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UPDATE - we were wrong. He passed!

Welcome to Friday. Ours started at 0630 with a call from Jill's sister to say that our niece's husband has committed suicide. He had Parkinson's disease as well as being treated for depression (quite possibly one caused by the other?). He was only fifty. Rather put the dampers on things at the moment. Back later. Dave

Newcastle today over a number of years. Newcastle HST Kings X to Newcastle and Class 45 TPO Newcastle to Bristol Aug 86 J8666.jpg Newcastle156433 Newcastle to Girvan 1st June 89 C11964.jpg Newcastle USP5000C DR 77 313 21st Oct 89 C13800.jpg Newcastle Class 143 and Bruff attending the derailment 3rd March 90 C14149.jpg Newcastle Class 158 Newcastle to Liverpool 21st April 92 C16787.jpg

Now that Scaleforum is out of the way together with the urgency (for now) connected with exhibiting my friends' 'Balcombe & Ouse Valley Viaduct' layout, I have resumed work on 'Bethesda Sidings'. I had previously ballasted the tandem turnout and this week I have been ballasting the main arrival road: I'm using neat PVA, spread between the sleepers, on to which the ballast is sprinkled and then removed, when the glue is dry. I find that I can only manage 4 or 5 sleeper bays at a time, before the glue starts to go off. Today I've been doing more ballasting, starting to weather the cobbled areas and gluing the buffer stops in place.

Regulations required the banker to assist only as far as the end of the platform, and the driver of the N5 has complied. In the south bay, 62530 is waiting to make the short trip down to East, and our man thought that with severe cropping there might be a good picture to be had.

Folk. Nearly half a century ago a friend wrote, for a student freshers guide, of a pub in Coventry which had a certain reputation. Knife fights, Fridays, Bottle fights, Saturdays, Folk Club Sundays, Magistrates, Mondays.

More of Launceston Castle', result of focus stacking and cropping experiments. Looks like those two guys have been standing there for years. Oh - they have! John C.

I'm in Amp Sher Ouse untin and more Rain forecast for tomorrow?

We retrieved the motor home today. The back end looks pristine again and they said that they dried out inside the walls. On the trip back the check engine light came on; I mad an appointment for Monday morning and one for the car the following week. Last time the check light came on we were in Missouri but they said we could probably get to Colorado safely. The problem was an emissions detector whose wires were lying across the exhast system and the insulation had melted. SWMBO has inherited my cough & stuff and is quite miserable at times.

Good evening everyone Well it’s been a grand day, the wedding went entirely as planned, even the weather played its part and the early morning chill gave way to a bit of warm sunshine. Vickie and the girls all looked lovely, her friend did a nice job of her make up. All in all a great time was had by all, although I think everyone’s just a wee bit kn@ckered now. Goodnight all

Hi everyone, Well, another landmark day here at Accurascale, as we have received the first engineering prototype of our Deltic! Lots to be happy about, especially shape, and a list of minor corrections too, which we are working on and sorted by China in the coming weeks. But overall, very positive. For the full story check out our latest blog post, where we talk about what's right, what's currently wrong, and for some nice pics. In the meantime here is a video of it in action on our office layout! https://accurascale.co.uk/blogs/news/deltic-engineering-prototype-breaks-cover Cheers, Fran

… and again, from the platform end. (Must sort out wonky lamp!) John C.

Currently hot and hazy in Incheon. We had a good flight especially the hard cross wind landing. The altitude had been displayed on monitors throughout the flight and just after crash down recorded -25 feet! We now wait for our connecting flight to Tokyo.

I certainly remember the huge (stuffed) Polar Bear in the transit lounge at Anchorage. Having done at least three trips London, Anchorage, Tokyo (but never the other way round) I also remember Anchorage as the place of hangovers, the bank paid First Class for flights over seven hours duration which meant that our flights always started in the First Class Lounge at Heathrow. Bloody Mary's were the drink of moment those days! … and talking of drinks, TWA did an excellent Harvey Wallbanger on their flights from New York to London. Towards the end of my antics in Asia I was a regular user of "Round-The-World" tickets (normally cost less than the direct fares and you got more mileage points!!). Starting off from Tokyo I would leave Tokyo at 8:00pm on a Friday evening and arrive in Hawaii at 8:00am on the morning of the same Friday! My flying days are over now, flying today is not what it used to be when I was flying. Drinking habits have also changed, no Bloody Marys, no Harvey Wallbangers and no hangovers now. Favourite tipple now is the odd Kir Royale. Keith

Tony, I thought that you might like to see a video of our insanely large P4 layout taken last week at Scaleforum. I Hope that I'm not intruding with some 'Southern' stuff! There's still much to be done on the viaduct and even more on the station side! This is a scratchbuilt 4-LAV using Worsley Works etches.

