Andrew Young

One thing to consider when talking about units getting up Lickey, gear ratio can have a lot to do with it, the 170's being 100mph rated are quite high geared. Having spoken to drivers who've driven 158's and 170's up Lickey back in Central days, the gearing on the 158's is better for climbing hills from a standing start and got them over the top quicker. The lack of turning back facility for Up trains is in my view a wasted opportunity! There have been several occasions when an XC northbound service has had to turn back at Bromsgrove, turn right at Stoke Works, reverse at Worcester SH and head for Brum via Kidderminster. But then, what do we know about running trains.... Cheers, Andrew

Simply stunning! (The Manning Wardle rather than the Peak...) Cheers, Andrew

An enjoyable morning has been mostly taken up with testing / playing trains. Rather nice to be able to do that. Have highlighted a couple of areas for attention which will be looked at this week. Have a couple of decisions to make, do I operate from the front or the back and what to do about backscenes too to mull over. Cheers, Andrew

Movement! Those with longer memories may well remember that back in May, I succeeded in getting one of the two boards working electrically and had made a start on the second but then lay dormant for the summer. Had a day off yesterday and got on with the electrics, connecting all the dropper wires up putting in all the missing wires, including leads across to the other board where the supply comes from. I also connected up the polarity changing blue point operators. Finished the job this morning and managed some test running before lunch and pleased to report that it worked first time. For someone who gets completely baffled by how electrickery works, this is quite an achievement for me, hence being rather pleased with myself as I go off to work this evening, though was time for a quick video. The testing / playing has highlighted a couple of areas on the track which require some fettling, have to admit I'm not 100% happy with my track and out of choice I wouldn't make it again given the choice, though I might change my mind once it's running smoothly. Once the testing / playing is complete, there are a few finishing off jobs on the point Control and securing the Powercab input socket onto the board before I can move onto the next stage. Cheers, Andrew

Post 845 on the Little Loco company thread.... target date mid November. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82812-little-loco-company/page-34 Andrew

All very well Osgood, but how do you get a 48DS up to 88mph without pushing it off a cliff....?!! Cheers, Andrew

Agreed, having long been an admirer of Gordon's photos on Flickr, I've bought each of these books when they've come out. Whilst this book says it's the fifth in the series, I'm 99.9% certain it's the fourth to be published. Just checked the publisher's website and they've got IL&R of the North West down for release in April 2018 and says it's the fifth book so I'm guessing it's a typo in the Midlands book. No criticism intended, just a slight panic that I'd missed one! Cheers, Andrew

So Modelling.... First up, managed to carry on my usual bi-annual trip to Guildex on the Sunday, bought a few things, drooled over lots more and had an enjoyable time. Looking forward to getting a 48DS, the pre-production one looked very nice on the Little Loco stand. Layout wise, thought Graig Wen was rather fun. Two layouts present that I rather like were Johnstown Road and Wolf Lowe. My only criticism being that there were a couple of layouts with narrow gauge feeders, both would've enhanced the layouts if they'd been working. Johnstown Road and this layout that I didn't note the name of. But that's just personal preference. So modelling... back in July, with limited modelling time, I was playing around with a Bachman side dump car trying to make it look more British to keep the nice operation of the wagon, but change the appearance. Have now built three of them, my NWSL Chopper tool being really useful in chopping up the various pieces of styrene making up each one. They've also been through the paint shop to change the toy like paint job into something more weather beaten. And here's the rake of three with 'Sir Jasper'. Now to crack on with somewhere for them to run on, rather than other distractions... Cheers, Andrew

Been two and a half months since an update... the result of very little Model making. I usually do less modelling in the summer months anyway with plenty of other distractions to occupy me, such as the Talyllyn. This summer was also added wedding preparations, which put an end to modelling for a couple of months. It's been nearly a month since we got married in the heart of Snowdonia, followed by a break in Cornwall. Life has now returned to a more calmer state and I've unearthed the modelling bench, but first a short taster of other distractions... First we're steam engines and Land Rovers, a pair of red ones making a change to the more usual green ones. Managed a couple of days on locos before the wedding, the weather was rather atmospheric. But then as my hands were required to be clean for the big day, switched to drinking tea and operating signals up at Abergynolwyn! After our big day up at Nant Gwynant, with its superb scenery. It was off to Cornwall to relax... The only train being used as a park and rode into Looe. Back to some modelling in the next post... Cheers, Andrew

Very nice work Giles, like the subtle differences between the two locos. Cheers, Andrew

Thanks for posting these interesting photos. The Glyn Valley is the one line that could tempt me to model a prototypical railway. Would've loved to have seen the GVT operate in its heyday, the closest I can get is travelling on one of the carriages on the Talyllyn and Milner's excellent books. Cheers, Andrew

