edcayton

Thanks for all the replies guys. Was it my OP that you thought "tongue in cheek"? I sort of knew about 40106, but didn't know if it was repainted green or just stayed that way. My guess would have been an 08 or 09, but several of those were sold into private use and may have retained the green under lots of grime. I had no idea of the Russel Saxton site, and what a mine field this was, but thanks again. Ed

I know that a class 40 stayed green for a very long time (did it get preserved?), but what, when and where was the last BR green loco to remain in service? Ed

Just a suggestion, but I think the bogie bolster would look better if the uprights (don't know the name) were a bit bent and battered. Ed

Another one I haven't seen (nor did many people) is the rebuilt Turbomotive. That step in the running plate and the Duchess-style steam pipes just shout "power" to me. Ed

Why is there no alternative Chris? Surely HS1 was always going to be the flag ship and, as you say, is under used. I can't help feeling that HS2 will be a very expensive white elephant used by those that can afford it and subsidised by those that can't. Ed

I think that the V2's rebuilt with outside steam pipes look a lot better than the originals, more balanced somehow. I would give the original Cock o' the North my vote BUT obviously I haven't seen it in the flesh, let alone in action. City of Truro left me cold until I saw her working at the Severn Valley. Superb with the red frames etc, much less so when the simpler green and black livery was applied. Livery is really important here, as is the train. A red Western on a matching set of mark 1's is possibly my all time favourite train, whereas a grotty blue one is horrendous. I have to say that the Grand Central 180's coming through Stevenage look Superb, possibly because they look like they are out of the USA in the 30's. Electric loco I like a lot is the Southern 71?( the one the NRM has) but also the GG1 and the Raven NER one. Overall though has to go to Gresley, but don't make me choose between his pacifics or livery please. Ed

I would have thought that there were two reasons not to let loco's sit on the buffers when the train had been removed-to keep the atmosphere on the concourse as smoke-free as possible, and to avoid safety valves lifting and frightening the horses(and people too)! Ed

Thanl you Ed

What do DRS do in that neck of the woods please? Ed

Thank you, that is superb. Ed

Why could it not run straight into the Newquay platform from the down main and then run round using the up main through the platform whilst it is quiet? Ed

If you are using a resin flux (usually in multicore) you shouldn't need to clean it off. If you use the "Baker's Fluid" type of flux then , yes, you must wash it off carefully like my Dad never did! I am very intrigued by these "bitsa station" layouts and am surprised there aren't more of them on the show circuit. I do remember an excellent 0 gauge example which folded up into a grandfather clock. Ed

Ahh! The old "cling film across the pan" trick. Ed

Has to be the B**e Pulm**n !! Ed

Well, I did post that at 0540, having been unable to sleep(again). I will bow to your superior Knowledge. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story! Ed

In response to the OP I'll give just some of my reasons. That AWFUL colour. Described as "woad-like" blue in an article I read. Tatty green diesels having freshly painted enormous yellow ends/noses. The fact that the upstart diesels didn't even have to carry a "D" to make them recognise the senior motive power. The stations and infrastructure were at their shabbiest and most unwelcoming. There wasn't anything positive going on, just more decline and closures. Mk II coaches and B4 bogies. Nuff said. Goods trains started to lose their brake vans and look just wrong. Did I mention the colour? Oh, yes, the fact that there was no more freedom given to the Regions. Apart from the best liveries ever of green loco's and maroon coaches we lost the distinctive green coaches of the Southern, the (G)WR brown and cream, the red loco's-diesel and steam, and some of the really nice schemes applied to some diesels (Deltics and Brush 4's to name just two) I still have my Ian Allan ABC of BR steam loco's for 1967 IIRC, and a sad thin little volume it is . I've probably got more steamers than they did! And finally, the colour. The final degrading insult of all in painting the VoR trains. I suppose they felt it was important to make them look as though they belonged to BR to distinguish them from the amateur efforts elsewhere. Ed

I have to say that I have thought about pv panels for some time, but as a means of going off-grid, as I am concerned about the long-term reliability of the mains supply. This would of course mean using the pv's to charge a bank of batteries, and at least some devices being 12 volt. Does anyone know the efficiency of the electronic inverters used in conjunction with the pv panels being installed at the moment? Ed

As far as I can tell there are two schemes for PV panels. !) you pay a lot of money up front. and the Gov't promises to buy electricity from you at a generous rate. They have already started to renege on this. What happens if everyone gets them? 2) they are installed free (yeah, right) hopefully without damaging the roof which they did at my in-laws), the installer then has right to to your roof for 25 years. What if you want to sell? Are we really going to trust private companies or future governments in the long term? These are the same people that let us down over pensions, life insurance, PPI, bank shares etc. Ed

I am looking forward to hearing more about tucking and fulling. Dr Spooner

They should make it compulsory for everybody to go out and drive around when it is snowing. That way the roads wouldn't have time to be covered! Ed lol

I'd have thought that a rear engine Porsche would be good in snow. If you look at something like the Lands End Trial there are a lot of Imps, Beetles and old rear-engined Skodas because the traction is so good. Ed

Where is the real "Lion" now? Has it been steamed since the film? Something tells me it was steamed for one of the Rail 150 type events. Ed

Didn't Hornby produce a "Titfield" 14xx? Ed

Simon, I tried to answer your earlier post last night, but it was too late and I c***ed it up cos' it was too late. You cannot seriously be suggesting that it's a gpod thing to spend all this money etc to allow long distance commuting. Your own journey sounds like sheer hell to me and I cannot believe you enjoy it. Yes, I do accept that some people need to travel long distances, but that is not a justification to encourage the practice. We already have millions of pounds worth of trains doing nothing for eighteen hours a day, and from my observations of the ECML outside the peak it doesn't appear anywhere near capacity. I do accept the need for long-term planning, but surely the need to reduce energy usage must be paramount, and that is my main reason for querying the need for HS2 (and other projects to do with airports and roads). Ed

I have just read the Guardian piece and it makes a huge amount of sense to me. I don't think his comments about "rail buffs" and their "nerdy hobby" are as insulting as a lot of the comments on here about NIMBYs etc. FWIW I agree with people here who think it makes more sense to build a new line rather than widen etc what is there now. I also feel the same about roads-I'd have built a separate parallel M25 rather than prat about widening the existing one. The question is-"is it really needed at all?", as I said earlier. Ed