Pandora

Invicta Models in Sidcup have the departmental model in stock,, green livery if mt memory is correct.

Your Hornby CoBo has lost most of its Ringfield Magnet strength through ageing. Here is a tip: change the old magnet for a modern Dublo compatible replacement SuperNeo magnet from ebay or elsewhere, then, prepare to be absolutely amazed by the unstoppable power and slow-speed running of those Dublo mechanisms!

Cuttrisses were at 40 Duke Street from the 1960s, prioir to that in Spring Gardens (i think) a shop mwhich was demolished in the terrible modernisation of the town, if ever there was a case for extermination of town planners, just examine Doncaster. Cutrrises closed by around 1980 from memory, it was a very large shop with about 5 assistants on duty at all times, 4 pm to 5 pm Monday to Friday it was a mecca for schollboys on their way home from school, in an article the owners said turnover slumped rapidly, and they had the foresight to close in good order, rather than simply hang on. Probably something to do with teh appeal of new technology, the Sinclair Spectrum perhaps?

Model and Leisure, Coventry, I think Pete Waterman had that one, in which case it would be the forerunner of the acclaimed O gauge JustLiketheRealThing in Irvine Scotland

The shallow class 24 windows has caught out a few people, the deeper cab windows were provided on subsequent builds to give the driver a better view when buffering up etc

I think I can recall seeing Standard 2-6-0 77012 being used with an Inspection saloon in Doncaster during mid 1960s

Was it the freightliner wagons which had open ended-axle boxes? There was a yellow triangular cover on the end of each axle, the sight of a slow moving train of such wagons, with the peculiar effect of the rotating axle ends I would have to look away to avoid feeling dizzy

3rd rail was very cheap at initial installation back in the 1920s and 30s, but actually costs an absolute fortune, put it simply, a mid-week overnight line possession of say 4 to 5 hours will be decimated to about 2 to 3 hours of productive work due to time spent on the essential need to create a safe environment for the track worker, ie the traction current isolation and installation of track safety earths in case of accidental energisation of the 750V conductor rail (believe me that DOES happen). Contrast this with 25kV overhead, in many cases the OHLE will be live during track maintenance , you gain an extra couple of hours of work. There is a lot of undesirable hardware for 3rd rail over 25kV, such as impedance bonds, traction cables and insulated block joints galore which need lots of drillings in the web of the running rail leading to weakening and failures. It is said that the cost of converting from from third rail to overhead although substantial , will be quickly recovered in terms of savings through more work/fewer possessions of the line

The HD loco with flush glazing and weathering does have a presence. The Gibson wheels make a big difference, the Heljan model rewheeled to 18.83 may make a quantum leap in appearance The HD model lacks underframe details, the simple representation of the battery boxes is very poor, S/H prices of the HD model were always high £75 - 100 25 years ago,, a discouragement to many to take a hacksaw to the body some versions of the Hatton models are down to £89. Iam happy to own examples from both makers.

The overhead equipment, including the feeder stations for 25kV for Manchester - Glossop route, when will it be due for replacement? How many years left in the rolling stock before they will be replaced?

With such a footfall/ridership then it will stay as it is

With two of the three transPennine routes to be wired, I reach the sad conclusion the Woodhead business case is a non- starter, so I must survive on memories. The third route L & Y via Hebden Bridge has seen 60% growth in passengers in the last seven years, an electrification campaign group has arisen, and with an proven team of contractors in place, I can forsee the green light for the wiring. As a final thought, what are the business cases for Manchester to Glossop, and also Sheffield to Deepcar to both become light rail tramways? The new bus Stagecoach service serving the eastern end of the Woodhead route http://www.supertram.com/latestfromsupertram_3356.html

I see the many similarities, here is another link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Class_1E The locos were built by MetroVick in 1925-26, you can visualise MetroVickers handing over their drawings to the LNER as a basis for Tommy

For historians of the Woodhead electric locos. This may be of interest. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales_46_class_locomotive

