TheSignalEngineer

Still selling on eBay as pufferwillies_sheffield_transport_models

The base of the water tower at New Street on Platform 1 was used as the S&T Lineman's room what my grandfather was there in the 1930s and 1940s. Very convenient as the steps to Hill Street and the Golden Eagle were about 20 yards away.

Good luck in the new job, Jim. The common courtesies have all gone in the world of work nowadays. When I was responsible for recruiting staff all applicants got a reply even if it was to say we read your letter but sorry, you haven't got an interview. Now you are lucky to get an acknowledgement. When I was on the depot I spoke to everyone who handed in their resignation or got promotion to another depot. You never know, he could come back as your boss in five years. I did actually head-hunt and train a person who became my boss just before I retired. I had also ended up as the boss over a couple of people who had trained me as a youngster During the early days of privatisation I had a serious set-to with a Railtrack Project Manager. He was bordering on abusive towards me during a meeting so I put my pen away, closed my book and walked out of the room rather than lose my temper with him. I only went back when he apologised to me in front of the rest of the meeting. A few weeks later he had been replaced and was moved to a job where he was certifying the amount of work done on site against claims for payment by contractors. Fast forward a few years and I was putting together a bid team for a contract in partnership with a Civils firm. We needed certain other subcontractors for elements of the work and when we were assessing likely outfits who should turn up in the team representing one of them but a certain former Project Manager. For some reason he seemed a little uncomfortable during the question and answer session.

Checked out three of the six joints. Problem is not serious on those, 1st one slacked off clamping bolts, pushed down a bit on one side and retightened. Two joints at the fiddle yard had the plastic shims changed and are now OK. Rest to follow tomorrow I hope, there doesn't appear to be any twisting on those so fingers crossed it's just a slack off and retighten again..

The second photo in post #6 was one of those I was thinking of.

Had it been the correct height he would have quite happily run it on track which is a shade over 2mm too narrow.

I've seen a couple with a.c. and D.C. locos, but the geography of Piccadilly didn't make it easy. Sheffield trains used platforms 1-4 and were quite short, usually about 5 or 6 IIRC, so no further up than the footbridge or end of the roof. Eustons normally had 12 and mainly used platforms 5-7 so it was difficult to get both in unless you were on 13 when a Sheffield left passing a waiting Euston.

Probably almost as old as corridor connections themselves.

They also kept soot off the corridor end doors and inside of the gangway.

Started to set up for running last night and found that some baseboard joints had shifted slightly, no doubt due to the uncommonly low humidity levels we have had in the last two months. I have to check it out tomorrow to find the cause of the problem Hopefully a bit of adjustment will fix it as long as nothing has twisted.

Thread drift warning. I had a frightening run past Birmingham Airport one night in the early 1960s when the old cross runway was still in use. It was just at the point where the line leaves the cutting to the north of Birmingham International station and goes onto a low embankment. The runway was at right angles to the line and slightly below, starting only about 60 yards from the line. It was liked by short haul flights from Europe as it was nicely in line with the prevailing wind. I was half asleep returning from London late at night behind a Class 40 when the lights of an airliner suddenly appeared on my right about three coaches in front of me. I almost ended up on the floor and will never know how he didn't leave tyre marks across the carriage roof.

It's a siding between two running lines. These are used when you want a train moving at low speed to stop but not fall over foul of either line. If the wheels don't drop between the stock rails the outside of the switch rails act as a retarder.

I managed to do a Roundy in a room 8' 4" by 8' 8". Double track main line with a branch coming in at one side and an industrial line at the other. There are two hidden loops on the main lines capable of holding 6 coaches. As it is based on a secondary line most booked passenger trains were 4 coaches. The branch has two hidden siding and the industrial line has one hidden by a loading bay for Palethorpes vans. Curves in view are 30" OR more except on the industrial line and in the small yard.

Used to be a trip wire at Marston Green for Birmingham Airport. After electrification it was not much use as it was lower than the OLE. A plane flying too low would have caused a big blue flash as it hooked the catenary.

By the age of three he could recognise all of the privatised liveries using Manchester Piccadilly.

Checked out my order status on line today and it has changed to say that my card has been charged at the original price of £36.50, so hopefully it will be here in a couple of days.

I remember taking my eldest grandson into Ian Allan in Manchester when he was about two years old. We had travelled in from Marple on a Class 142. Whilst I was getting what I wanted from the shelf he spotted a Hornby Pacer in Northern livery and immediately collared the shop assistant to point out that it had got the wrong type of doors.

I was recently expecting a delivery and had a message to say it had been handed to the resident. Unfortunately both residents were 100 miles from home at the time. On the plus side, it was marked fragile, so instead of throwing it over the fence the delivery man had left it in a bush near the front door. Well. I suppose that the bush is resident in my garden.

Very much a question of where and when. My layout is LMR/WR in the West Midlands. The date is variable from about 1956 to 1962. the reason for this is it gives me latitude to run different combinations and the surroundings didn't change much in that period. My usual rule is the no more than 3 locos are in sight at a time so that means on the layout there will be about 8-10, the rest being in the fiddle yard. For realism a fairly large stud means that you don't get a loco which has just gone north reappearing ten minutes later going south. As far as locos are concerned I have about 4 possibles for every train in the timetable, only about half of my collection is in use at any time. As examples the WR branch stoppers (2 needed) can be served by a 14xx with 1930s Autocoach, early Railcar, later Railcar, 64xx with Hawksworth Auto coach and Class 122. These can be subbed by a 57xx LMR fitteds and longer distance passenger trains have the Black 5, Stanier Mogul or Crab, with a possible incursion by a stray Patriot or Jubilee and at the end of the period a Sulzer Type 2. Depending on the era of the day, a special from the ER brings in a B1 or Brush Type 2 with a mixed rake of five or six Gresley / Thompson stock, possibly with a Mk1 included. I've probably got about 200 wagons, but if a 15-wagon loaded coal train passes another of empties that's 30 for a start. Then I've got about 30 assorted vans so it soon mounts up. Oh, and then of course we must not forget the Engineers. They've got a Saloon (hauled prototypically by 40646), a Clerestory Mess Coach, two tool vans, five open wagons, a bogie bolster, ten ballast wagons and two brake vans. (memo to self - need one of those little hand cranes).

There was an interesting bit of infrastructure from Wellington to Shrewsbury. That was LNWR/GWR Joint having been originally started by the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Co. to link Stafford and Shrewsbury. The Shrewsbury and Welligton Railway was built jointly with the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway. The SUR&CC was taken over by the LNWR and the S&B by the GWR. Plenty of GWR trains running past LNWR signal boxes.

You just have to marvel at the shot at 18:45. It says a lot for the state of the PWay length. There is a man who appears to be the Lampman riding his bike along the cess with a signal lamp hanging from the handlebars.

S7946S was the number originally shown in the Hornby announcements IIRC.

Memo to self. Don't go on holiday. By the time you get back Larry will have ripped up the layout.

The Hornby one, S7946S, was booked to the 12 Noon SO from Ilfracombe to Waterloo in the Summer of 1961 I understand.

The key end looks to be a fairly common Victorian design. Look to see if it has any markings other than the name, as railway companies were quite good at marking their property.