TheSignalEngineer

Besides the minerals, what a nice combination to drop in an exhibition and wait for the comments. 2201 in dirty lined grot green and a tender in ex-works unlined green. Death steam pick'n'mix at its best.

I've just been hopping between the two threads and agree with Dave about merging. As it stands the layout could take a few signals but they would have to be carefully positioned as to follow a prototype is not practical and you can get two results, either adding to the effect or looking a bit strange. Don't try to put a signal at every set of points. A few well placed signals will look better than a lot. Put some ground signals in sidings clear of where they join the running lines. Try to operate in a prototypical fashion. Don't have a train running up to a junction signal at red with a train crossing in front of it.

The council at Camden, St Pancras I think it was at the time, were certainly looking at prosecuting BR over smoke from Camden shed in the 1950s. Probably not surprising as the area around Primrose Hill was reputed to have the highest density of Barristers per acre in the whole of England.

You get the same effect coming down the Holme Moss road towards Woodhead when the sun shines on the fumes above the A628.

There is a mention of Banner using Walton-on-the-Hill in the tables at the back of 'Oil on the Rails' as listed in the 1938 and 1956 RCH Handbooks. I can't see anywhere that would fit the bill from photos or maps other than direct to road vehicles in the goods yard. Banner were also listed as using Huskisson. The only private sidings I can see in the Walton area would be Hartleys Jam and Jacobs Biscuits at Fazakerley North, Dunlop Rubber Cables opposite the shed yard and the industrial estate opposite Everton Cemetery. Banner's present Liverpool depot is at Sandhills but I can't find any reference to historic sites. Regarding the tanks, Shell Mex-BP and Esso both had sites around Liverpool. I've seen a picture of Esso Class B tanks under the Overhead at Herculaneum station. In the 1956 list Brunswick had SMBP and Esso, Liverpool Docks -SMBP, North Docks - Esso, Park Lane - SMBP and Esso

Then we can couple a rake together, need a name for the new system. Train perhaps?

Looks as if when I did it eastbound in 2006 we were lucky only to be about 3 hours late when we got to Toronto. Most of the delay was due to a failed freight between Kamloops and Jasper. We did get a clear run for the last 12 hours so made up a bit there.

When he announced the project in March 2006 under the name of Translink UK the cost quoted was £159 million.

There were a number of oil company sidings in the Liverpool area in the 1950s. Shell Mex BP and Esso used Brunswick amongst other places. I believe that Banner, who were the original patentees of White Spirit, used Walton-on-the-Hill and Huskisson..

On the LMR white was the normal colour until at least the early 1970s. After that our standard posts usually came pre-finished in grey from St Rollox works. Some also came galvanized but I can't remember the date that started. Up until 1983 I think it was, the Divisional Boundary was just north of Brinklow. Rugby came under DS&TE Nottingham and Nuneaton was under DS&TE Crewe. Our S&T Painting Gangs disappeared around the late 1970s and after that they didn't get painted, they just rusted through and fell over.

I remember walking about four miles home from school on a couple of occasions when Birmingham buses stopped because of the fog, I was about 12 at the time. On another occasion c1962 I walked home from the city centre as there were no buses. I has seen my Grandfather at New Street and he had decided to get the Redditch train to Selly Oak and walk from there. It had the usual Ivatt 4 running tender first with 4 coaches. It stalled near Bath Row Tunnel on the climb to Five Ways with the tender on a set of catch points. Trying to restart the train rolled backwards and the tender became wedged against the wall, The Guard walked back to New Street and came back with the station pilot which took the train back and round the Camp Hill line to Kings Norton. My Grandfather ended up walking the extra miles from there and got home about 10.30pm

I'm not sure if the staff all travel with the train. The on-board staff used to at one time, changing when they passed one going in the opposite direction. The biggest problems would be that a late running train in one direction puts the other one late by the same amount, and that fuelling is done by road vehicles meeting the train at stops as are the supplies of food for the dining cars.

Can't see anything on the signalling diagram c1960. Perhaps it was for a klaxon or other repeater to help with shunting?

I found a reference to the previous incarnation of this proposal, then called 'Translink', dating from 2006. Other than a change of name and website address it doesn't look as if Julian Newton has made much progress with it since. Another group called High Speed UK has also proposed a Woodhead route for HS2 which included filling and reboring the original 1840s tunnels to Channel Tunnel standard. Given the problems encountered in 1951 during the boring of the third tunnel that should prove entertaining. 'Nuff said about that proposal, don't want to get the site into trouble. Regerding clearances, from when I did some calculations on this proposal 12 years ago, the height of an HGV on a low-level wagon came out approximately the same as the height of the 25KV contact wire at a level crossing, which is about as high as it gets. The 3rd tunnel was just about big enough to fit a single track diesel hauled line. The centre of the roof of the 3rd tunnel was 6.34 metres above rail level with the 1500volt contact wire at 4.57 metres. The tunnel is roughly circular but IIRC doesn't have a 'floor', the sides sit on the rock. At a fraction over three miles long, if the trains ran at 60mph and allowing for the time taken to cross the single to double junction at each end it would take about 5 minutes to pass through on green signal headways.

No length given yet. I'm playing a bit of a dangerous game in reporting what I am hearing from politicians. I believe it comes from the report being prepared for Transport for the North, so the chances of anything happening within my lifetime are remote.

An unusual one, sadly no longer there as the tunnel vent was removed a couple of years ago. 76001 just west of Dunford Bridge. Lets have another Woodhead Electric

The 20 mile road tunnel has already been declared not value for money and that option is no longer being developed. The latest proposal being worked on reportedly includes a shorter road tunnel in the Woodhead area.

The easiest way to get lorries out of the Peak National Park and the towns and villages on its boundaries would be to put a toll booth at the Woodhead Layby on the A628 and another at the Derwent Layby on the Snake. The alternative would be to put a permanent VOSA checkpoint on the A57 at Hattersley. When they do a check there the lorries and traffic jams in the area disappear within minutes of it opening up.

IIRC Julian has been peddling this (insert suitable word for rubbish) for about 12 years. Most of the stuff on that website was on a previous incarnation around 2003. I think I may still have the analysis of his proposals that I did at the time.My conclusion was that the existing tunnel could only take a single track at the height an HGV and his proposals at that time for the western end were basically unachievable. His latest idea for that end is probably worse. My figure for the charge possible at that time was £30 for Tinsley to the M67 terminal. His coatings of rolling stock and infrastructure were optimistic to say the least and I estimated that it would all be life expired before he got the money back even before allowing for financing charges.

www.miac.org.uk has a picture on their article about Dudley which shows W22 in the Bay with an unidentified early railcard which may be W14 as that was pictured in the same place on the same day

And the BRCW Lion if I remember correctly

Dead easy for bus spotters. The BCT single deckers were basically captive to the 2B from Kings Heath to the Ivy Bush via the QE Hospital and the 27. They were all based at Selly Oak.

It did get burnt out by a fire, summer of 1963 I think it was. It was spotted by the signalman at Proof House box which was a couple of hundred yards behind the photographer.

I used an old shoe lace of suitable width painted and weathered some years ago.

1.30pm Paddington to Plymouth parcels and parcel post. Time and details as of winter 63/64 timetable.