298

Sounds like Effingham South (built by Graham Clark and now owned by Gordon Hopkins), although only a few units were fitted with pickup shoes. I think the original idea was to use them for a constant voltage for the interior lights. It's not something I'd do as there are other methods to achieve the same results and won't be arguing against the concept as it was a choice made by the original builder. At least (in my experience), third rail layout operators aren't nagged with the constant "is the juice rail live...?" question...

We painted it into that livery 10 years ago, Distribution on one side and unbranded on the other (although there have been threats to add the Freightliner wording and the red triangles). It might have offended the purists but the 85/1's were just a signature away from being repainted into that livery, until the sector was told to sort out their brand new 90's instead and stop spending money on the 85's. The loco also needed alot of bodywork attention and it was only supposed to carry the livery for a short while before a repaint back into blue. The loco has never been energised since repainting, but has been to Doncaster and Crewe Works. It was named at Donny for the works anniversary, but strangely enough, the plates have to be removed for rail travel as there is no existing paperwork for them in the class' loading gauge profile...

It was probably on Fotopic... I don't know if this has been posted before, but started searching for photos of the Sealink coaches, and found this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63797212@N02/6945306421/

Not fair....!! Do I have to pay an extra £25 to join or can I use my "I helped to prep and paint the real loco into that livery" card...?

Some locos may have lost their ETH cables, but on the whole the 85/1 exercise was to stop other sectors nicking their locos, and they would have had a longer life (and repaints into RfD) had the freight sector not been told to sort the newly delivered 90's out. Regarding the UK modellers Vs catenary debate, its hard to get my point over on a smartphone from a holiday cottage, but basically there is little historical precedent in the UK for a Sommerfeldt-type range, so the compromises of such a range are hard to accept where more established modellers such as those in Germany can accept thick untensioned wires of a preset length because they always have done (like OO being 16.5mm gauge)...? And if there was a demand, don't you think Sommerfeldt would have met it, as theyve done for other major European countries...?

In my experience, the average buyer expects something they can quickly plonk in place on an existing layout without much thought, which is fine if you've built the Hornby no.6 trackplan and can order masts and wires to suit, but less so when realities such as mast spacing and clearances are considered. And not so long ago you'd hear numerous sources claim overhead stock would never sell without catenary from the same manufacturer.... Fortunately, modelling atitudes seem to have matured to the point where a loco can be accepted for what it is, and if having to wait until now means getting one to this standard, then I think that wait has been worthwhile.

Because IMHO, the average British modeller doesn't understand overhead or how to model it...? (and also because there hasn't been anything worthy of carrying such a worthwhile pan. Been there, done that, and got the burnt fingertips to prove it...!

SP/PE Baldwin VO1000's available from Bowser and used to activate grade crossing signal detectors in the overhead wire. Someone once also tried to tell me the UP had a similarly equipped diesel for a shortline in Utah, but I haven't been able to find any further info.

Can I put trolley poles on it...?

I brought an item from them last month, can't fault their service at all and the next day delivery was excellent value. It's not like they're selling a limited edition model from the Collectors Club or one that was supposedly limited to one per customer, as more unscrupulous sellers have done in the past.

I've built a couple based on Graham's article, but using a Hornby 86 instead of the leftovers from an 86/1 conversion (Hornby 86 body on a Lima 87 chassis). Incidentally, the diorama used in the series is in storage in my railway room, and will be making an appearance when my AL5 arrives...

£79 sounds like the Hattons pre-order price. You pays your money, and takes your choice...

Only when on fire....which could be another use for a redundant bodyshell. Incidentally, the only preserved AC ever to be lifted (in my knowledge) is the 89, I'm pretty sure 85101 hasn't been up in the air. You could always butcher and lengthen some Hornby or Heljan 86 bogies to fit back under it. Although I like the idea, a fire damaged one would be more plausable than another preserved one.

Didn't a manufacturer produce some shipping containers with ficticious names because they couldn't obtain an authority to reproduce the correct company insignia...? You could go one step further an have "Virmin" and "DR5" liveried trains (the real companies didn't always licence their image to modelmakers), suitably inspired by the artwork on some supermarket own-brand products that the lawyers say isn't a copy but is close enough to fool you into picking them up after a quick glance. Since my layout features the Armour Yellow of "Onion Pacific", I might have to charge punters the equivalent of ten dollars to look at it at a show....

Well, the Walthers 2-lane cantilever grade crossing signal arrived today, and the Cornerstone Rivoli Theater and Logic Rail Grade Crossing Pro are on order. I thought I'd start with a simple photo-diorama based on a grade crossing (inspired by the photo of the SW1500's next to the 505), but that quickly developed to become a 2' module, I did think about a 4' one with two crossings and a section of street running between, but I'm not sure I have enough buildings in store in order to finish it by June...

