APOLLO

Shame about the Brush factory. Once these sort of highly skilled jobs go - they will never return. Meanwhile in China, S Korea etc -----. Brit15

Brit15

I've just started a subscription to the magazine "Steam Railway" - not really my choice of mag as it was the only railway mag on the list as a freebie on my Lloyds bank current account. The magazine is an eye - opener regards costs of building / running / repairing / overhauling steam locomotives.Lots of photos of what's going on in the current scene. The new build Clan has its frames cut, P2 30% complete etc - but it is the eye watering expense of steam that stands out, £250,000 just to wheel the P2 loco and tender. Money appeals are noticeable throughout the magazine - big £££ sums requested. There is hell of a lot going on currently within the steam loco fraternity. Steam is a labour of love for most, and it's an ageing population that love steam. Will mainline steam survive ? - probably for the immediate future, but I see it as a slowly fading event as the numbers of steam enthusiasts also fades. Time (and money) will tell. Brit15.

Yes we don't want the American system, our MP's should still be elected by the people as now - just up the caliber / qualifications of applicants somehow. Brit15

Not being political - BUT It's time we got rid of all our MP's / Politicians / leaders who have no practical and qualified experience of life. Our leaders (especially the cabinet) should hail from the ranks of experienced and qualified engineers, doctors, and yes, lawyers and bankers etc. We need a mix of experienced talent, those that have "done it" and are not seeking self aggrandizement.. Most of them (currently) have never had a real, responsible job / position in society. Towel folding - That's what one ex chancellor did !!!! Brit15

Lots of our natural gas is imported by ship as LNG (liquid natural gas) to the three main terminals, Milford Haven, Canvey Island & Grain. It is re-gassified and pumped into the national gas transmission system. The source of this gas is mainly Qatar, though some comes from Egypt, USA etc. Trouble is a ships cargo of LNG on the high sea in transit is still a saleable commodity (to the highest bidder) and cargoes have been regularly diverted - recently to Japan after the Tsunami disaster there took out nuclear electricity generation capacity - so even LNG isn't a "safe" bet. We are not buying gas from Russia just yet, but I believe contracts(!!) will be signed soon. Hydrogen is the perfect vehicle fuel - though there are questions re safety (Hydrogen being the lightest gas will easily seek out ways to escape - and will ignite / explode easily also). Manufacture also is costly, as much energy (electricity) needs to be put in the system to produce a similar amount of Hydrogen (energy wise). There is hydrogen fuel cell technology, quite a bit better, of which I know little about - could be the (an) answer - I don't know ? Petrol and diesel fuel is an easily made / transportable / stored and utilised LIQUID fuel of very high energy carrying capacity (think MPG). A very hard act to replace. Brit15

Very interesting National Grid article that. Explains the future problems (and probable solutions) very well indeed. In summary, (NG summary at end of article) If we want long range vehicles that can be charged in minutes, home is not going to be the place to do it. And it certainly won’t be for nearly half of householders who do not have access to off street parking. In a world where almost all cars will be electric:  43% of car owners will not have access to off street parking  too many domestic charging points will cause network stress. Brit15

I hope people realise that vehicle fast charging needs a high amperage charger & cable etc (and the supply to it). Overnight / trickle charging can be done with a smaller cable / amperage - but that won't suit all (or most ?) EV owners. Lots of households have 2 cars. Their existing electricity supply will not sustain two rapid chargers simultaneously. Nor will the local electricity supply down the average street supply such rapid charge loads simultaneously, along with other peak time domestic loads.. Anyway we will see. A long way to go and technology advances rapidly. Brit15

Don't worry, my 1973 Rover P5B V8 will still be burbling along in twenty plus years time - or as long as petrol is available. I won't argue the pro's & cons of electric cars, but I doubt I'll ever own one - perhaps a hybrid, but all electric - not for me. By the way my wallet gets a dose of "range anxiety" whenever I back the Rover out of the garage !!!! As to Tesla's - good luck. Nice cars, cost a bomb though. If I was loaded I'd have one in a (electronic blue) flash !!!. Brit15

Apologies Allan. Brit15

PVA is (usually) water soluable. Soak the complete wagon and load in luke warm (NOT hot) water overnight and it should soften. Brit15

A teacher was trying to wean her pupils off baby speak and to use adult words instead. She asked little Johnny what he had done at the weekend. “I went to visit Nana” said Johnny. “No” said the teacher, “you went to see your Grandmother”. She then asked Linda what she had done. “We went for a ride on a Choo-choo” said Linda. “Wrong” said the teacher, “you went for a ride on a Train”. It was Davids turn and teacher asked him the same question. “I read a book” said David. “And what book was that?” said the teacher. Thinking for a moment, David puffed out his chest and proudly said, “Winnie the Sh1t”. Brit15

No I can't remember you Chris, yes my father was Arnold Hall press photographer for the Wigan Observer, and yes 48665 was definitely at Springs Branch. I was there that day. Photo taken on the lines at the side of the shed, the New Springs branch side, (opposite side to the new diesel depot) as this photo (off google images) shows, note the overhead lights. Edited to add - Chris if you look at the photograph on page 164 / 5 of your excellent Springs Branch book you can again see the same suspended lights in several photographs. Brit15

Thanks for that but 3 tracks seem to be entering the tunnel. Is this line in service yet ? Brit15

Not York Rd but where does this fairly new 3 track tunnel go to - looks like under St Pancras - and what trains use it. ? https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5405802,-0.1224807,288m/data=!3m1!1e3 The white ballasted new tracks bottom left. Also found this photo. You can perhaps work out platform width from this. An interesting area - even today. Brit15

