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No, we cannot. Those curves are perfectly ok for a small standard gauge loco. There were many industrial locations in this country that had similar curves and a small wheelbase SG loco. The OS map would show any parallel lines if there were any and the connection into the sidings is pretty...

You need to tell him to look at IRS Bulletin 26/14 - the Book 7 amendment entry for Great Harwood (Std 4wBE ScR by /53) is there on that page between the entry for RH 244580 (NCB) and RH 313392 (NWGB).

EE 1378 is the preserved loco at Manchester and came from Kearsley P.S. iirc. It was originally built for service in South Wales (Trefforest) and that is where it got the GW PO plate. It went from South Wales to Kearsley. EE built their engines from this period mainly at the former Dick Kerr...

The works staff and many at M&EE depots were in the engineering craft unions, particularly the skilled (Cat 4) staff. The AUEW were big for fitters, the EEPTU for electricians and plumbers (their unions merged in 1968) and the Boilermakers for smiths and welders. They all negotiated with BR...

You are right about the first picture being Wotton Tramway - it is a fairly distinctive combination. Very nice clean picture. The second one looked like Wotton GCR to me when I first viewed it. I have driven past this spot and with the picture he has posted, 30907 confirmed my hazy memories of...

By the Government/Devolved Administrations deciding what to fund, in line with their usual funding procedures. Enhancements are not done through the ORR Periodic Review process anymore.

The process you describe had been going on long before Beeching, as British Industry struggled in the post war competitive environment in international trade. Engineering was but one problem area and our domestic producers were starting to struggle against corporate giants from elsewhere, hence...

800026 arrived back at North Pole on Friday. It requires exams and should be back in traffic by the end of next month.

At one time, the 165 fleet was destined to operate all remaining NSE DMU operations, even the Sudbury and Bedford-Bletchley but that idea was being cut back before the 1990 Railplan process started. The original idea was that the NSE 165 fleet would be maintained at both Aylesbury and Reading...

No, the 171 sets were just for the SW. Marylebone-Birmingham and Paddington-Worcester were not NSE routes in their entirety and so the 165 and 166 sets would suffice for then planned workings out of Marylebone and Paddington. The 165 and 166 fleet was going to larger too. The 471 fleet was...

Actually the original plan was to have the cl.171 units all in service by May 1992. 60 vehicles were supposed to be delivered by March 1992 and all 78 should have been delivered by May 1992. When the 1990 Railplan process started, that was still the plan. Wessex were also going to have 6...

I remember Ada! She also typed up a large part (if not all) of East Coast Pacifics at work, iirc. If she was in, there was only one route to Room 117 - through her! The door to the secretary’s office was right opposite 117 and she placed herself in prime position to watch over it. When she...

The ISBN for the second edition is 9780711018273. It is called “Top Shed: A Pictorial History of Kings Cross Locomotive Depot” The ISBN for the first edition is 9780711006485.

I worked in the Technical Office (Room 208) at G.N.House between 1978 and 1980, dealing with shopping and availability. One of my first jobs of the day was to make sure the stop and casualty sheets were on his desk in Room 117 well before he got in! My last siting of him at Finsbury Park was on...

The idea was to eliminate steam working south of Hitchin in its entirety, although it didn’t quite work like that. But steam working was largely eliminated, with only a small fraction of pre June 16th steam activity now remaining. Some days would see hardly anything, if at all. I have now found...

Looking through the old IRS newsletters, the battery loco (no maker or build date stated) was reported as scrapped c/1953. The IRS don’t list a predecessor. The pre 1923 layout doesn’t look that extensive - it could well have been shunted by an L&Y engine with maybe a horse doing any internal...

NSE were going to build the end door version of the Turbos for the W of E - the 171 units and it was the 1990 BR financial crisis that saw an end to that idea. The 159 project replaced them in the Railplan. I don’t think NSE ever seriously considered HST sets.

I think Top Shed was left wholly intact until disconnection. What a visiting loco would have needed was just turning, coal, water and lub oil. So the coaling side would have been in demand but I don’t know whether they could still use the back pits for water or had to seek it from a water crane...

Because they had static steam boilers fitted at Hornsey and Holloway (and KX Stn) in 1963.

The site of Top Shed was earmarked for a freightliner terminal from quite early on and following the demolition and clearance, the liner terminal was built. The first cranes used there were built in 1966. So I think it was a case of getting on with it in 1964. I have a copy of the 1963 local...