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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by gwr4090, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. The Man of Kent

    The Man of Kent New Member

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    https://www.signalbox.org/frames/lms.htm

    Live and learn !
     
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  2. Forestpines

    Forestpines Well-Known Member

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    Signalling is one of those fields where virtually any statement you can make has some sort of counterexample. For example with regard to the other things people have said upthread about point machines: there are a number currently in use on UK heritage railways that aren't worked by levers, or aren't even worked from signalboxes.

    That isn't to say the things people have said above are wrong - they are right in the general majority of cases! But there are always exceptions.
     
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  3. Forestpines

    Forestpines Well-Known Member

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    Ironically, at one time a model railway "point motor" was less likely to contain an actual motor than a full sized point machine, because most used solenoids or electromagnets. Nowadays motor-driven brands like the "Tortoise" are widely available too.
     
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  4. DragonHandler

    DragonHandler Well-Known Member

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    I've always been led to believe that "points" was the British term and "switches" was the American term, but I've also seen them called "leads" on some PW dept blogs, and station announcers say that trains are delayed due to a "points failure".
    It's all very confusing, but then again every profession or industry is going to have its own jargon and some of the terms are not always going to be consistently applied.
     
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  5. Faol

    Faol Member

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    I think the last 15 or so offerings on point, nee switch with motors nee machines and rods nee wires is a very good example of why this forum erupts into something akin to mutiny ever now and again, mostly now. Robin heads the leader board by opening up with "to be pedantically correct", but do we fans, helpers or volunteers/employees need pedantry to correspond on railway matters. I suggest no. I don't think you need all this labouriousness to keep a thread going. Simply tell it as it is. We all know that colloquially we call an arrangement of rails with moving sections to change the course of a vehicle as a point. However I must thank those who explained briefly different systems they add to the thread. Enough said I think.
     
  6. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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  7. Miff

    Miff Part of the furniture Friend

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    I must say I rather like this sort of diversion, or switch if you will. I always learn something even if there’s no point to it. Thread drift can be delightful.
     
  8. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

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  9. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

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    Often more delightful than the conflicting views expressed about the railway's management/finances/supporters.
     
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  10. The Man of Kent

    The Man of Kent New Member

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    Depends on how you view the forum. Some people treat it as a way of exchanging information, some as a way of points scoring over their peers and some as chatting with friends over a cup of coffee.

    In my post about wires for some reason three characters went missing when I pressed the post button - they were " :)

    And please …. no puns about 'points scoring'!
     
  11. 6960 Raveningham Hall

    6960 Raveningham Hall Member Friend

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    Surprised to see no mention of this on this thread already.

    @West Somerset Wizard reveals on his unofficial website that on Tuesday 16th April 2019 a Steam Dreams excursion sees
    61306 'Mayflower' running from Maidenhead to the West Somerset Railway. The return trip will be diesel-hauled.

    Stef.
     
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  12. Faol

    Faol Member

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    Had noticed it Stef but not come back here. It will be good to see a B1 here. They occasionally worked through to Weston Super Mare in the 50s. Reputed to be the best 4-6-0 in the country, now that is contentious. lol
     
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2019
  13. huochemi

    huochemi Part of the furniture

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    :)Let's start threads on whether if one writes [guards vans], one should write it guards vans, guard vans, guard's vans or guards' vans, and whether one should call a knuckle / Janney / AAR coupler a Buckeye if it was not made by the Buckeye Company?:rolleyes:
     
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  14. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Decent railways called them "Break vans" :)

    Tom
     
  15. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    I’m in the ‘cup of coffee’ camp...

    Now that we have done ‘points’ to death, how about my favourites, scissors crossovers, single and double slips and moveable angles...

    ... back to the coffee pot ☕️...

    Robin
     
  16. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Only a TOAD will do...;)

    Robin
     
  17. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    On my railroad (garden of course) they are a caboose, waycar or crummy. There are other names depending on line and region.
     
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  18. threelinkdave

    threelinkdave Well-Known Member

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    No worse than all vacuums are Hoovers and I dont mean class 50s
     
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  19. threelinkdave

    threelinkdave Well-Known Member

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    And on a similar theme are pullman gangways pullman gangways when not on a pullman?
     
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  20. huochemi

    huochemi Part of the furniture

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    As in "have a break, have a Kitkat"?
     

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