Yes the gubbermint did things properly many years ago. Look what you got for 3/ 6d !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brit15

Yes definitely the LNER and later BR (E) bestowed superb names to their locomotives. The LMS did well with their Jubilees and Duchesses, Scots & Pats, SR with their Spam Cans and not least the GWR Kings, Castles, Granges, Halls & Manors. All were (in my mind) suitable names for locomotives. In the BR era the Britannias (and the solitary Duke), the few named southern standards & Clans were great name choices also. Diesel classes (at first) were suitable, Warships, Westerns, Big D's (40's) and of course, the best of the lot - the unforgettable mighty Deltics. The naming rot set in (for me) with sectorisation etc, and just worsened over time. Naming locos after power stations, loco sheds, etc just made it a mockery. One or two examples bucked the trend in recent years, the best I think was the GBRf loco "Valour". Edited to add - The Forward plaque is the old Great Central railway coat of arms. The loco was named at the side of the hotel on the site of the old Sheffield Victoria station a couple of years ago. The hotel and the GC Rly Society sponsored the naming. The original GC loco "Valour" commemorated fallen GC railway employees, the GBRf loco commemorates all railway employees - a very proper thing to do. Brit15

Some info on cable worked inclines on the Leigh & Bolton here. http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1466 More info https://leigh.life/index.php?page=wiki&id=leighlife:boltonleighrailway Brit15

A cracking place to spend a Saturday night is Springs Branch Jim !!!!!!! Brit15

What an interesting map, showing all the "main" lines of long ago. If you add all the colliery & industrial lines etc it would look like a bowl of spaghetti !!!! We are lucky here in Wigan we still have two stations and seven rail routes out of town. There is a thread here on Rmweb for Wigan, Leigh & the surrounding areas railways. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/105787-railways-around-wigan-leigh-the-surrounding-areas/ Brit15

The running lines south of Wigan NW to Golborne Jcn are still the same as your plans show Anwar 53, but the junctions have changed considerably at Wigan, Springs Branch, Bamfurlong and Golborne, ladder formations replacing diamonds mainly and there is a (for the last few years) a bi-directional passenger loop track for the Liverpool trains from platform 6 at Wigan NW to Springs Branch. The only diamond (I think) is now on the slow lines at Springs Branch Jcn where the Liverpool line diverges. Here is the current Network Rail sectional appendix for the North West http://archive.nr.co.uk/browse%20documents/sectional%20appendix/sectional%20appendix%20full%20pdf%20copies/london%20north%20western%20north%20sectional%20appendix.pdf Scroll down to section marked List of Module Pages and Dates (after page 94), then down to Pages 23, 24, 25 & 26 which show the current line plans of this area. Full document all areas http://archive.nr.co.uk/browseDirectory.aspx?root=&dir=%5csectional%20appendix%5cSectional%20Appendix%20full%20PDF%20copies Hope this helps. Brit15

Two things to factor in are gradients and curve radius (severity of). I guess Little Bytham is dead level (from Tony's wonderful photos) and somewhere I have read (probably in his book) curves and points were as large a radius as possible. This helps haulage capability whatever your loco's lineage. On my loft layout I have 4 low level passenger lines, no gradients, sharpest curve is the largest radius Hornby track (in tunnel) - very few problems with most locos, 10 - 12 coach trains of proprietary stock. The two high level lines goods lines have gradients, not severe but some long (30 - 40 wagon) trains need double heading. The best pulling locos up here are my various 2-8-0's and 2-10-0's (naturally !!). My solitary Bachmann 9F will pull my son out of bed if I connected them up !!!!. All my diesels are superb haulers - mostly Bachmann / Heljan. I have permanently coupled some locos together, both physically & electrically for use up on the goods lines. An old Mainline rebuilt Scot is thus coupled to an equally old standard class 4. They sound a bit naff, and waddle a bit, suitably weathered they will haul virtually anything at a low speed. Two old Tri-ang 3F tender locos similarly so. These two old soldiers will run forever !! Brit15

Mucky old Bongos !!! - not my lucky loco either in real life or model. I only ever saw a few, and all those were on the scrapline, never remember seeing one in steam. Here's two of the last, 61123 & 61189 (a namer !!) both at Wakefield shed in October 1967, then a collection point for West Riding locos to be forwarded to the scrapman at Draper's Hull (mostly). And poor old 61041 & 90416 at central Wagon Ince Wigan awaiting the torch. Around 1965 or so. As to the RTR models, I have 2 very old Replica split chassis with the horrid plastic driver spokes, the wheels have bent and they both run with a limp and sound dreadful. One is permanently parked at the back of the shed (renumbered 61123 !!) and the other is on carriage warming duties in the carriage sidings - just like the real thing !! I have a Bachmann version that ran with a dreadful stutter from new. Investigation showed by connecting leads to the motor it ran well - so pick up problems. The plate underneath was removed, wheels lifted slightly and the trouble found - the brass bushes did not conduct electricity to the frames either side - The slots the bushes sit in were brightened up with very fine emery paper, a little lubrication with switch cleaner (servisol) and now it runs sweetly. I've done this to a stuttering Jubilee also with success. A recent Hornby B1 runs very well (fingers crossed !!). Bongos !! - rarely seen in Wigan, though Agecroft shed Manchester had a few in the early 60's (from Leicester Central shed if I remember) and were occasional visitors, I've only ever seen photos of these in Wigan - Other B1's visiting Wigan were not so lucky, they never returned home. Brit15

Pete Waterman, I met him once whilst on standby duty at work in Warrington. He seemed a very nice guy - even when we had to cut his gas supply off due to a leak !!! Brit15