TheSignalEngineer

I wondered what those were, I saw one on a station platform on the Cinder Track. Was one on a station the position of its official mileage in NER documents?

The available buttons don't really do justice as a comment on this layout.

Compensation simplistically has to cover the whole length of the rod from the signal box lead-off to the connection on the point stretcher. Depending on whether the cranks change the action of the rod and other factors such as a long run in the shade, length of cross rods and lie of the points there will be one compensator roughly in the middle of the 49 yds stretch. For a ground frame the rod is often so short as not to need a compensator, especially if the cranks are set to change the rod action from pull to push. A longer run to double ended points may need compensation

Had another half hour at it, on the desktop this time which was much easier than the phone. Managed to find and repost one of my old attachments in reply to a new question. I would have liked to link to the old thread but can't work out if that is possible yet. Another thing I used a few times in the old site was to be able to quote a post number when adding a comment., rather than copy the comment especially when referring to several consecutive comments.

This is a sketch I posted in a thread a while ago, can't work out how to link yet but the title was 'Midland Railway - Crank connection to stretcher bars'

Unless you have more than one drop off for multiple ends, then there will be one between the box and the near end, followed by a second between the near end and far end.

I used to take five minutes over my first coffee of the day for a look through the new content page. Having visited the new site a couple of times yesterday I was scratching my head as to where to find things. Did eventually find my old attachments but was left wondering if at my age I have enough years left to be bothered learning it all. Think I'll crawl back to the cave and do some modelling instead.

There is also a report on Six Bells Junction of a DMU shuttle between Bath Green Park and Wellow during the Bath Festival in 1961. I've also seen an uncorroborated claim of a Cardiff - Portsmouth DMU running between Bat Green Park and Templecombe on a diversion c1961/2. Haven't found any confirmation of that. Eric

Phil Peter mentioned the Gloucester Railway Society one apparently. Picture here. http://somersetanddorset.blogspot.com/2011/11/dmu-on-s.html Eric

Phil Six Bells Junction lists at least four DMU specials travelling the S&D throughout. This is the Derby set on 25 May 1958 https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/50s/580525br.html Birmingham - Bournemouth 17 February 1959, 7 cars including a 3 car Met Cam. https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/50s/590217b2.html This was repeated with another 7 car on 17 May 1959 but no set details. On 21 August 1960 there was a 6 car from Cheltenham to Bournemouth via the S&D. This from Cheltenham St James to Lyme Regis did Mangotsfield to Templecombe on the way out with a Swindon Cross Country set on 10 May 1958. https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/50s/580510gr.html Eric

Not sure if anyone has mentioned Tamworth yet, to my mind one of the worst cases of architectural vandalism during the electrification era. This is the original frontage of the Low Level buildings. http://warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwr_tam3131.htm

There were a few excursions from Birmingham to the south coast using DMUs in 1958/9 At least two including the one pictured went along the S&D. Apparently another reached Ramsgate, some journey in a DMU.

Phil Both links just seem to go to the main album page rather than individual photos. Eric

As long as they are in context with the area and timescale I don't see a problem. I have used card kits and plastic kits both modified to suit, along with scratch built using plastic, card and wood all together. I think the secret is in the painting and weathering. so that none stand out as being too different from the rest, although if you are doing 1960s there were some abominable prototype townscape combinations.

Some GWR 'Platforms' were quite substantial stations. On the North Warwickshire Lin,e Yardley Wood Platform had a Ticket Office on the road bridge, brick built waiting rooms and toilets on the Birmingham-bound platform and a brick waiting room on the other side provided when the line opened in 1908. All are still standing albeit the down side waiting room is now just a brick shelter. There was also a pair of semi-detached houses built by the railway to accommodate the permanent staff.

I remember using what is now Module P1 part 10 during the commissioning of the Jewellery Line mods at Stourbridge back in 1995. To reduce the amount of bustitution required Birmingham-bound trains were worked up to the station before where we had staff out on-track then returned wrong line. The interlocking was disconnected so all signals were at red and it was inconvenient to cross over to come back. The Pilotman effectively operated as a human 'One Train Working' single line token.

Likewise, probably just two coaches on the probables list. Hornby are at eight coaches, two locos and two wagons in that category, plus two locos I will buy if the funds allow.

You have a PM.

Mike King's 'An Illustrated History of Southern Coaches', Figure 32 on Page 100 shown both sides and plan.

I remember my former local shop having several Airfix ones on the s/h shelf for years. Don't think any ever sold, they went to auction when it closed down.

Other than passing through on the train occasionally the only time I ever went to Slough was stopping off there to bunk the shed the early hours of a Sunday morning c1963. Fortunately the weather was so bad it completely obliterated any chance of seeing the town.

My sister called them Dead Fly Pies

As usual Beast comes up with an exception to prove the rule. This is another which stood at Kingsbury until 1969, caught by camera of Bill Wright. Hi-Res R1315 by Bill Wright, on Flickr

"simple" = there wasn't any. I remember Cradley being done. The scheme had been turned down several times until the GM and some PTE bigwigs were dropped off there for a visit on a very wet Black Country day. They found that conditions inside the building were worse than outside on the platform. Funding mysteriously got into the budgets the following month. A bit of creative accounting by the Pway and S&T got track and signalling adjusted the under the guise of Level Crossing and Signalling Renewals. Even then it nearly got scuppered because the Architect came up with a grandiose building which would have cost more than all other departments put together.

Looks very similar to Lea Hall on the Birmingham to Coventry line, built 1939 Original Down platform http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwrlh2829b.htm Post-vandalism alterations, Up platform c1970. http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwrlh1596.htm