TheSignalEngineer

If you want an early LMS colour light scheme you could do far worse than use Manchester Victoria as you prototype. The loco sidings at Irwell Bridge have the answers for what you need. This page gives the details of the job, https://www.ekeving.se/ext/uk/VicEx_Manchester/index.html and if you look at the layout for the Exchange area (link at bottom of page) you will find Irwell Bridge between Deal Street and Victoia West boxes.

Doesn't LCD have its own factory in China? I think it has a capacity for about 3 million items per annum. IIRC it employs its own toolmakers and machinery therefore is not so dependant on the difficulties of getting and losing production slots.

Regarding demand for various prototypes, my current modelling era is late 1950s. My decision process depends on whether they were in revenue traffic in my area at that time and how wany can I justify. The answers in this instance are no and one for departmental use. I already have a kit built and scruffy one which stands in the Mileage Yard for the C&W to keep their kit in, so unless I decide to backdate by 15-20 years I will pass on this one.

The middle goo holding the two layers together is home-made lime curd. The top can be left just iced or sprinkles of your choice such as chopped nuts added. Other toppings such as cream cheese icing can be used. The recipe is called Flora's Famous Courgette Cake and can be found in Nigella Lawson's 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' which, incidentally, is subtitled 'Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking'. The mixture can also be used for making muffins. Mention of comfort cooking, muffins and Nigella in the same breath, mmmmmm. Better shut up before I say the wrong thing.

Without seeing the full layout I'm not sure if the trap is necessary. If the point in the siding could be used the signalling could be arranged such that the routes up and down the neck could be Off at the same time, only being replaced when the signalman wanted to set the route in or out to the main line.

Shunt ahead and calling-on signals in colour light areas are a minefield of variations. Until the British Railways Standard Signalling Principle issued c1962 every company / region went its own way and they weren't even consistent between contracts then. I think what you are referring to may have been the banner signals with a C, W or S on the front used by the LNER As far as I am aware, the three light ground signal was actually first used in 1928 by Westinghouse on a job in Cape Town. They spread here in the 1930s, the LNER used them at Leeds c1937 but the Inspecting Officer was far from convinced by them and they received temporary approval for use for two years. The ones at Leeds had the later standard of a red and two whites at trap points and derailers but three white lights at other places. Manchester Victoria had miniature colour lights showing two or three aspects for siding signals. Calling on signals associated with main aspects had a miniature marker light and showed a miniature yellow or green for proceed. The Cheshire lines at Manchester Central (1935) used a miniature aspect with an S indication for shunt signals. This was also used by the GWR at the same time, Bristol IIRC, consisting of a miniature green with C, W or S indication. The list goes on and on but it's getting a bit late now. Eric

For that matter there are plenty of gaps in pre-WW2 wagons, coaches as well. We get mis-shapen LMS 12T box vans in blue boxes, generic 5-planks and tank wagons based on 1970s tooling, PO wagons in garish liveries. Except for the Coronation Scot set no LMS vestibule coaching stock since one example from Replica Railways about 30 years ago, a GWR restaurant car about 50 years old, ..........( add favoutire wagon or coach).....

@polybear Anne's latest Courgette Cake.

I didn't know Mick personally but have followed his work on here and other sources. He came across as one of those masters of his game who didn't need to be continually shouting "look at me, how brilliant I am". His work said that for him.

I missed this one last night in a quick read through. Anne makes courgette cake to deal with part of the surplus at this time of year. It is similar to the above but baked in two sponge tins then stuck together with home made lemon curd and topped with runny lime icing. Other variations include Courgette Chocolate Cake and Courgette Tea Bread which is served either buttered or lightly toasted and buttered.

I think the estimate for the rise in sea level if all glaciers and the polar ice caps melted is about 70 metres. That would leave Birmingham and Leeds as the largest sea ports in the UK. HS2 is obviously being built in the wrong place as it should start from Birmingham and head north through Walsall to Stoke on Trent and Bradford as these places will be the most important in Britain if the worst happens. Gorton would become the last resort, seaside that is.

Mixed weather in the Dark Peak today although more low cloud than rain at the altitude we got to. A bike ride to Holmfirth was taken. We used the electric ones as the ride from home and back requires two crossings of the Pennines via Holme Moss. I can do the 30 miles OK but the 4000 feet of ascents is a bit hard these days although in fine weather I can still manage Holmfirth via Woodhead which is slightly longer but only 3000 feet of climbs. Condolences to @jonny777. However old they are iy still nurts and you don't forget the times you had. Mom and Dad first met at the beginning of 1945 when he was on leave after service in Europe. They married in 1947 when he left the army. He had reached the age of 90 when he died then Mom gave up and went three weeks later. The bank were very helpful as my sister was already signatory to their accounts and they paid over the balance quite quickly. Fortunately Mom had been very thorough with keeping everything and there were about 40 years of papers all neatly filed so it was just a matter of going through to pick out what was still relevant. Sorting and disposing of everything in the flat was more of a problem but we found a local charity which took most of the unwanted furniture and other contents.

