HPMRS RAILDATE 02 Mar 07

News

RAILDATE: the weekly newsletter of the Hursley Park Model Railway Society: http://www.ibmhursleyclub.org.uk/ss/hpmrs/

BOOK NEWS

"Southampton's Quayside Steam" by Dave Marden

Southampton has long been famous for its docks, but the port also spreads along the banks of the rivers Test and Itchen. Here, lesser wharves have seen their share of rail traffic, and along the whole waterfront, cargoes were moved for over a hundred years by a varied assortment of steam locomotives working behind the scenes.

In this book, Southampton author Dave Marden has compiled a comprehensive record of the steam-operated locations within the docks, wharves and piers of the city's waterfront. Concise histories of each location combine with individual details of the locomotives, following their journeys from various builders' works to their ultimate fates. Also included are details of the many contractors locomotives that have been engaged in the numerous expansions of the docks.

The overall result is an extensive and detailed insight into the lesser-known, and certainly less-glamorous, steam engines that have worked along Southampton's quays.

Softback: 160 pages ISBN 978-1-905505-02-9 Price: £16.95

Full details at: http://www.kestrelrailwaybooks.co.uk

You can order copies *post-free in the UK* from:

Kestrel Railway Books PO Box 269 Southampton SO30 4XR

NETWATCH

The March 2007 issue of West Somerset Express, the unofficial online newsletter of the West Somerset Railway is now available: http://trainsferriesbuses.co.uk/westsomersetexpress.htm

There is now a streaming webcam on the line's unofficial web site, it can also be accessed directly at http://wsrailway.camstreams.com/

An approach to signalling simulations together with several signal box diagrams (mainly Great Central Railway): http://www.lymmobservatory.net/index.htm

Another GCR box diagram of 1922 vintage from Markham Junction is here: http://www.shawnsanders.info/Markham_Jcn_72dpi.jpg

Project 62 - importing "Yankee" tanks from Eastern Europe (one on the East Somerset Railway and now one on the Mid-Hants Railway): http://www.project62.supanet.com/

The "Lyme Billy" project, which is (or was) a proposal for another West Country narrow gauge railway, this one being over all or part of the original Axminster to Lyme Regis trackbed: http://lymebilly.port5.com/index.htm

The much-heralded Top Gear train crash (staged to show the effect of a train ploughing into a car on a level-crossing) was aired last week. If you missed it, the video is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS9M88oA8XU

A Yahoo group for anyone interested in china clay branchlines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/china_clay_branchlines/

Some historical information on the Tralee & Dingle Light Railway on the Chester Model Railway Club website: http://www.chestermodelrailwayclub.com/history.htm

For some reason, it appears that the Government is considering imposing restrictions on people taking photographs in public places. If you are concerned about this possibility, there is a petition on the Downing Street site: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Photography/

Remember, guidance on photographing railways is available at: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/guidelines_for_rail_ent husiasts.htm

Bodyside decal kits to convert proprietary coaches: http://www.electrarailwaygraphics.co.uk

A fascinating site, detailing several working environments, and including railways, mining, etc: http://www.workinglife.org.uk/index.html

An excellent video Leawood Pump in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdIgEQ-r0nU

Also a 360 photograph of the area: http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/wwp906/html/AndySavage.html

Spotted by Nick Wheat... street light spotting anyone...? http://northwestlighting.fotopic.net/

And finally - thanks to Ralph Rawlinson for spotting this:

GAUGING OPINION -Railroads are Rocket Science

Does the statement, "We've always done it that way," ring any bells? Well consider that the US, standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4ft 8½in. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US Railroads.

Why did the English build them like that?

Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.

Why did "they" use that gauge, then?

Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel-spacing.

OK, but why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel-spacing?

Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long-distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.

So who built those old rutted roads?

Imperial Rome built the first long-distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since.

And the ruts in the roads?

Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome they were all alike in the matter of wheel-spacing. Thus, the United States standard railroad gauge of 4ft 8½in is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot, and bureaucracies live for ever. So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's ass came up with it, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war-horses.

Now the twist to the story. When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the

main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory at Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass... and you thought that being a horse's ass wasn't important!

IN THE NEWS

The RAIB interim report on the Grayrigg accident: http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/070226_I012007_Grayrigg.pdf http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6398299.stm

Network Management train recorded Grayrigg area before derailment: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6403573.stm

Devon Belle coach returns: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/6394617.stm http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news352.htm

East Midlands Franchise fears: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/6397715.stm

Freight train derailed near Lincoln Central Station: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/6404335.stm Photos: http://ross.photobook.org.uk/c1220914.html

Escaped bull on Rugby station: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/6398173.stm

Level crossing accident at Whitland: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/6394109.stm

Fatal LC accident south of Norwich: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6407025.stm

Man electrocuted on roof of train: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6406533.stm

Train service to Lakenheath Fen RSPB reserve: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/6402267.stm

Follow up report & links on bomb on Indian train: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6389307.stm

Wind problems in China: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6403959.stm http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200702/20070228/article_307408.htm

(Spotters: Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps)

TV and Radio

Events

See Mainline Steam Tours page for up-to-date info on many of these tours, and others, often with timings.