profile incidents and the Prairie hot potato that is the oil pipeline argument. There was a 15 car derailment at Irvine, AB, near Medicine Hat, two weeks ago that released/spilled some noxious chemicals and caused significant disruption, though that was a caused by an expansion kink on the hottest day of the year so far. On average, a member of the public is killed every other day on the rails in Canada, most crossings are open and uncontrolled in rural areas and people take their chances. There are also few fences and people use the tracks as short cut route on foot and in cars, often under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Their is a different mindset at work here. Whereas in UK the barriers are down quite a long time (in comparison) before the train passes, and there is much more road traffic, in Canada the train may take a very long time to pass by, so people just try get across in front or be stuck there. And no one will see as there is little traffic!... The image of slow freight bumbling across the Prairie is very outdated with many trains running at 55-60mph and people think they have time. They don't! Both the cities of Winnipeg and Regina are pushing for diversions of some busy lines to free up the road crossings for the increased traffic on the roads, a reaction to their poor planning when building these main roads and bypasses over rail lines that have been there for over 100 years. Neither CN nor CP have given the cities any reason to think theywill invest the billions of dollars it would cost to move and reroute these lines.

That's very quick... Makes me feel sluggish. I have a board and stock so far. Not even a track plan and track! Nice work!

Thanks, Monty. That is latest reference I have seen for how late traffic left ICI. 1984 was my last reference to production there. I see if I can trace the last working of that 'headcode'.

I expect they were just trip workings and later the Speedlink network (if they lasted that long). Some will have been supported by specific load sector traffic. I was interested by that NG link at Gathurst (especially given the extensive fencing around the yard - which was a big clue) so I did a bit of digging. The line worked to the nearby explosives factory at Shevington which was owned by various companies starting with the Roburite Company (who made Roburite which as far as I can tell was a powdered explosive used for quarrying, being nitro-cotton based). https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=53.5598&lon=-2.6934&layers=168&b=1 They combined with the Amonal Company (who made Amonal and ammonium nitrate and aluminium based explosive set in tar/pitch and used in grenades variously until WW2 along with Lyddite) in the early 20's. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Roburite_Explosives_Co The site was still in use up until 1983 but I cannot find any info beyond then. ICI sold out it's explosives division in the 1990s and that division is now owned by Orica Ltd, who still have an office in Shevington There was a flourish of Ordnance factory building in the area (described here: http://www.lancashireatwar.co.uk/rof-sites/4579219353) and a number of them were rail linked and remained in a state of availability for a long time after closing, and never got modernised so a good examples of small, busy sites.

It still is for permanent way equipment and some (rare) military traffic to Ludgershall. UKF finished years ago and I don't know if the bakery ever got supplied by rail. The goods shed has a road transport company operating out of it now.

As it says in the RAIB briefing, there seems to have been a potentially severe misinterpretation of the rules and the rule book. It also mentions NR risk assessments relating to the crossing. This highlights an issue with risk assessments; if the risk assessed is not the actual risk due to the process being different or being done incorrectly, then the risk assessment is irrelevant. There should be a Hazard Area Assessment as well, referring to the crossing (rather than it's use) and that may be found lacking if there is found to be any inaccuracy of signage or similar. The question may also be of familiarity breeding contempt. The road vehicle operators may not consider it a large vehicle whereas the vehicle's progress may match NR's opinion of a large vehicle (any STGO load would constitute a large load, but a large load that falls in the gap of large and slow but not STGO might not). Apocryphal knowledge suggests it's common and it may be that the crossing is used more than a User Operated Crossing might be expected and by large slow vehicles and that some people at NR know this but expected it to be 'done by the book'.

That's the pic I mean. I used to buy RE regularly then. I'd have never guessed it was as early as 1980!

They look very good. Was it a commercial weathering service or a friend? As a one off, there was a pic of one the first 50s in LL on a test run ex-works from Doncaster (might have been 030 or 031) with big yellow ends but small nos and logos. No idea whether it was just unfinished or a trial... Interesting option for a clean one, though probably earlier than your 85ish date.

