Pandora

With the 31 back into production, do we know of a part number for the chassis block as a spare part?

As a student in 1977 , i had a Summer job in a factory located, with lodgings in Pye Bridge, I have never known such boredom as Pye Bridge village, the only evening entertainment was to congregate with one or two like-minded enthusiasts at the site of Pye Bridge/Riddings Junction watching ex-BR diesel shunter D2138 at work in the colliery, class 20s on coal duties and to witness the final workings of the Toton 44 locos on freight trains.

Lots of phrases on the 12 inch to the foot railway, some are local to regions; Stock / switch Rail, Lamp chop, Oversails, Drive rods, backdrives, detector rods Solebar, Chog blocks, black dogs finally Our Rail and Their Rail, refers to third rail electrification, the rail which does not carry traction current inb a single rail track circuit "belongs" to S & T, the rail which carries the traction return current is for the PW dept

THE CVL of DJModels is being carried out under an appointed practitioner of Liquidation, under such an arrangement, the Director(s) of the insolvent company may purchase assets of the insolvent company subject to procedures by the practitioner. Therefore it may be possible for certain assets to be "rescued" so that DJ may live to fight another day, so, I am not giving up hope of future releases of the portfolio of models which were once DJModels.

The London Gazette contains the notice DJ Models are in Creditors Voluntary Liquidation, ie the Company Director(s) of DJ Models have chosen to liquidate as opposed to debtors who petition to liquidate

It is high time for another strategic reserve, stable the Pacers in the Woodhead Tunnel, brick up the tunnel mouth ends, and wait for the media to report the rumours for the next 50 years.

I guess the shot was taken "On or near the line" when standing in a safe and legally permitted position on a foot crossing, In my 19 years "up front" I have never seen anyone using or waiting to cross the line by the foot crossing, a question on a route assessment paper is how many whistle boards on the route? Those boards are for the driver to warn crossing users of the approaching train

The diagram for blue/yellow heritage livery 43002 was shortened due to a problem with another service, 43002 arrived at Paddington as the London end of the set, if the full diagram had operated, would 43002 have been the leading unit for the final 1830 departure from Paddington?

Who could take forward the LLC projects? my randomised shortlist of names: Hattons. Rail of Sheffield Dapol. Heljan Tower Models. We saw the James May "Trouble at Hornby" programme and I note those retailers entering into manufacture

Come on Hornby, buy the tooling for the Ruston, it is time for a new venture.

Will your layout of St Johns include any visual references to the closed Greenwich Park branch line? http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/g/greenwich_park/index.shtml

Any mention of Wrenn in the publication?

Software is not the same as hardware, the cost of the software development is fixed, the same cost if you sell 1000 copies into the market or 10 million copies, the more copies sold, the the cost per copy drops until the amortisation of development cost drops down to mere pennies per copy. Freiwald are talking up their product, perhaps there product is slipping in the face of free to "download and use" open-source DCC train control programmes

According to manufacturers of battery packs, the Moore's Law cycle for traction batteries for hybrid EV cars is 7 years, (Moore's law for digital semiconductors is 2 years), Moore's Law predicts the time-cycle of either 1) halving of price 2) doubling of performance of a technology, if Moore's Law follows predictions then in 2 cycles of M's Law (14 years) the range of an EV will be doubled with a traction battery of 50% of the price of today

The ride is comfortable when I travel in a seat dead centre between the two axles, quietly contemplating the see-saw action at the vestibule ends of the units

Or retain the two axles but interconnect their suspension in the manner of a Citroen DS or BX or of those Alex Moulton hyrolastic / hydragas BMC cars, that would stop the pitching and create a level ride

Based upon 300% or 500% (depending on how you assess) over-budget of the GWML scheme, I doubt if any electrification is viable

25 years since Privatisation today

The regular EWS Depot Driver at 73C retired a few years ago and he was known as "Speedy", and was that written on the back of his Hi-Vis jacket, it was said he was medically restricted from performing main line duties. Hoo Junction is the main depot and office for the former EWS operation

The railway still has mainline diesel hydraulics, Tampers such as Matissa, drive is hydrostatic, the diesel engine runs at full revs when in motion, the diesel engine drives a large oil pump which feeds a hydraulic out and back loop. final traction drive is by hydraulic axle mounted traction motors. Power control is by a diverter valve which diverts hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic out and back loop into the traction motors. Tampers are by Plasser & Thuerer, ( built in Austria) Matissa built in Switzerland. The Warships and Hymeks described as hydraulic, but could they be described as were diesel mechanical transmission with a torque convertor "clutch" with their need to physically change gear?

Reading the accounts of the brake van coal shows how the railway had a momentum of its own, in my railway job today that momentum is lost, our depot diesel fuelling point ran dry one weekend because although the office staff ( run as a telesales call centre) logged all fuel dispensed no-one had the sense to oredr in fuel. in BR days the breakdown crane was in constant readiness, every day fresh bacon and bread supplies would be delivered , and a job perk was to take it home .

It does not leave my thoughts, before British TV was americanised, a programme dealing with the subject of a long-established, formerly successful leader in the business would be presented as a serious well-researched documentary, and not defer to the facebook flippancy of today

Part 2 next week, what may I expect to see from the hint of the fight?

In the era of Bachmann diesels at £35 - £40 new, S/H Lima diesels that were of near-zero value, in the interval of Bachmann escalating from £35 to beyond and above the £120+ price tag, those Lima products have acquired a respectable value by the trickle down effect, just check out Ebayprices for yourself. It is therefore a worthwhile exercise to resurrect those old models, the 73 is a favourite of mine, the bodyshell of the 73 and the 31 possess plenty of appeal, it is simply the mechanisms which spoil the picture. In addition, I enjoy the same emotional connection that i experience with my Hornby Dublo CoBo and class 20