A Sad Day

by Phil Cooper 

Hello again. Today is a very sad day as we say farewell to our Queen. I’m sure that many modellers are, like me, and appreciate Great Britain’s history and traditions. Our Queen was the focal point of our history and tradition. And I have to say the much-maligned BBC has provided magnificent coverage of the events of the last 2 weeks and will continue today with their coverage of her funeral. I think we have seen the best of the new king, Charles III.

I think he will follow in his mother’s style and become, very much, one of the people, one of US. He has retained dignity throughout this difficult time.

Farewell Mam and thank you.

Welcome to another bumper edition and we’ll start with this:

It’s the time of the year for annual awards so get your Hornby Magazine votes in now by popping along to www.keymodelworld.com/article/hornby-magazine-model-railway-awards-2022

Lots of news on real railways today but don’t worry I’ve got a terrific series of photos from Brad Joyce, again, and some new sources and they are terrific. Scroll down if you just can’t wait.

Laser technology could soon be used to “zap” leaves on the line. Lasers are attached to the bottom of trains which vaporise the oily film created by a build-up of leaves repeatedly compressed by trains which can become the equivalent of “black ice” on roads. It is being developed by Amsterdam-based Laser Precision Solutions.  

I’ve had another bad day with my layout. It started badly with me falling in the train room where Harrison had left his wee tricycle in an out of the way position leaving me to trip over it and go down hard. Is he trying to kill me off! He is aware that, on my passing, the entire layout and all the running stock goes to him! Maybe I should review this especially now that Nate has become his wee brother. My main problem was getting any of my 37s on track. They’re big heavy locos and my eyesight is terrible. I suppose this is what happens when we go to Specsavers!

My problem was that my track had moved with my outer oval very near the edge of my board. Let this be a warning to you, when you’ve “found” your layout, pin it down but don’t push the pins fully down until you’re certain it’s the layout you want. Keep it secure. Bear in mind I finally  “discovered “my layout a couple of years ago but it has been altered on 4 or 5 occasions since then.

Staycations really had a moment during the pandemic but sadly you still have to fork out an arm and a leg to afford the journeys. Good thing, then, that Northern Rail has just launched “flash sale” where you can get tickets for as little as £1. Happy days! The sale applies to journeys between Tuesday September 6 and Thursday October 20. The destinations include Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, York, Lincoln and the Lake District, as well as the Tyne Valley Line in the North East and Cumbria. The rail operator says it’s aiming to offer families and individuals some financial relief after the summer holidays as train prices usually surge during peak times. But sadly, families hoping to use it during October half term will be unable to – because the sale will have ended by then!

A Northern Rail spokesperson said: ‘Whether it’s for a weekend in the historic city of Chester, a night out in Newcastle, a day at the seaside in Scarborough or a walking holiday in the Lake District – these fares will get you where you want to be for less.’

Tickets are available on a first-come first-serve basis – so those looking to take advantage of the £1 fares should book early to avoid disappointment. The spokesperson added: ‘When they’re gone, they’re gone.

The rail operator says it’s aiming to offer families and individuals some financial relief after the summer holidays as train prices usually surge during peak times. But sadly, families hoping to use it during October half term will be unable to – because the sale will have ended by then. A Northern Rail spokesperson said: ‘Whether it’s for a weekend in the historic city of Chester, a night out in Newcastle, a day at the seaside in Scarborough or a walking holiday in the Lake District – these fares will get you where you want to be for less.’

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/offers/sale.

Right now,  you can travel from St Pancras International in London, in just under three hours, to Marne-la-Vallée, which is next door to Disneyland Paris. It’s a great trip full of happy expectant sprogs looking forward to lots of fun. Soon, however, that won’t be possible, as Eurostar plans to scrap the direct connection from next year. And you can blame Brexit for it. The Channel Tunnel train operator will stop running the service on 23 June, 2023, just ahead of the summer holidays when tens of thousands of British families head to the theme park. Eurostar said the economic circumstances, partly due to the pandemic and Brexit, meant the route had to be reviewed. The train company is now focusing on the core cities it serves in France, the Netherlands and Belgium.

In 2023, visitors to the European Union must register with the new Entry Exit System (EES) if travelling from outside the EU or Schengen area. A Eurostar spokesperson said: ‘While we continue to recover financially from the pandemic and monitor developments in the proposed EU Entry Exit System, we need to focus on our core routes.’

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, said: ‘This is such disappointing news. I have used the service many times over the years with my own children, as have many millions of British families. ‘However, this appears to be another example of the fallout from Brexit for travelling Brits, and possibly the pandemic, but I remain hopeful that given the UK is a key source market to Disneyland Paris some pragmatic thinking and practical solutions will prevail.’

Canadians will soon have a zippy new way to get around—if TransPod has anything to say about it, that is.

The Canadian start-up recently unveiled a hybrid between an aircraft and a train that it claims will transform travel in the Great White North. The fully electric FluxJet will be able to soar at more than 621 mph without emissions. For comparison, that’s a little quicker than the average private jet or about three times faster than a high-speed train.

The “plane without wings”, as the company calls it, is based on a new field of physics called “veillance flux” and features an innovative “contactless power transmission.” It is also equipped with aerodynamic and propulsion systems designed specifically to reduce friction. Essentially, a vacuum tube setup allows the magnetically levitated pods to travel at a faster speed than trains, cars and jets.

