Hesperus

Being as Vivarail only sell to other rail companies could it be possible that they are taking the blame publicly in exchange for not being punished financially for a delay that would have happened anyway? Both sides are running late but SWR/DfT have to sell tickets when this is all over.

But surely it's sensible to go for easy targets first? Only a fool would try to reduce diesel emissions by targeting ambulances and fire engines first. Plastic straws are a sensible target when paper ones work just as well and cost a similar amount. If the public support a ban on domestic flights which can be done by train in 2.5 hours now perhaps that can go up to 3 hours in a few years time then up to 4 from there? Obviously the Scottish Islands can't be reached by train but they are looking into electric planes as they only need little things. I'd suggest banning private jets from UK airspace would have more effect.

I suppose it depends what Shildon are going to do with No.1? If they are going to do something really good then it should make the trip, if they are just going to stick it in the corner with a sign saying "200th birthday" then leave it at North Road, particularly if Darlington are going to do something better. The fact that Beamish has a replica is a very good point, perhaps it would be better at Shildon than the real thing if it can haul trains on the demonstration line?

I do like to see might have been liveries like the Railfreight red stripe 14901, large logo blue 40 and anything in Loadhaul black and orange. Wasn't quite as keen on the Porterbrook purple Deltic but a lot of that was the Wipac lights.

That would be a 153 with 2'8.5" chopped out of the middle lengthwise.

Don't they generally do a heavy refurbishment around halfway through a vehicles service life? Would it really be harder to add cables to a 22x than to put diesel engines under a 30 year old 319 or a 40 year old D train? I realise that we are unlikely to see new coach's built but could 222 coach's be converted if they are likely to become surplus?

Perhaps with a more sensible financial regime in place we might see the long talked about pantograph coach's built for the Voyagers? Before covid you could see a fleet replacement happening with the 22x fleet perhaps replacing 158s or similar somewhere (I wondered if they might replace 175s to give more capacity here on the Marches route). Now we're getting new build stock here and there is enough 22x to give XC a standardized (ish) fleet that might not be quite as overcrowded perhaps we'll see sense? The deadline to remove diesel only stock isn't that far away.

Interesting comments on that article.

Or with 1940s levels of Health and safety, set it going at 2mph and walked alongside?

The reason they were using HST power cars with 91s in this instance was because the MK4 coach's weren't ready. The 43 only had the engine running to provide ETH as HST stock is a different voltage to everything else but hours of idling caused problems with unburnt fuel in the exhaust so they changed to duel power. Being as both are surplus to requirements it would be interesting to see if a 91+43 could haul a freight train.

If this took off I'd happily make some removable parts to bring Leintwardine up to 6" high (from the 20mm or so it is) and some Peco tracked bridging pieces if it's 3' radius curves weren't too much of an issue. I can see laser cut end boards being very useful to join double track modules to create a main line but nobody seems to be very interested in building plain sections of main line that only really work as part of a bigger scheme. Reasonably well aligned bridge pieces could connect a few peoples branch line stations though, dozens of layouts are potentially suitable for joining in and it would give people a chance to use layouts that are already interesting to operate in a new way.

Quite a lot of the local kids including my girlfriend before they made it more secure.

I really can't see this happening but it would be useful. https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/telford/ironbridge/2021/03/17/trust-bids-for-funding-to-plan-opening-disused-rail-line/ In my head a service from Telford to Bridgnorth on the weekends and perhaps running all the way through to Kidderminster during the week would be a massive boost to public transport around here. It's a shame that the claimed £46M cost is probably a tenth of the actual amount required.

I was chatting about this layout on MrWolf's excellent Aston on Clun thread and realised that I really should get it down from the loft where it's been lurking for 5 years since I moved house. For one thing I needed to see if the station building I assembled last year fitted. It seems my measurements were correct and once the platforms been trimmed it will be fine. Unfortunately while the front is quite charming it faces the backscene and the other side is plain boards so a rethink may be required. I was hoping to do a first train video but that is going to require soldering as the controller with the correct wiring connection is misbehaving. I've run a couple of engines on the the fiddlestick though. Hopefully I can get it finished before the next distraction happens

Thanks Mr Wolf, it's a bit of a stalled project really and I can't decide whether it joins the Central Wales line at Hopton Heath or Bucknell but it runs through Leintwardine and Wigmore to the quarry at Leinthall Earls. I don't have any dumb buffered wagons yet but it's only a matter of time until something's dragged out the weeds. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64880-leintwardine-teme-valley-light-railway/ Really should drag it out and finish it off, in fact I will drag it out tonight. Thanks for the mojo boost

I wondered if it would be possible to put a pantograph on a wagon with a transformer inside to power a diesel electric loco from 25kv. Then realised that you would need a cab on one end so converting a 90 or 91 to multi with a 66 would probably be easier.

Looks like it's going to be a beautiful layout, I'll have to send a through train from my Teme Valley Railway (which has a station building based on the bowling club at Clun). I still live fairly close if you need a picture of anything, work even took me into The Hall at Aston on Clun once.

So assuming the track isn't that wonky in many places why do so many engines have round buffers?

It can only be a matter of time before someone re-engines a batch of 37s for work on RA5 routes. Kind of like the 37/9s but lighter and actually modern. Do GM do a 2000ish hp engine or will it come from Europe?

Absolutely entrancing, makes me want to book a holiday there.

I reckon it would probably be better for the environment to burn locally mined coal at Drax than to ship wood chips in from the U.S. If we're that short of wood to burn over here perhaps they could let builders put scrap wood in the recycling bins for free rather than skips that go to landfill.

Some of Smart Models kits are available in stone if you like downloadable kits. https://www.smartmodels.co.uk/rail12---castle-hedingham-station-building.html Metcalfe do stone too (and used to do Dent station from the S+C) https://www.metcalfemodels.com/product/po320-00-h0-mainline-station-booking-hall/

Looking ace, I might be biased though as I own this.

It's a great article that one, I've got it too despite it being 2 years older than me. A couple of books on the railway too if you need any photos sent by PM. Helpfully the cheap loco chassis is a perfect fit inside the loco outline in 4mm scale giving the right track gauge.

I was digging around looking for something else and found one of these I did as a teenager in the 90s. It's 2t of The Tralee and Dingle railway made of random junk including a babybell wax smokebox door. I've got a few bits of secondhand TT recently to have another go with.