Marshcastle

[Heather Kay]

Quite where the "Scottish Region" apellation that this model seems to have acquired comes from I don't know.

Scottish? Southern, more like.

I can't find out what NFV means, aside from the "V for Vacuum". Paul Bartlett's site even has the actual prototype that Hornby seem to have followed, so there's a clue for the weathering!

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/srguvandb/h129e5b46#h32d952b

 

[taliesin]

Hi Heather, i think NFV is a bogie brake van, non-gangwayed and fitted with vacuum brakes. But i am happy to be shot down on this if incorrect , cheers Rob
p.s really sticking my neck out here, as the "TOPS" code is displayed and the number has lost it's "S" suffix i am going for it being in based on 78 onwards condition.

 

[Simon]

Quite a few trains running today, the repair gang came out of their retirement home and Marshcastle station has had its canopy restored, intending passengers can now stand clear of all the passing expresses under cover



The policeman is probably looking out for the youths that have been causing a nuisance around Marshcastle recently, it looks like they've knocked one of the fire buckets over at the other end of the building

Simon

 

[Simon]

Well it's nearly time for life to return to normal, but in the hours remaining here is what is probably the last bit of small scale silliness from me for a while.

I mentioned a two part retail sin, well this is what it all kind of resulted in

The station pilot waits in the down bay with traffic to be attached to a new up night time train. The empty stock for the first up train of the day is by now stabled against the island platform.



The new service rolls in, I imagine it as a sort of parallel addition to the Cardiff to Crewe postal train, picking up used banknotes and mail from Mid Wales and Marshcastleshire and feeding them in to the to the wonderful rail served postal network that we used to have.

Incidentally, you can see all this year's retail sins in this dodgy snap, the van B in the up bay and a very smart bar carriage in the consist of next morning's up express. This has been cascaded from the West Coast main line to form a premium service from Marshcastleshire to Birmingham, it arrived last night having travelled via Callow Lane



The mail train awaits the van from the down bay.



Having added the van, 08 623 retires to the down bay.



The first up mail train departs Rowley Junction in the wee small hours of last night. I see the driver forgot to change the headcode - on such an auspicious morning too



Hours later and with tweed jacketed land agents, sharp suited bankers and bowler hatted civil servants enjoying kippers and champagne as they all plan for the future, the new express service departs Rowley New Street and sets out into the brave new world of this glorious nation of ours



Some hours later the daily routine at this busy station continues, the stock of the postal train has been worked back and awaits stabling in the carriage sidings, another up express has arrived at the station and D7042 draws a long coal train out of the goods refuge, in the meantime the stabling point has despateched all its locomotives and the rationalised yard appears to be very busy - but for how much longer I wonder?



Now back to reality....

 

[Simon]

Cripes, that's nearly two years of reality ago - just terrifying

This year Santa has delivered some more small scale lunacy, courtesy of those very fine fellows at Kernow, and after a bit of clearing I was able to run some trains, which included this extraordinary apparition in platform 5



Simon