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I took a trip to Cleethorpes today with my lad. Out bound via the Northern Rail Gainsborough route and return via the usual TPE Doncaster one. I was quite looking forward to travelling via Gainsborough as it is not a route I have done too often, but in the event it was a bit of a let down. Why ...

I believe a class 309 Clacton EMU has a total quoted power of about 1120hp per 4 car set but can (could) comfortably do 100mph. Elec locos usually quote both peak and continuous power with the latter being the default level, e.g. a class 86/2 would be 4040hp continuous and 6100hp maximum (is...

I am sure we are all sick to death of roadworks, temporary traffic lights, and, worst of all, road closures. Temporary lights are a bane of motorists' lives, particularly the modern proliferation of multi way lights which take forever to change. And why do they often have lights for roadworks...

As I may have mentioned elsewhere I have a Dapol A4 which is persistently derailing and has very poor traction. Removing the front bogie rectifies both faults but I have a total of three bogies (I bought a spare from DCC, and the third is a slightly different one they sent me in error) and...

I found out today that I was unable to buy a ticket on the train from Chapeltown using our Family Railcard. The guard told me there may not be a ticket office but there is a ticket machine so I must buy my ticket before boarding, or at least get a "permit to travel" and then buy my ticket on the...

My N gauge Farish class 101 wasn't the best over isolated points and track imperfections and I remember reading somewhere that a guy soldered jumper wires in to improve it. I was never convinced by the current collection wipers and checking with a meter on my Class 101 it seemed it was the...

As I was running my A4 on my N gauge layout amongst my BR blue fleet I was trying to work out how realistic that was. After all, it could have been an excursion ! But when was the first A4 allowed mainline after the steam ban ended ? i.e. would it have run with BR Blue locos (incl a Deltic) ...

On my N gauge layout my diesels run well, de-railing wise, but steam engines tend to be less reliable (particularly front bogie de-railing) and a Dapol A4 I have just bought is especially poor. I have been doing a bit of research and it seems advisable to buy a "track gauge" (roller type ? ) and...

Am I just unlucky ? N gauge Locos/ DMUs bought off E Bay : Farish Black 5 - OK Farish Class 25 - Clicking and int stopped altogether (drive gears) Grafar Hall - OK Farish Deltic - OK Farish Western - OK Farish Class 101 DMU #1 - Clicking and int stopped altogether (drive gears) Farish Class 101...

Just a reminder, the fabulous O gauge Gainsborough Model Railway is now open as normal. http://gainsboroughmodelrailway.co.uk/

Does anyone know where I can buy ultra thin / flexible wire ? Just a few metres. I have tried buying on E Bay and end up with stuff that's too thick ! It's for wiring up extra current collection connections on a loco / DMU, so must be thin and flexible.

Am I just unlucky ? I have bought five Grafar-Farish N gauge locos/DMUs off E Bay and three had cracked gears, that's 60% ! Both the DMUs I purchased had (I think) cracked gears, that's 100% of them ! I think they were Grafar types (Poole built but plastic cogs ? ). One only moved about 6" then...

The Railway Magazine reports that "approval from the Secretary of State for Transport will allow Network Rail to close or modify 37 crossings in Essex, Hertfordshire and the London Borough of Havering. Where a crossing is closed users will be diverted to a suitable alternative route". How far...

I was waiting for a train on Platform 14 Manchester Piccadilly today. A container train stopped in the platform and I was looking at its brake rigging, just out of interest, as you do. Next thing some railway employee was shouting at me to "step back behind the red line". I must admit that...

We went to the Midland Railway Centre last week and in terms of the number of visitors there it was a bit of a depressing experience. What is not helping numbers is the MRC seem to be working even harder to put people off using the Swanwick entrance and the footpath from Butterley is now...

When buying N gauge locos how can you tell how many axles are electrical pick up ? Is there a time period after which this is the case ? I am bidding on a Graham Farish Black 5 on E bay, it seems to have pick up from the drive wheels and the tender as there appears to be wires from the latter to...

Non DCC ! Am I right that an Insulfrog point can be used to isolate a section of track and "park" a loco (whilst a different one is operated), whereas an Electrofrog point lets current through on the unswitched line ? If so is there way of converting Electrofrog points to Insulfrog ? And vice...

Am I missing something here..... My son persuaded me to buy a footbridge for our N gauge layout when we were in Rails : A Gaugemaster GMKD38. I can remember when I built Airfix kits years ago and they had minute pegs which fitted into small holes which ensured the parts were in exactly the...

I have some N gauge rolling stock with broken couplers and wondered how I can repair them ? I bought some replacement Farish couplers (these) which come with springs but they do not appear to fit my Graham Farish waggons : I also have a GWR Pannier Tank (possibly Grafar but it does not say on...

I have been doing a bit of research on Edinburgh to Glasgow times since dieselisation, but cannot find a TT for the 1960 to 1971 (Class 126 DMUs), can anyone fill in the blank ? And/or check my stats ? 1958 to 1972 - Class 126 DMUs (2 power cars to one trailer, 1200hp) - 70mph max - fastest...