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I really thought time was going to win this race, but Cinderella (a.k.a. 92008) is finally dressed and ready to go to the ball. The weathering is rather basic due to the time constraints, but even simple weathering brings a loco to life. I didn't want to go too over the top with it anyway. If the paint is dry, I'll hand her over to Bob this afternoon to run on Fence Houses over the weekend. Hopefully she won't have dropped to bits or blown up by the time I get to visit the show on Monday.

Today's photos come a folder on my PC titled "Railways Around Harrogate" which I think sums them up. They were taken by Dad in the mid to late 60s. Rigton Class 47 down White Rose Dec 66 J711 Ripon River Ouse bridge Oct 65 J392 Collingham pw tamper after closure Sept 65 J355.jpg Starbeck goods Class 08 from Harrogate to York dmu Aug 65 J213.jpg Starbeck station and crossing July 67 J972 David

Today we did not quite manage to finish last, though we tried hard. Four people playing complete c*** at the same time is hard to achieve. Still, it is not earth shattering, as the progamme I watched on BBC 1 earlier sadly was. As a result, I shall no longer be petitioning for a return to wholly steam powered railways, but we can still go back sixty years to when they were........ ....... or nearly so. This was done without the help of the lens hood, and has actually come out rather well. Deltic was followed by a well turned out B1 returning fish empties to Hull.

Isn't it nice when things work out as planned? I needed to go to the garden centre, as by the end of Easter it will have been picked clean, but didn't fancy the crowds and queues. Solution, get there as the doors open, get round quick and get everything on the list, no queue at checkout and home by 1000, just as the madness is building up. Result! Now I have to plant the stuff. First though, some pictures. Another look at the fish from up on Crescent Bridge. Some ragged poles, but they were an absolute ******* to photoshop. Then an experiment, not helped by the fact that I left tools in shot, which meant a more severe crop than planned. Effective for the different angles, but not much else. And now to the garden.

Just a couple from today. Breakfast was taken at circular quay. A lot cheaper Than the hotel and with a better view. This was the view just outside the retaurant while we waited for aferry to the zoo. I thought that the maritime lovers among us would like this. A block of flats on the left with a bunwkering vessel alongside, a bulk carrier, the NS AFRICA, coming i der the bridge and several feŕies. Then it was over to the zoo. I did see that there was a Pygmy Hippo on display and wondered if Richards ofspring was moonlighting. However there was no sign. There was however another local that apparently likes to dig and lie i muddy hollows to keep cool. Perhaps it's callead Hoppy Hippo Jamie

Before diner I took a quick squint at what was on TV tonight. I noticed there was a new episode on PBS that I could not remember seeing previously, "Maigret: The Rebel Princess" After diner MrsID announced, "It's Margaret you twit!"

Jamie, Given the speeling mistacked in your recent posts, your hand eye co-ordination seems to be affected. I wonder why? Off to a Good Friday service on Whitfield Mount (look it up), than rattling a tin for the Stroke Association in Lewisham. Back much later, Bill

Nice walk along the old railway line then down to Boggle hole and back along the beach. Very sunny to day..excellent.. And a view from our cottage 8n to our garden.... Baz

Mooring Awl, inner Temple hare. A terrible nights lack of sleep. I first awoke after half an hour, after an hour more awake I read another chapter of the current book. Then more lying awake eventually I got away for maybe 3hours. Then awake again.. Since then I've been getting bored watching TV. SWMBOs brother and wife will probably arrive Saturday evening from Shaw as he's working up to Saturday lunchtime . So I'll be garage building today, Saturday morning will be shopping with SWMBO probably in GY which will be a comparatively early start to avoid the grockles. There are 30 more blocks in the back of the landrover, with another 20stacked up. I'm not sure that's enough yet for the garage foundations. I suspect my back will be aching later. Ben has been sat looking at me, saying I should be getting ready for work.. However I'm going to roll. Over and try for more sleep...

