drmditch

Re: NT News Is it possible that, with the oceans warming, Saltwater Crocodiles might make their way across the Indian Ocean and through the Suez Canal? This might give our sensation-driven media some other animal to talk about rather than this fixation on Great White Sharks? Should it not be clear to everyone of any sense by now that the most dangerous, selfish, arrogant, cruel, and really thoroughly horrible animal on the planet is **** Sapiens? Perhaps the last word in that taxonomic classification should now be replaced? Not that everything we do is bad, so how about ' **** Railwayensis' ? (Sorry, it's too early in the morning to get the Latin right.)

Autocratic and eccentric yes, especially in his later years, but a lot of later very well regarded engineers trained at Crewe under Webb.

Thank you for the junction renewal link. Times change don't they. So - total lack of PPE, even in the foundry. Handling pressure-creosoted timber without even gloves. (I built a project with that in the early 70s, and had to throw away my overall afterwards.) I suspect a date of 1936-38? That's why retirement age was 65. I wonder how many of those men lived to see it? (Even allowing for WW2). Lovely collection of machine tools and automation though. One day I must get round to building my own track!

I have just made mention of these books on another thread, but despite their being published in 1925 they do contain a lot of pre-grouping content. I am afraid however, that the section on the Grouping of Railways (Vol II Page 260 et seq.) makes no mention of the West Norfolk Railway. It has a vast amount of detail on such subjects as Perishable Merchandise by Passenger Train. Why should Rooks(dead) have a different rate to Poultry(dead) ? Some readers of this thread will no doubt be pleased that Meat Pies are specifically listed, directly after Tongues, Tripe and Trotters. The list of contributors includes such names as James Milne and Sir Felix Pole of the GWR, the Rt.Hon J H Thomas PC MP of the NUR (and at some point) HMG. Most of the contributors from the LMS and LNER seem to be slightly lower ranking officials, and there was nobody from the Southern. If you want to know about the organisation of Good Traffic, and the clerical work resulting, then it's all somewhere in these two volumes. There are several nice colour reproductions of railway posters, including the (possibly topical) one below!

And not relevant to anything above, are the books I was using to prop up my signal cabin in my previous post. (With the speed of this thread that is now quite a number of posts away!) These are absolutely fascinating. Published in 1925, content comes from several famous names, such as James Milne and Sir Felix Pole from the GWR, and even the Rt. Hon. J.H. Thomas of the NUR and (at some point HMG). Really good browsing of a lost world. Why, do you think, in terms of Perishable Merchandise by Passenger Train, there should be different rates for Poultry(dead), and Rooks(dead) ?

Re: Lockdown Projects And speaking of V2s, part of my recent activities have involved this:- This is attempt to model an NER Central Division Type C2c signal cabin. I'm using pictures of Springfield cabin, just north of Darlington, (which was the junction for the RSH works) and also of Castleton on the Esk Valley Line. The background book is 'Darlington-Leamside-Newcastle' by Roger Darsley (one of the Middleton Press Eastern Main Line series). The roof is going to be interesting!

What particularly interests me is not just the splashers but the angled infill of plating between the footplate and the frames. Perhaps this might make a model structure a bit difficult! Since this element of Doncaster design was clearly carried on from the V2 to the P2s, what happened with the A2/1s, A2/3s? Did they retain this through their re-builds? And what of the 'new design' A2/3s and the Peppercorn A2s? One of the aspects of locomotive engineering that I find fascinating is the way that design practice continued, even if the CME changed.

Re: V2s and footplating Here are some pictures taken earlier this year. (Apologies for the quality - not really used to this mobile yet) The first picture (LH below) is of the new P2 being assembled in Darlington. The way RM posts the pictures (which I struggle with) the adjacent picture (RH below) is of our sole remaining V2. Both of course, as I pointed out above somewhere have 6'2" (nominal) driving wheels. I do have more pictures showing more details but of variable quality!

I do like your V2. I really hope I can buy/make/adapt a good model of one before too long. In my view this was the best 'big engine' produced under HNG. As it happens, while tidying my desk yesterday I found some notes from a few years ago. (I volunteer at Locomotion at Shildon.) The tender sides on 4771 are inset 3" from the cab sides. (Ie the tender is 6" narrower than the cab.) I'm not sure I've seen this commented on before, and I'm afraid I can't go and check at the moment! There are supports for fire-irons on the fireman's side of the tender. Are these preservation-era? Earlier this year (when we were expecting 4771 to leave us) I took a number of detail pictures, especially of the underside and diagonal infill of the footplates, showing the splashers. Interestlingly the footplate of the under-construction P2 - also of course with 6'2" wheels - shows the same features. If anyone is interested I can post them somewhere.

