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Southern designed (not necessarily Southern built) wooden bodied CCT's were kicking about in regular service until at least the late '80's. I saw GWR design syphon G's in the late 70's. Edit - Having read the post more thoroughly - at least two Thompson RB's got blue and grey and were used on...

The bottom line is that in the UK we simply don't have the infrastructure or capacity to run big trains. The tractive effort available is largely irrelevant - a 66 or 70 could handle trains twice as long as they do here based on their US and Australian counterparts, but there would be a...

Scooped kettle 76084 on Sunday (19th) 49395 maintained its 100% record of failing every time I got near it, and I reckon it's chips for that one.

To add a bit - 50xxx cars were powered, 56xxx were unpowered driving cars. The anomaly was spotted after all the Deltics had gone so 121/122 single cars retained 55xxx, but to add to the confusion non drive trailers were 59xxx but kept their numbers after the 59's arrived. I don't recall...

Thank you - that perhaps explains a little bit. I'd assumed that Eric Lomax must be dead as the book was published in 1995. I'm not sure I want to see the film - I described the book as horrifying but it's also extremely moving. I read a lot and it's probably one of the greatest books I've...

The book is one of the most horrifying I've ever read. I very much doubt that it could be translated. Rather a strange adaptation as the book is now the best part of 20 years old and wasn't really a big seller at the time. It obviously struck a chord with someone other than me though.

710's are a North American lump and over there they are very rarely shut down - they're designed to idle quietly. Anyone who has done a long distance Amtrak or Via train will confirm that you can fuel and service whilst the loco is idling - it's common practise. On US/Canadian transcontinental...

Yes - at the time Watkin had a controlling interest in the SECR and a large holding in the Met.

Probably because most people - including me I suppose - think of Woodhead as an LNER project and forget it's pre-grouping history. To answer the question in the Woodhead context - I don't think we need it now, I can't forsee a traffic flow in the immediate future which would demand that...

Edward Watkin felt that the Great Central could serve as the English spine of a pan-European system. His concepts were rather ahead of both technology and revenue at the time. Watkin's attempt to build a taller version of the Eiffel Tower at Wembley was a vanity project - it only got to the...

Now I am jelous - I didn't even know that one existed (Would have depended on me spotting it on the Railway Magazine in pre- internet days - and my parents being in a position to advance my pocket money as well !). Did do a couple of good SEG ones in the glory days though. The Green Goddess...

I've only just noticed this thread and it might inspire me to be a little more accurate in 2014. 2013 New loco - 1. This was a kettle, 30065, at Embsay New unit - 17, and I don't know what they were. New Miles - 8 - Metrolink extensions New LRT - 36 - all M5000's. I've too much to do...

Rejecting 87101 at least twice, on the assumption that it would roll up again. The first time was for a following control relief which we knew was a roarer, and was dud for me but it was a roarer. 85014 I think. The second time was to meet up with some mates at Preston - this, young-un's -...

Corkerhill? And, depending upon how you define a DMU, Craigentinny.

Top one is, I'd agree, Dundee. The one with the Black 5 in is the former Manchester London Road - now Piccadilly. The loco and train are on what is now platform 10.

The big island platform (5-8) usually has spotters on the west end of it so presumably you'll be tolerated. I'd imagine that with binoculars you'd be able to spot the locos on Whitehall cord from there as well.

I used to deal on a professional basis with a guy who worked in a senior position for the former First Centrewest operation in West London and commuted there daily from Birmingham. I think we vaguely recognised each other from days of old anyway although neither of us was going to broach the...

Many thanks for the 142 gen, Erniescooper. Looking at the weather I decided that discretion is the better part of valour, however. They've eluded me for 28 years so a little longer isn't going to hurt...

Could anyone tell me where the Northern lottery machine has put 142003 and 014 over the hols and what they're up to tomorrow, Friday 27th? I've got a very rare day off so I quite fancy dealing with one or both of them if possible, extreme weather event permitting.

The middle cars on the AM4s were removed on the pretext of security and performance. I suspect it was more a question of releasing bogies. If anyone on here remembers Dong, and can find him - he'd tell you. A solid fixture in the MBS of 034, usually silent but if you got him talking he...