That crossover is regularly used and I regularly arrive in pl 1 at Derby with my Voyager alongside a Meridian or Turbo arriving in parallel to a higher numbered platform from the Spondon direction. Often when held outside Derby waiting for a platform coming from the west, you're waiting for two trains to arrive / depart from the station using the various crossovers, usually one departing west and another arriving in from Spondon. Whilst clearly seen from the driving cab, it's not visible from the train. Whilst you won't stop at London Road any more waiting a platform, with the new layout, expect to spend time at either St Mary's or LNW Jn waiting a path through the crossovers.,.. I could go on about the issues with the old layout, the new layout, what NR have to date not provided and their unwillingness / inability to listen to the TOC & FOC requests or the fact that the modelling used that I've seen bears little relation to the way a real train is driven, but will resist for now! Cheers, Andy (XC Driver based at Derby)

I've had success on the Guild's Sales & Wants page. Cheers, Andrew

Is there an expected date for the 48DS yet, or are there still too many balls up in the air to say yet? Cheers, Andrew

No 4 ran in that condition with the running boards removed In November 1991for a special to launch the John Scott Morgan book 'Corris- A Narrow Gauge portrait'. The running boards refitted, the loco ran the 1992 season in that livery. Apparently it was a guesstimation of Corris livery mixed up from standard TR carriage red and brown paints! No 2 received the apple green livery in 1990 for Talyllyn 125 and carried it until I think 2008/9 when the loco was repainted crimson lake. It was a recreation of the livery worn when the Railway was preserved in 1951 and as previously said, was applied by the Atlas Foundry during the rebuild carried out in 1945. There are no colour photos showing any TR pre-preservation livery (that have come to light yet anyway) for any livery other than No 2's 1945 paint job. Most of the written evidence suggests that the locos were mostly green and occasionally red before then. Cheers, Andrew

To return this thread to the almost here and now and away from yet more boring wish listing... for the person asking after photos of the coming model, I took these on the LLC stand at Guildex: Looks stunning! Cheers, Andrew

I'm someone who buys their Model Mags by going into the Newsagents, perusing what's on offer and buying whichever issues have enough content that appeals to persuade me to part with my money, whether it's MRJ, RM, BRM, Hornby, Model Rail etc. Whilst I Model in 7mm scale, the articles that make me buy a mag can be of any scale or region, it's usually the skills being talked about that could inspire that makes me spend my money combined with good quality photos and a debt photos / text balance. Sorry that's not more specific to aid the editors on here. But generally any article where some form of building or modifying has taken place rather than out of the box buildings or stock won't sell me your magazine. Some combination of building or bashing and the modeller putting their mark on the Model will get my vote. My favourite articles of late have been the ones in MRJ and RM about Penhydd and Llangunllo. My biggest bug bears regardless of the quality within which won't see me buy your magazine are poor quality paper, afraid I've not bought BRM for a while because of this, was tempted by a recent issue in Smiffs but I couldn't bring myself to buy it, such was the feeling of the mag in my hand and putting the magazine in a plastic bag so I can't see what contents lie within. But best not to start that debate again... Cheers, Andrew

Picked up a copy from the Wild Swan stand at Guildex last Sunday, but not got round to reading it until today, where MRJ257 has joined me for my day as Abergynolwyn Blockman. Highlights being the articles on the Victory Cafe, the Herring wagons (educational, having seen photos of the wagons on the old Tanat Valley, I now know what they are.) A healthy letters page and Mr Kazer's exquisite Talyllyn carriages, my reading interrupted by the real ones going past the window! Should I finish MRJ before it's time to close up, my Rules & Regs folder is a handy size for containing some additional reading... Cheers, Andrew

Captain, Editor is Paul Karau. WIP = Work In Progress? Picked up a copy from Not Jeremy at Guildex on Sunday, saving it for reading later this week when I've time to do so at my leisure... Cheers, Andrew

Look in the Minerva section and all will be revealed...

Suspect that the likelihood of extra HSTs on the XC network is little or none. The 220s are fitted with lightweight bogies (as are the 222s), the 221s are fitted with heavier duty bogies so they can tilt, they've kept the same designs since they were built. Andrew

Thanks Wagonman, having looked at some more photo I see what you mean. Knew that someone would know the answer! Cheers, Andrew

Like the look of these (even with any imperfections) much simpler than fiddling around with an etched brass version which I'm not that keen to do. Just wondering how easily one could be bashed into a gunpowder van.....? Don't know enough about GW Wagonry to tell. Cheers, Andrew

Agree with Zomboid about there not being enough 22x trains, shame the money wasn't originally spent on more vehicles rather than on tilt.... Like them or hate them, the reliability and clock face timetable that came with Voyagers has resulted in a large upsurge in passenger numbers since their introduction 15 years ago. It wouldn't take too many of the currently VWC 221 units if they were replaced by new bi-modal trains to solve XC's overcrowding out. Andrew

The big problem with franchise extensions is that you just get more of the same. The only way to get any form of innovation or extra seats is through a long term let franchise. The big issue is that the DfT don't seem to know what to do with the XC franchise. It's too busy to get rid of and too expensive and faffy to keep as it is. Like them or hate them, the 22x fleet is here to stay, whilst the enthusiasts don't like them, the regular punters do. They're quicker than HSTs and far cheaper to run so the operators like them too. Personally, think the WC franchise missed a trick with not replacing the 221 fleet with bi-mode trains. And reckon you'll see bi-mode trains on WC or MML before you see them on XC! Cheers, Andrew