Hi Baz, yes Opal cards bought last night and used today to get to the zoo. The zoo was excellent and the only animal tha was on my to see list, that We missed was The Tasmanian Devil. Tomorrow it's use the Opal again to do Watson's bay by ferry then bus to Bondi beach and back to the city. I might sneak a ride on a train if I'm a good boy. This morni g's breakfast had a good view. Jamie

As many seem to be currently working at elevated levels, may I post a gentle warning that came to me after my little heart event. The specialist advised that no one of any gender or whether they had had a heart event or not should work with their arms above their shoulders once they reached 60 years of age. If that means standing on something to complete the task - just make sure it is stable and that you can mount and dismount safely. Let's not trouble the hospital's emergency departments this weekend! In terms of tasks, the last side of The Gates has been completed! There are just a few edges to finish but, although I haven't been "round the blocks" as per The Q, I am knackered! It must be warm too - I've downed at least six pints of Adam's Ale thus far today quenching a mighty thirst.

Afternoon all, Fence and trellis painted. Albeit one side. * Masonry at the front of the house painted. Garage door next. Got to figure out how to access the barge boards next. Strange shaped ladder needed, methinks. * I can only assume that when these are creosoted before deliver they have some kind of vat they dip them in! Talking of which, Carry on Screaming is on, so I'll leave you with the thought of Fenella Fielding. Enjoy.

You had obviosly got distracted Bill. We walked up Pitt St this afternoon and stumbled onto an open air Good Friday service being held. They also handed out Hot Cross Buns and bottles of water. We alspo got invited to an Easter Sunday morning service in The Opera House at 06.00. We are going to attend. Good Friday is definitely observed as a public holiday here with a lot of shops closed. The waitresses in the cafe were also wearing bunny ears tonight ...as well as their normal uniforms I will hasten to add. Jamie

Good morning one and all Yesterday I received a very kind and thoughtful present, quite out of the blue. It is a fridge magnet with a picture of Napoleon Bonaparte on horseback and commemorates his exile on St Helena between 1815 and 1821. The sender is my good friend Nicky, a fellow aficionado of the now sadly disbanded group Strawhead, at one of whose concerts we met quite a long time ago. They performed “popular music of the olden time” and their repertoire included several songs about Boney and his exploits. It is no secret that I was heartbroken when they split and I have not been able to bring myself to listen to their musical legacy in over five years. Nicky is a remarkable young lady and what more remarkable feat could there be than to visit St Helena in the course of her work?! Beside this, my visit to Pendon today pales into insignificance. I’m still going though. For the rest of the weekend I will be staying with my cousin 88C and his wife in Nottinghamshire, though don’t be surprised to see me and him at York on Sunday. For a numberof reasons the timing of this break could not be better. I shall move among you again on Tuesday. Tony S, I don’t go out of my way to hear grunge rock or classic American tunes! A lot of what I discover is pure serendipity. Jim’s rendition of Paul Simon’s “America”, I should have said yesterday, was flawed in that he accompanied himself on his late father’s concertina which he has not yet mastered and chose a key that was out of his comfort zone. The important thing is that he had the idea, just as someone discovered that Jona Lewie’s “Stop the Cavalry” could have been designed as a morris tune. I suspect that we shall return to this topic. Best wishes to all Chris

Actually what you really need is -> https://www.ebay.com/itm/GU10-MR16-12v-Halogen-LED-Light-Bulb-Lamp-Remover-Sucker-Tool-Bulb-Remover-/400671570380 These came "free" with a track light setup I got for our kitchen. There was one in each track kit. They really work well, and I'm so glad I kept them both AND noted where I'd kept them. Jemma had one of these bulbs die in the hood over her cooker (rental place) and we knew that if she contacted the landlord they'd probably wreck the entire kitchen - they're not "too handy", so I popped over with the tool and a replacement bulb and it was done in a flash.

It's black Friday.

Afternoon Awl, Our recycling centre latest charges are per 80 ltr bag or single item, so you can bring rubbish in anything. But THEY decide what to charge . It could well be £3 per Plank or £ 5 per bin bag. It turns out there are 92 blocks needed in the foundations of the garage. Of which 65 are now in place and leveled. 19 are in place and not leveled. 8 are sitting ready to be placed. Clouds are not in view, warm it is, but not hot. Knackered I am, hot bath of the long variety is needed. I may be some time..