Fortunately I live on the 170 metre contour and the supermarket is at 140 metres. I doubt global warming will overtake us in my lifetime. When our son worked in York he had a flat near to the racecourse. His priority was to rent on the first floor rather than own anything that was at ground level.

M3870M was to Diagram 1898 built in 1934. There were several diagrams of 60ft CKs built in the 'Period 3' era. compartment layout was basically the same although all lots built after Diagram 1898 had the 3rd class compartments reduced from 6'6" to 6'3" with the toilets being increased in size. Pre-WW2 3829-3863 Diagram 1859 which had shallow window vents and torpedo roof vents. 3864-3898 Diagram 1898 with deep window vents and torpedo roof vents. 3899-3933 Diagram 1898 with deep window vents and shell roof vents. 3934-4113 Diagram 1925 Similar to Diagram 1898 but compartment size changes, see above 4114-4329 Diagram 1969 as Diagram 1925 but different toilet interior layout Post-WW2 there were more coaches to Diagram 2117 which were similar to Diagram 1969 but with two extra doors on the compartment side. These were followed by Diagram 2159 Porthole version which had a different body profile.

Apologies for having used this one before but my Pre-Order Decision Chart seems appropriate for some of the comments in this thread

There always seems to be a cyclic shortage of Bachmann couplings. Similarly if you want Bachmann or Hornby wheels. Due to the costs of production they probably order in batches of 100,000 or similar. These will then turn up in a big box and need to be sampled then packed and distributed. Once they're gone you won't see any more until they order and get another batch delivered. Having experienced this problem for many years I have a policy of buy some when I see them. 36-025 does seem to sell out quickly. Prices are also much higher than they used to be, some of the card labels on my storage boxes have price stickers showing that I paid around £3 for 10 NEM couplings complete with sockets.

And from what I've seen this season steer clear of U11 and U13 age groups unless you want to do a lot of report writing.

I was having trouble like that at work mainly from blow-ins at Railtrack. At a meeting one day when I had passed the point where I could take early retirement I told them that my assets were larger than my mortgage and so I was only there because I wanted to be. Much more of their rubbish and I would not be there any longer. A few weeks later one of them was being awkward again, wanting a meeting 100 miles away at three hours notice. My boss told him that if he wanted my assistance he had to request an audience with me and attend at the place and time appointed. As it happened we were waiting on answers to about a dozen questions from the said Railtrack gent so I called a meeting for 1pm on the Friday afternoon at Euston station, the agenda being our questions followed by what we did to the project program and delay penalty payable if no answers. Then we would discuss his request. My assistant did the minutes in real time and we had all answers down in writing in time to get the 3pm train home.

When I signed on with my present doctor I was invited to go for blood tests etc as I think I had only been to my old one once in the previous ten years. The nurse was going through the tests routine and said "Your blood pressure is a bit high". I said that I wasn't surprised, I had intended to go home for a shower and wind down after a morning meeting at work but instead had spent two hours stuck behind an accident on the motorway and only arrived at the surgery just in time for the appointment.

I haven't seen the Heljan railcar in the flesh yet so will reserve judgement on the glazing. I did have one on pre-order from the original announcement but cancelled when the price shot up. The originals did appear on the area where my modelling is based. There was a rapid shift across my time window from Flying Bananas through AEC railcars to Gloucester single cars. I had bought a Hornby version of the Lima model as potential donor so that may be upgraded for layout use. It came cheap as it was a poor runner in one direction. When I took it apart I found that the gears to one pair of wheels wouldn't mesh correctly so I took out a cog amd gound it worked perfectly on just one powered axle. Klear or similar will act as a self levelling coat. I've also used thinned cockpit glue run in round the edges of flushglazed windows with a fine brush to improve the look. Shops like Lendons of Cardiff sometimes have spare rtr valve gear sets. Eric

That takes me back to different world over 60 years ago. A group of six or more of us used to set off from Birmingham on a Sunday morning about once a month for a spotting trip. I was the youngest of the party at about 12 years old. I remember going to Manchester just after the electrics started working to Crewe. We travelled round the city by bus, that day managing to get round Trafford Park, Patricroft, Newton Heath, Gorton shed and works, Reddish, Longsight and Edgeley before catching the last train back. Other occasions we visited Liverpool, Cardiff and London before expanding our scope when the neighbour of one of the lads started a one man coach hire business. He was persuaded to take us round the country at times of the year when business was slack. Elfin Safety and security these days we probably wouldn't have got through the gates. Eric

All seems to be OK on phone today.

All problems seem to be with my android phone. OK on laptop and desktop PC.

On my phone if I tap the area where it should be the next posts will appear. Several more issues showing up at the moment to do with trying to qoute previous posts no details come up and trying to quote a section the 'Quote' button doesn't show correctly.

Great shot. One of the late Peter Shoesmith's negatives in Geoff's custody.