TheSignalEngineer

Some "Blue" locos were permitted subject to certain local restrictions but 2-6-2T and 2-8-0 types were specifically prohibited in the WTT lists.

As traffic would be sparse there probably wouldn't be a resident shunter. On arrival the Guard or Fireman would go forward to ensure that any hand points were set for wherever the train had to go. There would rarely be more than one loco present at any time so not much room for confusion as to what is supposed to be going on. I've worked much more difficult 4-enders than that, all 3 trap ends could be on separate adjusting cranks. Much worse is trying to work double slips off one crank. Disc 8 would read from the loop and the sidings to the main line as both moves will require traps 7 reverse. There doesn't seem much room to fit 8 in between the Mill points from the loop and the main line points. I would look at putting 8 in the sidings clear of the loop and making 11 read for the mill or main line. Regarding the track layout at the loop/sidings entrance, I would move the river to the right so that the points aren't on the bridge. To get the trap clear of the main line I would consider using a double slip as shown in the layout below.

One of the most scary moments in my life was whilst being prepped for a minor op the barber came round, opened up a tool roll and pulled out a cut-throat razor. Don't worry, just keep still he said. I couldn't move as I was rigid with fear when i saw the blade approaching.

According to David Jenkinson's list it was originally no. 9879 which was a Two-window BTO to D1693, so the old Mainline one isn't a starting point for that.

Most of the Large Prairies had 5'8" wheels. IIRC the rebuilds with different wheels were 5'3" - 3100-3104, 6116 5'6" - 8101-8109 Other differences are a minefield of Tripcocks, cab shutters, bunker steps, cab window height, handrails, tank fillers ..... ad inf.

Back to the subject of Ambulance Car BG conversions Robert Carroll has another here. https://flic.kr/p/2hhQzys

Looking back at the events of the week it struck me when these lads had done (and been through) at such a young age compared with today's generation. My Dad was at grammar school when WW2 was declared. The school evacuated but he decided to leave at 15 and take a job with Birmingham City Transport which had been vacated by someone who had joined the army. He then joined up at 18, having lived through the Birmingham Blitz, and trained as a rifleman. During the run up to D-Day his unit was allocated to give cover to heavy machine gun troops. At the time volunteers were being asked for to take part in the airborne landings or to join the Military Police. He opted for the latter, landed in Normandy on D+5 and took up duty marking routes for supplies and reinforcements and stints dispatch riding around Bayeux and Caen. At 20 he was at the liberation of Brussels, moving quickly on towards the Dutch border to take part in Market Garden at Eindhoven. In the spring of 1945 he was moved to the sub-continent where preparations were being made to invade Japan. At 21 he was a Sergeant attached to the Indian Army, being demobbed just short of his 23rd birthday as a CQMS. He was offered a promotion to sign on for another term but decided he didn't want to spend the next year standing between the rival factions in Palestine.

Thanks Guy. I will be busy for the next two or three of weeks so not much time for modelling. I'm just getting the underframe and roof ready for each of the three P1/P2 coaches which will take 38 vents altogether. Eric

My thoughts exactly. However one thing can lead to another I gained a weathered 'Super D' through winning a competition when I was designing a West Country layout. That layout never got built but I've now got a collection of 40 locos which appeared in the West Midlands in the late 1950s.

Interesting to see one under the wires at Willesden DED. Otherwise not much unusual about locations but just check out the range of livery options, right down to early dark green with BR arrow.

There was at least one BR standard brake with RU branding photographed in the Birmingham area in the early 1960s.

In the days of the old Friends Reunited site I was in a group called 'I spent my childhood on the No. 11'. That's one. For courting I used the 11 to go to see the future Mrs SE. She lived on the No.32 route, so that's two. Then for layout purposes I need one of the Dudley shared routes, like No. 74, so that's three. Expensive time ahead.

George Dixon? For the first couple of years I was at Five Ways we were still using our old playing fields at the back of there. Used the 11 to get back to Harborne after games afternoon.

We had a regular Hymek working into Washwood Heath from Gloucester at the same time as pairs of 27s were working trains in from the Leicester area.

