Banger Blue

Reading TCD has a wheel lathe. Mainly for our DMU/EMU fleet but I think (not 100% sure) that they can do the Class 57s as well. There has definitely been an HST in the lathe before but I think that may have been for some of the coaches and not the Power Cars. During RHTT season we usually get a couple of visits from the Didcot RHTT set for tyre turning. The only other ‘external’ visitor I can recall were the Heathrow Express Class 332s which visited once or twice. Class 43 43127, attached to the KUBO shunting mule, stands on the wheel lathe road at Reading TCD:

Some of the websites I’ve bookmarked after I’ve seen them mentioned on RMWeb: https://www.butlersprintedmodels.co.uk https://sandsmodels.com/product-category/172-20mm-post-war-modern-vehicles/ https://www.elhiem.co.uk https://sgtsmess.co.uk/product-category/vehicles/?filter_range=cold-war-british-vehicles

The Sqn Ldr is probably on the blower to Whitehall, telling them that if those pesky Russians are trying to muscle in on Little Muddle, he might need to upgrade his Sopwith Camel. Perhaps an Avro Vulcan will do for starters!

IIRC that same story (or very similar) is recounted by Harold Gasson in one of his books about his time as a Didcot Fireman.

I've just logged on to my Hattons account and my pre-order for one is still on there (ordered 2018!). As far as I'm aware the project was never cancelled outright, just put 'on-hold' so would agree with previous posters that (hopefully) Hattons do still intend to produce the model at some point in time!

Railtec transfers do a customisable transfer pack for these, so you can have your station name on the trolleys, link for 4mm transfers: https://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=4284

Plate 473 Page 311 ‘A Pictorial Record of Great Western Architecture’ (A.Vaughan) shows a cone topped water tower at Swindon. Plate 475 on the same page is a drawing of a typical “cone top” water tower, drawing shows a total height of 27 foot 3 inches.

At Pangbourne in Berkshire, within a stones throw from the Station and the GWML , there is an Aston Martin dealership, a Bentley dealership & Lamborghini dealership all next to each other. A good excuse for a display of ‘exotica’ (don’t want to spell that wrong this isn’t Amsterdam! ) :

A couple from last week and a few days spent down in Cornwall: Penzance Signal Box St Erth still with LQ Semaphores

I was out in Kabul a few times in 2004 & 2005. Saxons were in use then with the resident Kabul Patrol Company although I think most vehicle mounted patrols were using WMIK. The Saxons were mainly used and very handy for passenger buses between Camp Souter and the Airport.

I thought @MrWolf thread is probably the right place to air this Emergency Alert Message just received from an operative only known as “Airfix”: ++++ Message to all Bus Operators, sources anticipating increase in Stuka activity in many areas. Operators are to take necessary precautions and avoid loitering near railway bridges. STOP ++++ Buses, you have been warned!

To be pedantic, it would be a UXB - (Unexploded Bomb). An IED (Improvised Explosive Device) is as the name suggests ‘improvised’ and that thing lying there is far from improvised. Strange thing to leave lying around though and no doubt it’s been used as a step-up by those on the wing!!

Got back today after a few days away and Postie had been and left a package in our ‘safe place’. A very nice model indeed, so a few quick pics with some Military Land Rovers in situ, I may have to get a pack of wheel chocks as well: Even though I’m ex RAF, I do let the other Services get a look in!

I was umming & arring over placing an order but like others was going to wait for a price announcement. That’s given my decision making a shove in the right direction! Pre-order for BR Blue 56070 made. Intend to renumber to 56060. Back in 84 as a young teenager, I was lucky enough not only to cab 060 but courtesy of the friendly driver I got to drive it a short distance on Toton Depot!

My pet hate is folks referring to a singular train working (e.g 1M23 10.00 Station A - Station B) as a ‘diagram’. A diagram is everything a Loco or Multiple Unit, rolling stock or member of train crew will do from start of day through to end of day. Here’s an example of a traction diagram for a GWR Class 802 5 car from 2018: IW 954 is the diagram. 1A76 Plymouth - Paddington is not a diagram, it’s just one working within IW 954.

This is what I ended up with as a “Station WTT” based on the 1983/1984 working timetable, it was done more as an exercise in “what might be seen” at my fictional station rather than any attempt at a timetable for operating purposes. Stowbury WTT copy.xlsx

Lots of WTT available here: eBay > Collectables > Transportation Collectables > Railwayana > Paper Railwayana > Collectable Railway Employee Timetables Section CH (PASS.) & CV (Freight) cover the area around Chester. See photos below for area covered:

GWR have 37 sets out today. Also the sets left at various sidings should be moved throughout today: 800021 at Gloucester & 800317 at Hereford > Stoke Gifford 800031, 800308 at Worcester & 802006 at Oxford > North Pole

57306 will pick the units up from Wembley tomorrow to bring them to Reading TCD. Waiting full details from ROG but expected back at Reading around 1330 ish. There is work required on them when they arrive.

They were their normal length i.e 5 cars. I appreciate you probably meant 5 cars as opposed to the 9 car variant. Don’t want the wibble merchants thinking that duff coaches have been knocked out of a fixed formation! There were originally 3x 800 out on the Reading - Newport shuttle but one (014 I think) failed an inspection after having gone back to Stoke Gifford (planned visit). Is that confirmed about the short set of coaches for use by GWR or has someone seen a stock move heading westwards and put 2+2 together and got 7?

XC will be running between Bristol TM & Swindon using both Voyager & HST stock.

Different issue. That would be the crack(s) found in the Yaw Damper. This latest issue is cracks in the bodywork around the jacking points which were only discovered by Hitachi engineers late Fri night / early hours of Saturday morning.

A couple from the other day. 2x 60s (and a Class 40) at Reading, not bad going! 60055: 0Z60 Willesden DCR Sidings - Reading & 0Z61 Reading - West Ealing Loop 60028: 0Z53 Bristol TM - Willesden DCR Sidings

Apologies to the OP for a slight thread hijack. Do these books mentioned above, have much coverage of the CR Dumfries - Lockerbie branch that ran through Locharbriggs at all please?

Ha Ha likewise, if SWMBO ever finds out. I've just ordered a sound fitted Tamworth castle "Ice Cream Van", still it is my 50th this year so I'm going to treat myself!