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My last trip to Poland was in December 2013. It was meant to be the last day of Wolsztyn - Poznan workings before the timetable change (I think they were swapping back to Leszno) but Ol49-59 failed and got dragged away for repairs, and 69 was broken, so the last day was a DMU! I went photting instead near Poznan. One ET22 hauled coal train overtaking another. EU07-096 approaching Poznan with a trainload of Fiat 500s. The same train a few hours later in slightly better conditions at Zbąszyń! The loco had run round though. The last one of any interest was TEM2-225 on an empty log train.

Could you solder them to a piece of scrap etch and then drill through them, before unsoldering them again?

https://youtube.com/@arnoldsiegrist1887?si=Fktjgr1kIYLT93Yi There are some fantastic videos on there. Not just Swiss, but German and Italian too. It's a shame he hasn't uploaded any for a year though.

At least one of the 03s still exists, or at least did 18 months ago - 03156 near Bari. It's just about visible on Google streetview, but the business where it's located has closed so it might have been scrapped. https://scalaenne.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/inglesine-in-italia/ A good article here with plenty of photos of various shunters in Italy, though some are from the RTCS website.

Bounds Green had several rakes based there, owned by Rail Charter Services. If you're including a kitchen car, then they usually served a maximum of three FOs at a time. Any more required a second kitchen car. BN91 was the maroon or blood and custard set, mainly used on steam charters. TSO-TSO-TSO-RMB-BCK/BSK-FO-FO-FO-RBR-FO-FO would be a possible formation. The brake/genny was usually in the middle between standard class and first. If you search on Flickr for "50031 Shaldon Bridge" there's a good shot of almost the full set in a similar formation. BN93 was the Pride of the Nation set, either in LNWR black and white, or green and cream. BCK-FO-FO-RBR-FO-FO-RBR-FO-FO-BCK. Regarding the other sets, BN94 was the blue and grey set, and BN96 was the green set. Their formations varied greatly! BN92 was disbanded in the late 90s after a derailment. BN95 I believe was the exhibition train, and BN97 was a rake of vacuum braked, steam heated maroon liveried Mk1s.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/e7bLt8jfyWq11vJ7A 700.003 is stored at Arezzo Pescaiola station, just visible from on street view. https://maps.app.goo.gl/gWtm6HdsB2mV9RU26 700.001 is the yellow shunter at the South end of the site. http://www.museoferroviariopiemontese.it/locomotiva-diesel-da-manovra-pesante-ne-700-001/ The site is only open to the public occasionally, the last time was in November.

I can certainly see the advantages in being able to book your own accommodation, but likewise I wouldn't be keen on the personal financial outlay. Smaller clubs can book up a few rooms in a local hotel or B&B, but trying to arrange several hundred rooms for one of the big shows must be a nightmare for the organisers. My club took one of our layouts to a certain exhibition on top of a hill in North London a few years ago. It took me less time to get back home in Bedfordshire, via a 10 minute walk to the station, two trains, then another 15 minute walk, than it did for the other operators to get to their hotel in North East London! Road works, road closures, traffic jams and football traffic meant it took them about 90 minutes to get to the hotel 8 miles away. I was indoors in 75 minutes, 45 miles away. There's plenty of other accommodation locally, but whether it's available in the quantity required for a reasonable price for the organiser is another matter. It'll also be easier for them to block book one or two hotels than try and book a few rooms in several hotels.

Did you replace the wheels at all or just use the plastic ones that came with it? I fitted a batch of TTM kits I made with Alan Gibson 10.5mm lowmac wheels, but the holes had been drilled off-centre and the wagons wobbled horrendously. I'm not sure what I replaced them with, I have a feeling they're Lilliput ones.

Thanks for that. The wife didn't appreciate me squirting the cup of tea I was drinking out my nostrils after reading that comment!

Very impressive. It's not too bad for N gauge as sheets are the same size so go almost twice as far! I'm lucky that the station I'm modelling doesn't need Redutex sheets, the tiles are flat enough I can probably get away with strips of paper. The rest of the building will be awkward enough to construct though!

