lmsforever

Good luck.

13 minutes ago, GMKAT7 said:

Hello lmsforever,

 

Thanks, yes, they are.

 

The first photo is all Mk1a types, except for NKoK, which is a Mk2a. So, all Battle of Britain apart from that one.

The second photo is all MkVb types, apart from RFoD which is a Vc. These are 1941-1943 era, post BoB.

 

Cheers, Nigel.

Thanks

Thats a nice lot of Spitfires I take it that they different types?

Its good to see your 37,s they look very like the real thing  ,the last photo you published  was excellent and really made me think of the West Highland in all its glory.  Your layout is a very good representation of the line and your scenery has inspired me to rip up some of mine and try your techniques thanks . Keep up the work I shall be following your activities.Chris 

Had to go to Thame today and went past all the work that took place at weekend ,all you can see are two filled trenches in the road .They are very well filled in and about 3ft wide and put to shame others seen around town.Work is being carried out on the road formations and you can see route of the approaches to the bridge and I am looking forward to driving over the new route /

5 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

On Virgin, as much as I dislike the bearded saint and his propensity for self-promotion and asinine whinging about BA and others, I have always had good experiences when flying Virgin Atlantic and the WCML nose dived from a pretty good service under Virgin Trains to utterly awful under Avanti. On the other hand, Virgin Trains was more Stagecoach than Virgin (I didn't have a high opinion of their owners either) and I'm not sure who the majority sharehilder in Virgin Atlantic is now, at one time Delta had a big stake. Either way, it kind of demonstrates that having the right leadership in place and letting them get on with it is what really matters. Get the right leadership and they will lead (who'd have thought it) and get the best out of staff, get the right people in the right positions and see to it that things are done properly regardless of who owns it (providing the owner lets them do their job).

I agree about Virgin Atlantic, Virgin  Rail enjoyed travelling on both always felt that  Branson had a real effect on the staff in the way they reacted with the public   .Agree about Avanti load of rubbish. 

The A413 going out of Aylesbury towards Stone is to be closed for a weekend shortly this will enable services to be moved so as construction of the road over the new bridge over HS2 can be finished.But if you read comments on our neighbourhood website you would think that the end of the world was happening ,you would think that WW3 was starting.  I had to reply to many comments that this had to happen and that there would be a new road soon also the complaints about extra miles just for two days there is an alternative route which locals should know this route  brings you out very close to the start,There are regular complaints about the project all about having to wait for traffic lights or imagined  problems I reply to them and try to make them realise what is really happening.A recent one really made me annoyed a woman announced that we do not need three routes to Brum. I explained that the WCML,Chiltern plus HS2 all fulfill different areas plus different business  she actually replied that she had not realised this. Traffic around Aylesbury has exploded and nothing is being done about it perhaps drivers should travel by bus more then we wont all the roadworks!  

I totally agree  I am reworking my layout in sections as I get inspiration  makes it more interesting  am thinking of the next section now.

Blooming computers my post went haywire !  Basically the DFT are a not for purpose organisation  they ignore what the public need and and seem to work hand in hand with the anti rail groups and ignore when a  new road  would help . Round here the roads are choked and the few roads that could form a bypass are not being constructed.

On 06/11/2023 at 15:55, rodent279 said:

In any other country, yes, that's what would happen, it would be a fully electrified double track line, possibly 4 between Didcot & Oxford, maybe Reading-Basingstoke would be wired as well, and there would be proper links in to the ECML & GE lines.

 

But this is Britain in late 2023, so you can forget it.

Indeed the DFT are proper group that will actualy a useless organization  they are only interested in roads but if you come to Aylesbury you will see they also ignore them.along the DFT has tried to stop this project and they have not finished yet no wires no link to Aylesbury and if possible the line to Cambridge will be cut back   .God help us we need the DFT to be closed down as soon as possible with proper groups to exppppand transport in the UK.

HS2 is upsetting people in Aylesbury in the coming weeks ,the A413 on the outskirts of Aylesbury is to be closed for a weekend so as the roadworks for the new bit of road over a rail bridge can be opened. You would think that the end of the world was coming ,This work has to be carried out otherwise rail work will be delayed but so many people hate this work but I bet if it was a new bypass they would be happy . Once the bridge is in use there will be a very deep cutting put in place the northward route leads to ths new viaduct around the rear of our town.  Things are coming quickly from Wendover and you can see the route clearly  again all this upsetting motorists but the work is impressive .

Thank goodness for once the people have stopped something that the government tried to push through that would have caused big problems to many people and have caused a drop in passengers.The government now in power seems to have a disregard to rail and to a certain degree road ,as for the DFT I am at a complete loss as to what they think they are actually doing  they show a disregard as to actually bringing benefits to the public.  Transport in the UK needs to be completely overhauled with more power to local people to ensure that we get a proper chance to discuss local needs and not be passed into the woods as now.  In Aylesbury we urgently require a proper bypass but the powers that be have consistently stopped its construction.Luckily we have an excellent railway system in place with good bus links ,reading comments elsewhere we are lucky.At the moment the alternative to the current party in charge do not seem interested in railways or anything else so the future is not good

21 hours ago, Rich_F said:

Inspiration for your modem era depots! 

