TheSignalEngineer

And, of course, one managed to escape to the Island of Sodor.

How about this one at Round Oak South. Private railway, the Pensnett (aka Earl of Dudley's) Railway crossing the OWW line and BR sidings. Also in the background a steelworks loco.

Apparently they are going to do 'Northern Powerhouse' in N gauge. It may be possible that Bachmann will upscale it in the future as they will have done all of the research for the Farish model, thus making more use of the cost incurred for that one.

Manufacturers will make what they think they can sell in a short time with little stock remaining on the shelves. Having said that, there is a wish list poll om here each autumn last year's results here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/116458-results-the-wishlist-poll-2016/?hl=+2017%20+wish%20+list%20+poll Manufacturers won't always take notice of what is top of the poll, they have other research methods as well, and also like to fit in with a theme. For example. Hornby have a Stanier and a Fowler 2-6-4T, Bachmann do a Fairburn 2-6-4T also the BR version, so the Stanier non-corridor suburban stock was a no-brainer for someone to do. They will also sometimes go for the unusual or quirky especially with commissioned models like the Beattie Well Tank from Kernow or the USA Tank from Model Rail.

There may be a few odd bargains left in the cupboard. I picked up the last Jinty in there at less than box shifter price. I only went on for some glue and paint, ended up spending ten times what I intended.

Several people on a well known auction site also advertise adjustable feet.

When I was in there a few weeks ago they told me they were stopping doing railways.

Thanks Mike. Assisting engines I saw at Stratford-upon-Avon were either a 51xx or 2251 Class. I remember one particular occasion when we had a Manor on a Summer Saturday train the driver was complaining about the state of the loco when we stopped for water at Cheltenham. We had 3217 coupled inside from Stratford to Earlswood Lakes. An old colleague who was a signalman at Milcote in the 1950s told me of hand signals from drivers passing his box which were interpreted as loop me to take water, assistance required or I want to take a run at the bank.

The Government thinks that the 'South West' consists of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. I don't have any idea of how they come to their conclusions, in my own case I live north of part of the North West Region, a couple of miles from Greater Manchester, 6 miles from South Yorkshire and north of some of Yorkshire and Humberside Region, and west of some of the West Midlands Region but as far as they are concerned I am in the East Midlands

I've always regarded the West Country as being roughly west of a line from Gloucester to Weymouth

I believe that 174 locos actually got delivered under the Pilot Scheme. Neither of the locos in the picture would qualify. Edit Beaten to it by Phil, I had just found the same page.

Soller train arriving at Bunyola, Mallorca. Next, for the oldies amongst us, a Pilot Scheme diesel in the West Country

The bank out of Stratford-upon-Avon is not insignificant, at 1 in 75 to Wilmcote then 1 in 150 to Earlswood Lakes. For instance a Hall was only allowed about 23 wagons on a fast freight up to Wilmcote. In 1960 there was a 24-hour Banker (T23) at Stratford-upon-Avon for assisting trains as far as Bearley Junction or Earlswood Lakes. Unfitted freights were often booked 75 minutes from Stratford -upon-Avon to Bordesley. In the case of passenger trains requiring assistance it was usually coupled inside in GWR fashion. A second loco (T24) worked early and late turns on the trip to Old Town, shunting and banking as required. As for pathing, although most of the boxes were open early and late turns, only Bearley Junction and Earlswood Lakes were open continuously

There's also other encroachment onto the trackbed through the town at Honeybourne Way, big new bridge would be needed, and just south of Hunting Butts at the Prince of Wales Stadium. There has been a lot of discussion on the National Preservation forum in the past, can't remember any details.

Given the current H&S culture the authorities would probably insist on two separate tunnels with a third access / evacuation tunnel between them.

I don't think it would be too difficult in civil engineering terms to put a link from the GWR at Racecourse Station to the level crossing on Swindon Lane as long as the fields are not being developed for housing or have an unfriendly owner. It would be a bit of an S bend about a mile long but not a significant difference in level. Getting a junction with the NR line would probably be a bigger problem than building the link.

The date is probably about right. It was a Weymouth loco from 1958 to 1967. The shed code was changed to 70G in September 1963.

I think I've found 11 and a double disc. Next.... A Porthole coach on BR - not in preservation.

The National Grid people have now gone off site. This is what it looks like at the Woodhead tunnel mouth now. General View The Old Tunnels The New Tunnel New Information Board

It begs the question as to whether the line should ever have been built. It was a relative late-comer, only opening around 1910. The GWR must have thought it was worthwhile to try to get a shorter route from the West Midlands to the South West in an attempt to win traffic from the Midland route. They had just opened the North Warwickshire line between Tyseley and Bearley Junction giving a better route to Stratford-upon Avon but that in itself was probably hard to justify. It was said that the only reason that the GWR took it on when the original North Warwickshire project failed was that the Great Central had designs on taking over along with buying the financially-challenged SMJ line to give it a through route from the West Midlands to London and the South-East.

Before Malvern Road the GWR already had the terminus at St James, far more convenient for the town than Lansdown. The site of the GWR lines adjacent to Lansdown was quite restricted as there was a retaining wall to the east of the track which was I think built during the Cheltenham - Gloucester Quadrupling when both the Midland and GWR tracks were realigned. This photo was taken from Lansdown Road bridge in November 1969. The original signal box was almost directly below where I was standing. A second box was built closer to the station sometime before 1923. the final box was behind me to the south of the bridge. The Midland had a small yard adjacent to the station, the platform having been extended across the old connection. The distance on the GWR line from the fouling point of the original junction to Queens Road bridge in the background was only about 250 yards. Malvern Road station was about 500 yards beyond Queens Road.

Honeybourne to Cheltenham was on the Gloucester District. You have to dig a bit but I think it was on a table called Worcester, Kingham, Stratford and Cheltenham or something similar. It will probably be in the 'A' file if Michael has split it because of the size.

To quote from Modern Railways, January 1970:- "At Cheltenham, Lansdown Junction signalbox is still in position to control the junction towards the Honeybourne line, which although nominally closed continues in use as a diversionary route while engineering works are in progress on the Midland route. When trains are diverted via Honeybourne, Landsown (Junction) is manned and released in the same manner as a ground frame from Gloucester panel" You are correct about trains stopping at Lansdown station then reversing to get back behind the junction signal to go onto the Honeybourne line, did it myself on 30 November 1969, the last official diversions.

I had one of those locos but got rid of it a long time ago. It regularly derailed at the same point on my layout, the only loco ever to do so. I am beginning to wonder if the chassis was twisted.

And far better than I could do.