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BR blue on the ECML to the north and south of Grantham for today. Essendine Class 47 down parcels Aug 83 J8046.jpg High Dyke Class 47 1572 up ex pass July 73 C1260.jpg Barkston 254014 up May 78 J6139.jpg Dry Doddington Class 254 43106 up June 82 J7651.jpg Carlton on Trent 55007 up May 78 J6064.jpg David

Captain Jemma posing with her ship after finishing her last leg with Compass/Delta Connection in Seattle this morning... Off to Atlanta for Delta training in two weeks.

Been train spotting.. practice shot followed by the real thing...…………...

More Silver King today. seen head on from Platform 2. Then we go off the beaten track. Up under the shadow of Spital Bridge there is a hut, and in close proximity, two buffer stops. Always they are seen in the far distance, if at all, but today, the spotlight falls on them.

As long a DOOOOOOOOOO as that? Have you been taking little blue pills?

Accompanied??? Methinks 81C has something to DOOOOOO which may keep him occupied for some time. Meanwhile welcome to Thursday where I am upright and breathing. The sleep study kit has been packed away after having been wired up for the night and I await the outcome. Have a good day all. And a belated happy anniversary to Mr & Mrs Abel.

Well I had to pinch myself last night, went back for coffee struck up a friendship she is an absolutely darling we are going to continue as there was a lot of affection show which has been lacking in my life.

Western on shed.

Good morning everyone The Rain has stopped and the sun, although not visible is trying to shine. Breakfast has been consumed and Sheila is getting herself ready for her Zumba class. Once she’s gone I will continue working on the cellar stairs. Thanks for all the suggestions about the handrail, after sleeping on it and then discussing it with Sheila over breakfast, the best idea seems to be option 2 (the half length rail) as it will maintain the current width, I’ll be able to position the handrail directly over the stringer, which will then make adding spindles a lot easier too. Back later.

Bonjour from a cooler but sunny Charente. Happy Anniversary to Ian and his boss. I actually managed to stop the stop tap otside the shed, leaking yesterday. It took most of the morning as the awkward object is a foot below ground in a concrete tube. You can'tget a spanner on it, only mole grips over the tap handle. Then when you've taken the centre part out to make adjustments you need to wait 30 minutes for the water to seep away before looking for leaks. Anyway success was achieved but I couldn't sort out the tap inside the shed. The French use 14, 16 and 18mm copper pipe and the previous owner used a mixture of 1/2 inch and 15mm. They don't have yorkshire fittings either. I can forsee fun ahead. Anyway after all that fun we had some friends round for drinks and a good night was had. Our first set of summer complaints (visitors) arrive this afternoon for 10 days. Before that Beth has a Dr's appointment, then supermarket visit then this afternoon goes to the eye clinic for her diabetic screening. I've got an appointment with the fang mender (Also a Marklin collector) for the next stage of having 2 crowns fitted. I will then wait in to welcome the visitors and may follow some cricket. Regards to all Jamie

Greetings from the boring borough. I'm back. (sorry) A month away from social media has been good. Tempted to nuke my fecesbook and twatter accounts altogether, but they do provide a good source of news and information. Mostly BBQ and beer related that isn't available otherwise. A belated happy anniversary to Ian and Mrs Ian A. Tony, hugs to Aditi from both of us. Hope her wing improves quickly. Little else of note. Life goes on. Received a new toy last week in the form of a Rapido Royal Hudson. Alas probably my last international order for a long time. The sinking of the £ and increased shipping & customs charges meant I ended up paying in £ what the retail cost of the loco was in $CAD. Now all I need is time to clear the shed, assemble the modules, and do some play time test running. I see GDB has joined the ranks of BBQ addicts. Enjoy. This is a glimpse into your future. Work is work and it looks like Brexshit will have a very large effect. Several projects have been further stalled and I've been reassigned to the Benelux group of the practice. The company is drawing up plans to "lifeboat" many UK people to their Benelux region, as demand there is outstripping available talent. That's about it for now. I'm about to present one of our weekly tech talks to the rest of the team. Enjoy the day.

Rain has stopped. Water being taken off covers. Play should start here at 10:30 ish. Rain forecàs for later..pah! Off home after the match as I have a county Under17s girls game tomorrow. Have a good day everyone. Positive thoughts to all who ail! Baz

Morning, grey and cloudy here with rain promised for later, which is a pity as I planned a day out with the camera, we have Tornado hauling the "Aberdonian" through the village today(I wonder if I can authentically add one to my layout, I did after all say the date period was 1950 to the end of steam...…………………………….well it's not ended yet strictly speaking has it?) lol.