 

Also in the 'interesting pictures from Flickr" thread.

That looks like Aylesbury?

 

I hope that daft make their mind up and allow the Aylesbury line to happen as this with proper promotion could be a success . 

Finally, the DFT and the government  have been defeated  its about time they listened to the public  but what have they got planned for us with Aviva cutting services and Northern doing the same we are facing a bad time on the railways. I note that first class is being reduced on the WCML   a very bad move  and people will be very annoyed with this when the current people took over from Virgin things went downhill very quickly and the comments were increasingly downbeat. ,the food was downgraded plus the number of seats has decreased rapidly and the staff visibly less able. I can remember in Virgin days as the train left Glasgow the drinks trolley rattled into the coach pushed by a friendly happy member of staff .The food orders were taken with good humour and the food itself was very good  and as the train progressed south the coaches filled and the staff remained happy and ready  to help if required .My first trip on the new owners train and it was completely different staff did not care and were actually rude sometimes the DFT must have been very pleased for they had done everything to get rid of Virgin.Our railways are going through very bad times  and if things dont change when we have an election they are going to suffer big time .

Bringing this back to HS2 how many units will be built and what will happen to the Pendos when they take over the inter city routes and we are forced to go into London to go north not that I think locals will bother as this project has really upset them with the works and traffic problems.

In the sixties and seventies we called Quainton the scrap yard as nothing seemed to progress but now its a good place to visit with a lot of interesting things to see and an excellent cafe on weekdays  a really great effort.

3 hours ago, DaveF said:

Two locations in this set. Ashwell and Aylesbury.  There is no connection between them.

 

The Aylesbury photos were taken on the same day on the way home as the ones at Quainton Road in the previous post.

 

 

Ashwell 2 x Class 20 up iron ore March 70 J2077

 

 

Ashwell Class 31 Peterborough to Birmingham March 70 J2078

 

 

Ashwell Feb 72 J2812

 

 

Aylesbury Class 115 Nov 76 C3116

 

 

Aylesbury Class 115 Nov 76 C3117

 

 

Aylesbury Class 115 Nov 76 C3118

 

David

Thank you for these shots you forget how undeveloped the north of Aylesbury was  I used to go to the metal building in the far left when I worked for the GPO telephones as a worker.

I am afraid that Britain is more than forty years behind the Netherlands the attitude towards development being the main one , new house development in the UK is based on the cram it all in principle.Getting oneself around is automatically is taken to be by car be it to school,shopping ,work is to be by car and seeing the area outside a school you would think that no one could walk  some trips being literally two minutes..I cannot see any change coming along in the near future due to the policy now in place  that sees the only way to house anyone is to gobble up as much land especially green belt and cover it with houses with no regard to whether people want them.Here in Aylesbury the town has become surrounded by what amount to mini towns with no thought to the increase of cars.Also our town is regularly gridlocked with all roads at a standstill .EWR is a link that is happening despite all attempts by the DFT to stop it being built  and consistently do their best to downscale what has been built .The Bedford to Cambridge section is to be built to a lower spec and as for Bletchley Bedford the chances of a decent service and stations that people could use, the DFT are totally against any that would be useful.I cannot see a change coming and the future is not going to be good and as long as the DFT are allowed to override the needs of the people for good public transport. 

Your canal boat loads are very realistic  as do the lorries the means of travel is very inventive  thanks for the pictures.

26 minutes ago, phil-b259 said:

Basically the same as what we have got now…..

 

I.e. Only phase one built - and with a high chance that it never gets to Euston with the now cleared site sold off to the Tory partys developer mates for expensive flats.

 

The Tory people who pushed HS2 this far, in spite of significant internal opposition bu the party (David Cameron, George Osbourne and even Boris Johnson) have all long since departed politics and moreover with the clouds of Brexit and then the Pandemic hanging over their ‘legacy’ the current party chiefs are very keen to rubbish anything they did.

Moreover the Tory party are once again reverting to type an demanding tax cuts and short termist measures designed around making your typical Daiky Mail reader feel better rather than dealing with the country’s real w 

 

If a certain party wins rail will receive very little only the NHS and a few social projects will be worked on and after six months voters will want the others back always happens have seen this since 1945

On 19/10/2023 at 17:20, woodenhead said:

Or maybe close Marylebone, divert services to Paddington and then wire the route conventionally for the outer suburban trains.

 

It's not like there won't be a glamorous but under utilised fully electric line opening up in a few years that could more than handle the services to Birmingham.

Close Marylebone  no way its is needed and its nearer the centre of London a short walk to Baker St  also no room at Paddington 

Reading above it seems as people are becoming more and more pathetic as the months go by.

See these menaces regularly on pavements all over town you cant hear them and you dont know if the idiot knows how to drive the thing  ,overall they should be banned as soon as possible .

Chiltern provide a very good service on all its lines and no one round here is going to go into London  to use HS2 ,  the passenger numbers on HS1 don't seem to be as great as proposed and  you wonder if it were not the Chunnell car and lorry services only the surburban services would be running. As usual in the UK the idea was good but in practice it does not work the cost rose as each mile was built  and no one seemed to be in control of the budget, thats repeating itself with HS2 a sad time for GB and the powers that be cant control projects any time.