The FluxJet can carry up to 54 passengers plus two wheelchairs. It’s also fitted with four luggage racks and can transport up to 10 tons of cargo. It will travel along a dedicated tube system known as the TransPod line to alleviate congestion on main roads and highways. It’s not dissimilar to Virgin’s Hyperloop network of 600 mph pods that is set to roll out in 2030. The TransPod line will have stations in key locations and major cities, with pods expected to depart every two minutes. It will reportedly cost approximately 44 percent less than a plane ticket.

The FluxJet can reportedly reach 621 mph.

What’s more, the project is expected to create up to 140000 jobs and add $19.2 billion to Canada’s GDP throughout construction. It will also reduce CO2 emissions by about 636,000 tonnes per year. The plan appears to be gaining momentum, too. TransPod recently received $550 million in financing and kicked off the next phase of an $18 billion infrastructure project to build the TransPod Line between Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. (It’ll reportedly get you to either city in just 45 minutes.)

“All the hard work over the past few years has led to this milestone moment where talk is becoming a reality,” TransPod’s cofounder and CEO Sebastien Gendron said in a statement.

I’ve just watched another film featuring a train on Amazon Prime. It’s called Train to Busan and it’s not too bad. But be warned, it’s a zombie film. We have The Walking Dead to thank for all these Zombie films. I liked the early TWD series but they lost their way toward the most recent series when Negan went a bit soft and can you believe it, you can watch every TWD episode on the Disney Channel!!!!!!

The train is one of the Korea Train Express (KTX) stock and it looks great inside and out.

As I said, it’s on Amazon Prime free to Prime customers. I’m going to have a wee moan about Amazon Prime. OK, with it you get free delivery which is good for me because I use it several times a month, usually to smuggle Wine Gums past NannyBarb!  Shhhh, don’t tell! She’ll castrate me. Again! But their films are a complete rip-off. Firstly, few have subtitles and to watch many of them you must pay per film whereas Netflix don’t add any extra cost AND they do have subtitles! Train to Busan is in Korean language so does have translated subtitles.

 I think it’s time for some more layout photos. Let’s see some more from Brad Joyce.

Brilliant, aren’t they. We’re almost in David Styles territory here with such a clever detailed layout. What have you got David?

Our modellers are setting high standards today and here’s Derek Scott continuing that high standard with Fountainhall TMD based on Fort William’s old shed and the former tram depot at Stirling Road, Larbert.

I’m not a great love of “weathering” but when it’s done carefully, it is brilliant. Cheers, Derek.

Next up another new boy but we’ll be seeing more from him because this is a damned good debut from Iain Paton-yes, a Scottish name so he’s cultured as you can see.

Yes, I’m convinced Iain is Scottish and unlike me he has great skill-water, viaducts & platforms, EVERYTHING!

Coming up now, John Batley. THIS is “Harold Road” and it’s brilliant.

My grandson, Harrison aka “Supergrass”saw the “68”and whooped with joy but how about the incredibly good trackwork? Great stuff John, thank you.

Now here’s a bonus for you. According to Google a TMD is “a traction & maintenance depot”. I have a TMD on my layout and I worked in Inverness TMD in the Summer of 1973-loved it!. My TMD has internal lighting but here’s 3 photos from Neil Stanley showing what can be done inside a TMD. I wish I had his skills. Over to you Neil.

I think “WOW” is the appropriate word here!

Before I go, let’s save the planet!

The world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger trains have launched in Germany.

The new Coradia iLint trains in Lower Saxony show how train travel can be made even more eco-friendly.

Trains are already one of the greenest ways to travel. Even those that run on diesel are much better for the environment than planes and cars. And when they’re fully electric – or, better yet, run on renewable electricity – there really is no more environmentally-friendly way to get around.

But now trains could be getting even more eco-friendly. Germany has just launched the world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger trains, which release absolutely zero emissions. All that comes out of the exhaust is steam and condensed water. Pretty freaking cool, right?  0:35

The train model is called the Coradia Lint and it’s now in service on a line in Lower Saxony. Five of the trains are already running, though there’ll eventually be 14 on the route. Built by rail manufacturer Alstom, the project has cost €93 million (£78.5 million, $93 million).

Hydrogen rail is so exciting because it doesn’t necessarily require trainlines to be electrified. ‘Hydrail’ locomotives (as they’re called by those in-the-know) can work on existing lines, which means that, in theory, they can be implemented on pretty much any train track in the world.

And the Coradia iLint isn’t just zero-emission. It’s also much quieter than diesel trains and has an impressive range and top speed. Reaching 140 kilometres per hour and having the potential to run for a whopping 1,000 kilometres on one tank, the iLints are more than up to the job of running a regional rail service.

So if you fancy having a ride on one of these cutting-edge pieces of train tech, head on down to Lower Saxony! Coradia iLint trains will be found servicing the towns of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude – all of which are to the north of Bremen and east of Hamburg.

You can find out more about the Coradia iLint trains and how they work in the Alstom website : www.alstom.com/solutions/rolling-stock/alstom-coradia-ilint-worlds-1st-hydrogen-powered-train

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The views and opinions expressed within the content are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Trackside Signs or its affiliates.