Afternoon all. Now I have stuffed the exposed garage roof cavity with insulation I now need to box it in. I need to saw a couple of bits of roof support that are a bit too long. My garage workshop is somewhat disorganised and I had to move a lot of stuff to get to the appropriate saw. At one point I thought I was going to need rescuing from the stuff that had fallen on me. Years ago this would not have been a problem but it takes longer to get up from horizontal nowadays (except when I have have dreams and can throw myself across the bedroom to defend myself from monsters). I did find the saw. I also found a lot of stuff I didn’t remember having as well. I am not going to saw until Aditi returns. She has gone to the “recycling centre” on Canvey and will then go to the supermarket. I am not sure if our recycling centre allows trailers but Phil’s local one in Pitsea may on certain days. If my neighbour with a van goes he has to prove it is domestic recycling. Tony

G‘day, folks. Can I say happy Easter yet? A quiet and sunny day has come and I just prepared red and green mojo for the barbecue. I have to say I‘m looking rather forward to the week of vacation I got coming up in a fortnight. It’s been getting rather long since the last break... Hope all is well in your corners of the globe. Enjoy your weekend...

POETS for me, your mileage may vary, Good, Better, Best Friday probably Two key players at the client AWOL yesterday and today apparently! Seems that even though there are no special holidays for working stiffs, the schools are closed two days this week, so many folks take off to manage the kiddies at home. Net result, some work expected/intended to be addressed while here this week will not happen, and today I'm most likely to be staring at the ceiling. Due to approaching inclement weather (thunderstorms, severe, predicted) Delta allowed change of flights with no penalty and I'm on the 4PM (had managed to book the 6:40PM originally due to costs) so will be home a little earlier. Inclement weather isn't supposed to arrive until late tonight or the wee hours, so shouldn't be any delay getting home - famous last words Weather yesterday cooperated again and I managed another top-down return to the hotel - yay... So far weekend plans appear to be; Tomorrow - sleep in (if I'm given the option?!?!?), start laying the floor in the other house basement, Easter vigil service (Jemmas favourite as one of our local singers performs) Sunday - up o crack sparrow, choir sings at both services, then home for a family dinner. EDIT: Whoops - weather -> 12 and cloudy first thing, expected to reach 17 with clouds turning to rain/thunderstorms after 9PM - I should be long gone! Enjoy the day off all you lucky folks, I'll continue to fill the US coffers with my "donations" from working

More investigations (or poking my nose in if you like) into the culinary preparations reveal that a vegan/veggie sweet and sour "chicken" dish is on the menu along with salmon en croute and a slow cooked chicken curry among other things. I had to leave hurriedly before something was thrown at me.

Further to my earlier post I'm pleased to report that The Boss started off by catering for my special dietary requirements so the dough for the Hot Cross Buns is currently in the process of proving. (So not really cross yet, only slightly peeved) She's now doing veggie stuff and I have been told to "go away."

I set up a custom activity stream of new posts on threads I'm following then all I have to do on firing up RMW is go to Activity, My activity, Custom activity and select the latest post. A lovely sunny morning here in North Hippoland with muggercoffee being consumed before joining the rest of the mob and taking them all on a day out - I can hear a high-powered meeting going on to decide where so undoubtedly I will be informed of the outcome in due course. Have a good day/night as appropriate folks. Dave Dave

Good evening everyone The Trafford Centre wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be, maybe everyone was having a lie-in. Once I’d got back with the shopping at put it all away I made a the base of the cheesecake for tomorrow. After dinner I made the filling, I had a new idea for the flavour and so made a marbled white and dark chocolate with a drizzled caramel topping. It’s too early to tell if the marbling effect has worked, I’ll see if it’s worked when it’s cut tomorrow. Goodnight all

