TheSignalEngineer

I read a lot of comments earlier about slow speed performance so after running in my DC version for a couple of hours forward, reverse, clockwise, anticlockwise at various speeds I decided to try a test. There's not much straight on my layout so I started it gently which it did very smoothly then let it trundle round. It did the circuit at an average scale speed of 12 mph slowing slightly on the tightest of the curves. The only real straight bit I have is about 3' in the middle of the fiddle yard so I restarted it very gently at the end of that. It covered the three feet in in 75 seconds without hesitation which is less that scale walking pace. The layout runs on DC using a Gaugemaster D controller. No feedback or fancy gismos as I am a complete dinosaur as far as control systems is concerned.

Mine has been taking ten coaches on the 8' x 8' roundy without any hesitation, although it is a work of homage to the Flat Earth Society.

Solenoid under the baseboard with operating rod inside the post? Probably a lazy job. Didn't want to take the head off to renew the cable through the post. All LMS standard cupboards. Two nearest the signal are main cable terminations. The third one would have the operating relays and batteries for the signal. Note that the signal is oil lit. Ones on mains electricity were usually lit by an internal 12 volt or 110 volt lamp and have a solid convex back cover.

The Sykes banner signal which is solenoid operated was patented c1909.

Wolverhampton Works see https://shedbashuk.blogspot.com/2014/11/wolverhampton-works-1955-1963.html?m=1 For Worcester see this topic and the link in it

The Dapol Mogul in lined green early crest moved to Tyseley in the 1960s. Although most of the pictures at that time appear to show it in Unlined Grot/ No Crest there is one in 1964 where the lining is definitely visible on one corner of the cab side. I think there are at least a copule on the Colour Rail site in plain black and late crest.

I don't need a 15xx, on the other hand ay least 3 got to Stafford Road Works and one was snaffled to work a passenger train from Wolverhampton and was photographed at Worcester on a train for Leamington via Stratford.

Today we have a lot of reliance on technology. It is only as good as the knowledge level of those specifying it and writing the algorithm for the computer to analyse the collected data. In the period from 1966 to 1996 I spent a lot of time on-track and riding on trains, both passenger and freight. I could spot many potential faults in points and track circuits just by watching how the track behaved and sounded as a train passed over it. Do any of the algorithms know how to pick up the noise of a loose stretcher bolt or track fastening as a train goes through? With the accent on not having people on track with trains running and loss of local knowledge due to fragmentation and outsourcing that sort of experience has largely disappeared from the industry.

I've just checked it out on the DVD. The second signal is brand new. It looks like a silver post, the WR had recently taken over, and not lit.

Looks like there is a renewal of one of the Vigo IB signals in progress. Will look at the original film to see if it is anything else.

I can remember that happening on some LMR four track sections when there was a possession of two tracks. If work on one line was being supplied from the adjacent one and it was not possible to get the engineering trains in say from the north and out at the south they would draw up and be stacked beyond the worksite when finished with. A loco would then come in and pull the last train back to the start point with the loco that took the train in then going to pull the next out and so on until you just had a loco left.

Regarding special workings at that time Tyseley sets usually gangwayed were kept at New Street to act as the Control Instructions set to cover for failures. One day in week commencing 16th April 1984 we were going from New Street to York and the HST failed en route to Birmingham. Control hastily organised a set and crew so TS606 set off 20 minutes later towards Derby. There we attached to a Class 120 set waiting for us in the platform and continued through to York. The train managed to maintain the point to point timings as the schedule was fairly leisurely and the DMUs had a much better speed pick-up from stops and speed restrictions than the booked HST.

It just came to take Darth Vader home.

I've just remembered that a packet posted in Bolton on Thursday and expected here by Saturday hasn't arrived yet. Last item I had from there took nearly a week having gone via Preston and Warrington to get about 25 miles in an east-southeast direction.

My parcel seems to have overtaken yours at Bristol, got straight to the pseudo-Manchester depot by 1334 on Sunday and our local office at 0538 this morning. Was delivered before sunrise. I sent an International Signed For item at the start of the year. It got to Heathrow in one day then was scanned there another three times in ten days before going off the radar. After a further week I contacted RM and told them I wanted to start a claim and how did I go about it. The next day it miraculously reappeared at Heathrow and was then scanned a few hours later in Dublin. A Grand Tour of The Republic and two days later it reached a remote cottage in the Disputed Lands in the northwest of the island. At least they have started a postcode system over there now. Prior to that it was Name of person, name of Townland, Post Town, County then Postman Padraig (I jest not, his real name) would pop out in the van to drop it off. For general post anything up to 16:00 is quite common for us. Things that don't fit in the shoulder bag, especially if tracked, are often brought out in the van before breakfast.