I'm surprised to see the viaduct is still single line. I thought the double track was reinstated after the restoration work in the 90s/00s (following the shoring up that was done as part of the singling in the80s)

Do you remember the Sikh turban v helmet debate of the early to mid 70s? They argued for an exception to the law at its introduction and got it... Well that arguement is just being had now in Canada as the Sikh community have managed to gain an exemption from a long written helmet law. Canada, being very accepting and liberal (in comparison to Britain), decided they had omitted to consider the needs of religious based headwear. Of course now all the beach short wearing leather clad Harley and similar riders are up in arms because they still need to wear one. (I still wear Kevlar or leather and a helmet however hot it gets, but I've grown quite attached to my skin and averse to pain...) When I briefly worked at Cricklewood and St Pancreas in 84 the orange vest was a very definite 'wear it or else' garment but there were lots of different designs. By then the donkey jackets had the orange sewn on. They were often filthy to the point of pointless! When and why did they start painting coupling rods red or yellow?

Thanks for your replies. I remember Trains and Such in the NW from when I was in AB in 99-02. It was a good shop. They need to move product to stay alive so I can see the need for change. I will look up the Calgary society. I missed SuperTrain this spring unfortunately as I was back in UK for a funeral. I'm in Med Hat so not close but not far by Canadian standards! I was driving around Foothills Ind area last Monday ant it looked active. I have memories of when the area near Blackfoot was rail served and getting blocked by shunting when taking a cheeky shortcut... It's all been lifted around there now. I'll look at Peco 83 and the ME range. I never have got on well with Atlas. I'm working on xtrkcad to stretch Blue Heron and Las Cajas Ave but Box St Yard holds a simple attraction for a first attempt in a while. I'll try and post a plan when I work out how to save and export on xtrkcad Thanks all...

Sorry, away camping for the weekend... I can be fairly flexible with the size of the boards. I have been playing on xtrakcad and stretching things a little makes it do-able. The beauty of your Blue Heron is the flow , I'd like to be able to get that bigger feel in a small space. I'm not sure a late Geep is too much longer than a 1500 but I suppose it may be an inch+, which will make a big difference in lengths for spotting. 50ft cars are the initial thought but a single 70ft may be needed to keep the turn of the century look and feel. I'd better get planning. Any suggestions for track these days?

As my first attempt to get back into practical railway modelling after too many years, on Monday I purchased from the helpful chaps at Trains and Such in Calgary, one new Athearn GP38-2 (in Canadian Pacific multimark red), one used Athearn GP38-2 (in Soo red) and a caboose (in Canadian Pacific multimark yellow). I already had an NCE Power Cab, so DCC is chosen... What's next? So far I've decided: urban, late 90's, western canada themed, portable, I'd like to start simple so I was looking at doing a micro or similar and had looked at an Inglenook like 298's splendid Blue Heron or a Tymesaver like (the sadly departed) Jack's La Cajas Ave 3 or its predecessors. I am flexible with size but I don't want to go too big. I'm a capable woodworker so baseboards are not a problem. I am fairly good with wiring and soldering. I really do need to practise with painting! Which track? Any advice or suggestions will be gladly accepted...

I have no idea if it would be accurate, but could you find an old Lima Crab tender? Bound to be cheap as it's so old and inaccurate (too wide).

Which trains were APT-P and which were APT-S? There must have been some significant differences between the original P trains and those that briefly entered service as S trains. Or did they just evolve from P to S? Was the livery the start of the Intercity that replaced B&G or was it different? - I seem to remember the APT-P was Red White Blue but that the service livery was Intercity grey/stone including black windscreen surrounds. I'm trying to dredge my mind from Rainhill in 79 and the fateful winter of the early 80s when the failed to impress (through a combination of factors).

Could be... Looking again at that top screen it does appear to be more square than the Alexander glass. When I was in junior school (in the days of milk and school buses) one of the contractors had a Fleetline retired from City of Nottingham. It was a fairly unique front panel, but I don't remember the top screen. May be because I was much shorter! It was on an 'F' reg (1967) in 1976-9ish.

J6823 the Atlantean/ Fleetline bus at the front appears to be an Alexander body. They always seemed a bit better built than the base Leyland/ Daimler bodies. Those top front screens were quite distinctive in those days.

https://business.financialpost.com/transportation/rail/brookfield-buys-rail-operator-genesee-wyoming-in-8-4-billion-deal/amp Some interesting comment on it here, mainly from the American side.