Earning a Living talk

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Jim Summers
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Earning a Living talk

Postby Jim Summers » Sat Sep 26, 2020 1:50 pm

Hope you are enjoying your Scaleforum folks.
I'll be around from 1600-1700 for any comments on my talk, and will be looking in at other times.

Jim

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Rod Cameron
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby Rod Cameron » Sat Sep 26, 2020 3:49 pm

Hi Jim, fascinating stuff, many thanks.

I suppose it's a little easier to 'run the railway' (a Fiennes quote?) when you are modelling a real place with access to all the WTTs, CWNs etc.

I loved the story of the Glasgow-Edinburgh push-pulls and the shenanigans with train heating etc. On the SR(E) in the early 60s they borrowed some Class 24s from the LMR whilst waiting for delivery of the 33s - delayed incidentally by BRCW running late on production of the Type 2s for the ER and ScR. Even when the 33s arrived the 24s were still sometimes used in winter for train heating because they had boilers, often as the train engine in a double-header with the 33 (ETH only) as pilot. That is, the 24s that didn't get their boilers removed on instruction from the Civil Engineer because they were overweight. I have seen a photo of a 24 at the platform in Maidstone East taking water for its boiler, something I intend to reproduce in model form some time.
Rod

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Jim Summers
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby Jim Summers » Sat Sep 26, 2020 4:01 pm

Yes, Rod.
Nowadays one thing which has improved is heating of trains. Even if a coach is too cold or hot, you can generally move elsewhere nowadays. In the old days, no heat meant no heat anywhere.
That said, when I was at terminal station in the days of DMUs, which had very cold cabs, I used to keep a blanket to offer drivers as some persuasion to them to work back and not walk off the job due to the cold. Some wore tights underneath their uniforum. And when I was on night shift on winter nights in the yards, I wore pyjamas below my uniform.
Good old days . . . indeed!

Jim

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Jim Summers
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby Jim Summers » Sat Sep 26, 2020 4:06 pm

And you remind me of ETHEL.
She was the Electric Train Heating Ex Locomotive, a 'non traction' Derby Type 2, which was coupled inside the train locomotive, purely to supply heat for the Mark 111 sleeping cars on the West Highland, so that modern stock could reach the remote HIghlands.
As I was saying in the talk, it was all about doing the impossible.
Jim

NorthHighlander
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby NorthHighlander » Sat Sep 26, 2020 4:14 pm

One of the best jobs I did in my 8 years on Southern Region was the platform workings at Brighton, which, once the layout is ever completed, I intend to resurrect and put into practice. You'd think that allocating trains to 9 platforms would be easy. Not a bit of it, it was an art!
Great talk, Jim!

Best regards

Tony Hagon

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Jim Summers
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby Jim Summers » Sat Sep 26, 2020 4:31 pm

Thanks, Tony.
And your talk has made me resolve to get to terms with my Silhouette cutter tomorrow!
A beautifully clear exposition. Thanks.

Jim

John Palmer
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby John Palmer » Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:50 pm

Thank you, Jim, for an interesting and thought provoking presentation. I imagine the Anglo-Scottish sleeper services must be amongst the leaders for longevity of combining and dividing operations. Currently this takes place at Waverley, but I have memories of this happening at other locations, such as Carstairs and Glasgow Central. If I remember correctly the Kings Cross-Fort William sleeper portion used to combine with the 5.50 ex Queen Street at Cowlairs, rather than having to descend the Incline.

Terry Bendall
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby Terry Bendall » Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:42 am

Jim's talk was as I expected, very interesting and informative as are his books on signalling and operating the Caledonian Railway which contain much that is relevant to layouts set in other locations, and to some extent, periods as well. Martin Nield's talk, which covered similar ground in some places was also very helpful and well worth looking at.

Terry Bendall

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Jim Summers
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby Jim Summers » Sun Sep 27, 2020 9:58 am

John is right.
The Caledonian Sleepers are really the last example of carriage shunting en route and indeed of many other aspects of the old railway.
Were we not engaged in a pandemic, the booked train service still involves combining/dividing at Carstairs (Glasgow and Edinburgh portions) and at Waverley (Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William portions). Of course, the latest stock has Dellner couplers, to add to the fun.

Jim

allanferguson
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby allanferguson » Sun Sep 27, 2020 11:12 am

There is also, of course, Crianlarich, where the Oban and Mallaig trains join / divide. I took a turn on the platform once when waiting for the other portion, and fell into conversation with the guard. (Whatever he was officially, he was still THE GUARD). He was telling me of watching a female employee trying to lift a coupling on to a hook, presumably on a freight service. "She couldnae dae it, but I didnae f---ing help her. If women want thae jobs they can f---ing well dae it themselves". A crusted older generation.

Allan F

peter3292004
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Re: Earning a Living talk

Postby peter3292004 » Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:27 pm

Jim,
Thank-you for recording your interesting talk.

To be interesting and entertaining, the model railroad needs a cast of trains and that can be much broader than is typical.
Operating to the real (or something close to it) working timetable some what limits the frequency of out of the ordinary trains, however my view is that for visitors and exhibitions a train sequence involving everything is more entertaining.

And, of course, it's also a good excuse to buy more rolling stock.

The train list for my railroad www.piedmontpilgrimage.com/layout/lori- ... -gardens-g
translated into English is
Local passenger / mixed freight
Express passenger
excursion passenger
Local freight - shunting exercise
Express freight
Stock (mules) Full / empty
Timber (logging) Full / empty
Maintenance of Way (Work)

Regards Peter


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