And the equipment that calibrates that, is calibrated at other companies using equipment calibrated, by our guys in the two outer labs, and I calibrate their equipment, at each stage the calibration has to be at a more accurate standard. Thirty years ago working for GEC Marconi I carried a test, inspection and quality set of stamps I supervised a team of engineers from our factory and two others, grades 7- to 9 , to hold such a set and use them, the companies owns rules stated only a senior engineer could do so, that was grades 10 to 12.. me.... I was a grade 6 technician. Mooring awl, inner Temple Hare, Ben the" I'm knackered" border collie is still in his pit, anyone would think he did the driving down here. Shortly when I've finished typing this, I will drag Doggy out of his pit for patrol, then I'll have breakfast. Then drag a trailer out out its spot hook, up then after checking the essentials, which lighting connection is not working this time , have another Muggacoffee. Then head to the MRC, to start loading up for our show. Our show,? Glad you asked, Aylsham jubilee Centre NR11 6JG 10:00 till 16:00 disabled parking at the hall the rest at the Bure valley railway Aylsham, or if you park at the BVR Hoveton and Wroxham station, get a return ticket from there to Aylsham, you get into our show for free.

I avoided Bedford once, I went via Wales!

Ey up! Radiators to be fettled on Monday. Pah! I have visited Bedford once..en route to Cardington for a meeting. Using your Chartered Engineer title really has little efect in the UK. It does mean you end up mentoring others who want to become Chartered Engineers. I did this for the Engineering Director at a major UK company. He struggled to get the paperwork sorted but achieved his aim. Only once has it made a difference. I chaired a Working Panel for the DTI on Synthetic Environments. They stated that anyone chairing such a Panel had to be a Chartered Engineer (or higher). No problemo!! Today is shopping, a visit to see Dracs' littlest helper then moore wire strangling. Enjoy Wigan Mick. I was going to attend but life has got in the way (I think). Grab the day everyone. Fill your day with things which add value toyour life and that of others. Baz

It's the unexpected, unplanned for countries that can provide the most Joy.... Mine was Uruguay just before the Falklands thing. Best, Pete.

No, they were racists, pure and simple. Had we understood just how entrenched racism was in the US we probably would not have come here, but we're too old to go back now. On the other hand I'm old enough to realize that my days are numbered. Who knows what I might do?

Aditi’s car did pass its MoT without any advisory comments. When she bought the car it came with free MoT tests for the duration of her ownership of the vehicle. She doesn’t forget to remind them. She then decided once her car was sorted that I needed a haircut. Tony

Thanks Bob - that should definitely gave me time to get back to normal, I think. And that will set me up for the following week which includes attending the NRM for what I think is likely to be a new model announcement but certainly a good opportunity to have an up close look at the Terrier new model announcement then it's the RMweb special Pendon day out on the 18th which looks to be con ming together rather nicely judging by the programme that has now been sent out. and there should also be a Didcot visit coming up for me before too long with a bit of luck to get a dose of some steam and coal smoke. Anyway Aldershot is the day after the chiropractor will hopefully have reset various mechanical parts of me. On which subject Mrs Stationmaster today visited the Doctor and the presence of arthritic conditions in her knees were conformed. She was offered the early opportunity of some injections which can hopefully ease things so I asked if I could have one too in my dodgiest knee and that was taken onboard - so very handy to be in there while she was seeing the Doctor. Seems the efficiency of the injections can vary from person to person but well worth a try even if it's only mildly beneficial but the Doc said that with some patients the beneficial effects can last the whole six months until you get the next shot (maximum is two shots per annum apparently) so it seems daft not to give it a go.

Greeting all from LBG where the clouds seem to portend a little light rain. I asked a work colleague what she was doing this weekend, and she said she was visiting her parents in Bedford. I mentioned the beer festival but she didn't seem that interested! Younger Lurker will get his 11+ result today. We don't think he will have passed - but as we have taken a different route with his schooling it probably doesn't matter. It would however do his self esteem good if he passed. All his schoolmates will expect it because he is right at the top of the class, but he hasn't been tutored and we just got him to do a few papers, less than his elder brother. We decided that the stress would be too much. The school we want him to go to require him to sit a test - I think it is more of a banding type test than "you can't come if you fail" type test - but they have unasked given him extra time and a quieter room to do it in; a marked contrast to his current school who failed to do that for his 11+ but will no doubt fall over themselves when it comes to his SATS; and on those, there will be absolutely no pressure from us - I know they mean a lot to the school but I cannot understand how kids get stressed about the SATS; the only people putting stress on them will be their teachers. Certainly in our area, the secondary schools ignore the SATS results ("the primary schools all cheat anyway") and re-assess their intake in year 7 in any case, so they don't affect the child's education at all, The same school also want him to do an interview, the last 10 minutes of which can be with a parent. That will be a completely different challenge; he's likely to clam up with anxiety but we will no doubt talk to the school to understand the format so that we can prepare him as much as possible. The weekend beckons but not a lot is planned. Best wishes to those who ail and have a good weekend all