Once muggocoffee is consumed and the grandkids have wrecked the kitchen had breakfast we're taking them to see some friends who live near Abermule and have quite extensive grounds for them to play in. With luck that will tire them out so that this evening will be fairly quiet. Have a good whatever it is in your time zone with thoughts and prayers for those suffering. Dave

I've just got home from my dreamy dinner date, YABBA DABBA DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

So far the day has gone very well, having decided that option 2 (half length handrail) is the way to go, the reason I want to add spindles is it will then be in keeping with the rest of the house. So I’ve set about with the saw and the final design is basically simple and functional, the result can be seen below, The 2 spindles in the photo are made from off cuts I found lying around and are only there to “see” how it all looked, they are nowhere near strong enough for the job. There will be 10 spindles in total, but the last 3 will steadily get shorter as the ceiling gets nearer. I’ll buy some wood more appropriate for the job next week. Once it’s all been cut and test fitted I’ll dismantle it all and give it a good sanding before painting. Muggertea No2 now awaits my attention.

One early morning, sometime in the first few years of the 1940's, a trainee SOE operative was practicing with his new buttonhole camera. Lurking in the bushes beside the Forge, which we now know was used for storing D-Day preparations, he captured a couple of shots of the various wagons used to bring in the necessary supplies.

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare, 4 + 2 + a bit of dozing this morning, Ben the Border Collie was a bit unsettled but I think it was the heavy rain and he was associating it with the thunder ad lightening although we didn't get any.. We discovered the NAS box that was attached to the router wasn't working, I think the PSU has died so I've ordered another.. On Driving in, once I'd done about 7 miles every thing was bone dry until just before work when a little drizzle impacted the windscreen.. One major system is finished, the other will go on cross checks today, I've about 3 hours work on it first. After that there is a set of 7 shunts to do.. Meanwhile I've started clearing my lab, and there are 24 shunts on the table next to me on my, outside the lab, desk. Friday will be mostly be spent on lab clearance, also on Friday they are removing the temporary partition screening the new lab. They start replacing the ceiling next week. Meanwhile i'm doing packing lists in my head, as I'll be occupying the wreak of my motorboat for regatta week, last year I forgot the sleeping bag.. I've already got the meter in the landrover for checking the battery cells, I do need a block of wood, a drill and bits to go with the bolts so I can lift out any failed cells.. having the use of the rescue boat for the week is an ideal time to transport dead batteries back across the river... they are heavy... Time too... head down to the lab.

And there is or, rather, was also Bangor. Alas, the beach scene gave way to boatbuilding - yachts and things but there is always the pier and we do have a carnival day fairground on the green on Beach Road opposite the port. In the hallway outside Bangor Uni's Archives is a painting looking towards the beach with yachts and steamboats at the end of the 19th century. The wind seemed to be blowing from the right hand side (westerly) but one set of sails always looked odd! Until, that is, the penny dropped. The gaff-rigged yacht was goose winging - the mainsail held out one side of the mast and the foresails out the other. Oh, how I did hate doing that in our sailing days especially when the buoys, tide, sandbars (decreasing depth!!!!), and the like wanted to redirect our course! Happy days! Ray and youngest have just successfully dug up one of the supporting poles to a Victorian open porch (only the poles and beam between the two existing when we moved in). I say "dug up", I really mean excavated as the pole was cemented into granite stones 3ft deep! The hole must be at least 5ft across! The pole was rescued from the concrete and clay stones with electric drill of some sort. I have my eye on them for climbing plants down in the garden somewhere - not decided yet! Time for a cuppa and the G word. Best wishes to all _______ Polly

We close tonight's photo shoot with the arrival of a Doncaster local in the form of some soon to be withdrawn LNER wooden coaches hauled by one of Mr Peppercorn's "Cement Mixers" and a 4 car Met-Cam DMU from Harrogate via Leeds. First we will see what locos are on shed over on the GNR (steam) sidings. The Ivatt is over the ash pit and has just been coaled. The Fairburn is refilling its tanks with water (just imagine there is a water crane) and the other two are turned waiting their next duties. I will let photos tell the story. Got to log off, so i can load the rest of the photos, again I am being told I can only load 10MB. The admins tell me that is only limited to each post. Back to the photo story.

Quite a day. After doing the backscene I went back up and ran lots of trains, finished the sequence and took about 50 photos. Now I have lots of photoshopping to do. First to be done was the Talisman, running through behind Silver King. There are lots of shots of that, but only two of them this evening. New lamps, but I still can't quite get them in the right place.

