Recent content by paulkidger

My reaction was that it is a progression of the 'Two Rooms and a Bath' format for some articulated trams

Thanks. That clarifies it. Do you know if there is a protocol for firing up the engines; whether they have to be started in Stowmarket, just in case there is a starting problem, then run on idle until Haughley Junction.

Thanks for the replies. I've just been to Haughley Junction and spotted these boards about 100m south of the road crossing. I found more details in 'Keymodelworld' with examples on the GWR. I must admit the raise and lower signs are not exactly obvious in meaning...but I guess they received a...

I posted similar some time ago but things seem to have changed. The class 755 Greater Anglia trains from Ipswich to Cambridge or Peterborough change traction at Stowmarket station. However I have recently noted these trains with their pans up to the west of Stowmarket. This means that they will...

Using your reply as a route to a further question, Are Mercury Arc rectifiers still in use anywhere on the system? At one time I thought these outdated but the more I read about them, the more I can see their virtues.

Fortunately, the electrification project over-ran so steam prevailed during the time I was at Southampton in 1965/66.

Thanks again. My experience is in industry with electrical drives of up to 1000 kW driving items such as pumps, fans and compressors. To me the currents flowing in the DC lines are horendous. Likewise the motor duty seems incredible. To me anything over about 50 kW should be limited to 4 starts...

Thanks for that reply, especially the significance of the CRI. Yes I take on the difference between the short term and continuous ratings of the motors. Re the AC motored and electronically controlled units, I would imagine that they have some form of current rating for reasons of the long...

Thanks. When you think about it, with modern electronic motor controls, there is no need for the Series/Parallel option so I can see that this restriction is only valid for the older camshaft controlled stock and a 'Notch maximum' has taken its place. Thanks for the typical speeds. 60mph would...

I was watching the Youtube cab view of the Seaford to Brighton line and noted a restriction that line has a CLI of 8 and that trains with a CLI greater than 4 must keep to Series operation. Now, I can understand the restriction and the need to keep in Series, but how does the particular CLI...

Thanks Adrian. I have done some searching. The wagons were marked as VTG and by their new appearance may well have been unloaded at Felixstowe or Harwich. I have found an article which indicates that these new wagons do in fact have 'steering axles' as a way to reduce track forces and wear etc...

I was waiting at Haughley for a container train to make its painfully slow progress towards the junction after being stopped on the bank. I noticed several brand new and empty container flats. They seemed to have a link between the transverse body member (spring plank?) and each axle. Would they...

That would not surprise me as a way of getting more kw per amp as was the SR decision to uprate all those years ago. It also makes it convenient that 1 amp equals 1 hp. Then the SI system messes that up. There are cases where LU stock does run on Network Rail track at 750V with the centre rail...

Strangely, the same thing was said on the Friday evening's repeat.

In last night's programme, they were definite about the W&C being at 750 V as one of the differences it has over other LU lines. They also showed a few seconds of a view into the sub-station showing the transformers.