TheSignalEngineer

Looks like I will be safe to do the 74xx conversion.

Don't worry. They will find plenty wrong with them when they finally appear.

In the early days Railtrack would try to impose penalties on everything and everyone. They wanted to try it on me on one occasion for a 20-minute over-run on a possession which actually delayed two ECS and then one passenger service by 5 minutes from the originating station. Didn't stick when I pointed out that me taking an extension to the possession had been delayed by two hours at their request due to problems they were in elsewhere, and I was going to claim against them for the extra work I incurred replanning the work teams to get round it. .

Engine Grot, Brickwork Grot Condemned Hall at Barrow Road c1965 More Grot Please

Somewhere in the dark corners of my brain there's a memory of that. I think it may have been at the time when Brintons had an exhibition train hauled by 3442 just after it was bought by Viscount Garnock parked in No.10 Bay. The Viscount later became a Director of the SVR and I believe he had a connection with Brintons Carpets at the time.

I haven't got one of these but looking at pictures I would say that 5 fit from the inside and 7 from the outside, so 5 Type 19 and 7 Type 20 .

The Down Goods was shortened back to Cofton before Saltley resiganlling which took place in 1969. The Outer track on the Up side was only changed to a Slow Line recently, possibly when it was transferred to the WM Signalling Centre. It was originally going to be converted at the time of the original Cross City scheme but that was abandoned when the scheme was cut back to Longbridge.

Quite a few Bristol - Manchester services go via Camp Hill, consequently if not at Grand Junction on time get shafted there. What time were you looking at?

https://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/1956-dkw-schnellaster-kastenwagen-36/ http://ccmv.aecsouthall.co.uk/p789649033/h65599F0A#h65599f0a

Let's have another shiny one.

The problems of signalling operation in the modern contract-driven railway. Nowadays no-one will make a decision, just like a call centre they only work to the script. Ask a question that doesn't appear on the standard answers and all you get is confusion.

That's sitting next in line to the Class 122 DTS I'm working on at the moment. Expecting one in the next Dapol announcements.

I had a chat with one of the Hornby team at a show last year. The conversation touched on gaps in RTR coaching stock ranges, subjects ranging across such things as LMS Open stock, GWR Non corridor stock and pre Mk1 catering vehicles.

The first DVT I saw, ex-works at Derby. More new ex-works please.

I was the Resident Engineer on the job and the man on the extreme right was their Supervisor, Ted Keatley. As I walked ahead or rode on the loco to identify the drop points they had to do it right. I checked off all plant and materials to ensure everything was where it was needed. As the clearances were so tight Ted supervised the stacking of all material not being used in the immediate possession. It was also one of the first major S&T possessions post Clapham, so how I organised everything was very much under the microscope.

Straying a little down the line, I thought these may interest someone. In 1989, after the roaring success of the Thameslink launch, we put in extra signal sections between Kentish Town and Smithfield Tunnel in order to increase the service frequency. The majority of the on-track signalling preparations were done during five 27-hour possessions from January to March with the commissioning over a five day possession at the beginning of May. These pictures were taken during the first major possession on 29th January. As we were working in the tunnel throughout the possession we didn't want to take a Class 31 on the materials train so we borrowed two pairs of the Class 501 battery conversions 97703/4/5/6 I believe they were, certainly the two at the ends match the rust on contemporary pictures. to haul six wagons of materials. 97705 leading at the first drop point in the tunnel. 97703 bringing up the rear of the loco combination. Unloading AWS fittings with loco 97703. All pictures © C E Steele

I've had Humbrol turn white in a centrally heated room using brush application.

The tunnel looks as if it was an oxygen-free experience

When first done they were used at the north end of the Euston - Manchester / Liverpool via Birmingham trains. I remember travelling in them when lodging at Crewe in 1967. They were quite quickly replaced by new Mk2 BSOs but were kept in use particularly in the Northwest as they had been gone over mechanically and cleaned up inside for the electric services.

Also quite a few pictures in the China Clay Branchline Yahoo Group

The connecting to the hardware end of the job on site was down to my colleagues on the Telecomms side of the office. When the census of wagons was done on the Birmingham division at commissioning about 1100 empty wagons that no-one knew existed were found hidden away in various obscure locations. It was shortly after that the yard at Norton Junction near Brownhills, known as Bescot Down Empties Sidings, was closed. After most of the old Chase collieries closed it had been used to dump any wagons not immediately needed for traffic. Problem was that anything not moving in that area was easy meat for the metal fairies so most ended up red-carded due to missing bearings.

Don't forget the axle boxes. The 9' wb end door wagons were built with plain bearings. Some got roller bearings later, but on Paul Bartlett's pictures only about 5% have them.

There were quite a few local depots at one time. In Birmingham, local fruit wholesaler Nicholls had a ripening shed next to Moor Street and Fyffes (IIRC) had one in the old Grand Junction yard at Curzon Street. At Wolverhampton there was a siding we called the 'Banana Yard' but I don't know if that was use or shape derived.

Several previous discussions about various Humbrol paints and varnishes, usually about Chinese production. Matt drying gloss, gloss not drying, varnish drying white, (cue violins) .........