peter220950

Having spent the best part of a day preparing salads and ploughman's lunches for the first event I did in 2017, and having sold 2, I'm afraid there will be no salad. - I like salad, but having to eat it for a fortnight after the event was not something I want to repeat🙂. By all means bring your own, plates and cutlery will be free.

Believe it or not these events are planned, and it was interesting to look back at an early exchange of messages last year when I suggested I bring our Club layout. Now I've just checked and it virtually fits, so I have set it up, Andy is due to take some pictures, and we might even get to see what he does in the day job.

I want to be the nerd of the quiz that always produces pedantic corrections because they failed to get the right answer. Question 1 What was the first British Railways prototype locomotive produced by Airfix. Answer Surely it has to be something like the 0 4 0 saddle tank, the J94, Evening Star, or the Mogul that they bought from Kitmaster?? I note that Phil's answer then refers to the Airfix GMR, but that wasn't the question was it Phil? I demand points for my answer!!!

Now it is customary to have had a trip or two arranged on the Saturday before the Great Event, and sadly this year there probably won't be many trips out for any of us for the forseeable future. So I decided to organise a couple of trips today, you're welcome to come along.

Mick, I hadn't reaIised you weren't going, as you live local to me would you like me to not give you a lift and not save on fuel costs?

I packed in 3 years early, 6 years ago, and have not regretted the decision a single day. I still tend to keep a 'work ethic' type of existence, and don't think I have sat and done nothing for more than a handful of days in that time. I usually spend mornings helping out with chores and stuff around the house, and afternoons either in the modelling room or the new shed I built myself as a workshop. A couple of things I find strange, you tend to lose weekends, as one day is the same as the next, and even now I find it strange going into town in the week, it somehow feels like I'm skiving off! I was always a bit of a miserable b***er, happy in my own company, so think about whether that suits you. I now tend to go down to my local Men in Sheds once a week, which gets a bit of Male company, and more importantly a great support network. - Well worth checking out groups like this. Finances are, of course a big issue, I am fortunate to be o.k. but if you are retiring in your 50's you need to make sure you can survive on pensions for 30 or 40 years. There's also the option of getting a part time job, both for a bit of additional income and company, though I don't see it as a likely route for me. I left my pension pot in place, rather than buying an annuity, and draw down the surplus gained in the year, so far it's been a good route for me. If you're not enjoying your work get out if you can, you don't know what the future may hold, so enjoy it as much as you can.

Driving out of the Care Home I was visiting yesterday I was bemused by the keypad for the driver to operate the barrier. Why does it need to be in braille?

Back home after a particularly tiring weekend, Exhibiting at Luton on Saturday up at 6, and only got down to Weston at 9.30 last night, up again at 7 this morning and back home at 7 tonight. Was it worth it, You bet it was, the standard of layouts that Stu organised was far better than the offerings the day before, ( my own included), and that was a commercial Exhibition. Coupled with again catching up with some of the nicest people I know, it made the day a positive joy, and a few thanks are in order. Firstly Stuart for organising the layouts and demonstrators, it's going to be difficult to top this years selection. To the layout owners and demonstrators thanks for some stunning work, it's why I keep coming back, even though I'm a foreigner. Huge thanks to the cake providers, without your help the event wouldn't work, so please pass on my thanks to those who made all the cakes, not only do they help fund the lunches for the Exhibitors and demonstrators they provide a boost to the Charitable donation that results from the event. Thanks to Tim for fetching the pasties, that are also one of the underpinnings of the day. Thanks to all the others who helped with things like the second hand stall, tidying up, getting chairs and benches out, arranging insurance etc. etc. And finally, last but not least, to Graham, without whose help the kitchen would have been much more chaotic, I know he was a pain to you all with his hard selling of cake, but without that help we would have raised far less money. Graham has a clashing Exhibition commitment next year, so I'm looking for a bit of assistance, if any hard sell snake oil sellers are available you will be welcome to help next year. I managed to get some photos that I will put up when I get a minute, right now I'm just about ready for bed. Just to update everyone on the catering side, here are the end results of all your hard work. Income from sales £336.50 Costs of pasties tea coffee, consumables etc. £148.61 Money raised by the catering for Charity £187.89 This is in addition to the fact that we provided meals for the Exhibitors and Demonstrators. Once again thanks to all, Exhibitors, Demonstrators, Organisers, and Customers who made it such a special day.

Sorry to hear you've not been well, hope your recovered now, where about is the Club? I'm getting a bit too old for the weekly 40+ miles to Leamington every week. Peter

I have the Superb estate, after 200k in 7 years in the Octavia saloon with similar mechanicals. I bought second hand 13k on the clock, two years old, for about half the cost of new, and have put 45k on in 3 years. The car is huge, and a really comfortable mile muncher, I went back to an automatic, and the dsg box is great in traffic. It seems to average about 45mpg, with none too careful driving, (diesel). Can't fault it, apart from needing to find big car parking spaces! So another vote for the Superb, the other indicator of its reliability and utility is the amount of them used as taxis.

