Edthefolkie

Only just found this thread! Loved the Nottingham area references, my God I wasted lots of time in most of those places.... Didn't Bob Denny of Sawley open up only on Sats? I presume he had a real job as well as the model shop. This may have accounted for his sometimes bad tempered demeanour - my mate Rod used to wind him up. I once bought a Triang Davy Crockett coach off him; I was going to convert it to an original Midland Pullman. Bit optimistic there..... Somebody must remember Mike Skidmore of Pearson's, Nottingham, Millholme and possibly Attenborough Model Railway too. He did a great job painting and lining locos - in fact around 1966 I bought a 2 rail HD Duchess off him, think it was "City of Nottingham". Lost the plates, lost the valve gear, lost the bogie, still got the tender somewhere. Sorry Mike. There was a little shop/stall in the Central Market in Nottingham called I think "Radet Electric". This sold light bulbs, switches etc etc but also had an OO gauge oval of track at my 8 year old eye level. I can't remember the loco or rolling stock now but the train came out of a tunnel stage left, passed a small station building and exited via another tunnel stage right. The station had working platform lamps and a parked red GPO van - I found these utterly fascinating & had to be dragged away by poor old Mum. She didn't get away with it though as Applebee's in Beeston also had an oval of track in the window, only saw a train on that once though. Every male child passing that window left the imprint of his nose on it! Which reminds me of Woolworths in Beeston who sold Airfix kits in plastic bags for 2 bob, and a haberdashers next door who was also a Dinky toy agent. Gee Dee thank heavens is still going, must spend some money in there soon. Much more fun than the Interweb.

Splendid shots of Ted and Cadeby, David. I can testify to the easy going atmosphere there in the old days! We were driving a Lister of some sort up the Light Railway within 1/2 an hour of getting there. I was still living at home then and Mum was horrified at the state of me trousers when I got back. I thought the place was Boys' Own Heaven really - I couldn't believe it when I recognised Wilbert Awdry operating the model railway. We burrowed underneath to find that Ted had piles of early Hornby 0 gauge and even Bing Table Railway bits under the layout! The fun extended to Ted's discarded old car(s?) I do remember a Riley Kestrel shoved into the long grass at the bottom of the rectory garden, and covered in pigeon poo.

Liked the casual reference to your Dyane a few days ago David. Hope it had disc brakes - ours doesn't!!

David, thanks for that, I am off to Nottingham in March then. Haven't seen Borchester since, what, about 1960?

How to get lynched? Walk up to Pete Waterman and ask him where Kylie is. And no, I haven't.