Recent content by david_g

From my experience growing up in the Colne Valley in the 60s & 70s, although there were firms specialising in dyeing & bleaching, spinning, finishing etc. most mills were capable of going from raw wool to finished product. In the raw wool end there were signs up everywhere warning of the risk of...

According to "The Permanent Way in Miniature - Prototype Considerations" by Derek Genzel which is on the Scalefour Society website the "desirable" clearance from railhead to overline structure was 15'0". Derek was a member of the Permanent Way Institute so presumably knows his stuff, the...

Good to see The Woodman still standing in that fly through. Just hope it can reopen one day.

New Street used to have a road, Queen's Drive, down the middle between the Midland and North Western sides. https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwrbns_str1867.htm

Anyone who thinks the route of HS2 looks like farmland should come to Warwickshire and take a tour around the route. A massive amount of earthmoving has taken place. We've suffered 8 years of disruption, roads closed at the drop of hat and you propose spaffing that away? Just build the thing.

I was at Chamartin in Madrid back in April trying to get the 17.45 to Bilbao when they lost power to the OHLE on the high speed side at 5pm. This was a Friday at the beginning of Holy Week with lots of students and others heading home for an Easter break. Fortunately my son and I had got...

Staying in South Wales, the three Taff Vale tanks 193(GW792)194(793) & 195(794) built to work the Pwllyrhebog incline which just made it into the fifties. Inclined boilers and able to be cable assisted up & down the incline. The incline closed in 1951.

I was in Bilbao in April for a football match and spent a very pleasant day catching the Euskotren out to Bermeo - a Sunday so only(!) an hourly service. Well worth the ride for a pleasant lunch at a harbourside bar and drop back a train or two on the return for a look round Gernika. Super...

There is (or maybe was if the plans have changed) a short 4 track section where the maintenance loops are at Wormleighton

Indeed. I’ve ridden in an ex-Metropolitan Railway coach one way and the LYR club coach the other today and the VCT have made a rather nice job of restoring both. The whole set with the Coal Tank on the front was a real treat.

And don't forget that as a fireman you have another tool at your disposal to alter the steaming rate - the blower. A decent blower will have a big effect on the draught through the fire, particularly when the engine isn't working hard.

Lorries. Lots of them. There would be a couple parked up in lay-by on the Southam bypass overnight pretty much every time I drove past.

One issue with "the most valuable game in world football" is the kick off time. Sky want it going out in prime teatime slot and they call the shots with the EFL. With ET, pens, joining in with the post match celebrations a 4.45 kick off turns into post 8pm leaving the ground. Getting out and to...

I was on the 10.58 stopper to Huddersfield. After departing Piccadilly the guard announced we would be ten minutes late into Stalybridge as we were goiung "the long way round". Interest piqued, I was rather hoping we would go as far as Ashburys and then reverse via Baguley Fold Junction for some...

My railway (the Welshpool & Llanfair) is currently using coal from Ffos-y-fran. Prior to the supply interruption last year we were also using coal from Ffos-y-fran; in the interregnum we tried several substitutes, a couple of unmentionables and eventually settled on Wildfire. Wildfire was...