steve22

You should see the Gloucester & Sharpness canal when even a moderate wind blows over it. Yesterday's winds made it look like a fast flowing river. Waves? You bet! Steve.

I've just come across this thread. Absolutely amazing dedication and craftsmanship. Thanks so much for letting us see your skills in action. Steve.

A friend of mine back when those wagons were in the shops, in the 1960s, told me that people were buying two of them and coupling them so they still had tension locks at either end. In other words, they didn't really need converter wagons but it was a great way of getting two for the price of one. Admittedly we were just kids back then so quite how my friend knew I can't say, but I'm sure that some folk did it. My vote would go for the Hornby Maunsell coaches when they were released. Twenty-two pounds for something with incredible detail and lining. If I recall, they were released around the same time as the Gresley Teaks and those, if memory serves me well, cost something like fifty percent or maybe even seventy five percent more. I bought three of the Maunsells at a shop my friend owned. He said he would knock a bit off but when he rang them up in the till he charged me full price. My other friend whispered, "He said he'd give you a discount." I showed him one of the coaches telling him that I thought twenty-two pounds for a coach of this calibre was excellent value for money anyway. I also have a Railroad Falcon A4. Fifty-seven pounds that at the time was forty pounds or so cheaper than the 'standard' one, yet exactly the same in every single way (same chassis, motor, etc) apart from lacking a bit of cosmetic prettiness. Steve.

A very enjoyable read, Mr. Grouse, and what a wonderful girlfriend; "Would you like a trainset for Christmas?" What a lady!! And no, don't let it stop there - keep going, it's an excellent indoor hobby. And she will always know what you might like for your birthday now. Treat your lady with the greatest of respect - she deserves it! Steve. PS I do hope the membrane has worked for you. We moved into a large vicarage with equally large front garden which my wife was keen to cultivate. Instead, the church authorities covered the soil with a membrane with loads of chippings on top. 'It's for low maintenance,' we were told. It very soon proved anything but - brambles burst through, ultimately becoming one unsightly and unmanageable sprawl. It looked awful. We left there after ten years, unable to do anything with it in all that time except try to keep it in check every so often.

Rob, may I echo Gilbert's comments and wish you well in your work in the NHS. Gilbert - Stan Roberts is the name I always associate with Bakewell, having read his articles in RM back in the 1970s when I was in my late teens. Funny how some names come immediately to mind, especially when a railway location or layout is mentioned. Steve.

We'll be good and not pressure you! Maybe simply smile, contented in the knowledge that your plans just may happen. Steve.

Gwiwer, it is an old friend to many of us. Lovely to see it beyond RWweb. Steve.

Hi pippindoo, I worked in Beatties Newcastle Upon Tyne branch, 1979 - 1988. The company had about seventeen shops then, so we'll have met. I'm guessing who you might be, but I'm open to surprises! Yes, many memories from those days; quite a few happy ones but retail life was never an ideal existence, at least not for me with young kids growing up and them doing things which were almost always on Saturdays when we would be working in the shop. ianmacc, I have just one of those Beattie bags still - I keep my Peco point templates in it! There were various sizes, all very useful, although no thought of recycling back then. I remember one time, somehow we practically run out entirely. Then Mike, our Area Manager, arrived, saying he'd got some bags for us. Whoops - they were only the very large ones, which we used to put the Tamiya radio control car kits in. The look on people's faces when they bought something like Model Railroader and you'd put it in one of those! Another thing about Beatties was the shop hours which were the 'old' hours as I termed them: 9am - 6pm, Monday to Saturday. When the computerised tills were installed in the mid-eighties you couldn't cash up the last till, until the doors closed at 6pm. Then the cashing up, initializing the tills for the next day and banking the takings in the night safe could sometimes add anything from 20 - 45 minutes beyond closing time each day, even longer at Christmas. No extra pay for that; it was what you were there to do. Many more memories, but that'll do for now. Steve.

Very good, Sir. We model so many other things so why not this? It reminds me of a thread on this site some years back where a guy had made a lovely row of buildings and peering into the attic of one you could see a model railway. I believe his model also featured in the Railway Modeller one month. Does anyone remember the gentleman's name, please, and is that thread still on RMweb? As an aside, many, many years ago I worked for Beatties and one night I actually dreamt that the shop was outside, situated in a local park. The counters were on the grass and customers walked along the path to get to each counter. The dream only lasted about five seconds - perhaps just as well; working too close to model railways can obviously do funny things to you... Steve.