A good summary Mike. Very much in line with my experience of attending Planning Meetings 30-odd years ago. On the LMR. Regarding messing, on the S&T most of our staff were using the vans they used to get to site, for major works where a lot of staff were being imported by car or train and staying over I had acquired all the necessary kit to fit out a gang bus as a mobile tea room and First Aid post to be parked on site over the weekend. On one winter occasion where I had a lot of staff working in one place on a very intensive schedule I arranged for a local burger van to come to the site at a particular time during the shift to serve hot snacks and drinks. On such occasions my car always carried a hot water dispenser and supplies. The boss turning up to visit a team working at a remote location carrying hot water and a selection of tea, coffee, hot chocolate and soup always seemed to go down well, especially when I 'accidentally' forgot to pick up a tube or two of drinks.

More top service from Dan and the team. I had the same email then on Friday had a voicemail to say it was there. Called back and Dan asked if I wanted it checked over before sending. This is useful if you aren't going to just keep it in the unopened box and hope to sell at a profit in ten years time. He previously found a faulty motor in a one-off sale item I ordered, instead of telling me it was out of stock he arranged a replacement from the manufacturer. I arranged payment on Saturday morning and the parcel arrived at my house at 0745 on Monday.

Contingency planning is always one of the first casualties when the accountants get to run things rather than practical people. The UK Pandemic Plan was scrapped by the government in fairly recent times which led to the shortage of PPE earlier in the year as the stock had not been properly managed, allowed to go out of date instead of a proper rotation and not been replaced to a level to cover maximum demand. Without getting into politics the Tier levels seem to be based not on the case rates but what sort of a F-up has been made in the management of hospital provision around the country. Many parts of our area have a case rate around 100 per 100000, some as low as 45 and decreasing daily yet we are in Tier 3. We don't have any proper hospitals of our own any longer and have to rely on failing NHS Trusts in high density population areas thus get lumped in with them.

In the 1955 Locoshed Book Large Prairie 6103 and Moguls 6301, 6322, 6385, 6397 and 7316 were at Exeter. Taunton had several Large Prairies and about 10 Moguls, whilst Newton Abbot had nine Large Prairies. I have ignored the Moguls earlier of later than the Dapol version.

Wandering back to Hall Green, before the factory in Cateswell Road next to the goods yard was bought by the makers of the Velocette it was previously owned by a partnership Humphries and Dawes who made cycles and motorcycles under the OK brand name. Factory Messenger Walter Handley set the fastest lap at the first Lightweight TT race in 1922. This picture of their products appeared in the GWR Magazine in 1925. https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrhg1786.htm Shortly after the picture the partnership split up with Charles F Dawes forming Dawes Cycles and Ernie Humphries forming OK-Supreme to build motorcycles mostly using JAP engines. The bike was good enough to win the Lightweight event at the 1928 TT using a modified JAP engine. OK bikes also finished 4th, 5th and 6th that year. Production ceased around the start of WW2

Most branches of our family have a few English-born people in America. The English Diaspora largely took place before the War of Independence, including a large group from one branch of my family who got on the wrong side of the English State in the 1740s. These people were the Founding Fathers of the USA, a lot of the rest were aftercomers.

I managed to have a conversation about coaching stock among other things several years ago when he was manning the Hornby stand at an exhibition. We talked about gaps I thought there were in the RTR market which in my view included catering vehicles and Open stock from the big four era The LMS in particular had hundreds of them some of which lasted forty years and four liveries. He said to watch this space, a few months later the SR Maunsell diner was announced. Finally we have some LMS vehicles coming which could form the basis of a spin-off to their opens and dining stock from the 1930s almost to the end of steam.

Here's an old picture of my great aunt on a bike which was according to my mother owned by one of her boyfriekds. She thought it was taken about 1938/9. I think the bike may be an Ariel Red Hunter and I am looking to get a few more details for the album. It looks as if it has twin exhausts but I thought these were single cylinder so possibly twin ports? Any help welcome.

You'll find as many experts and opinions as you need on here. All subjects and interests catered for.

Some of the early EP photos showed the conventional roof vents without the cowling so here's hoping for a D1904 open third.