No wonder he said "No more layouts...."

Just a bit, the initial idea was to do something in his "style" but set at night in Seattle in the 1990's. BTW, since his latest layout has wires on, do you think he's suffered a bit of Andy Gautrey influence....?

Well I don't know where they went. Maybe it's something I've done....? Here's another go, some from Yakima WA during the YVT Centenary Celebrations: Is this a "Le Mans" style start...? Line Car A: Ex-Porto 1976 and 298: Being chased by the Line Car: And here's a video from the cab of 298: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpDemzoKez8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpDemzoKez8 And the Centenary Parade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWbVaYzkHZY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWbVaYzkHZY

I was uploading these just before RMweb had a wobble, so hopefully it'll work this time. Here are a few of mine from locations from the Street Running DVD, although sadly not featuring my favourite, the UP GP's in Modesto. Jack London Square, Oakland, CA: Santa Cruz, CA:

Now RMweb is back I can show you the results of a quick play with a bit of stock, some Bachmann track (to try to place curves), and a box of leftover buildings. The base is about 4' long and about 17" deep, first up is an alignment 45 degrees to the City blocks, and the route entering from the right, crossing over the Main Road, then turning for some street running along the next road with a short spur. The idea behind this was to try to not have roads dissappear into the backscene, and the angle and limiting the viewing positions prevents this, even if it does hide alot of the buildings: Then this is more of what I was initially thinking, even if the grid pattern isn't exactly square. The cardboard box in the Northwest corner is the proposed Walthers "Ravoli" Theater, I was thinking of Street Running and a 4-way light controlled intersection but having a Railroad RoW on the right and an access road to the industry might work out a bit better: The Trolley Car shell on the roof of the Southeast corner building is a proposed "Old Spaghetti Factory" Restaurant, with a cutaway in the wall so you can see the Trolley inside And here are some quick eye-level shots, I had to edit out the backgrounds to try to close the scenes a bit better....: So what am I thinkng now...? As much as I like the prototype OC Inglenook, I still think a freelance single spur with run-thru traffic would be operationally better, but if all I want to do is model a railroad crossing a street scene, I might as well build a small module to RS Tower standards....

Music-wise you've hit the nail on the head, Soundgarden are my favourite band..!! I did think about setting the layout in Olympia and calling it "Sleater-Kinney" after the road and band of the same name. Thanks for the links, I'll try to find those mags (also have a Trains article on "Pugetopolis", Pacific Railnews on the Oregon Pacific and another featuring Aberdeen & Hoquiam, we went there in 2004 but nothing really struck me as modellable until I decide to model a NP branch with lots of Pine Trees. Music-wise you've hit the nail on the head, Soundgarden are my favourite band..!!

I dunno, It's just a random thought I had. I had thought a Tugboat at night with all it's lights on would make good scene against the backdrop, and then Martyn posts that photo of the BN switcher loading a car float. If only there was somewhere where I could combine a street crossing with the downtown Seattle backdrop from Elliot Bay.

I'm thinking something that's a cross between a Peter North roundy-roundy and Prof's 3am Brooklyn of around 4'6" in length and 18" deep. That'll give room for a Street crossing and a short spur to an Industry, plus a bit of variety in run-through traffic. My previous layout had a 5-lane Avenue on it and I could re-use the buildings....: I also have quite a few Boxcars lettered for shortlines in Oregon and Washington. Thinking about it, the space currently occupied by Wiley is just less than 8' long (It could have been longer but the choice of having an American width fridge/freezer when we were building the kitchen dictated the size of the study/layout room), so I could run it with a short fiddle yard at one end at home and as a roundy at shows or in the garage. Also, laying the road out at an angle would mean the buildings block the view down it so there's no need for a view blocker at the end, as I've not yet thought how to make an urban road disappear at night...

Thinking of a location, Seattle seemed like an obvious choice but there isn't alot of street running outside of non-industrial areas and the Ballard Terminal would have to involve Ships at some point, so heading south down the I-5, Tacoma seemed possible, there's alot of trackage in Olympia that could be used or suitably twisted to make up a plausable senario, and then we arrive in Portland with the Oregon Pacific Shortline: http://www.oregonpacificrr.com/ And then there is Oregon City with the photos posted by the good Prof. above. Claiming to model an ex-Interurban line seems like a good idea, but might only lead me onto stringing up overhead wire and running modern Streetcars on shared trackage with a switching job. In actual fact I quite fancy having a certain freelanced feel as every layout I've built or been involved with for a long time has been based on a real location.

Surely this has to be a model....? http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=337927&nseq=0 Look!, there's even a Chevvy pickup and boat straight out of the Busch catalogue...