Author Topic: Trainspotters. Why?  (Read 90764 times)

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #350 on: 03 March, 2021, 09:46:51 pm »
List of third-rail systems here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rail_transport_systems_using_third_rail
Lots of them but apart from a couple of lines in France, maybe one in Italy, and some in Japan and USA, they're all metro or urban – apart from the UK!
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GdS

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #351 on: 03 March, 2021, 10:00:44 pm »

2. OO gauge scale uses HO track, which is why trains look a bit wrong from the front.

There's no such thing as OO gauge apart from 18.83mm track which is pretty rare

GdS

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #352 on: 03 March, 2021, 10:17:54 pm »
But didn't the Eurostars initially run on third rail north of the Tunnel (due to Great British Planning, of course)?

more to do with the fact that HS1 didn't exist

Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #353 on: 03 March, 2021, 10:26:28 pm »
are you sure about that? don't think HS1 and stations like Ashford International were built to Berne Gauge* but IMBW

Eurostar doesn't call at any stations or platforms that weren't purpose built. I don't think much of Ashford (Kent) survived.

Quote
more to do with the fact that HS1 didn't exist

But LGV Nord did!

GdS

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #354 on: 03 March, 2021, 10:46:04 pm »
are you sure about that? don't think HS1 and stations like Ashford International were built to Berne Gauge* but IMBW

Eurostar doesn't call at any stations or platforms that weren't purpose built. I don't think much of Ashford (Kent) survived.

Quote
more to do with the fact that HS1 didn't exist

But LGV Nord did!

you are right about the 374s  :)

The Channel Tunnel was built with private finance, BR had no direct part in its construction. Not British Planning but a reluctance by the UK government at the time. Also LGV Nord was built to service Northern France and Belgium / Netherlands which is why it doesn't head straight for Coquelles, the bit towards the tunnel was added later. IIRC France offered to build the whole of HS1 but were rebuffed by the Maggon

Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #355 on: 04 March, 2021, 03:11:06 am »
The Thames Tunnel is 20’ high in the middle while the usual clearance under the overhead wires in the Channel Tunnel is 20’8”, so the answer is probably “not without some reëngineering”.
Having said that.. is this not exactly what was done at Glasgow Queen Street? They dug out the floor of the tunnel into the station to make room for the overhead wires

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-36978943

Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #356 on: 04 March, 2021, 03:13:30 am »
But didn't the Eurostars initially run on third rail north of the Tunnel (due to Great British Planning, of course)? In which case the answer is, "Yes but only if there's third-rail electrification."
Yes. I remember taking the Eurostar from Waterloo and trundling through the back gardens of Balham. Quite a contrast with the speeds across northern France. There must have been some impressive engineering to swap between third rail low voltage/high current and overhead high voltage wires.

GdS

  • I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass
Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #357 on: 04 March, 2021, 07:03:14 am »
But didn't the Eurostars initially run on third rail north of the Tunnel (due to Great British Planning, of course)? In which case the answer is, "Yes but only if there's third-rail electrification."
Yes. I remember taking the Eurostar from Waterloo and trundling through the back gardens of Balham. Quite a contrast with the speeds across northern France. There must have been some impressive engineering to swap between third rail low voltage/high current and overhead high voltage wires.

I think there was just a section around Dollands Moor freight terminal that had both types of electrification. A similar thing existed near White City so the Eurostar trains could go up to the 25kv wired Old Oak depot for servicing and is still used by the London Overground trains which operate on both systems, this is now done on the move whereas the previous class 313s had to stop like at Drayton Park on the Moorgate branch

The only time I went on a SNCF TGV in 1983 it did quite a lot of trundling out of Paris until it reached the LGV

Jaded

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #358 on: 04 March, 2021, 08:59:21 am »
The Thames Tunnel is 20’ high in the middle while the usual clearance under the overhead wires in the Channel Tunnel is 20’8”, so the answer is probably “not without some reëngineering”.
Having said that.. is this not exactly what was done at Glasgow Queen Street? They dug out the floor of the tunnel into the station to make room for the overhead wires

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-36978943

They did that elsewhere too. Notably Penmanshiel, which collapsed, killing two workers. Although it may have collapsed anyway. I remember the aftermath well, as i was going to Northumberland from Edinburgh for a weekend, and had to cycle instead of train/cycle. Into a howling gale coming off the North Sea. Coming back was great though, Berwick to Edinburgh in three hours.
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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #359 on: 04 March, 2021, 09:56:36 am »
But didn't the Eurostars initially run on third rail north of the Tunnel (due to Great British Planning, of course)?