Couldn't agree more, in South London there were enough folk clubs to cover every night of the week and then some. And most were pretty good as well. I remember going to the Rising Sun in Catford to see Martin Carthy, and to Dartford to see Jake Thackery. Morning All I have now managed to catch up after a pretty hectic week. Too much water under the ERs bridge for me to comment on each post, so it has to be the usual generic greetings. 30747 at work, and has been every morning this and last week. Creative writing course today, then another fight with the Barclays IT "system" Regards to All Stewart

Good morning one and all It appears that I have evoked some memories of Bedford. Happy to oblige! I came here to start work way back in 1970, which is frightening. Both office blocks in which I earned a crust are now apartments. This is the week in which, more than any other, I am reminded of bits of my murky past. Last night at the beer festival the subject dredged up by a friend of long standing was Ampthill Folk Club, which met on Monday nights behind the White Hart and had a very creaky door, captured for posterity on a tape recording which I made in the 1970s. In those days I could visit a folk club nearly every night if I so desired. Oh, happy days. The tape I made included an unfortunate recording of a singer, now no longer with us, who started choking halfway through his last number but kept going like the trouper that he was. As I recall, the title of the unfortunate piece was "Breakdown of the song". Those were the days when I learned to be fresh as a daisy at work the next morning after a late night and not necessarily a sober one - none of this stuff about going to the gym to get energised for work! I'm back at the beer festival today and tomorrow, taking it easy. Overdoing it would be nice but I can't do that any more. Best wishes to all Chris

Now 5355 and her crew have got in on the 'Great Crate Debate'

Morning all. It isn’t raining or windy here. I couldn’t have qualified as an engineer, I could never file pieces of mild steel accurately, so my engineering studies stopped at O level. I don’t know what we are doing today. Aditi is hoping a parcel will arrive, she is off to stay with her Mum for a couple of weeks from Sunday and has ordered some items to wear. Not sure why, perhaps they were in a sale. Have a good day. Tony

Good morning one and all. It looks like we could have a reasonable day. Beth is still asleep but the nurse will be here soon. The builder will also arrive shortly. Peace and quiet has descended as our house guests have left. We had a good evening at a quiz though the conversation to my right wasn't the best. Two ladies of a certain age discussing various tests that they are entitled to in great and gory detail. TMI. We did come home with a bottle of fizzy alcoholic stuff. Today will hopefully be fairly restful. I'm off now to start my breakfast, then off to feed the chickens that we're looking after for a few days. And to the observant ones, yes I do seem to miss n's when using the tablet. Fat finger syndrome. Jamie

That's the new normal for the summer. It wasn't always so. Plenty of parking this morning (a rainy October Thursday) - just a handful of cars including the surfers' vans (and/or #Vanlife Instagrammers) fronting the beach. Plenty of parking on the beach too - if you have 4WD and the ability to re-inflate tyres. I'd share a picture but can't post from here - my 'phone images are too big.

My laptop which I fired up but a week ago "bricked" this morning (there is no screen activity on opening it or messing with the power button). I so despise having to do my own IT work. It's a good living for some. In this case I haven't a clue how to proceed. (Am posting from my 'phone.) Returned from the coast around lunchtime after pleasant enough weather this morning, including some sunshine early. After a post-breakfast stroll on the beach I made it back to the hotel right before it started to rain. Weather crossing the coast range was truly miserable. The rain came along with my ride home. Roads were dry when I arrived at home, but the rain started before I could unload the car. All tolled I think I got the better of the weather forecast while at the coast.

As it happens I am a CEng MIET having never bothered to become a Eur Ing. I always have a tussle with British Gas about their use of the title "engineer" ....they don't get the idea of chartered engineers. But standards are dropping. In the days of the CEGB and the National Grid only Chartered Engineers could sign off High Voltage designs...not anymore!! Baz

my prezzies from my mum from last Christmas are still at my brothers house as she gave them to him to pass on to me the next time I saw him, unfortunately the next time I saw him was her funeral and my christmas presents were the last thing on our minds going to be a strange one this year opening presents from my mum 8 months after she died, hope she never got me that puppy I asked for!