If your HD CoBo drew a lot of power it was very likely to be a degraded magnet. I changed such a HD magnet in a CoBo for one of the Super Neo magnets, the loco was transformed, it will pull a house down and for slow shunting speed operation the loco will crawl but at the same time generate high torque which means stalling is very rare. The CoBo Crossley diesel engines were very unreliable, but I read that while they serving penance at Barrow, the crews knew how to get the best out of them and they became decent enough work horses, there is an incident in a book, a driver of a Cobo received an instruction from a Traction Inspector riding in the cab, to notch up to full power, the driver challenged the instruction which was reaffirmed and dutifully acted upon, a few miles later the Crossley seized! I am lucky in that I have seen a CoBo at work, standing on the footbridge to Carnforth shed in 1967 or 68, a CoBo pulling a train of oil tanks

During the last months of the Crostis, I saw two at Leeds Holbeck in the roundhouse, that would be late 1966 or early 1967, and during Summer 1967 Crostis were working freight out of Doncaster Belmont Yard heading in the down direction. How they all came to be shedded at at Birkenhead, I do not know the reason

Yes , we have M7 0-4-4T model which are difficult due to weight imbalance and stabilty, whne will someone tackle a 4-2-2 ? The Ivatt Atlantic and its twin sister the Brighton Atlantic by Marsh, almost two for the price of one (design clever) and also ties in with the Beachy Head reproduction project, based on salvaged boiler discovered at a farm

A teaser from DapolDave: posted January 2013 on RMWEB "Anyway, I'm not going to confirm or deny anything except yes I have my plans laid until 2015 at he moment. However, ones I won't be touching as I understand others are apparently (look out for announcements soon) include, In N gauge an N15 In 009 a Manning Wardle In OO gauge Sarah Siddons, and Underground stock with an 84 soon after (unless that changes due to poor electric sales)" So the class 84 is being stalked, it is an NRM York loco, so that must be Bachmann then

The early twin pantograph 31 676 AL5 is no longer listed on the Bachmann products website. Is this just a web editor mistake or is the version abandoned? However the small yellow warning panel AL5 is the top of my list version I wished for at release.

Rails of Sheffield have the Green version of the Western in the cabinet, truly a great model, ,

There was a section of line between Continental junction and Folkstone, I think it was Bullhead and I think it may have been inverted at some point as the top was corrugated. it was a nightmare to drive a train over it, thankfully it was replaced about 2 years ago

Is this a local practice in the area where you work? I have never ever seen rail pre-curved, how can you transport it to site? I have changed plenty of rail in my time, as a crane driver, we load 6 x 60 ft lengths on the sides of a Tramm, lift out the old and then drop the new into the chairs, even on 200 meter curves.

Bullhead rail is very flexible, ask any railway slinger who has to load the stuff onto a bogie wagon, they detest bullhead rail! Bullhead will therefore be found where sharp curves are required say 200 to 300 metre radius, 200 meters radius being to most purposes the tighest curvest outside yards and sidings, eg a spur making a triangle between two other lines, the line speed may well be only 10 to 20 mph negotiating a 200 metre radius curve. A benefit is bullhead rail has four wear faces compared to two for flatbottom, so bullhead can be inverted in the sleeper chairs or transposed from cess to six foot side etc. theoretically doubling life compared to flatbottom, the reality is neither bullhead or flat bottom rail is ever inverted or transposed, once worn on the first face, it is replaced with new, like for like.

Waiting on the platform of Limehouse Station today on the route out of Fenchurch Street, was looking and measuring the simple two uprights and a horizontal "Woodhead style" portals. The H sections of the portal are a nominal 6 inches by 6 inches, in fact they were are slightly oversize, 6 by 6 inches, 6 and one quarter inches and 6 and 3 eighths of an inch. I suppose this "extra" is 1950s steel rolling mill tolerances, "better oversize than under"

The era 1966 to 68, I think it is a very creditable idea to reproduce, Steam/Diesel/Electric in all hues and liveries, still vast numbers of unusual rolling stock especially wagons, The early diesels still around, eg baby deltics,,CoBos, D84XX etc. A reasonable selection of steam, not just Black 5s and 8Fs, sadly very little steam on passenger work, but the number of light engine moves, eg Crewe station, constant stream of 24s making their way to Chester. There was still a lot to see and plenty to look out for, when the signaller pulled off, the excitement of the next "cop"