Thank you. Still a lot of finishing and varnishing to do though. I really must try to finish painting the underside of the top station board. It looks so messy at the moment. Not that it's meant to be looked at that way of course. It's just that white will reflect light better for managing the storage sidings underneath.

Re: Vienna - my favourite city (even Edinburgh has to take second place) Re: Railways that can run traffic from one place to another. You might like to see some untidy pictures of my three-level, three station railway which I have just updated .... here.... I'm afraid it's based on (and in) County Durham, rather than 'parts south' and it's definitely post-grouping. There is a problem in that the main storage was to emulate Darlington but will now have to be Darlington and Newcastle. This is to avoid the down line running south and the up line running north, although inevitably the down direction over the cross-room viaduct will have to run uphill. Since my junction station represents somewhere on the border of the NER Central Division (ex S&D) and the Northern Division (which is actually about where I live anyway) it does help if the ND Bridge Cabin is at the North End and the Central Division Cabin is at the South end. Having wrestled with uploading pictures which come out on their sides I'll wait till tomorrow to post progress on stock and structures.

And from outside the sliding door.........

And some more.....

I seem to be taking a long time re-building this layout. There has been a lot of work laying, wiring, and building control panels. To cope with this I have had to keep interest by building Toads, and Horse Boxes, and 5 and 6 plank wagons, and am currently in the midst of an NER Central Division (Type C2c) Signal cabin. However, now the railway (and the railway room) needs a good tidy up, some housings built for wiring and point motors, and some buffer stops for the locomotive storage roads. Then the top level boards can be lowered into place and the cross-room viaduct - for which the basic carpentry was done nearly three years ago!- can have track laid on it. In the meantime however, if you don't mind mess and muddle and tools and wire reels everywhere, here are some pictures of progress.

A belated thank you to everybody who has helped with this problem. I have shortened the cable runs. Re-designing the back of the control panels to permit this. I have used thicker cable between the stud-contact points and the matrix. Everything works! (Although t I may eventually re-work the whole panel !)

Thank you. One feels that this may indeed be especially useful in England at the present time. Perhaps less so in more sensible countries like New Zealand, where I think you reside?

Re: Byzantium. Well, even in 1453, the inhabitants of the city regarded themselves as Roman. ('Romoi ?') And regarding law, was it not the codification of Roman law carried out under Justinian? So, an imperium which lasted for a millennium now regarded merely as a term of abuse by these short-sighted western Europeans. Perhaps we should delay this conversation for four days until the 29tb? Re: Ikea shortcuts Yes there are/were. Perhaps when it's fully open again it will be time for meatballs?

Could you state the Emperor you are thinking of? It is interesting the way that 'Byzantine' has become a general term of abuse in Western Europe. Just as bad as 'Neanderthal'.

Four hours! Are lockdown roads empty of all traffic? Don't know which part of London he would have come from, but assuming a distance of 270 miles that's an average speed of 67 mph. I have known the A1 for many, many years from the times when roundabouts were being installed to when they were being removed. I am pleased if I can maintain an average of 60. Ah - but of course is not Mr Cummings the originator of 'car-crash politics', where he would force all other vehicles to give way?

Well, he didn't come to my address either, and although a discussion with this man might be interesting, it would have merely distracted from railway construction. It is important at this time that we concentrate on essentials. I have just discovered that two years ago I omitted a power feed to the bottom-level locomotive storage. Bother and double bother. Will now have to spend part of this afternoon upside down under the north end of the railway. Just goes to show how important it is to plan ahead. Fortunately I think I can avoid having to solder 'upside down'.

Re: 8Fs. Don't you mean O6s? Ah but of course your railway is set after 1947. Never mind; nobody's perfect. Despite being a determined NER/NEA partisan I do like the Stanier era 8Fs. I think one of the best looking LMS locomotives.

Hope you get back soon - and are able to enjoy a railway journey!

Re: Opening sections. Might I suggest a horizontal swinging section, a 'gate' or a 'counter' such as my construction ........here...… . The geometry is a bit complex, but it's been in place for three years now. I really need to take some more recent pictures. Track complete and running on two levels.

The rear driver's side coupling rod on LMS No.5000 In Locomotion at Shildon is stamped 'AW&Co'. I have taken great delight in pointing this out to visitors after a colleague pointed it out to me. There is a splendid picture (somewhere) of a Q6 hauling a delivery train of brand-new 'Black 5s' from AW westwards on the N&C. That would make a splendid model. There is also quite a nice collection of numbers stamped on the motion and side-rods of 'Green Arrow'.

You might like to consider my 'swing out' solution ........here...… It has the advantage that it won't drop onto you, and it can cope with multi-levels.