The Fat Cont, the Fat Cont, the Fat Controller..............." Said Ernest, who had a very bad stammer. Prep for Wigan Ex nearly done. Layout already loaded in van - stock to be loaded tomorrow. Hoping to do a POETWEx. Cheers, Mick

I'm probably wrong (as usual) but I suspect it's more to do with what you do with your qualifications than anything else.

Trains over 11 bogies had to be banked when heading north, so the south end pilot is buffering up, ready to do the business. By this time, 60514 has had to pull forward again, as Platform 3 only holds 11 cars.

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/10/03/sandys-treatment-day-289/

A'noon. Flu jabbed has been stabbed, the walk-in clinic heaving with pensioners who can go at any time, all queuing up at 0800 hrs stopping folk going to work getting in early. I went for a walk and went back later - empty. Blood clinic is the same, drives me nuts. Then I went to the bike talking club, and....talked, although Dave the ex-bike copper was on a bike, nobody else was! Now to continue the battle of SPROG, Heljan 05 and a DCC decoder, which has so far taken two decoders, two evenings and a lot of language I learned in the navy to achieve nothing. Wondering if my SPROG has died, it programs OK but no movement on throttle commands. This is only the second real DCC problem I have experienced in almost 20 years of using it, so off down to the layout in the garage to see if the Lenz system will work it. SPROG has never failed me before!

It's been raining.... In the pantry.... The pantry is a brick built lean to, between the outside toilet, and the kitchen conservatory aka home for washing machine, fridge freezer etc. It has a pantiled roof with cement haunching round the edges, the cement has come away. With Lorenzo on his way I've been up and bodged it with silicon gue. Sunday, Lorenzo permitting, I have a roll of modern lead flashing replacement, I'll do a proper job. If not it will have to wait a week. We've had a huge amount of rain overnight puddles are maximum size. The trailer is dry inside, which good, however brambles had forced their way in through the back door edges. The garage is damp due to a hole in the roof I knew about, it's difficult to get to due to being in the middle of an asbestos roof. I'll need a thick sheet of ply to spread my weight. One of Tiree's trollies has been rolled into the garage, covered with plastic sheet, although it's away from the hole.. Muggacoffee to be drunk the off to the MRC to get stuff for our show... Show did you ask? see my post above..

Do not try the dry shredded jelly fish and local beer! It is a very explosive mix for the digestive system!!! Baz

And pays them less.. Personally I think there should be defined legal descriptions of what constitutes, a mechanic, technician, engineer etc. Curry's PC world should not be able to call someone who plugs in your TV, or takes it away when it doesn't work "a highly trained engineer "

Engineers Our water company now calls them "Technicians"

Happy POTS day! (Yes, I know it should be poEts day, but my lot don't understand the concept of Early!) I never even got as far as CEng and remained AMIMechE throughout my Engineering career. I have now relinquished that as, since 2002, my career has taken a few different paths. However, with my background in Control Systems, I felt it appropriate to include the BSc (Hons) bit in my current works email signature although it missed my business cards. To put a perspective in here, medical equipment used by doctors and surgeons is usually designed by Engineers!

The other woman would that be, or is it another other woman?

You are Tony Wright and I claim my £100!

Time for another visitor from far away lands, I think. I also think it is a stone cold certainty that one of these was never, ever, seen at PN. Most of them had been in store for ages, I believe, but Eric will correct me if I am wrong.

Well, you know my natural ability to generate explosive mixtures is renowned. I shall look this method up asap We have finally got to our hotel in Tokyo. At just gone 0100. Might have to go and find somewhere to watch England give the Argentine a damn god thrashing tomorrow! That's your tomorrow but my today!

Good morning all, Looks like we had some rain earlier but currently blue sky and a bit of sunshine. Cloud and some rain to come later. Enjoyed the athletics last night, a great effort by KJT and it was lovely to see her smile. That doesn't happen often. A couple of domestic tasks to do, some parcels are due and some more (revised) track planning needed. I think my biggest problem is going to be laying the track across the entrance flap, not done that before. I am being summoned, she probably needs help with something. Have a good one, Bob.

Umpires AGM attended..boring!!! Caught KJT winning her gold medal. Well done!! Mugadecaff drunk..now time for some eye Lid inspection. Goodnight all! Baz

A few odds and ends I will construct a temporary backscene for these shots from the back of the layout to the front. Took this as a trial and I rather like the angle.