TheSignalEngineer

Perry Barr in Birmingham had to be one of the worst example of the LMR electrification years.

Back up here, was down a few minutes ago. Looks like internet problem rather than trader.

Brian. A factor which I think is bound to influence the manufacturers is the availability of a prototype. Easier to measure and scan than work from drawings and photos. Besides that there are lots of people who have ridden behind a J27 in preservation but how many of us remember as everyday sights a Stanier 2-6-2T on the Rugby Parcels or an aged Johnson 2F pushing half a dozen coal wagons and a brake van up the bank from Harborne Junction to Hagley Road? Persons under 60 need not apply. Eric Steele

When I first started reading this post I thought I don't ever remember seeing one at Bath Green Park.

If I start collecting all of the preserved locos I have been hauled by I think I might get my plastic frozen, not to mention a few other bits. Nice to see the snowplough listed as an accessory, my 57xx could do with one today. The Tyseley snow plough (pjs,0638) by Geoff Dowling, on Flickr

Clive Somehow I have still managed to build up a fleet of LSWR/SR locos even though my layout is based in the Black Country. OK for coaching stock as we got a lot of Maunsells and Bulleids on holiday trains but not many locos except the occasional Spam on a Railtour or Footex on nearby lines. The saving grace on GWR locos is that several from St Blazey including a Small Prairie and 14xx got as far as overhaul at Stafford Road Works. In my world the 14xx does a running in turn on the Auto Train in place of the 64xx or GWR Railcar and the 45xx trundles in on the Parcels. One day I may even get round to building my mid-Cornwall might-have-been line. All other items in the fleet appeared on the Dudley Zoo excursions if not on regular services. That way I can use a B1 or Brush 2 with a rake of Gresleys and Thompsons. Between 1955 and 1960 I have found over 40 classes of steam loco on the line where my layout is based so I have plenty to go at. If anyone wants to produce them I could probably even justify a 97xx Condenser on the Swan Village trip and a 15xx on a Wolverhampton - Worcester local passenger. Both actually happened after works visits!!! Eric

My own experience was that I planned a nice branch line with a lower continuous main line which was only visible for a short length. The idea was that branch trains would start from the lower level fiddle yard, briefly appear on the main line before re-appearing on the top level. Before I started building I put a few sheets of ply on trestles and put down the main line track plan. I mocked up the top from cardboard and found it didn't really work although it looked nice on paper. It just wasn't practical in 3D given the available space. The upshot was a re-design with a through station on the main line and a branch coming in at one end. beside the branch there are three sidings which form an elongated shunting puzzle to drop off wagons for the mileage yard an industrial branch disappearing at the other end of the station. It took about three years to get to a track layout which was fairly prototypical for its area and also fun to operate, with the options of watching trains go by, station stops with branch connections, looping a through freight to let the Passenger pass or drop off wagons and shunting the trip.

Nowadays I don't usually pre-order until a model has got to at least some kind of sample, even a 3-D printed version, to get a decent idea of what it is going to be like. You can always use my tongue-in-cheek flow chart to help your decision. Most of my stuff nowadays has come from the middle course. Recently picked up an ROD and four Blood & Custard Colletts for under £140

You can always try my guide for whether I should pre-order a newly announced model.

BS Gangway? And what looks as if it could be an LMS bogie. Number on end looks like 7430 if that's any clue to those who know about WD requisitioned stock.

Many if not all TOCs have real time information about train running on the internet. For Northern if you click on Live Departures for any station then it will give you the expected time of the next 10 departures and it can be switched to give the next ten arrivals. IIRC National Rail will give estimated time of all arrivals and departures at any station for the next two hours and can be used to track any passenger train currently running throughout the network. That's before you go to sites like Realtime Trains and other sites which even mimic the train describer display at the signal box. Only problem I ever had was one jobsworth who didn't want me to photograph in the direction of a CCTV camera, so I went and took pictures from a public highway and the local park. From there you get a much better view of the camera details than from the platform. As far as my local station is concerned there is a plan with a planning application available through the Planning Portal which shows the details of access to the booking office and the position of all CCTV cameras and associated equipment.

The brake pipe is present but the bag is missing as is the drawbar.

The Jinty in Germany and a Dean Goods in Austria were pictured on another forum, https://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?017,8160299

Without any filters the colour of the indication depended on the lamp voltage. In most cases signalling lamps were under-run, say 11.2 -11.5 volts for 12 volt lamps and 100 volts for 110 volt lamps.

The one you mentioned in Stockport Market also visits a few local shows and toy fairs at Bolton and Buxton. Advertises at High Lane Model Railways on the internet.

Lunar white in indicators with traditional bulbs was created by using a blue filter in front of the indication.

It starts to get interesting when you get above '9'. Up to then numerals are centered use the middle five lamps. When you get to '10' the '1' goes in the left column and the other numeral in columns 3-7 except for '11' which uses columns 2 and 6 IIRC.

There is a BR standard drawing showing which bulbs are lit for each character. Sorry I haven't got one but someone on here may be able to help.

Most I ever used in one head in the real world was 1 - 18 at Euston. Even on complicated layouts unless it is for multiple platforms most won't have more than about six letters. I'm not sure what you could do with a modern LED one but for the Fibre Optic type you couldn't get more than four lamp units in a standard size case. I did have some special over-size cases made on one job which took six lamps as I didn't have enough space to get two 4-way units in side by side or one above the other to the side of the signal head.

What about an LMS 0-6-0 Diesel Shunter?The last type which became Class 11 got around a bit, with over 30 going to ex-LNER sheds. They also appeared in WD livery and as industrials.

My wallet is trying to hide in the corner. I've just seen a post elsewhere giving these as forming the Eastbourne/Hastings to Wolverhampton train in their final years.

Our non-RM leaflet drops are done by an EU Migrant, wonder who does yours from Mr 'Spoons?

Have I missed January, February and March?

These line diagrams and signalling plans are drawn to scale longitudinally, so yes. They are greatly distorted laterally due to the space required to show all of the details. Edit And of course the running lines are straightened out.

Found all the way from Snow Hill to Stafford Road Works. This is the other end of the Low Level station