TheSignalEngineer

What! Do you expect the politicians to annoy the Road Haulage Association?

A supplementary question on Diagram 1/246. These didn't have steam heating themselves, but were they fitted with through steam pipes for running with older 'Steam Bananas' or had heating of banana vans been abandoned by the time they were built in 1959/60?

Certainly a restricted user, but we can't tell where from. It also has some wording on the other end, possible a circuit working. The only other one I have seen was a fitted one branded for some workings between Paddington and Newton Abbot. Didn't seem very effective though as there are photos of it at Newcastle on the cement tanks and in the yard at Staines.

In the late 1960s I was dealing with a lot of 'Redundant Assets' schemes. We were definitely under pressure from the politicos to declare everything beyond 15 feet from the running lines as Non-operational and hand it over to the Property Board for lease or sale. A few years later I had to get back a bridge abutment at Leamington to put some signalling equipment on it. I think we paid £1 to take a lease on the top of the structure. See https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d597.6680643845965!2d-1.532176945390603!3d52.28405622891671!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x0%3A0x0!2zNTLCsDE3JzAyLjYiTiAxwrAzMSc1NC4yIlc!5e1!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1513111336281

This picture of a BR Brake Van with WR-style 'RU' branding came up elsewhere this morning. Unfortunately it was scanned from an old print, and the person who has it couldn't work out what the lettering was. I've only ever seen one of these vans with branding on it and that was a fitted one with a list of trains it was booked to work. The picture was taken at Kings Norton sometime around the early 1960s, possibly 1963 by the weather? The Ivatt 2-6-0s did work to Kings Norton on trips at that time and it is probably working back Engine and Brake to Washwood Heath. It's a bit of a long shot but can anyone shed any light on this van? Thanks Eric

I'm just finishing a lash-up of a BR Banana Van using an old HD body on a new chassis. I've had a search around for details of the yellow spot size but haven't found anything yet. The only reference I have seen was 18" but that seems too large for the available space.. Can anyone out there tell me the actual size please? Thanks.

The GWS also had a full rake of Collett and Hawksworth stock in GWR livery which appeared on some steam specials to Stratford upon Avon around the late 1970s to early 1980s.

Southern have a system for assisted travel detailed on their website on the page "Making Rail Accessible" This is an extract:- If you are disabled or have difficulty travelling, you can get advice about accessibility – both on our trains and at any of our stations – before you travel. And when you come to one of our stations, we can offer you the help you need. Download our Making Rail Accessible Guide: Helping older and disabled passengers Download the Making Rail Accessible guide to policy and practices How to book assisted travelIt’s best to contact us 24 hours before you travel if you want to book assistance. This gives us time to make the right arrangements. There are several ways to book: Fill in our assistance booking form online Email us on: myjourney@southernrailway.com Call us on: 0800 138 1016 (your information may be recorded) We can tell you about your nearest station with step-free access and give information about ramps and lifts. And we can arrange help – both at stations and on trains – as well as providing train times and travel information For full details see https://www.southernrailway.com/travel-information/travel-help/assisted-travel

It doesn't, believe me, especially around Bulwell. Also helps if all other services are recorded and marked properly when you use the Mole. Our best hit was an uncharted gas main.

'Revenue Protection' in our area seem to be largely security company contractors. Most know ####-all about railways and not much more about what tickets look like.

Make that three.

I only visited the station once during my career, back around 1970/1, and only platforms 3/4 (IIRC) were in use thenfor a sparse DMU service, so can't remember the shunts taking place. The signalling looks to be on the same principles as Manchester Victoria installed in 1929. In that instance Green over White aspects were provided for subsidiary moves which meant you could proceed as far as the line was clear. For dead end sidings a miniature yellow was provided. The latter could be seen at Liverpool Central in the moves from 9 and 11 to the turntable area. The details of the Manchester scheme can be found here. http://www.ekeving.se/ext/uk/VicEx_Manchester/index.html

Hope that smoke isn't from the sound chip.

Does having caught a tram there officially make me old?

That was a great spot because it was the only place where you could get most of the New Street and Snow Hill trains at the same time. Can't remember his name but the hat tells me he was the Telegraph Lineman on the same patch as my Grandad was Signal Lineman at that time.

Regarding 'Just Missed' connections, when I was on holiday in Cornwall around the time the new St Ives station opened in 1971 I decided to do a trip round some of the branches. I went in and asked for the local bus/train timetable book which was available in those days then asked for a Priv ticket to Looe. When the Booking Clerk found I was Railway he gave me a duplicated sheet and said "these are connections which happen but aren't possible in the book. If there are any more you see that are within 5 minutes phone ahead because it is often possible to fix a slight delay somewhere."

How not to get down Chimney Bank if you want to get from Rosedale West to Rosedale East http://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/15710578.Road_closed_after_lorry_overturns/ The site of Paul's layout is at the top right of the first picture.

Returning to the points about Beeching and costings. In the late 1960s i was tasked with providing figures on signalling equipment required on still-open lines with/without certain already closed services which the embryonic PTE was considering for reopening. The same was done for permanent way and other infrastructure. One of these was Birmingham to Stafford via Walsall and Rugeley. The consultant compiling the report came to the conclusion that as the line was still used for coal traffic and IC diversions and all of the existing infrastructure was required for these the closure including the effects on the stations remining open between Walsall and Birmingham, actually lost more in revenue than it saved.

There were instances of the painters turning up at boxes after closure, they turned up at Bordesley North the week after it was demolished around 1967. Later when I was working in the London area, we had just signed Mitre Bridge out of use and were still in the box with the last shift signalman when they turned up. We told them to go away and asked where they were due to due next. "South West Sidings Shunt Frame, how do we get to it" was the reply. The Operations Supervisor said "Bet we can close it before you can paint it, were just off to sign it out now."

Remember that he did have to do a runner to France never to return, ironically on board the Night Ferry train from Victoria, as the net closed around his dodgy dealings.

The Birmingham one is Edmund Street. The rails in the road were found under the tarmac there during pedestrianisation in 1975 and were relaid in more or less their original position.

There's one in the background an old photo of mine at Tyseley in 1972. It's coupled to a Blue/grey coach so may have still been in use, possibly in the 'Footex' set. It looked as if it was left in one of the Western Region's Exmover machines overnight with the brushes running.

Not unusual to take an hour or more from Temple Meads to where Bristol Parkway is now. There were instances of 28xx working stock shuffles on summer Saturdays to move stock back after unbalanced workings but when you consider that WD 2-8-0s were limited to 50mph on the WR I doubt that they would be doing much more than that.

Can be affected by the angle of the pinpoint on the axles and the angle of the hole in the bogie.

Leamington had one coming from Warwick which showed no indication for the Up Main, B for the Bay and P for the Up Platform. In this case it was essential to have lamp proving as the indicated routes were different in character and a corrupted B could look like a P..