bodmin16

I hope so, or else Cliddesden gets it! Seriously though this is my micro which is approx 3m by 0.3m, and the the biggest worry for me was fitting to dry line walls. The wall fittings extend well above TVS and below Cliddesden, with several fixings into the wall - Cliddesden stands on it own legs.

The plan for Botley Road bridge is not only to replace the bridge and install spans for both the new down platform that will be commissioned as part of the Oxford project, and passive provision for an additional up platform, but also to reduce the flooding risk and increase the clearance for high vehicles. Increasing the clearance requires the road level to be lowered which will require the lowering of public utilities under the road, lowering the utilities is a major task in itself. Rebuilding Botley Road bridge is a major scheme and it is vital that it is undertaken in a controlled manner with any disruption for both rail users and non rail users minimised as much as possible. WRT Nuneham viaduct it has been monitored for a number of years and this is purely Speculation on my part, but I am sure that extremes of drought and then extreme rainfall can't have helped the situation. There are other areas of the network that have suffered with earthworks failures, some more well known than others and of course some with more serious ramifications. Nuneham viaduct is I would suggest such a high profile because it is a key strategic route and of course requires more than just the Rebuilding of earthworks. It is a very complex situation and IMO it has been well managed as suitable mitigations were put in place and corrective action taken, which unfortunately resulted in an unexpected outcome and as soon as the situation became unacceptable trains were stopped and NR did not end up with a train full of passengers in the Thames. For anybody who thinks that Rebuilding a bridge is an easy and quick thing to achieve is obviously mis-informed and to be honest you only have to look at how long it takes local authorities to fill road potholes, compared to some of the engineering task that NR deliver in comparatively short time scales.

Didn't take any pictures but in order to get this thread "back on track" here is a still from a video of an N class I purchased from the MRC club stand. Thank you MRC I am very pleased with my purchase.

A few thoughts on my visit yesterday, but firstly some context, I am not a fan of big shows and don't generally do them these days, preferring smaller shows and added to that I probably only go to 2 or 3 shows a year. I'm usually happy to pay £8 to £10 to see a goood selection of layouts and if there are 2 or 3 that blow me away i am quite happy spending a whole day at a show. Some years ago I would do the NEC and Ally Pally every year. Although this is the second year in a row I have done Ally Pally which is not the norm. Last year we arrived at about 10 and stayed pretty much until closing time and I think we missed a few bits, this year however we were ready to leave by about half 3, either we had seen the layouts several times before or they did not really float my boat, that says more about my preferences than the layouts on display. Don't get me wrong there are some fine layouts at Ally Pally this weekend and hats off to all the exhibitors and owners. The only comment I could make about the catering was the cups of tea were good and welcomed, and the food being served looked okay, I always take my own lunch etc. Yes there are a lot of the larger traders, which I don't tend to buy from, however it was interesting to see some of the huge variations in prices, one example we looked at at ranged from £90 to £175 for the identical brand new product. The only criticism is well documented here and is the seating, so I will say no more on that. All in all for the £15 admission and 2 cups of tea, it was an enjoyable day and good vfm. I don't include travel costs as I considerr that a separate topic. The show organisers gave me a good days entertainment at a fair price IMO. Thank you.

Re the gunshot in the graveyard, I took that as either an uncharacteristic act of rage or (myore preferred choice) contemplating taking his own life. We all know Morse as a deep and complex person who is driven to do things properly, was this a moment where his internal torture and his feeling of disappointment/failure, nearly got the better of him?

I enjoyed the show, I don't do many shows but this is nice and local. It was good to catch with old and new friends and although I am old school I did enjoy Collingwood. I particularly enjoyed the 009 layouts, legs layout Romsey and Rod Moores display even though I do not model in ant of these "genres". Well done to all involved, the only thing I would ask is where was the show advertised? I have seen no adverts in the modelling press and very little on line, I would have probably missed it if it wasn't my local show and it has been in my diary since last year - please take this as constructive observation. Well done on a good show.