Guy I'm just starting glazing three coaches prior to final assembly. I was wondering if you had any more thoughts on whether it was possible to print these or not. Eric

My plastic is feeling the pain already.

They were regulars from the East Midlands into Washwood Heath in the late 1960s. They usually came off there and went back with coal empties. I saw them new on test at Snow Hill on occasions in earlier years. BRCW also liked to sneak stuff out on the banks in the Black Country to check it didn't blow up when the power was full on.

I don't remember any being based at Gloucester but Saltley men took them that far occasionally in the 1960s.

This is a lamp unit taken from New Street panel after an incident about 40 years ago. It happened on an Friday afternoon just before Christmas when some individuals under the influence were throwing were throwing tinsel around on Navigation Street bridge. A length went over the side, caught on the overhead wires, floated down to touch a ground signal then varourised. Unfortunately the 25Kv flashed through signalling cables and several pieces of equipment looking for a good earth path. The unit is a TC indication and the indication of the signal concerned. Doesn't look too bad from the front. Should be two complete contacts on the top. And four on this side. The signal concerned, an EP point machine, associated relays and several cables were also damaged. Bright side was a nice bonus of 12 hour Saturday and Sunday shifts when I was supposed to be on a weekend off. Mrs SE wasn't best pleased until she saw the bank balance next month.

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the ill-fated Operation Market Garden, the attempt to secure a route into Germany via Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem. My Dad was in the Military Police, having landed in Normandy in June 1944, moving up through France and Belgium to Achel, close to the Dutch border about 10 miles south of Eindhoven. His Provost Company was attached to the land forces trying to hold one of the flanks against German counter attacks. Their job on this operation was to try to open up a route through to the drop zones for the airborne landings further north. Unfortunately the operation as a whole was not a success, and the Allied forces ended up camped in the Netherlands until the spring. Had they managed to take control of the Arnhem area the whole story of the end of the war may have been different, but that is history and conjecture. Let us spare a thought for approximately 17000 Allied men killed, wounded or missing during the 9 day operation. It is estimated that the Germans suffered in excess of 7500 casualties in the same period.

Going back a few days to discussions about doing some modelling and building what you actually want yourself, a while ago I spoke to you at a show where you had a 'layout coach' made from brass sides overlaid on an RTR coach. Despite lobbying and wishlisting the only open coaches currently available RTR are Mk1s and a Maunsell. I wanted to run an ex-LMS excursion or holiday train of my childhood in the West Midlands. These had mainly open coaches of all LMS periods. I had collected some sets of Comet sides so eventually I set to and after several diversions they are now nearing completion. First to finish is a D1913 BSO in maroon livery. The donor in this case was a Replica LMS Vestibule 3rd. For some reason the roof vent positions on the donor model were actually closer to a brake vehicle than a full passenger coach. Here it is bringing up the rear of a train, just a bit of finishing required. The the vehicle in front is another Replica Vestibule, this time repainted. The windows of that one haven't been flush glazed but I painted the inside edges of the openings in matt black which to my mind improves the look of old plastic bodies. I think the shell vents on these may get changed for something smaller as they tend to look a bit oversize. I must check out the actual dimensions Incidentally the engineers coach partly visible in the foreground started life as a Triang Clerestory on my first 00 layout which existed from 1959 to 1967. The internal user van at the end of the siding started as a Ratio Iron Mink on a layout which ran from 1976 to 1981. Eric

I have an area in the middle of my spine that I call my 'stress meter'. It's where my shingles first started during a period of over work and extreme stress. Fortunately I spotted it quickly and Zovirax reduced the symptoms in a few days. Since then I have always been able to tell if my stress level is too high by slight discomfort starting at the same point in my back.

Next due in the erecting shop is a D1755 Brake Composite, to be built from a Brake 3rd and the 1st class from a Composite previously cannibalised.

I had an attack some years ago. It was made worse when I was in a stressful situation which was almost every day at work. The doctor prescribed somr Zovirax based tablets which had just been approved at the time. They were very good but I believe they have side effects with some people. Managing the stress has kept me free from the effects most of the time, and I know from the area where the discomfort starts when I need to ease up.

That would probably mean that the sidings were already disused by then. A lot of small yards like that disappeared in the late 1960s.