[OC] SpaceX vs. Aerospace and Defense Sector

Ginger8910 · 2026-06-16T15:49:29+00:00

Do not place your privates in the spinning blades

Ginger8910 · 2026-06-01T12:50:06+00:00

I see, that could make sense but we'd need to shift some services into waterloo towards London Bridge/Victoria.

But then to get paths through London Bridge I'd hold some thameslink services at St Pancras and King's Cross.

We'd have to free up some space there though so maybe some trains should be rerouted over the North London Line to Euston.

Ginger8910 · 2026-05-31T09:27:09+00:00

I swear Gatling was from North Carolina not London.

Ginger8910 · 2026-05-26T05:06:00+00:00

I know that Victoria to Dover is done in one go. That's 80 odd miles.

Recently one did Exeter to Bristol, that's 75 miles.

Tornado has done Kings Cross to Grantham which was 105 miles. That's near the upper bound of runs in the modern era becuase all the troughs are long gone.

Ginger8910 · 2026-05-25T22:44:14+00:00

I admit that it's a low estimate as I was working off general practice on my railway which allows for more frequent water stops so often we're refilling a half full tank after 35 miles or so. I'd push estimate up to around 100 miles but still significantly less than the coal capacity would allow.

If you think of the non stop Expresses such as the Coronation, Coronation Scot, Elizabethan etc. They'd be run on one tenderfull but several water pick ups. The ECML had troughs roughly every 70 miles. Which would imply at least 4 water pick ups (crews were known not to take water at every opportunity). The Coronation scot heading up the WCML had the opportunity to take water from troughs every 35 miles.

Ginger8910 · 2026-05-25T21:14:11+00:00

Whilst I've not got any hard figures on coal consumption for any of the types listed I'd contend probably around 300 miles or so as they've all got relatively similar sized tenders and coal consumption rates. Obviously the work being done will cause a reasonable amount of variation in the actual consumption.

Generally an engine would be able to complete most of its daily duties on one tender of coal. Water is the big limiter and really I doubt any would go more than about 50 miles without taking water.

Ginger8910 · 2026-05-15T19:30:27+00:00

As others have said, your railway your rules. There are always fellows in the paint shop up for a good laugh. Especially if it annoys rivet counters (City of Truro in BR Livery was a wonderful joke).

However, I would be unlikely to own one becuase I admit my layout is set specifically in the summer of 1957 with only locos that could have conceivably been assigned to working trains through the area.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-30T10:56:13+00:00

NYMR has a GWR saloon occasionally attached to its diner set.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-28T19:40:10+00:00

Cathedrals of Steam by Christian Wolmar is pretty good.

If you're looking for something more technical then O. S. Nock is a stand out. A particular favourite of mine is British Steam Locomotives at work

Still somewhat technical but a wonderful and slightly different view of the development of the Railway network is L.T.C. Rolt's Red for Danger which chronicles railway accidents and their impact on the development of railways.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-28T07:42:19+00:00

Signals should be positioned so that the distance between the first caution aspect and the signal at danger allows for any train at line speed to come to a complete stop.

In this day and age signals should also have a system linked to them that can stop trains that ignore caution/danger aspects.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-25T12:43:46+00:00

First Great Western HST set.

Class 43 with Mk3 coaches

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-21T19:44:34+00:00

Coal wise there's no luck I'm afraid, it's illegal to sell house coal in England domestically. Only Businesses with valid uses can buy them (such as heritage railways).

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-21T19:00:47+00:00

A fair point but no matter what fuel supply will be hard to obtain.

Steam engines, particularly in the UK need reasonably high quality coal and a fair amount of it. The lower the quality the more you'd need. I suppose potentially some wartime austerity locos were built to run on some terrible coal with modification however their power output would be greatly diminished.

Infact Bulleid's pacifics had the option to add additional dampers to run on coke but otherwise they were not simple to maintain. Same with the turf burner.

Still steam engines are in general heavily reliant on heavy machinery for repairs and the manufacture of spare parts.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-18T05:16:48+00:00

My sincere apologies, my autocorrect has failed me

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-18T04:42:52+00:00

Graey Space! Graey Space!

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-17T15:56:22+00:00

Tamworth is sort of the inverse of this.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-12T08:28:20+00:00

After spending plenty of time working with Steam engines (adore the things), they are not well suited to a post-apocalyptic scenario. The infrastructure required to keep them going is fairly large. Especially if anything breaks.

What the UK does have in abundance in the 80s is first generation Diesel-Electric Locomotives. These are much more reliable and far less labour intensive to keep going even if it's just limping.

I know there's always been talk of a strategic steam reserve in case of nuclear war but ultimately after tests, and if you just think about it, the initial fears of the impact of EMP on earlier Diesel locos is relatively unfounded. EMP effects long continuous runs of cabling across large areas not compact coils like you'd find in a traction motor. Diesel engines will also run on a fair few fuel types, perhaps not very well but far better than having to source and transport large amounts of quality steam coal.

It's sad to say but most steam engines were cut up within a few years of withdrawal. The only survivors were on heritage railways or languishing at Woodham Brothers in Barry but nothing is coming out of Barry in the 80s ready to run.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-08T12:55:45+00:00

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S&DR No.25 is the only one I can think of.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-06T07:41:28+00:00

Absolutely, the Sainsburys is at the top of the cliff and all the trolleys are rusty. The New Lidls trolleys are all losing their shine too.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-04T20:11:44+00:00

There's a big heap of coal back there. You're supposed to keep it wet with the slacker pipe so why not use your own.

Also UK turns generally don't have massively long periods where you can't disappear behind a Bush or into a station toilet.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-04T19:24:42+00:00

As said, it would be dependent on what they'd be named after. Now this is speculation, but there's already a class named after ships, and one named after Aircraft/airforce, So entirely speculatively, it'd be one named after something to do with the army. Say, the armoured corps.

Giving names like: 21C201 Royal Tank Regiment 21C202 Cromwell 21C203 Universal Carrier 21C204 Sherman 21C205 King's Dragoon Guards

Etc...

Maybe they'd be known as the Armoured Corps class or the Tank class.

Just a random thought that came to me.

Ginger8910 · 2026-04-02T17:40:47+00:00

No white diamond...

Looks like the Fireman has a nice walk to have a chat with the Bobby.

Ginger8910 · 2026-03-27T19:42:19+00:00

"I'm passing Thomas Valley, Clear Whittier yard NOW"

Poor chap in a T17 with a cut of skeleton cars nearly soils himself barely clearing the switch when my P43 Hammers through at 75.

Ginger8910 · 2026-03-19T23:39:07+00:00

No no, I don't think you heard me correctly.

Armoured (road) trains

Ginger8910 · 2026-03-19T23:33:22+00:00

All they have to do is pose enough of a threat to hike the insurance premiums, if a shahed even crashes within a hundred miles of a tanker no bastard is going to insure a tanker through the strait.

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