Buhar

Adrian Chiles has an short piece in the Grauniad which mentions producers' demands that the content be made simpler in the documentaries he was presenting. He complained that "it's not Playschool" but had to acquiesce. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/30/why-are-todays-tv-dramas-so-devastatingly-difficult-to-follow Alan

I would prepare a dropper wire from the frog as @Lacathedrale suggests just in case four-coupled locos stutter, easier to do off-layout rather than after installation. You don't need to connect it if all is well, but you just need an unexpected undulation or a dodgy pick-up on the loco for mishaps to appear, That said, if you're fitting stay-alives you'd probably be completely fine. Alan

Light grey, but darken it to different degrees on each coach as they swiftly moved to being really mucky as the roofs were never cleaned. I think the black below the rainstrip instruction had changed by the time the PIII coaches were introduced as they didn't have continuous rainstrips on corridor stock.

I did do history beyond school, thank you for asking. My searches for Dukes of Lancaster didn't turn up anyone holding that staff and I would have thought that would have been a point reference for people looking at the arms. Alan

I think the cavalcade style layouts are easier to watch than more discreet movements on a large layout simply because everyone gets to see the train running past them, but only a handful are near enough to appreciate the shunting or loco exchange if they know or are lucky enough to be in the right place. On Leighton Buzzard shown alone it's small enough that the whole crowd can see the action. The banker coming off at the summit of Shap is only visible to a few, but the move is swift and everyone else gets to see it coming down the hill. I enjoy watching both styles of operating (plus others) and also enjoy watching fiddle yard activity. Alan

The bloke top right is a puzzle. He must be derived from something. I can't find an image of Henry VII or VIII that matches and that's it for adult Tudor kings (also one's generally illustrated in a way that's too fat and the other's too thin). Is there a relevant saint? The only significant towns along the line are Carnforth, Oxenholme (at a push) and Penrith and I can't see a connection with those, unless it's someone with a flaming torch lighting Penrith Beacon. Alan

The only possible origin for the caboshed stags' heads I can find is from the Duke of Devonshire. An investor? Alan

The announcement leaked today obviously begs the question does this mean frequent punctual expresses or a new small engine policy. Alan

Not an issue with a single sheet order form and a cheque, but anything that bulks up the envelope can fall foul of the rules on size. I've had a couple that could be firmly pushed through the post office's test slot but the staff then advised that Large Letter postage should be paid to be "on the safe side."

Even with Hudson and Turton and other researchers we only know a tiny fraction of the reality concerning PO wagons. Ascertaining the timespan when an owner operated, how many wagons they had and from what builders or hirers and then what routes they used is now an impossible task for all but a few examples. I think many modellers do well to make enough sense of the scarce information to create believable scenes. Stephen's comment about the difference between NER (North) and NER (South) is a case in point as it had become received wisdom that PO wagons on NER lines was rarely seen. As most have said, these wagons are a real step in the right direction. The opportunity to have several wagons from the same firm would be great. I wonder if Rapido might consider commissioning aftermarket transfers with alternative numbers on a backing that matches the wagon body colour. Obviously if the grand plan is to alter the number on future iterations then there's no need, but it's a thought. Alan

I am sorry, Stephen. I hope it's next on the vaccine development list. Alan

Oh please let there be a video or even just a sound recording, please! Alan

Loaded by MR to deepest Cornwall, back loaded part way (as was allowed) with the mucky stuff, then returned to the Midland at Bristol. The load up to your area didn't need a clean wagon and it hasn't yet been scrubbed up to Midland standards. Or it's just a b@ggar to get off.

Carlisle does feature in Hills of the North or we could consider Alan

In an earlier life I was driving a Transit or similar with a pallet of MacDougall's finest in the back. Coming off the M25 some wazzock let a suitcase fall off his roof rack. I braked sharply and heard a thump behind me. I got past and pulled over at a nearby layby. On opening the sliding door I couldn't see anything for the clouds of flour. Took ages to settle. I've no idea whether that would have been a combustion risk but the flour was packed when loaded.

However those that enjoy running a load of colourful PO wagons behind their sector liveried diesels may buy enough for Rapido to decide it's a marketing success and keep producing them.

Good to choose builders other than Gloucester and design-in the axlebox and buffer shank variations. I really hope these sell as well as they deserve to and later that variations in the style of ironwork between builders can be replicated.

