Recent content by billh

Thanks to all for explanations. I saw the shiny silver empties going back to Kent on Saturday, so it wasn't all virtual!

Can you please explain what this train (6A59) is about? Gaining and loosing "coaches" at Piccadilly and Stalybridge and running round there rather than say Guide Bridge East/Hyde Junction loop? Surely they haven't left "coaches" at Picc?

Seen yesterday , was the Dow Low to Ashburys aggregates train , diverted via Hazel Grove, Stockport and Denton instead of New Mills , Guide Bridge ,Ashburys. This had the train top and tailed with 66s presume because no easy run round at Ashburys as the train arrives there from the opposite...

It will be the class 92 being used as a test load bank in Avenue sidings making the wires glow :lol:

Looking at the picture of 450 037 I can see a serious dent in the roof just forward of the displaced access grill. Consistant with a tree trunk on the roof and a branch causing the front damage?

We could do with one at Denton, waiting a week in the rain for a train isn't great :lol:

My similar thread back in 1917 refers: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/bells-on-stations-question.142280/

You well know there's only 26020. However, a couple of EM2s are still about , just fit a transformer /SMPS where the train heat boiler was and a modern rectifier and there you go.:lol:

Yes, I wondered about that. Some of the Drax empties come that way, back to Liverpool but I can't think of anything else regular, east to west.

Does the making live mean that the leccy for Piccadilly to Guide Bridge will be on a sort of "ring main" ie supplied from two sources, the great extension lead and whatever the original feed was ? Also , would more power be available up to Hadfield? (thinks 87 and a few coaches.....) :D

Very interesting. But 5 diesel engines in one loco and a hugely complex gearbox? Was it this combination that caused no further locos to be built or was it BRs mindset to just go with diesel electric?Why was it considered better than D/E? With electric traction motors the starting from rest...

Thanks for that info. Just seemed a bit odd to use diesel under the wires with two probably sound electrics shut down.

Spotted an interesting combination in Manchester on Tuesday. I think it was 4L90 Trafford Park to Felixstowe , headed by a 66 but with 2x 90s dead in tow. I don't often see these trains so was the loco combination something unusual and if so , for what reason?

Dukinfield Dog Lane Station for passenger boats to Marple and Macclesfield. There was a hotel near the much later Marple Wharf Junction for rest and recuperation for the journey :D

I'm sure I saw GW 4-6-0s on the Kingswear branch in 1963/4, in between Warship diesels. Had holidays staying with relatives who lived there with views across the river to the railway.IIRC some diesels were double headed.