I'm a bit of a sucker for poor, old things - taking pity on them (am I expecting the same in return?). Just over a week ago, I was given the part-built body of an old Ian Kirk Gresley BG. It wasn't badly-made, though it was still in the light brown plastic, had no underframe, the roof had no ventilators, was loose, and rather dodgy bogies (held in place with two whacking great self-tapping screws!) were fitted. I thought to myself, should I finish it? And I did; well sort of.................... I made-up a Comet set of turnbuckle trusses, used other Comet details, made new Kirk bogies (yes, I know they should be 8' 0" , not 8' 6" ones), added the ventilators (which don't appear to be all the same type!), painted, lined, lettered it and dry-brush weathered it (to represent the rather shabby condition these vans got into towards the end of their lives). I used Precision Paints' brushing maroon, and wondered, even after four days, why it stubbornly refused to dry, and why it covered so poorly; despite vigorous stirring of the contents of the tin. It also appeared to be very dark. A second coat took just two days to dry! I know it's severely lacking in detail, and the panelling is too recessed, but, as a layout coach? In a layout train? I'll decide whether or not to keep it after watching it go around LB for a while. The shorty BG to the left was built by the late Dave Shakespeare. Note the different colour rendition of 'maroon'. And Hornby's, to the right; or is that carmine? Compared with what can be done using MJT sides over a Hornby donor, with correct-length bogies, then it's a bit grotty. However, in the grander scheme of things? I don't own a Hornby Gresley BG, because I think the whole range is very disappointing; I just use any as donors. In 1973, I built a PC version (buying it from Bagnalls, in Stafford - during the time when every town/city had a 'proper' model shop). I very much doubt if this is correct (was there only ever one Gresley BG painted carmine/cream?), but it still runs on LB (having previously run on Fordley Park, Leighford, Stoke Summit and Charwelton, so it's stood the test of time). By today's standards, a bit (a lot?) lacking? Of the same vintage is this Mopok ex-GW BG. I don't know who built this, but it didn't run very well (it had stub-axles running in plain bearings). I rebuilt the bogies (fitting pin-points), and generally tidied it up, numbering it and lettering it (have I got the right number?). It looks almost as dark as the Kirk one! These were amazing kits for their day - wood, metal, plastic, pre-printed acetate - all weighing in at rather a lot! I almost sold this (and a BCK) to St. Enodoc many years ago. I'm glad I kept them, but Hornby makes much better RTR examples now. They're not unique, though. Without being too sentimental, I do like older models, particularly if they can be 'resurrected'. There's something very personal about them. Anyone else have similar stories?

The same happened to Valerie in St. Ives. This one just flew in and just took it out of her hand. I felt the tip of it’s wing across my face. She got quite a shock and for a few seconds looked as though she didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. In the end she decided to be mad as it had taken her ten minutes to decide which flavour she wanted.

We had a nice lunch out. We did hear about the dodge the weather holiday our friends had in Wales. Best story though was the Beaumaris incident. Our friend was mugged by a couple of gulls that took her ice cream . Since returning home I have been sitting on the sofa watching the test match. Tony

Has anyone noticed that unlike pannier tanks, all pacifics look the same.

More likely to be a one way trip than a commute. Just wish they had an office in Haarlem or Rotterdam rather than Utrecht & Luxembourg. Already they've moved 2000 jobs to the continent and another 2000 redundancies since 06/16. House prices in the Benelux going sky high these days. As for the after works drinks of wicked strength, have a shifty at my last Untappd chicken. BBQ tonight. Slow smoked pork ribs and pork belly burnt ends.

BIN day but not for me, one less task to take care of when out-of-town. Yesterday added three new reports to the suite and growing list of panic items. The new Bored of Destructors having deemed the financials be presented in as many new stupid repetitive varied ways as possible ! Added to that the ever expanding IT department apparently has managed to get itself confused (wasn't really that hard ) and now the sys-admin (IT department employee!!) that should work on the finance department systems can't install the required PC software because they changed the admin password and he doesn't know it, as they haven't provided it to him - you can't make this sh!t up, REALLY! Some cautious top-down driving returning to the hotel last night, weather was threatening, but held off. Today off to JFK to do battle again, current predictions are there should be no issues and I should have a decent/on-time flight. Should even be able to "top-down" to the rental return A cooler 19 and partly sunny driving in, although expecting 30 for the high. Sieze the carpet (I'm SURE that's the correct translation )

I think that's a DEFINITE... rule #1 applies here

Morning all from Estuary-Land. A bit brighter this morning than the last few days. The postman has just delivered some magazines and journals so thats the rest of the day sorted.

White Rabbits! Have a great Yorkshire Day! Baz

We now follow the Huddersfield train with the Standard 4 on the front as it departs. Waiting for a green signal. We are off. Off the train goes under Enterprise Bridge. The loco that brought the train to Sheffield is waiting clearance to the diesel sidings.

