JeffP

Depending on where the holes are in the sheet metal, using a couple of self tapping screws into the ply/mdf, with large, (repair) washers, works well.

Was it called "The Crow's Nest Tramway"? I've recently bought Roy's book and it shows the evolution of said layout through several scales. Fascinating.

Beware: a good friend's hobby was his "red rocket", a Vauxhall Ventora he had lovingly restored. His wife started out bemused at the amount of time spent on it. Bemusement became questioning. Questioning became complaining... And in the end, he sold it....😒

C9191 of the class 81 at Carlisle with the leaping salmon reminded me of a pic I've got somewhere of a class 85, similarly adorned, but also (un)officially?? named Fell Runner, circa late 70's. Then the photo of the trackbed at Stratford on Avon: we camped there around 1982 at the Racecourse, and I was fascinated to find I could walk two trackbeds, one, double track south to the River Avon, the other, as shown.

But what a mad world we live in when car drivers are almost being forced into electric vehicles which in many cases are unsuitable, the charging system is underfunded and pretty useless, yet most uk freight is in the hands of polluting diesels, railway, or road. Crazy. You'd almost suspect that politicians were involved...oh... wait...😄

Looks nice. But for the base, are you sure the pits stretched the full length of the building? In sheds I've visited, there was a walkway inside the building at both ends, to give staff easy access without having to go outside.

Did each Castle set power car carry a different name or was the single name applied to a set?

I've also found Wickes paintbrush cleaner, the blue stuff, to be excellent. Once it has done it's job it can be washed off with water as it is miscible.

Would that it were so. Do some reading and you'll find that the demise of wagon load freight is directly attributable to the beginning of private operators, who are only interested in profitable mostly long haul stuff. SNCF were able to subsidise wagon loads with the profits from the long haul stuff. They can no longer do so, and wagon loads are on the roads.😒 Meanwhile, rural back roads are being destroyed by 44+tonne trucks, and the right hand lanes of previously fluid motorways are an endless stream of trucks....while freight yards lie idle.

They've been mucking about driver training for nearly 18 months, both with, and without coaches. No excuse now. And now the Cleethorpes Liverpools are back to three coaches, at leat to Doncaster, maybe Sheffield, maybe all the way. 😖

One video showed a few relatively small rocks coming down from above, brining ever larger ones as they struck. One thought: Has anyone managed to link this to climate change yet?🤫

How do you know a politician is lying? His lips are moving.

For some odd reason J2816 reminds me strongly of a photo on the Railway Modeller article about Roy Link's Crow's Nest Tramway. My be the light, might be the air of oncoming dereliction, but it's there.

What an UTTER waste of money, again.

On the first of the Misterton photos, the little pub with incorporated garage and "Hewitt's Ales" sign is so evocative of that time.

I've always found either eBay or just plain old Google to be excellent for all kinds of hardware, from springs to odd screws and bolts. Even magnets and bearings.

I'd not thought of 1), 2) is supposition, and for 3) I'd assumed it towed. But I accept the point.

The Radcliffe photos are interesting for modellers of bridges. Just look at the different types all in one place.

Meanwhile, here in the North midlands/Humberside, we are promised 25 and got 20 and mostly cloudy Rain forecast again for tomorrow🙄 Not been in France for two summers now due to them strictly enforcing the 90/180 rule, and, due to my age and my poor wife's disability, medical insurance is eye-wateringly expensive, so a 6 month visa isn't really an option🙁. Maybe next year. Fancy a cold, wet summer?

Reminds me of when we bought ours. Our home in sunny Scunny lies 2.5m above sea level. So pretty flat. Indeed, the very near River Trent and quite near River humber are constrained within their banks by large embankments, up to 6m above ground level. When we bought in France I mentioned to someone I knew, that his place, 70km to the WNW, always seemed warmer and that bit drier. He responded, "Well, you are quite high up, aren't you?" When I checked, our place was at 454m. Now that's not high, but in the UK, Saddleworth on the M62 is around the same, and often sees fierce weather. We, at our place in France, have lots of hills winding down to the many streams and Rivers that drain the area. We have a choice of two local supermarkets, 4km and 6km...and I would NOT want to cycle to either.🤫

Well, yes and no. Yes, my head says you're right. No, my heart says, "never mind the mundane, save the iconic." We've already lost the likes of 60014, 46220, 45552, 1000, D1000, D1, D800, D600, while preserving those that either happened to be in a better condition, or were in the right place at the right time. 58050 represents the last loco built at Doncaster Works, the last diesel built at that works, and the last of it's class. Evening Star, anybody? Would we have let that go because there were others in better condition?

Currently languishing unloved and out of use in Spain, supposedly awaiting the cutter's torch.🫣 Doncaster Free Press carrying an article urging the Doncaster Museum to bring it home as the last ever loco built by the Works. Sorry, it won't let me post a link.

The above is another candidate for "when the real thing looks like a model".

But sadly, a pale imitation of itself 25 years ago, when every small town with a station had a yard, often with a small shunter present, and always with wagons. Every place near a railway was rail connected, again, often with ex-SNCF small shunters present. Large towns had bustling yards with shunters and often half a dozen main line locos stabled. And most sheds were welcoming to enthusiasts. And freight wasn't all on the roads. All gone now, mostly due to EU meddling.🤔

Thanks for taking the time to do that.