Pannier Tank

18 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

All 'load-bearing' sections (creating the railway's formation) were built of 9mm ply, held together with mortice and tenon joints (the benefits of being good mates with a former carpentry lecturer who can't build locos). Any 'scenery-supporting' sections were formed from MDF and cereal packet latticework.

Tony, Thank you for sharing the images of the Baseboards, they have given me a few ideas.

46 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Any memories of when the teams travelled by special trains?

I saw the Midland Pullman on the Bletchley to Oxford Line in the early 60s on a Football Special, may even have been this one https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/14751  Saw many Steam Loco's (Britannia's / Scots etc) on Football Specials around that time.

51 minutes ago, alastairq said:

I would recommend demanding from your insurer written proof that your No Claims bonus will not be affected. [It is amazing the lengths insurers' admin will go to , in order to make their life easier, by browbeating customers]

The 'No Claims Bonus' may well not be affected, BUT, that won't stop the insurer from putting the premium up, even on a 'no fault' claim! 

1 hour ago, Grimleygrid said:

It was great to see our Class 56 samples out through their paces on full length trains!

And on the 'Up Fast' to boot!

Nice 'Control Panel', I'd be interested to know what method you used for the printing etc

Click on the 'Blue Dot' to the left of the thread title.

10 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

My issue is I have 18 levers so would need 54 pins and I also need 3 for the NCE data,  one for the buzzer, one for the klaxon and one for the reset switch so it’s not so simple for my application.

One possible solution is to add extra I/O's to the MEGA  https://forum.arduino.cc/t/how-pssible-adding-more-i-o-ports-to-arduino-due/965658/6 although as you have a buzzer, you know immediately which lever to put back. With my toggle switches it's easy to pull several levers before realising a mistake. Although in reality with only 12 levers mistake don't often happen, if at all. It's all good fun trying different things with the Arduino.

P.S.

When I have the time I'm re-writing the Arduino Code for a pair of Tokenless Block Instruments,

There is some information here https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/171854-passim-interlocking-project/#comment-4815774 and a 

 (very) short video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9k7PS-KxTo of the Lever Frame, but with separate Red & Blue LEDS. I am bit  preoccupied at the moment with some re-configuring our bungalow so all modelling has been put on hold. I'll post some more images when I get round to it!

I'm using an Arduino Mega which has something like 63 I/o's so plenty of spare pins. I use 3 x 12 I/o's (12 Levers, 12 RED LEDs and 12 Blue LEDS).

I'm tempted to follow your path with the cobalt-s levers!

1 hour ago, Andy Keane said:

One thing I am considering is adding a small red LED set in the floor in front of each lever that will light up if a lever should not have been moved so it is clear what is wrong. But maybe that would spoil the look, even if helpful to the operator?

I like the look of your Levers, very nice.

For my Arduino based Mortonhampstead Signal box I currently use Toggle Switches and have a Bi-colour LED which shows Red if a Lever is locked and also Flashes Red when the Lever is is an illegal move. When a Lever is reversed  (legal move) the LED changes to Blue.

This topic reminds me of an incident at Bletchley with a LE Class 90.

See: Bletchley derailment

On 24/05/2023 at 21:52, Holby Railway said:

Thank you, so now the question is did 08 880 carry this livery, i shall now leave her alone anyway as i know now at least one did carry it 😇

Looking at this link, probably not!  Also, it was a Tinsley Loco.

http://www.wnxx.com/images/scrap/index.php?level=picture&id=804

According to WNXX 08880 was withdrawn from Tinsley's FSNT pool back in July 1996 has been disposed of at Norton's Liverpool, RIP. 22/11/05

6 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

Photo by Gary Butler : Bletchley in the early '80s...

Hi Nidge,

I don't think the photograph was taken at Bletchley.

(1) I don't recognise it to be Bletchley, I maybe wrong.

(2)  08480 was a OC engine from 05/78 to 11/97 and 08936 was a OC engine from 12/76 to 10/87

1 hour ago, Titan said:

Wonder why it has parcels/express freight headcode?

Headcode for 'empty coaching stock'?

2 hours ago, CWJ said:

D4157 (I don't know the TOPS number, sorry!) at GBRf's Doncaster Roberts Road depot on 10th April 2017.

 

08 927

On 21/02/2023 at 10:21, 92220 said:

Do you mean they were allocated there in 1959-60 or that they changed to the D numbers then?

13015 was renumbered to D3015 09/1960 - Allocated 1B 09/1960 (from 1A)

13016 was renumbered to D3016 12/1957 - Allocated 1B  09/1960 (from 1A)

13017 was renumbered to D3017 05/1957 - Allocated 1B 03/1960 (from 1A)

13 hours ago, 92220 said:

As far as I can make out, the numbers on the shunters on the photos I have begin with 13 so I imagine someone (ie almost everyone) will know more than I do.

The 13000 series later became D3000 series and finally the Class 08 / 09. If you have the full numbers I can let you know a bit more of their allocation history etc.

2 hours ago, Mike_Walker said:

The line is plagued by short platforms at stations which can only accept a train of approximately 40m length. 

How many stations on the branch have 'short platforms' ?

Surely it would be better to run trains avoiding stopping at the  'short platforms' than to replace all trains with Busses ?

I understand that's how they run the bus service, the slow bus service calls at all stations and the fast bus service misses several stops.

23 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

I saw quite a few of their LMS successors (they became Class 10) whose 12XXX number series immediately followed the jackshaft locos

The LMS/BR Design 12033 to 12138 became Class 11 under the TOPS system.

1 hour ago, brushman47544 said:

 

That DMU looks like it was withdrawn in the early 80s by the state of it. 

1981 according to Roger Harris DMU Allocation History.

On 30/12/2022 at 13:25, DaveF said:

A replacement set from Kilsby and Crick on the Northampton loop of the WCML

I remember the AM10's being introduced on the WCML; thank you for sharing. The first AM10 I travelled on was 053 which was on a complementary  introductory run between Bletchley and Wolverton; happy days! 

Still waiting for a parcel from Germany, posted over a month ago, not even showing on Royal Mail "Track & Trace" system yet. 😒

There's a photograph of the junction here: https://sulgrave.org/2018/04/slow-middling-and-jolty-also-known-as-the-stratford-upon-avon-and-midland-junction-railway/ and your Plan 2 looks to match the prototype.

13 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Getting your PSA checked via a simple blood test is really not much of an ordeal. You are looking for a number less than 4.

My Consultant Urologist told me that the PSA Test result is just a number. My current PSA Level is 12, but the medication I am taking reduces the PSA Level by half, so my actual PSA is 24. Several Biopsies have produced ambiguous results.

Bottom line is, get checked regularly.

I would have thought that refurbished Class 153's would have been a preferable to the 230's.