WR Tim

Air resistance is proportional speed squared so the energy required for higher speeds will inevitably increase beyond the point where it gives an advantage without much that you can do about it - there's a limit to how pointy you can make the nose of the train. There are also diminishing returns in terms of journey time. 160 km at 320 kph is 30 mins, at 400 kph it is 24 mins - if that extra 80 kph doubles your energy costs then nobody is going to pay twice as much to save 6 minutes between London and Birmingham. Maybe at some point when nuclear fusion is working we will have a limitless supply of cheap, environmentally painless electricity but until that point train speeds will hit a wall of practicality. This is the same reason why all modern jet airliners fly at similar speeds of 600 Mph (give or take a bit) - it just isn't beneficial to go faster unless you stop worrying about efficiency and go a lot faster (ie Concorde) but then you pay for it in operating costs.

So what has 70004 been up to then? Thanks for the info on the signalling - very interesting.

Yes, you've said all that before, and you've also had it pointed out to you before that, as HS2 will take most of the express services off the lower end of the WCML, the service capacity, and timings for the local and regional trains in your area will improve as much, if not more than they would if major upgrade work was done on the current line instead. Basically, you will benefit just as much as the people travelling from London to Birmingham.

Given that the route from London to Birmingham is only 120 miles long, this means that the 2 track formation is going to be an average of 41 miles wide. Obviously they will need a bit more than 41 miles in width for the stations so the rest of the route will be slightly narrower than that (say 37.5 miles). I guess this spells the end of modelling a modern main line on an exhibition layout that is 2' to 4' deep - the compression required just won't be believable

Why isn't it red to indicate that the rear of that train in the section?

It's the only unweathered repeat of a livery they produced in the first batch.

I was going to say that a thorough overhaul (now that it's actually happening) and members of the class being repainted in DBS red was a good sign for the survival of the 60s but then I remembered that that's pretty much what happened to 37419 and 37670 just before DBS decided to pull the plug on their entire class 37 fleet. Maybe not so good after all Definitely hope that 054 doesn't get repainted.

Website currently unavailable due to being over its quota. You have to go up to the top level to get that information though - the link itself is just giving a 404 message.

From the footpath alongside, that yard appears to have about 6' between the end of the point blades and the buffer stops next to the foot crossing at the Oldland Common end of the yard - is it actually possible to get anything off that nearest track (I'm assuming that it must be somehow)?

Rubbish! You ought to be banned from the thread if you're going to post garbage like that Nice pics though

Could be, could be Did I see the same kind of language on WNXX or am I conflating the two? At least you're not writing in invisible ink this time.

The original version of that post (since edited) made a comment about the DBS steels contract being up for renewal and then something about "throwing their barbies out of the pram" or similar so I assumed that it was implying that GBRf might get it and need class 70s to haul it (possibly handing back some of the 66s still in First barbie livery). It's probably just froth though.

The rest of the zombie scientist army?

Nor First Bristol.

But that surely requires two complete sets of train crew for the duration of the tour (ie added cost). Even if it's there for insurance purposes, I'd imagine that DBS aren't likely to let Freightliner drivers drive their loco are they?

Unusual to mix haulage companies on a railtour? Is there a particular reason for pairing a DBS 66 with the 70 rather than a Freightliner 66?

Thanks guys. Glad you mentioned the BR smoke box number Stationmaster - I thought after I posted that BR wouldn't have had any truck with 100A1 and wondered whether they'd just numbered it 100 or returned it to 4009. This came up because I saw pictures of the loco in Power of the Castles. There is one of it numbered just A1 when fresh out of Swindon Works and one dated simply 1936 depicting it with the 100 plates as well so it certainly lasted less than a year numbered just A1.

Can anyone tell me why when 4009 "Shooting Star" (Castle class) was renamed "Lloyds" by the GWR in 1936, they decided to give it a number completely outside their standard numbering system, ie. A1 (later 100 A1)? Renaming the loco, fine. Renumbering the loco, fine. Slapping a random plate on the cabside that bares no relation to any other number they used, why? Ta.

I have reported this comment as being obvious trolling/deliberately inflamatory

The white loco definitely isn't a class 14. The 14 has a much more offset cab. See this photo of the class 14 and this link about the white shunter.

That's only one side of the coin though isn't it? I'd expect that for at least some of the railways, while having a fleet of mainline diesels may not bring in Mr and Mrs Joe Punter (without whom the railway cannot survive), having this fleet of mainline diesels brings in a substantial number of volunteers who, with the occaisional turn helping out with other aspects of the railway, are also essential to the railway's survival. I've not got direct experience of this but at a guess, a loco society whose members make no effort to get involved with other aspects of the running of their host line is going to be one of those loco societies that you sometimes hear are looking for a new home due to political differences with the host railway. Enthusiasm can do nothing without money but money without enthusiasm is also insufficient to keep a railway going. As for the original topic - it's easy to see both sides. The "rusting hulks" do look a bit grim and you can see that some of them may not run again when others could also use the work but, at the same time, different people like different things and, once it's gone, it's gone. I've always been surprised that so few of them are covered over - surely the cost of tarpaulins is a fraction of a cost of repairing the damage caused by years sitting exposed to the rain.

I just sent Hattons a message asking if the hole next to the exhaust port was going to be fixed on the second batch and got the following message in reply. Does anyone have any photographic evidence of one of the locos with this hole?

Have they had the 40mph restriction lifted yet or are they on trains with easy timings/retimed trains?

I've seen the u-tube video but the train is coasting or breaking - the loco makes less noise than the wagons!

Nice video but is that clicking noise coming from the loco, your camera shutter or some kind of demented beetle? Has anyone managed to capture the class 70 on video yet where it isn't coasting or slowing down for a signal or such? ie does anyone have a video of it with the engine actually under load?