I run all UK locos and rolling stock on US made HO track/switches with only a few PECO points - O'k.

To cover what everyone is saying I will give the term of the time.

CARPET BOMBING

The RAF's Bomber Harris was a hated man for introducing it over German Cities. Coventry was their reprisal.

Vinny: "When you have done learned that my son, you will be a Scratch Builder!"

When the regularly scheduled services of the Inter-City 125 services were introduced it was always said that derailments would follow the rails, because of the fears of sheer force directing a train down "Main Street". In general derailments have been kept to the environs of the railway embankments. In this accident the front loco was flipped in the wrong direction.

A lot of research has gone into wheel profile at high speeds, whereby the flange rarely ever hits the inside of the rail, and where there are signs, the rail itself is generally to fault.

It was the West Coast line, and maybe cross winds did have an effect: however telltale signs are there with missing chair bolts and bad maintenance about the points.

This general area was only recently upgraded from 125 to rail speeds of 135mph.

Privatization of rail maintenace was see as a contributory factor to the Potters Bar Accident, when as part of the Commissions Recomendations, all rail maintenance was taken back into a goverment "Corporation".

Pre-War TRIX out of a shop window display on Christmas Eve 1947 with two 0-4-0 locos LMS & LNER; such were the shortages. It was printed tinplate on Bakelite base track. The back of the track was printed ex-food cans.

The V1's with ramjets and later the A2's (V2) "donkydrop" missiles came on the heels of previous conventional German bombing raids directed at industrial targets.

The British had a system of intersecting radio beams used for triangular navigation to their targets. This was said to be more accurate in the night time RAF bombing runs than the daylight raids of the Americans.

A family friend of ours in New York in the early 50's was suing the US government for patent jumping his pentode valve necessary for radar sets. The UK was able to jump patents for the war effort, but not the US.

This is a report of the incident last night.

Try the fontpage too for other links.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6391743.stm

Matt : The drivers on a 4-4-0 and a 4-6-0 have little if anything to do with the wheel arrangement. They are set by the designer of the engine for the purpose of the engine. A shunter will have small diameter drivers, whereas an express engine will have large diameter drivers.

In another string there is discussion about scratch building and a tradition of researching the subject. Are there not  reference works on these matters.

Manufacturers tend to use 1/8" axles for driving wheels on steam locos, and these have brass bushes to-go. Worm sets are made for the axle size.  I think you have a much wider market to search than Bachmann if you want to get to a finescale situation. At a streach, you can always drill out the axle holes to match.

The problem is not only the danger of rail derailments, crashes and noise!

In 1944 we lived near, and I went to Wimbledon Park School, immediately next to Southern Railways rail sheds. The problem then was stray German bombing(V1's) intended for the rail lines, many missed and went into surrounding housing.

I had the dubious distinction of causing an Air Raid warning. I was humming away with my Dinky Toys in the back yard when a woman several houses along in the terrace, telephoned in that she heard V1's in the area - and the sires went off!

It is funny reflecting back, that I was more frightened at that age of a big dog I had to pass each day back and forth in the alleyway to school.

Rich R : Yes!

Having retired from the the UK to the US replete with choice items of my collection, I see a marked difference between the two countries, where there appears a stronger influence in the UK to scratch build than I have experienced since being here.

Part of my joy in model railways has been to visit sites with a camera, drawing pad, pencil and stanley tape. The UK is well seved with reference books, HMRS, and NRM at York, who are a good source for information. The internet too, has opened a new world of opportunity for railway research at a distance.

My feeling is if you can build a good layout with good scenery, you can scratch build about anything if you try.

Regards

With a little judicious work, it is possible to change the worm gear ratios. I get this with brass and white metal models I build and that need good slow running properties, generally 40:1 and 50:1.

cmgn9712 : I believe SteamGene previously introduced himself as an English Teacher in the Military for a number of years.

Why not scratch build? There are plenty of styrene sections. art board, ply etc. to make something like a Walgreens - it ain't Gothic! With a little juxter of digital photos and scanning adverts, the artwork should transfer to scale easily for you. Similarly with several of the others you quote.

keddiewye : But the market it is still good enough for Bachmann Europe to produce some pretty good "Branchline" and "Blue Ribbon" models.

I just luv-em!

Regards

Jim : There was also lineside and loco apparatus for collecting and depositing Tokens required to work single lines.

What is the experience in the US?

gardenrail: To get into the GWR Slip Coaches is a whole new ball of wax., however taking DCC to it I think is overkill as a solution, when it is about uncoupling.

Jim: I am not able to get back to my lineside picture of the TPO Apparatus, but I have sent some links to Jim he may wish to publish.

The last run of the UK TPO was 1/19/2004, and not 2001. The original service between Liverpool & Birmingham started 1838, where the UK 'Penny Post" of 1840 greatly expanded mail services by rail in the UK.

Regards