Come on, everyone knows it's really called Klodhopper! The rumour is that it is actually Carnforth bound, so Smithy can have yet another loco sitting in the shed waiting for him to fit CDL to his stock.

Four doors per coach per side have been fitted with electromagnetic door looks - you can make out the plates at the bottom and the lack of door handles on the sealed doors.

I saw this earlier and my wife clocked my expression. She had a look and asked "are they on crack?" https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296176756013?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=hnR9LCBQRKi&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=dltlllrnrym&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY £8000?!

Steam Dreams are part of the LSL empire who generally use a set of CDL fitted Mk1s on steam tours. SRPS are fitting their stock at the moment, but won't have a full set available for a while. They're using an electrical system as their stock is dual air and vacuum braked.

Exactly. The report from the court case clearly states on one occasion a passenger forced their way past a steward and alighted from a moving train. CDL should prevent that from happening, unless they decide to try and jump out of the window!

None - yet. But something was flagged up by a whistleblower and they had two ORR visits so something clearly wasn't right up there. Plus several other instances of trains moving with doors open in recent years. They've got enough spare stock sitting around to be able to fit CDL without affecting day to day work. SRPS and Belmond are using an electrical system, so fitting CDL to vacuum brake stock is entirely possible.

Indeed, Britain's railways have always been quite backwards. Vacuum brakes, unfitted freights, tiny wagons, restricted loading gauge, lack of electrification. With regards people saying why is CDL needed on charter trains, the only other use of slam doors on the network now is the Night Riviera. People aren't used to hinged doors on trains any more - 20 years ago there were thousands of vehicles, now it's a few sleepers and a charter sets. Chances are the vast majority of passengers on the Jacobite won't have seen a train door that doesn't open by pressing a button. As others have said, it's a struggle to feel any sympathy for WCRC in this situation. They've had decades to come up with a solution. Railway Touring Company however have potentially seen their whole programme for the year wiped out. Riviera have a set of Mk2 air cons available, but there's a lack of air braked steam locos available at the moment that aren't tied to LSL.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196164035307?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7NGT9XstTyC&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=dltlllrnrym&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY 😳 It's like a half-built Hatchette kit.

Very impressive. I need to get mine built at some point. It's the H0 version though, and at least Italian wasp stripes are easier to replicate than BR ones! From https://scalaenne.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/unaltra-locomotiva-di-guerra-la-ne-700/

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325893798113?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=V7ZQmSnyR9a&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=dltlllrnrym&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY 😳

Not necessarily. Going backwards uphill, if you keep the water just visible in the gauge glass, you know the crown will covered when you get to the top and the boiler levels out. Not so much of a problem on the Lickey where the gradient merely eases at the the top of the incline, but can be an issue if there's a summit. The Bluebell has that problem at Holden summit near East Grinstead - the line goes from 1/55 up to 1/60 down in a very short distance.

Tecnomodel in Livorno often sell them. Looks like they have some in stock at the moment. I believe it's free postage over €100 as well, though obviously there's the VAT issue to consider as well. https://www.tecnomodel.it/b/scala-h0/rotabili-in-kit/7 Alternatively, I believe someone in the Italian Railway Society coordinates orders from Duegi Editrice, so a few members spilt the €50/€70 postage between them to make it a bit more acceptable.

If you eat the beans cold straight from the tin, you'll save even more money - not just for the cooker, your central heating won't be required either!

https://actu.fr/bourgogne-franche-comte/poligny_39434/poligny-la-societe-jura-modelisme-victime-dun-incendie-dimanche-29-octobre-2023_60271085.html https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/bourgogne-franche-comte/jura/des-milliers-de-trains-electriques-reduits-en-cendres-un-incendie-ravage-l-entreprise-jura-modelisme-2864690.html I think that sadly answers your question @Oldddudders Nothing left at all, estimated 30,000 models on site.

https://www.leprogres.fr/faits-divers-justice/2023/10/29/un-violent-incendie-frappe-l-entreprise-jura-modelisme-a-poligny Dear railway enthusiasts, Our logistics warehouse suffered a serious fire today. We will keep you informed in the coming days of developments in the situation. We would like to thank our community and our colleagues for their support. See you soon, the Jura Modelisme team.