Steadfast

Thanks, as I feared. A shame when other manufacturers are adding more lighting features. I'm not complaining about the price as it looks a great model, but for when you're paying that bit more, it's the little things like accurate lighting, that set it off. Jo

Evening Guy, Hope you're keeping well? Great to see an update on the layout, that PGA is gorgeous! Jo

I've always been told the lowest speed divergence you'll get flashing signals for is 40 mph. Junction speeds elow that you'll get checked down double yellow, single yellow then red, and the red will then clear to a colour and a feather. You can also have that sequence but with a green with a feather. Jo

Presumably a GWR one? What's the front end lighting like please. The video I've seen on YouTube to date, the headlight is lit but it's difficult to see if the marker is too. Simply put, are there one or two white lights on the front? Jo

In the real world obviously to do 5 or 6 sound projects for a 66 would be overkill, but a fair compromise in my book would be Tier 1 engine and compressor sounds with original horns Tier 2 engine and compressor sounds with soft sounding horns Optional Euro horn via CV perhaps? Tier 2 locos sound has a bit more of a boom to it, and less ying. Inside there's a load of extra kit round the engine that the Tier 1 machines lack, and I wonder if that's what stops the ying sound getting out as much, as a lot of the kit is at the turbo end of the engine. Also the compressor makes more of a thump than on Tier 2 locos, I've not consciously compared the two, to see if a Tier 2 compressor is different or has extra things near it. Jo

Absolutely. There will be people jumping on this because it's an "old flimsy fibreglass HST" but I would hate to see the outcome of Sprinters in similar incidents to those that HSTs have suffered. It also raises questions about management of the lineside, again. Jo

Sorry to say there's more to it than that. There are 3 horn sounds (unless something extra has crept in as an oddity), and they vary by batch. Tier 1 is the original 4 door, Tier 2 are the later locos with larger cooler groups and smaller fuel tanks, often called low emission. - All Tier 1 plus Tier 2 with large round "bug eye" lights (66951/952, 66718-66727) have the original horns. Here is 727 with original horns to illustrate the point. - Remaining Tier 2 locos (fitted with black BMAC clusters from the factory) have softer sounding horns. 728 in the video, showing this as the changeover point. - Most ex Euro locos (those that retain the huge horn grill surrounds) have very harsh sounding European horns. Euro oddities are 66747-749 and 790-792, as they were retro fitted in the UK, and all have a Tier 2 style horn. At least one Freightliner Tier 1 loco has the Tier 2 horn, but that would more than likely have been a spare part fitted over here. On Tier 2 locos, the engine and compressor also sound different to Tier 1 machines. Jo

The intercooler on the 37 will make a chunk of difference, too. Isn't that what the C in the 12CSVT stands for? Jo

Hi Duncan, Sad to hear you're moving Shirebrook on, I'll look forward to seeing it at TINGS next year though. The new project looks like a fascinating plan, the track plan is brilliant and 1 in 51 is quite a gradient, I think the steepest I've driven big trains over is 1 in 59. It's even further from my modelling era than Shirebrook, but I look forward to seeing your modelling bring it to life. I'll keep an eye out for the new thread. All the best Jo

Interesting to see photos of this being rolled out and deployed onto active wagons. VTG have developed the system and intend to fit it to much of their fleet, these are some of the first wagons so fitted. Here's some info about it. https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2023/10/trial-starts-of-digital-freight-wagon-with-remote-monitoring.html Modern roller bearings very rarely cause much problem, especially when compared to older types. What is much more common (though still far from a common day to day occurrence) is a fault with the brakes (for example, but not limited to distributor, brake cylinder, brake rigging, brake block damage) or wheel damage (potentially caused by a slide or a brake defect for example - again not an exhaustive list). Monitoring the axle box rotation should help detect some of the issues causes elsewhere on the wagon that affect wheel rotation. Hopefully that illustrates a little how all the systems on a wagon are reliant on each other, and how the obvious symptom, ie an axlebox seized or rotating slowly, is often not the root cause. Jo

Nice work so far Rob. As I was reading about the flat roof I wondered about butchering the high top for detail parts... then lo and behold, that's exactly what you went and did! Jo