First ride on my bike last night since August - a steady 9 miles and no after effects Golf was played today. Reasonably Ok - at least the elbow stood up to it. (There are three more rounds scheduled in the next 6 days) The afternoon was a trip to work to bid farewell to my "apprentice". The grand garage/shed clearance continues. I tidied the garage a couple of weeks back to make room for stuff for the shed that goes through a two-stage process. As it gets transferred to the garage, I do a first pass and throw away stuff that isn't wanted. When it goes back in the shed, I do a second throw out after having a day or two to work out if I really need it or not. The plan at the end of this is to make room for a new l&yout project in the shed. Good Friday promises a lie-in and hopefully completion of the big tidy up. Suitable shelf brackets have been bought for the plan and the basic woodwork has already been completed. There will be a trip on Monday that will take two hours or so to a place with the same name that I can get to with a 2 minute car journey. Have a good Easter weekend folks. Cheers, Mick

I did think my circlip was a circlip but thought perhaps it had another name so chose to be a bit vague! i have been assured that my heart is ok (unlike many other bits) but I prefer not to do jobs waving my arms above my head. It wasn’t the danger of heart failure rather the danger wielding power tools about. I have decided I won’t wobble on wobbly ladders anymore and have purchased better ones. Aditi has to reach above her head to even get stuff off the bottom shelf in the kitchen cupboards. After installing the blade for me my neighbour did advise me to be careful. I did tell him I had my safety goggles. He said he could give me lots of goggles but he didn’t have any spare eyes in his van. Tony

The nefarious wiggle and twist. I have LED spot lights in my stairwell. (I believe they are GU10 - with two small studs.) The casing for the fixture has no clearance to permit fingertips to grasp the bulb to twist them in. The first set of bulbs failed - far earlier than they were supposed to and the supplier was willing to provide complimentary replacements. The trick was getting the new ones in. Getting the old ones out out was a function of fingertip friction on the flat lit surface with an assist from gravity. It took a much more sophisticated wiggle and twist to get the replacements back in. I was having an issue with my arm when extended so I asked my son to help. He (and his wife) gave up. I tried again when my arm wasn't troubling me. Of course once the right technique was established, it wasn't too hard. I knew all along what had to be done, finding the right pressure/friction combinations was the trick.

I did my sawing. The saw I used (a reciprocating saw) was perfect. I am glad I remembered I had it. I bought it originally when I was fitting out the en-suite many years ago. It was needed for something that I couldn’t otherwise cut. Can’t remember what though! So this afternoon I was sitting on the front step trying to insert the blade and it wouldn’t go in. Neighbour offered to help and initially failed but it wasn’t a strength issue as we discovered. It required a little wiggle and twist. Tony

Cracking the flaggs in our garden.. birds singing..NATO fly boys having today off.. Fresh prawns and a nice glass of pinot for lunch..all is well in this corner of the world. Hope the flights are ok Ian Baz

Another day, another engine, this time Laira based Hall class 5998 Trevor Hall returning home with a Good Friday stopper.

Good morning everyone The sun is shining and the sky is blue and not many clouds about either. Sheila is getting herself ready for her trip to the hairdressers. This is a long standing appointment and she did offer to cancel or change it, but to said “no carry on, it leaves me with an empty kitchen!” Once she’s gone, I’ll walk to the butchers and pick up the weekly meat rations and the items I’ve ordered for today. Once back home, I’ll make a start on prepping the food for this afternoon. Enjoy the day folks.

Afternoon All The day started out well then Her told me to get on with replacing the blind top rails in the conservatory I tried drilling the kn@ckered screws out to use some Easy-Outs on them once drilling got underway I realized they were stainless steel screws and no drill would touch them, out come the angle grinder 2 out of the 3 offending screws trimmed the third I slipped with the angle grinder it made a nice mess of some plastic moulding Her started bleating and the angle grinder is no more it got launched now I have to source a 3 mtr of the stuff Her still bleating about the mess a loud STFU was bellowed and garage door was opened and everything to do with blinds got tossed in there. Then IT had the nerve to ask me will I be doing any more today by this time the conservatory was 30c . I'm still not 100% trying to fight off this allege I went for a nap, 4 hrs later I was woken up by my own snoring. Btw the Indian Hill Rly now has a new shunting engine an elephant it bigger than the Baldwin. Must get on B.Y.Uall

