most often forgotten item of infrastructure

[Agrippa]

Was that the Top Gear chappie? Did he run it on a track? Seems a bit bit James Mayish.
However everyone should have a hobby. 1'm just off to put a Bristol Olympus in a Tiger Moth........

Hang on to your hats  ..................................

[Sprintex]

Deffo Clarkson, XJS convertible with train wheels bolted to the hubs and towing a trailer. POWEEEERRR


Paul

[Bob Tidbury]

B H enterprises do etched speed restriction signes  but check with them first as posted else ware on the forum Ray has had a lot of problems lately both at home and restocking from other suppliers he will be at the Loughborough show and of course at TINGS in September , Email him for details ,but be aware you won't get an instant response.
Bob

[Howlin`baz]

Something which always causes me to fret - lack of movement anywhere else but on the rails.   What buses, cars and lorries stand still all day?   We need more than just Faller Raod systems, but that would be a good start.

[msr]

Similar working road-rail vehicles are available in N from Marks in Germany, but they are not cheap!
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Marks-4321-Vomag-Schienen-LKW-Deutsche-Reichsbahn-Spur-N-NEU-in-OVP-/151362668240?pt=DE_Modellbau_Modelleisenbahnen&hash=item233deb06d0

Rather cheaper is the bus from Hobbytrain:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Hobbytrain-N-2653-Strasen-Schienenbus-BS300-motorisiert-der-DEBG-Ro1377-/360770767278?pt=DE_Modellbau_Modelleisenbahnen&hash=item53ff9d09ae

Mike

[Lemland]

Other items (sorry if I missed them in one of the other posts):

A loading gauge (Vollmer 7542 e.g.)
Free gauge markers near turnouts (white sleepers in NL, red/white poles in D)

Bart

[Lemland]

Oil spillage between the tracks, especially on places where locomotives often halt. And, talking about dirt on the tracks: very very small amounts of white calcium near uphill tracks (more exhaust) and very very small amounts of brown brake dust near downhill tracks.

Bart

[dodger]

Oil spillage between the tracks, especially on places where locomotives often halt. And, talking about dirt on the tracks: very very small amounts of white calcium near uphill tracks (more exhaust) and very very small amounts of brown brake dust near downhill tracks.

Bart

Or on SR 3rd rail layouys black lines just inside the rails. Caused by the grease leaking from the traction motor gearcases.

dodger

[Wingman mothergoose]

Catch pit covers,
AWS ramps

Got AWS ramps. What's a catch pit cover?

Paul

On the modern railway it's a grille that goes on top of the railway drain catch pits to stop track workers falling down them! In the old days it would have been a couple of sleepers or other stout lengths of timber. The catch pits are usually regularly spaced and can be either side of the line or even in the 6 foot, depending on the location.

Chris

[belstone]

Bridge numbers. Every railway bridge is numbered to identify it, either with a cast plate or a number painted on somewhere. 

Point levers in goods yards.

[scotsoft]

Bridge numbers. Every railway bridge is numbered to identify it, either with a cast plate or a number painted on somewhere. 

Point levers in goods yards.

It is not only bridges that are numbered, mostly everything that appears along the track has a number on it for maintenance purposes 

cheers John.

[Wingman mothergoose]

Bridge numbers. Every railway bridge is numbered to identify it, either with a cast plate or a number painted on somewhere. 

Point levers in goods yards.

It is not only bridges that are numbered, mostly everything that appears along the track has a number on it for maintenance purposes 

cheers John.

Yes, but numbered differently to structures. Things like location cabinets, OLE masts, lamp posts, signal posts etc have a numbering system, usually from a datum at one end of the line, London in the case of most main lines, and whichever is the more important junction/terminus/wherever in the case of branches and secondary lines. Tunnels are numbered as structures, even though they all have names also. Viaducts are just a structure number, although over the years they have gained unofficial names too, a tunnel will have the name, length(in yards for old skool, and yards and metres for modern) and usually the structure number on a board mounted on the wing wall or on a post/posts next to the track.

Another thing you don't see that often on layouts is lineside huts, they were once common when a section of track was maintained by a dedicated track gang, nowadays they're mostly covered in undergrowth and forgotten about...

Chris

[Rabbitaway]

Hi All

Not strictly infrastructure but I notice on a lot of buildings there are no lintels above windows so brickwork / stonework held up by fresh air

This is even on the best layouts

I am as guilty as others as some of my earlier scratch build buildings have them missing!

[Agrippa]

Private level crossings used by farmers etc.

[FeelixTC]

Buddleia.

I've never taken a train and not seen some buddleia growing somewhere.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28196221