5050 came to play with the trainset, yesterday and and I have started on making wagon loads for the quarry traffic. The type of stone from the quarries and mines around the Hipperholme/Lightcliffe area was used for architectural purposes, rather than being a crushed product for industry or roadmaking and so it is far more time-consuming to make loads. I've also used my modeller's licence to imagine how some of these things were carried and in the case of the two loads made so far - roofing stones and flags - I have them leaned against the wagon ends and packed every 4 or 6 with wood. They have been made using card and microstrip on card bases. From yesterday's running session.

For those of you in doubt.... One of his finest designs Picture of balanced serenity.....until it starts of course!

Make sure the new timber is construction grade buy only from a good wood yard and it's free from knots, building reg's state you can not have a gap between the spindles of more than 12 cm's so child can't poke it head through, Glue and screw all joints use metal brackets if required, sand all square edges, again if you are not sure seek advice and the newel post would be better if it was 2" x 2" taken down to the floor and secured to it. have fun building but don't make it a safety hazard. Bob

Commuting by Eurostar and after work drinks of wicked strength??

Do you need spindles? You could add a second, lower handrail instead, which would still 'fill in' the space but also provide an additional support.

I'm thousands of miles away from my workbench at the moment, but sitting amid the clutter and waiting patiently for my return is my embryonic Diamond Jubilee Layout Challenge entry. Recently I made a tentative start laying track, so i thought now would be a good time to introduce my project to the world. The foundation of the layout is one of Tim Horn's laser-cut baseboard kits. I have a second kit, with a cunning plan to build it as two half-width boards to use as fiddle yards. They may end up as platforms for cassettes. I will be using Easitrac throughout, and I have been having fun over the last couple of weeks playing with some of the pegged turnout kits. This is the first time I've used these. The idea behind my entry is to suggest one part of a larger steam shed complex somewhere in the North West of England. I have taken design cues from several locations, to end up with something fictitious (to fit within the space allowed) but hopefully believable. After the competition, it will make a nice scenic backdrop for photographing all the locos desperate to get out of my gloat box and onto my workbench! (If only a Fowler 2-6-4T were among their number...) At the right hand end will be a retaining wall which contains the shed yard, and at the left, a road over-bridge will divide this part of the yard from the non-modelled area. One end of a larger shed is tucked away at the rear left, and the central feature will be a tank-over coaling stage - typical of L&Y and LNWR sheds, and known as a "Coal Hole". Across the front of the layout will be a running line providing access to the shed yard. I've tried to add some interest to the track plan by varying the track levels. The running line is slightly below the level of the yard, and falls away to the right to enter a tunnel. Also, the track in the centre rises at about 1-in-30 (which I believe is prototypical) to deliver wagons into the coal hole. The track plan was designed using Templot and stuck onto 3mm ply. This has been cut between the tracks as appropriate and stuck to risers of varying thicknesses to achieve smooth vertical transition curves where the track level changes. This has also allowed me to cut slots in the upper layers for inspection pits outside the shed. I have made a start on the shed itself using a ScaleScenes downloadable kit. I plan to use components from this and other ScaleScenes downloads to make a vaguely matching coal hole. I'll probably use papers form the same source for the retaining walls, bridge abutments and tunnel mouths to achieve some visual harmony. Below are a few photos showing the overall scheme. Actually, I'm a little further on with track laying, but didn't take any more pictures before I left. The first picture shows clearly the track plan, which features 5 turnouts. 8 tracks will cross onto the fiddle yards, including the shed roads. The incomplete shed and a few vehicles are scattered around for effect. Next, an end-on shot showing the rise and fall of the track levels. Through the crossover from the yard to the running line, the track level drops 3mm. The running line (which is level at the end of the baseboard nearest the camera) then drops a further 3 mm towards the far end. The raised track through the coal hole is 12mm above the siding next to it. I have made a crude attempt to draw in some of the major scenic features, to give an impression of what I have in mind for the scene... Finally, I couldn't resist showing off the buffers at the end of the raised coal siding. These are the LMS version available from the Association shop, and make up really nicely. I have separated the buffer plank from the supports with pads of thin double-sided PCB, in order to have an all-soldered construction and at the same time not introduce a short circuit. I still need to add some cosmetic outside half-chairs to the 3 sleepers where there is a double thickness rail. The mineral wagon is from Stephen Harris' kit.