Hi Tony This is my Hornby version of A3 60097 Humorist, this was converted from a standard Hornby A3 which had the correct boiler type for the period I was modelling and the correct tender as well. I was also very fortunate to obtain one of the last sets of the correct etched brass smoke deflectors they had at the time for Humorist from Jackson Evans. The smoke deflectors were made up for me by a friend and I then fitted them to the loco. Regards David

Good morning all, The sun is shining brightly here and a fine, dry and warm day is promised by those who know about these things. The Boss brought me tea in bed earlier which is ominous to say the least. She has a huge amount of food preparation to do to cater for the various dietary requirements of our guests today. It may be that she will call upon me for assistance so I expect to shortly hear phrases such as "Will you get out from under my feet?" along with "Stop getting in the way and interfering" coupled with "Can't you go somewhere else and find something useful to do?" I will obviously help her in any way that I can. Have a good one, H.I.N Drance

Ey up! Not su NY here..yet! It would appear I have "won" a sore throat since arriving. Soon fix that with some Scottish falling down water. TTFN as mugatea awaits Baz

Good morning (other times-of-day are available as appropriate) I thought I'd be clever this morning and clicked the 'View New Content' link at the top of the page. I located the last post to this thread and noted that the link shewed as 'https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/229-early-risers/?view=getnewpost '; this looks promising, I thought, so I bookmarked and clicked it to end up at .......... post 1 of this thread! Methinks it don't work (well, for me at least)! Any thoughts, anyone, please?

Everyone else in the house has gone to bed and I'm left in the living room with Vaughan Williams on the CD machine and a glass of Scottish happy water. Bliss......... Night night all. Dave

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/04/18/sandys-chemo-day-114-of-147/

Is it just me, or am I reading too much into this.................? Cheers, Mick

Our gu10 lamps must be quite elderly as to remove the bulb a spring , like a big circlip has to be removed, then the holder drops out and dangles by the wires.

A couple of pictures of Haymarket’s Humorist. A few years ago a friend asked me to change his Hornby A3 to Humorist and as I had been swapping A3 bodies and tenders around to make several different variations for the Haymarket locos I had a spare A3 which I decided to do up as Humorist as well. I have added most of the Brassmasters etching to it as well. The picture of Humorist on the Kings X Fish is a DJH kit. Also attached is a photo of Carlisle’s Flamingo which has the Brassmasters etching fitted as well. This was a regular visitor to Haymarket along with the other three from Carlisle Canal.

Here is a photo of my latest finished build. A Thompson RSO for my Talisman rake. It's made from Mousa sides on a Bachmann donor coach and painted in Ford Burgundy red from Halfords. Transfers are from Modelmaster. The complete rake is mainly kit built with two Southern Pride Mk 1 BSOs, a Mailcoach twin FO and a Comet RF on Bachmann donor and just two Bachmann RTR Mark 1s. The other coaches were completed several years ago and a Comet RSP has been standing in for the RSO. A short (20 secs) video of the train in action is shown here.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. About to proceed through the old garden shed, found a few things long forgotten about that are still useful. I checked the council website and Pitsea still accepts items such as old paint tins, IIRC they have special disposal bins for such items. Instead of hiring a skip I can take a few trailer loads down to the tip to save a bit of cash, thats if they accept trailers, some disposal sites don't nowadays nor do they accept vans over a certain size.

Ah yes, may all your culinary efforts avoid descending into the Realms of Ramsey (kitchen nightmares). I do prefer to be allowed to perform in the catering area without let or hindrance!

A few of the night time shots as the railcar leaves Little Muddle enroute to Encombe Town. Tweaked the white balance to reduce the yellowish glow. Much better to my eye

Oh no! Not more leggy Aussie birds in swimsuits Jamie? You will have to avert your eyes or face repercussions!

Read as much as you like but my lips are sealed. Jamie

Bit late now but search on amazon for locksmiths drill bits. Some claim to cope with stainless steel.