Steadfast

As @newbryfordpoints out, all my stuff is traved from photos of the real things. I'm not sure if Rainbow have done a run of this artwork on the HYAs, but the stuff they have run looks great, if I say so myself! Removes the hassle of applying decals, and covers lumps and bumps like a decal would struggle to Jo

The Lobsters at Didcot are assisting with the construction of a new entrance for the Railway Centre. As for the scrapping, rumour going round is it's because the Hawks can't carry as much as intended, so have ended up replacing the Lobster rather than adding to the Falcon fleet. The body on the Hawks is also an awkward shape which slows unloading. Jo

Other than the overall silhouette and bogie type, the National Power wagons are very different to the ARC build. Jo

Nice one Mike, I'd definitely be up for a few of these to compliment my 3D prints (that still need finishing...) Jo

@Jim Martin @njee20 I've got a feeling later reruns of the BYA had the underframe modified to increase clearance, and it was just the first run or two that had the issue. Jo

Barring any defects restricting speed, those wagons should be good for 60 mph. Jo

Western on freight in 2024? Pic linked from my Flickr. As part of its mainline recertification, D1015 'Western Champion' heads a dead in tow 66714 on 6M42 Avonmouth Hanson Cement - Penyffordd, seen passing Hall End near Wickwar. The Western came off in Haresfield loop and continued on back to its home at the Severn Valley Railway light loco. The train was over an hour late at this point, thanks to a points failure at Bristol Parkway. Jo

Ah you typed as I was replying. See what happens I guess. Formula E isn’t my cup of tea so I'm easy either way! Jo

Just gone back on YouTube and it recommended FP1 for the Formula E. Looks like live rave coverage will be here too, under the live tab rather than videos. Jo

I had a Formula E season preview (with two flipping annoying presenters) start auto playing on the Formula E YouTube channel earlier, so those that like it there may be coverage on YouTube of the races? Certainly over the last few years more and more motorsport seems to be appearing on YouTube, often in full or very good highlights. Jo

From memory @puffmeister-general @Craig1989 DCR sub hired some wagons to Colas for a short period, so (with the proviso that I'm not jn a position to physically check numbers at the moment) the blue wagons hauled by Colas aren't the same colour as the DCR wagons, they are the DCR wagons. Got a feeling this was before the grey Land Recovery wagons (to a different design) came along, hired in as an interim measure. It may even have been Land Recovery hiring them off DCR rather than Colas. Jo

Centre of the railway world isn't it? 😉 I can't get used to these new Mendip headcodes. From what I've watched go past, the London jumbos via the B&H now seem to be mainly pairs of 66s, 59s doing heavier out and back single portion jobs from the quarries it seems. Jo

Nice job Matthew, the scraped out empties with some ballast remains are great, a wagon is very rarely truly empty. Jo

The story I read made it sound like Gene wanted rid. Apparently the whole team is Gunther's project, he went to Haas looking for a backer to get behind his "buy lots of bits from Ferrari for a not quite customer team" idea. Simone Resta is out too, will the pair of them rock up somewhere together, perhaps Andretti or Audi? Jo

Righto, gotcha. Thanks for explaining that Jo

Forgive me for being dim here, assuming the 1940 stock are air brake only from looking at a photo in the cab, how was the brake continuity test done? No one observing the blocks physically applying? I once had to add brake force wagons behind a wagon with defective brakes as when the brake continuity test was conducted, the blocks didn't move to apply. The wagon was urgently needed, so was carded for isolated brakes and sent on the tripper, the extra wagons coming back on the return leg. Jo

Night is trying to become day as sky turns blue before the sun comes up. Carrying the debranded livery of former operator DRS, now operated by GBRf 66304 is seen on the Down Reception at Westbury. Having been tail loco on the return 6G70 from Southall West Junction, the train is about to propel up the bank and then drop into the Down Yard. The loco would then run round the traffic, and join up with Euro cab loco 66762 at the other end to go light to Eastleigh. The formation of the train was 3 Falcon, 2 Lobsters, 3 Falcon, 1 Super Tench, 2 Falcon, 2 Lobsters and 3 Falcon, believed to be a drainage job as the Lobsters had pea shingle in them. After the loco got to Eastleigh, it went onto an MoD circuit, and the following day @big jim was on it in the midlands before it went to Carlisle. Shows how these locos get about - and what a small world of RMweb members we live in! Jo

Another thing to consider with a freight train (not sure if that also applies to EP braked passenger stuff) is that you could have the same loco and wagons all week, and every day the brake will handle slightly differently. Loading of the wagons, moisture on the wheels, wagons remarhsalled in a different order, ambient temperature and so on will all have an effect on the brake the driver is working with. It was particularly noticeable on route I drive where we had a 5 mph TSR for many many months as you left the quarry, same loco and wagons several days running and you'd need a slightly different amount of brake coming down the steep first couple of miles to hold it to 5. We might be talking 4.4 bar today, 4.3 tomorrow, so it's small variations, but hopefully that illustrates a point. The purpose of the running brake test is to allow the driver to be familiar with how the brake is performing. Jo

Hope you're feeling better soon Jim. Small old world, 304 was at Westbury on a returning ballast yesterday morning, then disappeared off to Eastleigh. Soon get around the country on those MOD jobs! Jo

One from tonight As 2023 draws to a close on a wet and wild 31st December, here's 66150 sitting on the Up Reception at Westbury waiting to go forward to Margam as 0V14. The working originates at Eastleigh, but that loco stayed here, with 150 going forward. Hopefully the Margam driver taking it on got to see some New Year fireworks while driving back. GBRf's 66779 lingers on the Back Road in the background. It should have gone to Cardiff from Eastleigh, but only got this far before stabling and being shut down. Jo

A nice touch! Jo

A twin piped wagon in a single piped train will still function though, just it will behave as though it is single piped. I was always told the main res pipes went as a cost saving exercise. Jo

Well, I've just learned why the feathers light first when the signal clears. I'd often wondered why, and it's a distinctive feature. I don't think I've seen it modelled on a layout with colour light signalling. Jo

A couple from this week. This year, the Christmas shutdown sees a lot of work taking place around Reading. The wagons here seen on the Down Reception at Westbury would form 6C20 to Kennet Bridge Junction, top and tailed with Colas locos. The 29 wagons (Balfour Beatty Kirow crane plus 3 KFA support wagons, 9 JNA-Y Hawks and and 16 YKA Opsreys) were a tight fit on the Reception. With such a long train formed over two roads in the Down Yard, the shunt to join it up and move to the Reception took me up the bank and to the outskirts of Dilton Marsh! 66143 on yard duties here, after returning earlier in the day with an RDT from Margam. Chittening Platform closed in 1964, so it's nearly 60 years since this station has seen passengers. Located on the Henbury Loop near Hallen Moor, the platform is now heavily overgrown. 66175 'Rail Riders Express' is seen waiting time at Chittening, with 6C03 Northolt - Severnside. This is part of the move to get from Avonmouth BBHT (where the train has just run round) onto the Severn Beach line, which will see the train propel and stop near St Andrews Road station, before drawing forward onto the Severn Beach line to reach Severnside. The weather was as cold as it looked, on a stormy day, combined with the strong wind off the Severn Estuary. Jo

Thanks Russ, always changing this railway of ours! Jo