They used to operate run along the branch over Dartmoor from Pen Tor Road, I am sure if you "googled" there is probably some evidence of this maybe even a photo or two!😉🤭

A few changes in the garage have meant that after 3 or 4 years Cliddesden has been setup, albeit minus fiddle yards. TVS sits on brackets above Cliddesden at a great viewing height. Work has started on cleaning up and getting it running again. Watch this space!

I was one of those who took an opportunity to play, it is an absolute delight!

Rather than a reliance on subsidies does the preservation movement need to do more in trying to draw more people in and ask some tough questions of itself? What some avid enthusiasts want is not necessarily what some of the more casual enthusiasts and/or visitors want. I realise that there will be different answers depending on who asks the questions, and others may ask similar or further questions, but some of the questions I ask myself before going to a preservation scheme are as follows: Do I want to travel a great distance to travel in a mark 1 behind a particular class of loco when I can do very similar closer to home? Do I travel further for something different e.g. big four or pre-coaching stock behind something unique? Do I want to spend all day on a train or do I expect to see something else, i.e. is the line too long, will I see loads of rusting hulks or a nicely presented museum? What will my welcome be like? How would somebody coming with me, who is less enthusiastic than me, answer these questions and what would they expect? Unfortunately I think that some of the larger organisations have more to loose, in my experience some of the smaller organisations are more focussed in their presentation and are able to adapt more to meet both the needs of the visiting public and their preservation aims. Additionally it is often the case that any increase in running costs is disproportionately higher than any returns. It would appear from my observations and some of the posts here that we may lose a couple in the not too distant future unless something is done quick, and of course like all business, when one company goes the others that survive will pick up the customers from the failed businesses since most failures are the result of not enough custom rather than no custom at all.

I didn't realise that, I am off on a quest now. Does Smokey Joe on the Water count? 😂

On the subject of sets for beginners, I did not realise that the Valley Drifter set, which the B4 was being compared with/based on, had prog rock references - loco name Crimson King and PO wagon owner as 1 R. Fripp. Are Hornby also starting youngsters off on their music appreciation too?

I have a Lima 33 that is going spare if you want it. The chassis has been repaired around the buffer beam and the body is basically stripped of detail and paint. If its of any use and you want it you can have it FOC. PM me if you want it.

I have been considering offering my assistance at Pendon, it would certainly not be in a modelling capacity though. I became a friend during the first lockdown to be able to at least give some financial support - I am still a friend and intend to continue being so. Unfortunately as a result of some less than favourable experiences with one of the "larger" preservation organisations I very much doubt that I will offer my limited skills to any of the 12 inch to the foot railways again. My volunteering days for me and my best friend ended after an apparent "lack of appreciation" for our efforts and internal squabbling, in more recent times I was criticised in a non too pleasant manner for wanting to take some photos from "public" areas of a certain railway, offering a donation for doing so. I did not have enough time to travel the whole length of the line which was the only journey option available. Needless to say that was a donation they did not get as a result along with any profits they could have made from a visit to the cafe, gift shop and donation boxes of other preservation groups in residence, etc. Unfortunately I think that the preservation movement is at a crossroads and there are likely to be some casualties, if things don't change. I have my own thoughts about how that could be potentially mitigated which I will not share here but I'd be quite happy to pass on to organisations in a suitable manner, if asked. One thing that needs to be appreciated by everybody involved is that both casual visitors and enthusiasts are vital, and if they are not made to feel welcome then recruiting volunteers is not an easy task. On a more positive note I will say that there are some exceptions where I have always been made to feel welcome and these include both Pendon and Rocks by Rail, it's a pity that RbR is such a long way from me otherwise I'd be happy to consider wielding a paint brush, cutting the grass or any other task that would fit my skills, on an occasional basis. Who knows Pendon may well be the "lucky" recipient of my voluntary services? I would also include the IOWSR and the SVR in the list of locations where I have had more positive experiences in recent times (not as a volunteer I hasten to add). I salute all the volunteers (even those who need to tweak their interaction skills) and hope that my fears do not come to fruition. The loss of any railway preservation movement would be a sad loss indeed.