TheSignalEngineer

Another parcel thrown over the fence by Hermes, pity it snowed while we were out. Why does a company like John Lewis use such a rubbish delivery service?

I remember in the early 1960s I think it would be that the sidings at Badnall Wharf were used for storing condemned locos awaiting disposal. It was probably the only time that you could see an L&Y 0-6-0 and a Radstock Sentinel at the same place, other than a scrapyard of course.

A Planning farce. The original Public Enquiry was based on 500 units. When I left the area there were I think 1100 and still building. The smell of the rat was very strong.

I lived at Dickens Heath some years ago. The service then was sparse and unreliable. Even though I was a few minutes walk from the station I used to drive closer in to get a better service. Parking at Shirley was impossible so I normally used the new car park at Yardley Wood which had just been opened. Incidentally I proposed the Whitlocks End turn back instead of Shirley during an abortive resignalling scheme around the time when the new Dickens Heath development was being planned. It must have taken over 25 years to come to fruition

I would largely agree with you there, Larry. Being West Midlands raised, steam largely finished for me 1962-1964 with the demise of the Kings and the Duchesses. We had our Indian Summer with the extra expresses from Snow Hill during the WCML electrification until they went diesel in 1962. We had a brief flirtation with the Duchesses after the bridge works were done at New St with some hair raising runs down to Crewe for on five or six coaches around 1963. After that it was not much interest at New Street and a bit of steam freight at through Saltley. Snow Hill had a lot of steam freight and half a dozen peak time locals but traffic through there was declining. After I started in 1966, whilst working on track I saw so few steam locos that most of them stick in the mind. On the LNW side there were no more than two or three, although there were one or two most days on the Midland stretch between Washwood Heath and Camp Hill. There were still steam trips on the GW line right up to the end in March 1967, when I saw 45308 at Leamington 3 days before the last steam sheds in the area closed. For us the period 1966-68 was more Burial than Death.

Isn't the one on the back scene Ocker Hill rather than Birchills?

Agree on prices. Bought six items last week, overall cost was about the same as box shifters, but no postage as I called in shop.

Help!! Saw them when Adge was still alive. Must have been 1971.

Have you got a good selection of buses ready?

One from my old mate Stephen, 60019 visiting Ludlow recently on a Dee Marsh - Margam working. Ludlow 60019 by Invader1009, on Flickr

Clive, I had it in my mind that the two post drawing as you have modelled existed. The only one I remember seeing in the flesh was the one I linked, which i think was done like that because of a clearance issue. The Pratt truss did indeed come in a large variety of arrangements to suit different track layouts and the number of dolls. Some on the LNW lines were truly massive by comparison to the standard LMS pattern.

Looking again at the Pratt Truss (aka 'N' Truss) arrangement, there should be an equal number of single struts working from each leg, 'N' on the left facing the gantry. At the centre the number of 'X' sections depended on whether there are an odd or even number of sections overall, occasionally on a short gantry with few arms there wouldn't be an 'X' on an even section gantry. The ends would have up to four sections on the overhang, the 'N' being at the right side facing. At complex locations a heavier duty version was used.

In our experience UPS are one of the better ones we get. It's all down to the individual staff. RM used to be good, now usually rubbish but the stand-in postie this morning saw me going out and called over that he had a packet for me, so I wouldn't have to go to collect it tomorrow.

They're being used to store the Strategic Reserve

Birmingham had a short section of guided busway in Erdington. It ran along the central reservation where the old tram tracks used to be. This was hailed as the first of its kind in Britain when it opened in 1984. It only lasted until 1987 partly because following bus deregulation a different company using conventional buses put in a lower bid for the subsidised journeys.

Prototype in a similar situaton at Llandudno Station Agree with Keith about the 4-stack dummy. Won't fit in the six-foot, and much safer to maintain in the cess. Not sure about the sighting boards. I have seen it done as two posts but not in that configuration, but more commonly they were fixed on two straps from the main post. We had some discussion about it here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/80129-walton-on-the-hill-27e-liverpool-em-gauge/page-4&do=findComment&comment=1331553. Alternatively if it was close to the tunnel wall, a white squiare might have been painted on the brickwork. Eric

Jenny Emily was the person who went there in a truck.

I visited Arcadia for the first time today following favourable reports from site members. Tim, his assistant and the customers very friendly and the stock selection was good, as was the tea. Quite a few new items including the Hornby 21T Hoppers and BR version of the LMS Horsebox. Hornby stock seems to be coming through in a rush now. Thanks Tim, well worth the trip. I think I blew this month's budget in one go. Hope to be back in the future. Eric

There were plenty of places where it did. Unfortunately the houses round those areas were demolished and the occupants dispersed all over the place.

The Sectional Appendix on the NR site doesn't show any W10 via Acton either. Regarding containers hitting things, some years ago a traditional Freightliner planed the timbers above the brickwork on Lichfield box. It was quite scary inside when one went through on greens with a pair of 86s.

Perhaps it should be Bostin, meaning "very good indeed" like in "We 'ad a bostin time" or "Ers a bostin wench" Not to be confused with Bost-up (fight) or Bosted (broken)

This looks like the Big One which has been threatening around there for many years. NR are estimating 350,000 tonnes of spoil needs to be moved. They are saying it will take at least a week to be able to assess the long term situation. Chiltern are saying no trains this week between Leamington and Banbury. Regarding the cutting itself, I understand that the original proposal was for a longer tunnel but when the line was being constructed c1850 the ground was deemed too unstable so a deep cutting was dug instead.

Departures of Bachmann and Farish items from China are often reported on MREMAG.

The Hornby Black Motor being an example. We have had at least September 2014, December 2014 and March 2015 quoted so far. If it is to be the latter it ought to be in the container by now.