Ruritanian Railways - 2013

[CoggesRailway]

That look's the dogs' !!

Congratulations to his Highness- and what's with all these lilly livered liberals fussing about the body count? This happens to a few peasants on any self respecting infrastructure project.

 

[alec dawe]

That look's the dogs' !!

Congratulations to his Highness- and what's with all these lilly livered liberals fussing about the body count?

LILY LIVERED LIBERALS!!!
Egad, Sir. How dare you!
LGB controllers at ten paces, Sir, at dawn tomorrow!

 

[whatlep]

That look's the dogs' !!

Congratulations to his Highness- and what's with all these lilly livered liberals fussing about the body count?

LGB controllers at ten paces, Sir, at dawn tomorrow!

Dawn? Are you mad, sir? Ruritanian noblemen do not accept the concept of dawn. Our seconds will attend yours at 2pm outside the Peasants Arms as decent society's protocol demands. As it is customary for those challenged to choose the arms, we elect black puddings, boiled for 5 minutes.

 

[Zerogee]

I didn't know Ecky Thump was a martial art style favoured in Ruritania.....

Jon.

 

[whatlep]

I didn't know Ecky Thump was a martial art style favoured in Ruritania.....

Jon.

You have much to learn, grasshopper!

 

[mmts]

Mmmm......very nice sir.....
Now why can I forsee the future purchase of a curved piko point....

 

[shropshire lad]

Very nice! Looks good and adds lots of operational possibilities

 

[stockers]

Mmmm......very nice sir.....
Now why can I forsee the future purchase of a curved piko point....

Good idea Sir.

Its looking great The Plebs of Ruritania can be proud of themselves.

 

[stockers]

Escape road and gravel trap??

 

[CoggesRailway]

Oh crikey, a duel. I think I will concede, and lose whatever honour I did have. Boiled black puddings are dangerous things, even at a civilized hour....

 

[whatlep]

The new trackwork at Zenda has now bedded in nicely and is proving invaluable in keeping the new hourly service of expresses running smoothly. Local photographer Erich von Tracy was out and about today capturing some of the movements around Zenda and further afield.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first train to be seen was a rake of ballast hoppers, hauled by Mallet 99201. However, on the new through road at Zenda, the station pilot was loitering with a pair of bogie vans in the green livery which indicates postal vehicles.

The reason for the vans' presence was soon revealed as a diesel-hauled service from Bratislava arrived at Zenda. In the background is another rake of coaches with Mallet number 2. That will form a service to Prague once the arrival clears platform 1 by backing into the siding on the right.

Before that can happen, the van on the rear of the Bratislava service needed to be exchanged for the bogie vehicles. After the hoppers had departed for parts foreign, the station pilot made the necessary moves....

...and located the incoming van at the mail depot. The railbus was then able to leave its preferred loitering place in the siding alongside to form a local service to the border. Alas the Wednesdays Only parcels train with passenger accommodation (WOPA) is no more in the new timetable. There simply aren't enough paths on the main line. Occasionally, the railbus has been known to convey a van in WOPA style, but not today.

 

[yb281]

Proper train movements ........ brill.

The bogie postal vans are, of course, inspirational too.

 

[garrymartin]

I am sad to hear of the demise of the WOPA, but still, there is still plenty of interest for Ruritanian railway enthusiasts to enjoy

 

[whatlep]

Thanks chaps. Of course the problem with attaching lots of mail is that it makes the train too heavy for the return journey up Pootank pass. That's where another development on our small, yet exquisitely formed network comes into play. The former oil depot near the ballast processing works is no more. Facilities have been centralised at Zenda so oil tankers will still appear, but where they used to nestle quietly now lurk dragons! Banking dragons like Mallet number 2, photographed with the help of a Ruritanian Air Force helicopter:

When a train is expected that will require assistance up Pootank Pass, the banker rolls back into the border station to await the train's arrival.

When cleared by customs and ready to depart, the train moves slowly ahead, the points are changed as soon as the last vehicle passes and the banker moves immediately onto the rear of the train. Everything is done on the move and in perfect harmony. Usually.

Using Ruritania's highly sophisticated "Massoth DCC Navigator" control system, points and both locomotives' speeds can be controlled via radio in perfect safety by a single operator using just one handy controller. Only the Mallet's fireman sweats as the cavalcade storms Pootank Pass!

 

[whatlep]

It has become usual for the assisting engine to continue all the way to Zenda station. The logic behind this is that the banker is then able to further smooth operation by switching the mail vans. Once again, the station pilot was on hand with a replacement for the next outward journey.

Today, the Mallet and Kof needed the full length of the main line up to Zenda station's shunt limit. Since they were standing on a running line, both correctly displayed full headlights.
This spot on the old castle's battlements provides marvellous views of both Zenda station and Pootank Pass. It's not unusual to find Prince Rudolf having an evening stroll there, sometimes generously conversing with a young actress from the Zenda burlesque theatre.

The banker carefully positioned the vans from the incoming train at the mail depot, took on a little water and then.....

...ran back light engine through the station, en route for the border, ready for its next duty. On the left the station pilot had attached a single 4-wheel van and was making ready to return to the mail depot.

Just another busy afternoon on Ruritanian Railways, where digital means so much more than just five fingers.

 

[yb281]

What a load of bankers.

 

[3Valve]

Fantastic. Proper train manoeuvres

 

[owlpool]

marvellous
If I had a castle I would put it right next to a Railway
Is that what Prince Rudolf, or his forebears [I'm sure he had more than Goldilocks] did?
or did he give instructions for the railway to be built near to the castle to improve the view?
I'm sure such things are common knowledge in Ruritania, or perhaps in a guidebook. Just curious

 

[whatlep]

If I had a castle I would put it right next to a Railway
Is that what Prince Rudolf, or his forebears [I'm sure he had more than Goldilocks] did?
or did he give instructions for the railway to be built near to the castle to improve the view?
I'm sure such things are common knowledge in Ruritania, or perhaps in a guidebook. Just curious

It's an excellent question. Back in the midst of the 19th century, when Ruritania was a province of the much lamented Austro-Hungarian Empire, a young and thrusting King & Emperor Franz Josef decreed that railways should reach even the most distant points of his far-flung realm. It took a while for Ruritania to be linked to the Imperial system, so Zenda had already expanded to fill most of the flat ground by the river. The only useful space left was the parade ground outside the old castle walls.

At this point history took an unexpected turn due to Prince Rudolf's great, great grandfather Prince Louis, or, more accurately, his Princess, the redoubtable and - by all accounts - unutterably dull Princess Maud. Maudie was a niece of Queen Victoria and even less one for a rollicking good time than the great Queen. Louis correctly saw a railway station in the vicinity of the castle as a handy way of escaping the tedium of court life for the bright lights of Brest-Litovsk and Cheb.

Thus the railway came to Ruritania and proved most pleasing to the House of Elphberg-Rassendyll, as it does to this very day, even though Prince Rudolf's family moved to the "new" palace on St Stephen's Hill over a century ago to escape the smoke of the railway. Even royal laundry needs airing sometimes.

Hope this helps.

 

[owlpool]

thankyou
I will now sleep soundly tonight secure in the knowledge that history always provides an explanation