TheSignalEngineer

I know you were asking about coaching stock, but whilst looking at the scans of the negatives from our trip above, I found the picture below. It was Queen Mary brake van DS56292. I think it might have been at Crianlarich, but stand to be corrected if anyone can recognise the surrounding junk.

I have recently been sorting my photo archive and came across a few shots from a trip to Mallaig on 24/8/1983. We travelled from Crewe on the Royal Highlander and were shunted round Glasgow in the early hours to be attached to the first train from Queen St. The sleepers (and Euston seated coaches) were detached at Fort William. The remainer continued to Mallaig. All of the train was Mk1 stock, the Euston portion would have been SLF/SLSTP/TSO/BCK. The stock was dual heated, we had the steam heat on even in August when leaving Glasgow.

Route and timings are shown on http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/, go to the Railtours pages and look at 1986. It is also pictured at Altrincham.

There has been quite a bit lately about swaps of Bulleids in exchange for Mk1 stock from other regions to use for conversion to Bournemouth EMU stock, in the BRCoachingStock Yahoo group .

From Google Earth the box diagram looks well out of date. The crossing with the Diagram 3015 lights is the first one from the box towards March.

The crossing on the March side of Three Horse Shoes is a very acute angle and the lights between the road and railway at each side are the correct restricted clearance ones to Diagram 3015, as shown in my picture of Furness Vale above. They can be seen on Google Earth. There is a subtle difference in law between the Diagram 3014 / 3015 layout and the vertical Diagram 3000 used for normal traffic lights. Diagram 3000 lights can be legally passed at red by certain vehicles in certain circumstances, e.g. ambulances and fire engines going to an emergency. Stopping at Diagram 3014 / 3015 lights when lit is compulsory for all vehicles, with a spot prize of 9 points for getting caught passing at red.

This is the DfT Traffic Advisory Leaflet on the use of Wig-Wag Signals TAL0108

The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 lay down the format of the lights. The vertical configuration is not permitted for level crossings. For normal use the sign is Diagram 3014. In specially authorised circumstances the narrow sign to Diagram 3015 can be used.

This is a set for a restricted clearance at Furness Vale. The other three are normal size.

I think you would need at least one dedicated line through Camden Road for it with no conflicts with the NLL (and ideally no conflicts with the freight connection to the WCML either) if you planned to make using it a regular occurence - there is room for 4 tracks at Camden Road East and through the station, but you'd have to then widen the viaduct at Camden Road W.Jcn (it wouldn't need to be a very long length of widening from memory?) to get rid of the NLL conflict - do that and I think it may be workable, although you're then up to about "plan J" in terms of NLL modernisation in that area I think! The viaduct across Camden Terrace and Camden Gardens should be wide enough for 4 tracks right up to Kentish Town Road. The signal box was built where the two tracks to the Kentish Town line would have been with a 4-track junction. The back to back turnouts were about the width of Kentish Town Road apart. The HS1-HS2 Link plan has a cryptic comment to the effect that some alterations to the existing layout of the NLL will be required. Hopefully this will include restoring the four tracks through the station and widening the Kentish Town Road brigde.

All of the signalling renewals at Saltley will have to be completed as it goes straight through the Power Box. Possible site for maintenance depot is the old Metro Cammell / Alstom factory at Washwood Heath ( about 400 yards from where it was proposed to put an HST depot for NE/SW HST's).

Don't think that would work if it went via DHL Ashton depot. They are an absolute shambles. A parcel from Bangor to Glossop, 110 miles, took over a week having been routed Anglesea - Ashton - Hatfield - Ashton (apparently arrived twice if tracking is to be believed) then delivered by a man-in-a-van 7 days after it was due to arrive. Also, DHL@Home is just what it says on the tin. The delivery driver works from home in his own white van. DHL take you precious loco to his house, not yours. Then it is open to chance if it gets to your house or someone else's. If you are offered delivery by DHL, buy it from someone else.

The number of these on Ebay at the moment, I wouldn't bid more than a tenner including postage

In steam days, with the exception of a few trains on runs such as Paddington - Bristol, the ECML, WCML, Waterloo - Salisbury, etc., most main line passenger trains didn't average more than about 45mph. Secondary routes were probably about 30-40mph and branch trains were about 20-25mph. Freights with the exception of express through workings didn't often reach 30mph as they progressed from loop to loop before being shunted.

Even at that starting price plus postage will it go?

Quite possibly, Taunton frequently turned out a Manor for holiday trains to Birmingham. They striggled a bit sometimes and on one occasion we had the Stratford Pilot coupled GW style inside the train engine through to Earlswood Lakes

In the early 1960's the Ilfracombe portion of the summer Saturday train to Birmingham would arrive in the bay at Taunton, while the Minehead portion ran into the Up Relief platform. The portion from the Bay was then shunted by the Pilot with passengers still aboard out of the station and onto the back of the portion in the through platform. Loaded sleeping cars were shunted by an 08 at New St for the combining the Bristol(Plymouth?)/Poole-Glasgow service in the 1980's.

Paying that much for food you could quickly lose a lot of pounds in more ways than one

Snow Hill pilot was usually a Grange or Hall. In addition to doing any shunting required around the station it also went to rescue trains stuck on the steep gradient through the tunnel, or went off as an assisting engine or substitute in case of failed engines. This picture shows 6861 detaching from a parcels train in 1964/5 period.

Or perhaps it already stands for Taking More Cash

Perhaps TMC should change name to TakingTheP

There's probably some obscure EU Directive that says you can't send it to landfill

Perhaps the seller name has some significance.

Don't think it qualifies as New under the Ebay definition, but of course it is unrun - it's got no **** wheels or motor!!

And according to the category that it is listed in it is "Animals & Scenery"