more to do with the fact that HS1 didn't exist
Precisely. Britain hadn't built its end of the high-speed rail link although France had completed theirs.
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Wowbagger

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #360 on: 04 March, 2021, 10:58:24 am »
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/04/cat-on-a-fast-train-roof-holds-up-london-to-manchester-service

It's a shame that, on World Book Day, the Graun's staff were unable to summon the erudition to make the link to Skimbleshanks.
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rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #361 on: 04 March, 2021, 11:11:55 am »
I IZ PWNING UR TRAIN AND FUX0RING UR PUNKTUWALITY FIGS LOLZ
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #362 on: 05 March, 2021, 12:02:45 pm »
'Gricers' are not train spotters - they aim to travel over every track segment possible.
RailoViewer.
 :D
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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #363 on: 06 March, 2021, 06:35:36 pm »
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/04/cat-on-a-fast-train-roof-holds-up-london-to-manchester-service

It's a shame that, on World Book Day, the Graun's staff were unable to summon the erudition to make the link to Skimbleshanks.
Blooming cats joining XR protesting against public transport. You'd think that moggies would be more anti-road traffic or is it that you don't hear about those ???

cygnet

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #364 on: 06 March, 2021, 09:16:51 pm »
Yes the moggies don't complain about road traffic, because the ones it affects are dead, and the others can't make the connection.
(Little sore point, two of my nextdoor neighbours cats/kits have died from motor vehicle collision in the past 6 months)
I Said, I've Got A Big Stick

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #365 on: 11 March, 2021, 08:10:25 pm »
Here's one for pub quiz fans: what was the most numerous UK steam locomotive?  Clue: it's not the one you think it is, by quite a margin.

The most numerous locomotive of ANY type is, boringly, the Class 08 diesel shunter (996 made).
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #366 on: 11 March, 2021, 09:58:48 pm »
Can't be arsed to look it up, but something like the Black 5, War Dept 2-8-0 or some little shunter.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #367 on: 11 March, 2021, 09:59:05 pm »
Thomas the Tank Engine?
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rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #368 on: 12 March, 2021, 06:29:35 am »
LNWR DX Goods.  Some lasted until 1930, which is remarkable given that they look distinctly Victorian.  101 more than the Black Five.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #369 on: 12 March, 2021, 08:39:57 am »
Ah. My money was on the steam locomotive of the Merioneth and Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited.
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GdS

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #370 on: 19 March, 2021, 09:32:37 am »
Does EM gauge track still exist? (Wider than OO so it's true to 4mm scale)

There are certainly a lot of EM layouts and officianados and I think Peco make the track. converting OO stock to EM usually involves more than just pulling the wheels out.

Having initially started with Continental HO I like OO, Ok it's out of synch with the rest of the world (although works out at about the same size due to our smaller loading gauge also IIRC US HO is not true 1/87 either) but an entire UK cottage industry has sprung up to support the scale (buildings vehicles people signals etc etc) my favourite building is a Pola (German but OO!) model of the fantastic Italianate Mortimer station on the Reading-Basingstoke line.

Lima and Fleischmann did dip their toes into HO British outline in the late 70s. The Lima stuff is now going for a song on eBay I imagine the Fleischmann is worth £££££££s now

woollypigs

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #371 on: 03 May, 2021, 10:06:06 am »
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #372 on: 03 May, 2021, 10:18:14 am »
This one seems to feature Wowbagger doing a Clangers impersonation, back in his hippy youth in California.
https://twitter.com/bobby/status/1387907657810550784
No trains mind.
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TheLurker

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #373 on: 06 June, 2021, 01:06:13 pm »
Quote from: ScumOfTheRoad
Yes. I remember taking the Eurostar from Waterloo and trundling through the back gardens of Balham. ...
"Bal Ham, gateway to the south...."  :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RTWk9QIKS0

Utterly pointless ...

https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/ben-alder-to-be-first-steam-locomotive-built-in-scotland-for-60-years-3261440

... but I don't care.  Thrice Huzzah! for men in sheds!
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Pingu

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Re: Trainspotters. Why?
« Reply #374 on: 06 June, 2021, 01:09:30 pm »

...Utterly pointless ...

https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/ben-alder-to-be-first-steam-locomotive-built-in-scotland-for-60-years-3261440

... but I don't care.  Thrice Huzzah! for men in sheds!

Is that going to run on branch lines?