I think that's probably the designers having a little joke, sort of Easter Egg. Made me smile anyway. Alan

The Nobel dynamite facility at Ardeer was better connected to the G&SWR but the Caley had a link from their spoiler line to Ardrossan harbour, the nearest station being Stevenston. Alan

Any news of the iceberg? In that lovely accent. A thoroughly decent man. Alan

The wheelbase 8' + 8'6" is the one used on all Midland six coupled locos starting back in the days of Kirtley and continuing through to the Stanier era on the LMS (see the 2-6-4Ts). It actually gives a decent space for the firebox. The smokebox is extended, originally they had a round topped firebox and the smokebox door was flush with the front of the tanks but rebuilding with superheating required a longer smokebox. A large bunker means you don't have to fill it so often so a longer run is possible. Big tanks are useful too, they hold more water and extending them to the front on a loco without a front pony truck means that adhesive weight remains evenly distributed over the drivers. That said, these weren't the good fast runners that was hoped, they really could have done with a pony truck. In theory a large tank engine would have been ideal for Buxton to Manchester trains (the LNWR style 0-8-4Ts were also trialled on that route and painted crimson accordingly) but 'twas not to be. Alan

Thank you very much for the reply, Frank. I don't know where I got 2mm for the shaft from. That is all crystal clear now, I'm glad I asked, the only issue being fitting ball races to the original style of gearbox. I see Chris has the Tender Riser back in stock, but that doesn't help with the other end. I suppose replacement plates could be sweated onto the ends maybe using the leg of a chassis jig for alignment. There are 6mm O/D spurs available that look (on Sketchup) to be pretty well concealed behind wheels, ashpan and brake gear and allow the drive to be transferred upwards after passing under the rear driving axle on a 6'6" driver, but I think any playing with that idea that is well down the line. Thanks again Alan

Hi Frank Please can I check my understanding of your M-I-T system? The tender mounted motor transfers its drive to the shaft to the loco via spur gears with no reduction so the shaft runs at the motor’s original rpm. The 2mm steel shaft is supported with two ball-race bearings fore and aft under the motor cradle. The initial flexible joint in the tender is a length of tubing (currently and for the foreseeable) Caldercraft Coupling Rubber and from there that is a length of steel shaft that will extend under the fall plate to the ball joint part of a Markits universal joint positioned so it will connect to the socket part of the universal joint under the loco footplate. In the loco the socket part of the joint is attached to a steel shaft supported by two further ball races either end of the gearbox which is a High Level Roadrunner Compact+ which has the worm and a spur gear set-up. Now to the questions:- I presume that as the gears in the tender are spurs there is no need to and end thrust bearing, but what about in the loco? I can’t see one and so presume there are no issues as the thrust delivered by the motor is absorbed by the tubing and the UJ. Is the shaft from the tubing to the ball joint part of the Markits joint or have you removed the ball and refitted it to your own shaft? If the slotted tube at the loco end Markits or your own concoction? Is the shaft in the tender after the tube supported only by the tube? How do you fix the miniature ball races which I presume are a steel casing? How do you arrange the loco to tender coupling? Is it a simple pin and hole that you can drop together after you’ve encouraged the ball into the socket? You indicate that by ensuring the shaft runs under the loco footplate the system works with driving wheels 5’2” or less and that 6’10” or more may be possible with an inverted gearbox. Inevitably, I’m looking at 6’0” or 6’6” 4-4-0s (small boilered Scottish engines) plonking the underside of the driving axles at 11mm to 12mm above rail height, bang in the way and with the rear axle so close to the cab that any gearbox would intrude. Have you had any thoughts about this, maybe somehow getting under and up to the leading axle or would I be stuck with a shaft from tender coal door to firebox door (as has been done). Many thanks for your explanations so far and for you inspiringly tidy and practical work. Alan

I thought the Hudd ATC was peculiar (from an LMS perspective) to the LTSR, the 3 cylinder 2-6-4Ts had to have the kit removed locally when they went off to Derby for overhaul. Was the trial only a temporary arrangement on the Buxton line? Although a follower, I had a spell away from RMWeb and on return seem to have messed up my viewing settings so had missed the past eighteen months of life on Derwent. My loss, it's a wonderfully evocative and incredibly skillful piece of modelling and I now want to go back and re-read the updates more slowly. Having seen the health updates in quick succession I was really relieved to hear the latest state of play although I was a little discomobulated that your trips for chemo and then getting back to modelling made it sound like you were popping to the shops! Alan

Was there any room in @Jesse Sim's luggage for clothes or is a tour of the local charity shops needed? Alan