The Sulzer Bo-Bo stays put while a Wakefield bound Met-Cam unit starts its journey. Off it goes to Wakefield passing the newly (model wise ) installed signals About to take the GNR line under Dignity Street Bridge. Note the different yellow panels, the loco on the left has a typical ER one with the green line below it and the one on the right is a Derby works square corner version as applied to repainted locos from about 1964 until blue became all the rage. The BR Type 2 slowly makes its way across the point work to the L&YR loco sidings. It reverses on to the sidings headshunt. It is parked up next to a classmate in two tone green.

Good evening everyone It’s been raining on and off all day here and we’ve had lots of it but thankfully we’ve not been flooded like some areas. There were lots of sunny spells, but at times it was so heavy, it almost looked like a mist was forming. I’ve got a couple of old washing up bowls in the garden, they ere empty on Monday, today they are overflowing! More progress has been made in the cellar, most of the day I’ve been working on the stairs. On Monday I filled in lots of holes at the rear of the hall panelling, below the main stairs. So today I’ve given it all a good sanding as well as the cellar stairs stringer that’s not against the wall. This is now almost complete, but I added bit more filler before dinner, which needs to harden off fully before any further sanding work is done. When the house was originally built the cellar stairs didn’t have a handrail, this is something that Sheila would like, as it would give her something to hold on to whenever she goes down there, which currently she doesn’t do. However, there are a couple of problems, adding a handrail as it will narrow the gap between the wall and the side panelling and also it wouldn’t be directly over the stairs stringer board, making the fitting of spindles a bit tricky. So I’ve got to think about how to make it look good/right as well as making it practical. I have a couple of options: 1/ have a long handrail that starts at the top of the stairs, close to the door and runs the full length of the stairs, ending at the upright post. 2/ have a short handrail that starts halfway down the stairs, where the ceiling meets the stairs but again finishing at the bottom upright. Starting with option 1 seemed sensible way to go, because if it doesn’t work or look right, I can always shorten the handrail and then carry on with option 2. So far I’ve cut and temporarily fitted the bottom vertical upright. I’ve also made a support bracket for the top end of the handrail, which, at the moment has been left at its full length. Once I’ve finally got my preferred option cut and fitted, I will then remove everything and refit them when all other work has been completed, as when they are in place, it will impede getting large items into the cellar and round the bottom of the stairs. As it’s a Wednesday, we would normally have Ava, Evie and Max round for tea, but this week they are all at Ian’s Mum’s in Stoke, so it’s just been the 2 of us tonight, which was strange but rather nice too. Ian. Happy anniversary to you both. Goodnight all

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/07/31/sandys-treatment-day-225/ And today with Wodney the Weindeer

Evening all, been train spotting again and got the Aberdonian on it's return journey through the station area I am modelling, I will be needing an A1 and one with sound, sooooooooooooooooo………………………………………………….

Down here, the gulls are the problem nearer the sea but where I choose to have my lunch most days is plagued with threatening crows; they menace bully you into giving food (I usually jerk my foot in their direction and they retreat for a short while!) but others think 'how cute' and encourage them! Only makes them more tame and venture closer. NO!!!!!

Liz said she was convinced the gulls were working as a team, one hit her head and the other one snatched the ice cream. She too had been looking forward to it after spending ages (according to her husband) choosing a flavour. Tony

Had it on good authority that Roy was a taking his final journey this morning, it was dull and drizzly so he would have been in his element... See ya Roy.

Or at least a solid handrail over tensioned wire cables to protect the otherwise open space under the rail that in more traditional arrangement uses spindles. For the balusters, Instead of wooden spindles my home uses black square metal tubes mounted between the handrail and a matching rail just above the treads. They mount into a 'pitch shoe' designed for them. (This sort of thing.) It's part of a system. I like the finished look. This may of course, be overkill for your cellar. I do think a handrail is not only a good idea but necessary for cellar stairs.

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/08/01/sandys-treatment-day-226/ With explanations of antlers

O.K. Just one more for tonight.

Some gulls are and some gulls aren’t.* If you really want to experience aggressive gulls/terns go to the Farne Islands, off the Northumbrian coast, during the breeding season. It’s a beautiful place and it really is a fantastic experience. *I feel a 70’s song coming on.

At long last, here they are: There are three LMS/BR Upper quadrant signals. And a total of seven Ground Discs. There are three "Doubles" and four "Singles" Each was made from a Palatine Models etch. All the signals in the photos above are mounted on their Transport & Test Frame. The servos have all been set to mid-position by the GF Controller's "Safe" function. This is why they are all somewhere between "On" and Off". These two pics show one of the Double Ground Disks more clearly: And here is the signal under test Sorry its been such a long time since I posted on RMWeb. Steve.

I grew up in Rhyl. Only smallpox? You were fortunate.