Claude_Dreyfus

Very sad news from Taiwan. Thoughts are with all those affected. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-56612248

I think when 50006 was broken up - being the first 50 to be scrapped - everything salvageable went back to BR (even down to the windows). Perhaps this is a similar situation?

There has been a lot of loco activity around the Arun valley lately. Mainly class 66, but today the 73s came out to play. Here is 73128 leading 73107 heading north from Pulborough with the 3Y07 04:13 Tonbridge West Yard - Tonbridge West Yard via Brighton and Havant on 23rd March. I am curious what the wagons are - they have been running back and forth over the last few days. Any ideas?

Lovely spring weather? Check Perfectly timed loco-hauled train passing through local station at lunchtime? Check Ideal photographic location for time of day within about 20 minutes walk? Check 66774 leads 66766 across the Arun flood plains and towards the site of the old Hardham Junction (where the Midhurst line diverged from the Arun Valley line) with the 3Y09 12:34 Tonbridge West Yard - Tonbridge West Yard via Littlehampton and Brighton. 19th March.

Yes, that was the first thing I noticed. His definition 'sensible offers' is hopefully more realistic than his opening price. Unless that is the going rate for a rotting CCT? I know I'm not that familiar with the preservation scene, but surely that's on the ambitious side?

My mistake. We have kites nesting in the area, so thought that was one of them...

A few pictures from my walk last Sunday. The weather was nice, and not being such a well known path, it was nice and quiet. The path follows the path of the old LBSCR Pulborough - Midhurst route, which at this early stage skirts the sides of the Arun and Rother flood plains - the line to Midhurst and the continuing LSWR route to Petersfield more or less followed the entire length of the river Rother. It starts at Hardham Junction, and at this point the track bed is used as an access road, so is in really good condition. After half a mile or so the road became more of a farm track - still in pretty good condition. Finally the path diverts to follow the river bank to Fittleworth and the track bed is fenced off. This was one of the last stretches of the Midhurst branch to close; the Pulborough - Petworth section succumbing in May 1966. Most of the trackbed along the routes is pretty clear - there's plenty of good walking to be had west of Petworth, and the track bed from Chichester to near Singleton has been converted to a cycle way. I know we have plenty of preserved railways, but these lines were wonderfully scenic and being surrounded by so many tourist centres (Amberley Chalk Pits, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Petworth House, Uppark - to name just four) and within a national park, they would have made a great steam railway. This stretch has lovely views of the plains; you can imagine a nice little D1 with a couple of carriages puffing along here! What I suppose keeping it as a path does give you is the wildlife. The area of the plains a mile or so to the east of this spot form part of the RSPB Pulborough Brooks reserve. Plenty of wildlife was seen and heard - lots of small rodents and birds, as well as a distant cormorant on a tree and a couple of red kites overhead.

I did think it was a cormorant...but the markings didn't quite match up with the pictures I have seen. It could be that this one has slightly different colours. I don't think it's a sh@g*...too much white. *I don't have the Cyrillic 'a' on my phone...

Not a woodpecker. This bird is much larger.

I was out for a very pleasant stroll earlier today along part of the old railway line from Pulborough to Fittleworth, when I saw this bird. It was quite a distance away, and needed full zoom; hence the picture being blurred. I am not sure what it is. My initial thought was a cormorant, but the back of the head and front of the neck is white, and the bird has some sort of crest by the looks of things. Its neck isn't as slender as a cormorant either, and its bill seems shorter as well. Any thoughts?

Peek-a-boo at St Ives, taken by my dad some time in the early 80s. I believe this is class 118 set P460.

This site may be of use... https://www.class37.co.uk/fleet.aspx?strnumber=37411

Just over two months later, another 73 from the same location. 73119 operates the 0Y73 12:00 Tonbridge - Tonbridge via Chichester light engine move. Perhaps a route learning journey?

Another view of the Cefn Mawr viaduct (further to my post on here from 19th September 2020). This time the colourful combination of a class 153 leading a class 150 on a southbound service. This photo was taken from near the Pontcysyllte aqueduct - 13th September 2020.

A few have turned up at open days. I recall 86631 at the Toton open day back in 1998. Also, I am sure one was used for Channel Tunnel testing (still under the wires, but definitely off region) in the early 90s.

A couple from the Isle of Wight from back on 8th August 2010. On duty were 483004 working singly and an unidentified pair (one of which may have been 006 based on other photos from a similar time I have found on the net). The only unit I saw at close quarters was 004, I only got to see the pair on the pier from the ferry as we were heading back to Portsmouth. 004 at Shanklin 004 approaches Shanklin 004 passes a vintage open top bus at Ryde Esplanade (although I do wonder if the bus is a few years younger than the train)... ...and over the crossover. Unidentified pair approaching Ryde Pier. This was my final photograph of the class 483 in service.

Yes, quite a few. There are some interesting details on this site: http://www.ingr.co.uk/intro_rlys.html

My last railway photograph of 2020 was taken back in November. 73136 vanishes around the curve on a Tonbridge - Eastleigh light engine movement at Pulborough - 25th November.

I took delivery of Beethoven this morning and am currently running it in. It is a smooth runner (as to be expected), but does seem to be a little light. I will drop a few container flats behind her later today to see how she hauls. It has been a fascinating process seeing the model develop, and was certainly well worth the wait. Regarding the top side piece, the step is less noticeable on my model (perhaps the darker colour helps). It could be that David is a little unlucky? I now need to see about adding the pack of detailing parts (etched BR arrows, Eurotunnel circles etc.). Given my usual track record for adding detailing parts, that will be some time in 2022... I am sure I will be one of many who will want to record my thanks to Ben, Mike and Rapido Trains for this excellent model.

LBSCR K class.

I have just put in an order for some spare pantographs and couplings. Kato parts are well manufactured, but more vulnerable items such as couplings and pantographs may easily get damaged, and due to the nature of the production cycles, getting replacements can be tricky/verging on impossible for long periods of time (I broke a coupling on my Eurostar (power car) about 15 years ago which essentially put it out of commission for nearly ten years until the spare finally came available again!). Looks like the front draw-bar is also available (don't know if one is included in the train pack itself) as an Assy part - that is another potentially vulnerable, or easy to lose, part. Link below: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/826/0/1 Class 800 items are towards the bottom of page one and into page two at the time of posting.

Just anecdotal I know at this stage, but currently looking at the top sellers/reservation list at my preferred Japanese supplier (Hobby Search), the GWR version is number 1 and the LNER version is number 4 at the time of writing. Which means there looks to be quite a bit of interest in Japan (and others, but unlikely UK) at least with this supplier. The Japanese are quite proud of these sets operating in the UK, so Kato have chosen well; there is a domestic and UK market for these trains, as well as those who collect high speed trains from around the world. It would be great to think this would be triggering the start of a wide-scale entry into the UK train market for Kato, but I suspect as some others on here, that we'll only see limited releases...the UK market just isn't big enough.

This place brings back many happy memories of childhood holidays to Cornwall. I visited a couple of times in the mid 80s. There were other things besides the railway, I seem to recall a exhibition of wildlife paintings (Archibald Thorburn perhaps?) that my Mum was extremely taken with. I was very sorry to hear of its demise. Only a couple of our photos survive - my favourite being the one below. Is it a miniature railway, or just a very big cat?

The class 28 was mentioned earlier in the thread, before Ben saying nobody had guessed correctly. So safe to say, that wasn't in the running for Revolution.

I'd love to see a member of the 'Electrostar' family appear in N (ideally a 377!). Wishful thinking maybe...but they have/had quite a wide sphere of operation.