Edthefolkie

I've had the Finale for a while now. Just as good as the others. The only problem I can see is that the whole lot are liable to pull the sitting room down! 🙃 One strange thing in one of the Finale volumes - there is a photo of more or less the last rites at Nottingham Victoria in 1966. It was practically identical to one I'd taken on the same day (see below), but better. It was by a gentleman who I didn't meet until years later in London - he happens to be associated with the er, MNA. Several of us have been getting together in Derby 2 or 3 times a year, and said gent turned up for a flying visit, between trains, at the most recent one. Er, I had to buy him a beer straight away... Truly, the steam community is a small world.

I bought it from The Titfield Thunderbolt online shop (where else?). It's absolutely marvellous. I've been interested in Pendon since the late 50s/early 60s when word started getting out. In 1967 I managed to visit with my good mate David - we had hired a Mini and photographed Barry, Mountain Ash, the Corris, Talyllyn, Festiniog, W & L and the KESR. When we arrived at Long Wittenham, Roye and Paddy Burridge were running the show. Roye was very welcoming, showed us round, and he and Paddy, Dave and I had a good chat. Roye was exactly as portrayed in the book - a dreamer in a way, but very practical about Pendon. Paddy was more combative. He and Roye carried on a friendly argument during our visit, which was extremely amusing Many years later my wife and I were near Long Wittenham so naturally I said "You've got to come to this place" - and of course It was closed. But she's now seen the colour pics in the 2nd edition and can't believe that the models are in 4mm scale. Somehow, we have to re-visit.

Mine arrived this morning. Superb! Only looked at Volume 5 so far - took me back to 1965 or so, when shots from some of the gentlemen involved appeared in Railway World most months, thanks to Mr. Gifford. At the time it was all a revelation to me, because not only were the shots very imaginative, but also RW's paper quality (and Colin's oversight) was better than the Railway Magazine's. One of the best things about this set is that lots of negatives have never been printed before, but this has now been remedied. And now on to the last set, hurrah - I think I'm going to have to underpin my foundations though

Errr...taken at Rhyd Ddu, WHR on 4 May 2019...….TWO Fairlies.

Since all 00 model locos sold by Hattons are more or less 4' gauge, I guess we might as well close our eyes to generic 4 wheel coaches behind them! Anyway, might encourage a bit of model bashing as in days of yore. (NB if any newbies read this direct from watching the Great Model Railway Challenge, don't worry. All will become clear )

It's my understanding that Ian Allan doesn't now exist as a publisher. Crecy Publishing has taken over their titles. Since the 3 volumes of "Great Central" were published between 1959 and 1965, I would have thought that it'd be a big task to reprint them. And would it be financially viable? Better to have a look on Abebooks or similar!

Mine turned up on the button today. Brilliant, well worth the delay (the printers were told it wasn't quite good enough). Nice to see that sort of attention to detail - when one compares these with certain well known I*n *ll*n photo books, it's quite a contrast

Just ordered it (the book, not a Bedford OB) - thank you Simon. Time for Evensong...….

Sorry to start another thread about railway crime novels, but I must recommend Andrew Martin's Jim Stringer books. Mr. Martin's dad was a career railway manager based at York which I would think was distinctly helpful - and not just the free travel..... The books in order are as follows: 1. The Necropolis Railway 2. The Blackpool Highflyer 3. The Lost Luggage Porter 4. Murder at Deviation Junction 5. Death on a Branch Line 6. The Last Train to Scarborough 7. The Somme Stations 8. The Baghdad Railway Club 9. Night Train to Jamalpur I was first turned on to Mr. Martin by the Necropolis Railway book - extremely atmospheric. He's got better as he's gone on, and in my probably biased opinion he's a better stylist than Marston. Would be interesting to see if other RMWeb denizens have read his stuff. By the way, he has done the odd railway programme on BBC4 if the name sounds familiar.

I don't want to get into contract law, charities, Citizens' Advice bureaux, personal details etc., but I can assure you that the whole thing is a team effort; that Mr. Wilkinson is an extremely real person; that he's working very hard on these books with people like Mr. Hale and others well known in "the fraternity" who I don't really want to detail; and that for what it's worth, I've known him for 40 odd years, and another team worker for nearly 60 years. I've put my money down with no hesitation, as have several of my immediate circle. I believe that this is a publishing event on a par with "Decline Of Steam", that the reproduction and binding will be of really good quality, that nobody is going to make their fortune on this, and that the project will be a great tribute to Paul Riley and others who are no longer with us. Maybe I should also mention that I've had nothing to do with the project myself. My only problem is where the hell I'm going to put the books!

A friend has been working on at least one of Paul Riley's photographs for this set - I think the books are going to be a "must have". Well, I've put my money where my mouth is! The website has some samples of the shots, which are superb.

"Never Again" is now up to 4 volumes plus slipcase and in theory will surface in June 2018. Apropos of the MNA, a belated "congratulations" to LNER4479 for the little scene involving RDU 290, Mr. Riley, and other ne'er do wells. Which one's Ian Krause by the way? An MNA video exists, some of it from the 11th August 1968, which is one of the funniest pieces of tape I have ever seen - unfortunately I returned it without copying it and the old friend who lent it has, I hope temporarily, lost the flipping thing.

Ah, A3s on two cylinders. Back to three cylinder locomotive failures thank the Lord! I have a personal interest in all this. The missus, self, and another couple were supposed to be on the Ynys Mon Express last Saturday, with rides on the Festiniog, WHR and two buses plus some cakes. And I'm a Tornado covenantor! I have every confidence in Messrs Allatt, Bunker-James, and the rest of the A1SLT. The trip has been rescheduled for 29th September so things are looking a bit brighter. I can only echo somebody earlier in the thread - "Give us some money!" I mean, the P2 isn't ready yet so we're a bit stuck........

Bernard, thanks a million for posting those wonderful photos, both Mr Cruickshank's, and Mr. Granick's. Thanks also for the exhibition report - your shots are great - I must try to get down there before it closes. I've always been a fan of Dan (!) - right back to the days recorded in those shots. I don't know whether I misremember this, but I'm sure I first heard about him because of the 144 Piccadilly business - 1968/9? Anyway, ages ago. Been reading his Spitalfields book recently and about a fortnight later discovered Mr. Granick's wonderful Kodachromes. I'm still kicking myself over not getting more shots of London in the 70s - 5 or 6 of us, mostly rabid steam fans and photographers, lived in a flat round the corner from Portobello Road. There was a stone sink half way up the stairs which was used as a darkroom on occasion. Sammy the landlord, one of the Windrush generation, sold the house for about £10k in 1972. Even then the odd Ferrari was moving in. We did manage some photo trips in between work and girl/steam chasing - a few round Ladbroke Grove etc., just one to the Isle of Dogs, can't remember the others. I will have a word with two of the chaps on Thursday, one of whom has scanned thousands of his Kodachromes including London's railways. His shots always knock mine into the long grass. Another of the chaps has dropped off our radar, but as he used to work somewhere near Broad Street and sometimes took his camera in, he must have some good shots. Anyway, thanks to everybody who's posted on this subject. Really, one of the most interesting reads on RMWeb for ages.