The timetable change on 10th December 2023 saw a huge change in the train plan of the Mendip services. The only trains to have retained their old headcodes are some of the point to point services, like Wootton Basset, Theale etc, and even some of those have changed. All the London trains have changed, gone are 7A09, 6L21, 7C77, 6V18 and the like. Another part of the railway I've known since I was a kid, changing slowly out of recognition, a process that seems to have been speeding up over the last year or so and showing no signs of slowing. As well as the timings and headcodes of the trains changing, some of the routings have too. Crawley was previously served as a portion off 7A09, going forward as 7O69 to Crawley. Now it runs via the Southern Region, outbound as 6O68 from Westbury Cement works after tripping from Merehead. Pictured here behind 59206 is the return, 6O69 Crawley FY (Foster Yeoman - a legacy of the terminal's history) to Merehead. The empties are seen here at a stand as the shunter cuts the loco off on the Down Reception at Westbury, ready to run round and depart for Somerset and journey's end at Merehead. Jo

A handful of recent ones from me over the last month or two. A quick portrait of the pioneer 66, 66001 on its return to Westbury on 0Z02. This was a route learning trip to Avonmouth, out and back via the Filton chord, with a trip to and from Bristol Parkway in the middle. Seen during a 10 minute wait in the platform at Reading, 66003 is at the head of 4V45 Acton - Tytherington Quarry. Sitting on Recption line 1 at Acton, 66120 is waiting relief before heading west at the head of 6V10 Cricklewood Aggregate Terminal to Westbury. The wagons then head to Whatley for reloading, hauled by Freightliner from Westbury as 6C40. The following picture shows 6M47, the loaded half of this working. 66020 sits at signal W207 waiting for the driver to book on. The traffic comes up from Whatley as 6O21 (weirdly a Hothfield headcode, presumably using that schedule but cut short to terminate Westbury) behind a Freightliner loco. At Westbury a DB loco goes on, and the traffic goes forward as 6M47, serving either Quattro Aggregates at Acton or the DB aggregates terminal at Cricklewood as required. Jo

Interesting to see pics of the NTC machine at work Jim, thanks for posting them. Jo

With Salmon and Osprey the only way to model the handbrake wheels accurately is to have a photo of both sides. As they get damaged, the wheels get replaced, often of a different style to the one removed. I've seen wagons with 4 different style of wheel on one wagon. Jo

It's the artist formerly known as 56003, so is a Romanian loco. The cutaway cab around the bufferbeams does indeed make this a tricky one. Incidentally, from pictures of the shell in primer, it looks like it'll retain this feature as 69013 unless a load of welding is done purely for aesthetic reasons. Jo

Easiest way to tell them apart is the solebar is C section, rather than flush. The Procors are all inner wagons. Wagon number 2 in this picture. Jo

Thanks for posting these photos Matthew, you've done a great job on those. For anyone interested in these VTG blue wagons, give me a shout as I've done a pack to repaint up to 6 wagons. It's not yet online as it started as a commission. Everything is included except the red and white warnings on the hopper doors as this section is easily masked. I also realised I haven't posted on this thread, so here's a link to the previous post on the other HYA thread. Again, give me a shout if you're interested. £15 for 5 wagons worth, including renumbering patches for both sides. Jo

Yes. Now owned by LSL and being cosmetically restored for them at Toton. Jo

Another one today. Down Main at Stockley Bridge Jn. Jo

Spot on, thank you Simon. I'm sure we're a way off me driving under it yet but good to know how it works when the time comes. Jo

A couple of questions regarding the overlay ETCS. 1) does the train still show in the signal berths (is that the right name?) of the traditional signalling systems, so would show on TVSC's screens, Opentraintimes.com etc? 2) what does the driver see? Are the colour light signals still lit, but just ignored, or are the signals black? Presumably the AWS and TPWS don't trip as they're inactive with the train switched to another system. Thanks in advance for any answers, it's interesting to see how it will come into being with the two systems side by side. Jo

Consortium or a persuasive group to make an offer he can't refuse? I'd love a rake in N. And then there's the Procors that run mixed in with them and all... Jo

For clarity - is everyone talking about the same lights? The centre light is a marker light. Clearly this protrudes too, and should be a simple fix, or perhaps even just the part pushed in too far from behind. The black BMAC clusters feature the markers and head lights. They are chunkier in real life than the old spec BMACs (such as 59s, 60, as built 66s etc) and look about right I'd say. Jo

Much more nicely put than my earlier drivel! Exactly the point, there were some very strong Ferrari years in the Merc era, but ultimately falling short. Jo