Hi Steve, Operation is limited it has to be said, if I were starting from scratch I would do it slightly differently, it's not too bad for Exhibitions where the audience moves on quite quickly, but for a home layout it would soon lose appeal. What I have found is that the accidental inclusion of the tippler is of most interest, and for Exhibitions it's that which takes precedence, with trips in and out of the loading bay and the occassional lone wagon to the other loading deck. I don't run any particular timetable and stock is limited to about three vans, two coal wagons, and a couple of internal user items, like a tank wagon and permanent way repair open wagon. I don't really use the back hidden sidings as there is room on the turntable for a couple of 3 wagon trains. Starting from scratch I would probably do away with the rear sidings altogether, or cut them down to one, and introduce one more siding on the front. The turntable is again more trouble than it's worth, a simple sector plate or sliding tray would be just as good. The layout is going to Weston Super Mare in September, Didcot in October, Luton in April 2019, and provisionally Warley in 2020, if I'm spared! Peter

No, try http://www.pdhdrawings.com still there I fear. Peter

Maybe they've found a permanent fix for their crappy 0 gauge gears that last about 5 minutes. Peter

Hi, Welcome to O gauge, just one more thought, if it's not too late, I usually put some crushed tissue, foam rubber, or fabric in vans, before the roof goes on, this helps stop it acting like a sound box. Otherwise they can rattle and sound like a plastic toy. Peter

My wife's just had some oak breast implants, that joke would be funnier with a punchline wooden tit Peter

Marc, I went down the Sprat&Winkle route for Exhibition use, but only because Dingham equipped stock had to face the same way (I believe), but Dinghams are pretty unobtrusive, and fiddling about with 3 links can be a pain. Struggling to see and hook up stock can take the pleasure out of shunting, so why not? I know there are many who say it's just a matter of getting the right hook etc. but that doesn't help if the eyesight is going, the hands are getting shaky, or the layout is operated from the front, and people don't want to see your back. It also enables the operator to sit down while operating. The other advantage of them is that they remain compatible with other 3 link stock, so it might be worth doing half a dozen wagons as a starter, to see how he gets on with them, the key is getting the magnets in the right place. Small neodymium magnets in the ballast between sleepers are easily hidden, though were I starting from scratch I would go for electro magnets. Peter

Went to a new safari park today, it was rubbish, the zebra looked particularly dodgy........... Peter

I had to smile this morning, I have the BBC weather app on my tablet, and have a couple of locations listed where we visit as well as for home. For some reason I have managed to get both Droitwich and Droitwich Spa listed, though it's the same place, one merely an abreviation of the other, however it had different forecasts at the same time today, so they can't even manage to agree on that. A minute ago it had different temperatures for days next week, I don't know whether to stay here or move to here to get better weather. Peter

I would use a pair of compasses with a drawing pen, put the point side down the edge of the platform, with the pen set to the required distance in from the edge, charge it with white paint and run the compasses along the platform. This is the sort of thing I mean, Once the line is established it's easier to paint in the gap between platform edge and line with a small brush. Peter

I thought the Met Office no longer supplied the bbc with weather information? https://blog.metoffice.gov.uk/2018/02/06/bbc-and-met-office-an-enduring-partnership/ I think the wonderful new style hourly information was introduced shortly after they lost the contract, it doesn't impress, I suspect the new 'cheapest is best' outfit are running the simulations on an Amstrad 1512. Peter

Now that's offended the residents of Caerphilly, because you didn't put a capital letter on the name of their town, probably the rest of Wales, and those affected by speed related traumas. - and those who like the dark, and don't want things lighter. Peter Snowflake (Of Welsh descent, traumatised by 3 points on my licence, and a cave dweller.)

Laurie has now sorted out new premises, so things appear to be moving on. https://www.facebook.com/pg/MM1ModelsCo/posts/?ref=page_internal Peter

H.M.R.C. Would probabably also be interested in all these people and 'Clubs' dealing in large amounts of cash, trading, presumably for profit, hope it's all been declared..... Peter

Where's the bloke with the coloured spraycans? Peter

Well this is the last update on the workroom as it's pretty much complete now. I'm just starting to get things straight in there so this is a concluding post to wrap things up. The door to the garden store was hung, and the mower and tools fitted, there's a small compressor in there as well, which will serve an airline in the room for air powered tools. Advantage was taken of the space in the roof trusses at either end of the room to store things, ply was laid between the trusses and one half is a timber store while the other has trays with paints, and things like inspection lights and cable reel in it. The underside of the storage areas was then looked at to tidy up, there were some offcuts of the roof sheeting left over, and before I took them to the tip I stripped the white metal under cladding from the insulation and cut it to fit between the roof joists. The panels were then cleaned up and holes cut for 4 LED panels to light the space, they work well and provide plenty of light. The exposed woodwork on the underside of the joists has also been painted white. Wiring up of lights and power sockets has been completed and double glazed units fitted to the door. Finally advantage was taken of the sunny weather to apply the final coat of stain to the exterior. So that's about it, it's come out slightly above my budgeted cost, but that’s due to the addition of the garden store. For around 2k I have effectively got another room to the house and can now get back to railway modelling, and next time I'm in the dog house I've got a nice warm dry kennel to go to. Peter