TravisM

As others posted, Class 52’s were regularly used on stone trains in the Northampton, Bedford and Bletchley area in the early to mid 70’s but I think these as well as those used on the Southern were the only regular trips off region for these loco’s.

I see that East Midland Trains are now using the ex Grand Central HST power cars in service with their HST trailer cars but what are their plans for the ex GC trailer cars? I know they were converted from loco hauled Mk 3 stock but are they compatible with production HST trailer cars with their 3 phase electrical system or retained the standard LHCS electrical system?

As someone already posted, Platform 5 BR loco’s or combine books for the years your after are a great source of information.

I remember back in the early 80's, there was a evening peak Padd-BTM service which was rostered with a pair of Class 50's to cover a HST diagram as the deliveries of these were taking longer than expected. It departed from platform 8 which had the straight routing onto the down fast and I believe the first stop was Swindon. I remember travelling on it once and from what I recall, it departed Paddington like a scalded cat, with a very spirited run and I don't think it's arrival into Bristol was that much later than the booked HST working.

Found them, I never thought to look there. Thanks

I recently had a conversation with someone regarding SouthWest Trains Class 170/3's and who operated them after SWT finished with them. I was looking though the Platform 5 2018 combine and I can find no reference to them. I know they went to TransPennine after SWT and then ScotRail (I think) but after that, I have no idea. We're they renumbered or have they been missed out by Platform 5 as I've noticed several omissions from it.

I think it's still a SK because if you look carefully in the picture, even though it's not great and with reflection in the windows, you can still see the compartments inside as well as the corridor

I was at Peterborough yesterday and saw the Branchline Society railtour head back to Carnforth. I took pictures of the stock used but one, a MkI numbered 99712, I can't find in the coaching stock book I have. Does anyone have it's former identity available as I'm sure it's been around in it's present number awhile and been missed out at the printers.

Thanks for that but I'm looking to visit in the summer and I wanted to work out when a good time during the week over a few days to train watch.

I know freight over the S&C has declined recently but I was wondering what the current state of play is now. I tried looking on several websites but I couldn't find much apart from the advertised passenger trains, steam specials and the ballast train to and from Ribblehead virtual quarry. Could anyone got a timetable or something similar of booked freight workings if there are any? Thanks

I was at Peterborough station earlier today and got to see 800103 in plain white livery as it trundled south towards Kings Cross. Later on, both 800101 in the Virgin livery and 800103 thundered north back to Doncaster. People complained the the Hornby model had bogie issues but I can say that 811103, it will have to visit the wheel lathe as it had some terrible flats as it went north at high speed . The Virgin liveried 800 looked impressive as it went past, shame that Hornby only produced the two driving ends as I'm sure I would have splashed out and bought the whole train if it had been available.

70012 was repaired and is being used as the plant switcher at Erie, PA. It's not being allowed back into the UK and onto the mainline as it was inspected by insurers and though mostly repaired, the damage to the frame couldn't to be fully eradicated and therefore banned from Network Rail. I was talking to a driver from Freightliner at Peterborough recently and it would seem that FL are prepared to dispose of their Class 70's to Colas because they have not delivered the economics promised and ongoing issues with the turbo's when worked hard. I believe Colas's Class 70's aren't worked as hard as Freightliner's and therefore should last longer but there still is the current issue of exploding turbo's.

Try Real Time trains as I've found it quite good in the past though you need to look the day before for timings. http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/

This is hardly a surprise as those in the know have been talking about a major rebranding and livery change since Genesee & Wyoming's acquisition of Freightliner. G&W have always reliveried their assets within a few years and it's a shame that it clashes with Colas, but as modellers and railfans, we'll get over it I'm also glad that I've only got the one Freightliner loco which just happens to be green

I think if the OP is talking about modelling a LMS or BR Midland Region branch line, he really wouldn't go far wrong in using either a 0-6-0T 3F "Jinty" or a Ivatt 2-6-2T. I believe in the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle, so have a quick check and see what was the usual power on branch lines in the proximity of the area you want to model and be guided by that.

As it's close to where I live, I was wondering what the workings were are now going in and out of Ketton cement plant. Are they regular and routed via Peterborough or Melton Mowbray?

I would like to model HST Trailer Kitchen Buffet First (TFKB) 40805 along with the rest of the train which I recently saw at Peterborough. I want to model it with all the "Visit Hull" vinyls but I'm getting a little confused as there seems to be a difference between the two types of kitchen/buffet types used on Virgin East Coast. I'm planning to use the latest offering of a buffet from Hornby but am I better off using a slightly earlier version which still has the NEM coupler pockets and modifying that? I am aware that the vinyls on the other side are different but I never got a chance to cross the platform to take a picture of them before it departed.

Cool, I did a Flickr check but couldn't find it so pleased to see that it did exist. Does anyone have it's history?

I thought most parcel vans were in common user pool and could be put into any "circuit" as required.

I recently bought a Wabtec Hornby 0-4-0 Sentinel Diesel loco and I've been trying to find photo's of a prototype loco in that livery but I can't find any. Does anyone have any or is it a fictitious livery?

You also have to remember that the C&O and especially N&W were huge coal hauling railroads and it seemed sensible to them at the time to use cheap, readily available coal to fuel their next generation locomotives, no matter how bizarre they were. N&W were probably the last class 1 railroad to abandon steam in the US in 1961 (very late for US steam as most had gone by the mid 50's) as more and more EMD GP9's were delivered.

That's ten more than the real thing. The ACE 3000 was doomed before it ever got off the drawing board as it never overcame the inherent problems of steam loco's, no matter how modern technology got. Rotating masses, hammer blow, turn round and servicing between runs, boiler washouts and that new thing for the 80's, emissions, all the things that were common with steam just could not be removed from the design.

Not sure what happened but the photo's didn't get posted in the order I attached them

I asked the question earlier as never seen a Class 68, let alone a Class 88 at Peterborough before and low and behold, two turn up on a Norwich - Carlisle excursion, complete with a lovely turned out blue and grey set of Mk1 and Mk 2F's, plus a manky city fox looking on. Shame I had to get up at stupid o'clock to see it. The full line up was 68001 "Evolution" Mk 2F FO - M3390 Mk 2F FO - W3397 Mk 1 Kitchen Buffet Unclassified - M1657 Mk 2F FO - W3386 Mk 2F FO - M3345 Mk 2F FO - M3333 Mk 2F Buffet First - M1200 Mk 2F SO - M6067 Mk 2F SO - M6051 Mk 2F SO - M5961 Mk 2F BSO - M9526 68023 "Achilles"

10000 was offered to the fledgling national railway museum collection but rejected as they were concentrating on steam. The Lickey banker was put aside for preservation but later scraped though it's rumoured a cylinder was saved but since disappeared, so I think that's urban myth.