Hi Ray, it was on a radio programme of hers and if I remember the quote correctly, Pam Ayres said it was New Year's Eve or sometime around then. The family went out to celebrate but she decided to stay at home and do the ironing (I think). She decided to switch on the tele at the same time and there was a Bruce Springsteen concert. Relating on the radio programme how smitten she was she then made that comment! Regards, Steve.

I remember Pam Ayres saying, "When I saw Bruce Springsteen for the first time I couldn't wait to throw my husband out with the rest of the rubbish!" Here in Gloucester I have two friends who write in the same vein as her - and I have to admit they are both brilliant at it. Re: the Westerns; yes, 'Enterprise' plates were larger; I'd forgotten that until reading about it again only very recently. I always enjoy looking at your photos, especially when they feature Westerns. Steve.

A brave venture, Les. I hope it proves a real success for you. Steve.

This looks like it would be some kind of 'dream model railway' for some folk. I especially like the photo of the D200 class (as I knew them) diesel hauling the Royal Scot, but all the photos are good. I was about to ask if it's in a loft - then I saw the Title! Steve.

Hippo, thanks for starting this thread off; a topic that I warm to very much! I've got the usual Peco CJF collection of '60 Plans' (two editions), 'Plans for Larger Layouts (two editions) as well as, what was the first for me, 'Track Plans' which I bought as a teenager (including a replacement some years later when the first one seemed a bit worn). I also admire the work of Rice, Lunn and others. Dave, my thanks to you too for Kipford; I knew I'd seen your development of Plan SP12* before but couldn't recall where. It's one of those 'I'd like to build sometime' and like yours I would wish to include continuous run and reverse loop. I've always liked the idea of a station with an incline behind and a bit of 'train appears here then disappears there' and this plan has all that as well. The lovely photos (TW) show us how good the completed layout can look. A real inspiration for me now that I've insulated my new 10' x 6' shed ready for a layout sometime this year. Steve. *For fellow plan perusers, the original is Plan S16 in '60 Plans for Small Railways' 3rd Ed. and 'Plan of the Month' in January 1961 Railway Modeller.

I did enjoy watching that! Steve

Like other posts here, MRC was the first railway modelling magazine I ever purchased, back in February 1969. I was fourteen at the time and it was one week's pocket money back then. I still have some MRCs from that era and some even earlier that I've bought second hand. In the 1980s I was working at Beatties, Newcastle Upon Tyne, and I would sometimes wander up the road to Fenwick's during my lunch break and browse a magazine or two. I clearly remember picking up the MRC and reading that it was the last edition. Now, I'm sentimental about many things, but the thought remains with me to this day that I should have purchased that last copy; and I would certainly have kept it. Instead, I left it on the shelf and it felt like I'd walked away from a good friend. Thanks to Chris Leigh and all the others who contributed to MRC over the years; your work remains very much appreciated. Steve.

I'm saying, "That's superb!", out loud with practically every picture I view. Thank you so much for sharing your craftsmanship with us. This truly is amazing work. Steve.

Hi Calvin, I agree with all the other comments - some absolutely fantastic modelling. I was hooked by the very first picture you posted; the bridges on the curve. From then on I just had to continue reading till the end - and looking forward to more. Amazing stuff! Steve.

When I was in my teens in the 1970s I can recall my even younger brother mentioning the name, 'N. E. Preedy'. Much more recently (2000s) a friend told me that he used to work with Norman Preedy before my friend retired. "I still see him cycling up Barnwood Road", he used to say. Maybe I saw him on his bike, maybe not, I never knew what he looked like, until I saw the photographs shown here but, like many posters here, I've known his name for over forty years. Incidentally, if I recall correctly, it was his photograph that featured on the card backing of many of the 'Merit' scenic models. Steve.

Hi Job, it's been a long time since I posted; I seem to lose track of where people 'get to' on this Forum. I was thinking of you only recently and here you are. Quite a while since I saw these photos for the first time but even before I saw them just now I thought, "Oh yes; the girl, the chip shop." Yours is the kind of modelling that stays in my mind. I've just been looking at your paving and cobble setts as well. Wonderful modelling, as ever. Steve.

I rarely seem to get round to look at people's blogs. So glad I came here this evening though - lovely modelling. Steve (not a tall one though; about average height)

Hi Andy, it's really good to learn of a new model shop opening. Wishing you every success in your new venture. Steve.

Many fellow modellers here commenting on Allan's modelling articles in 1970s. I also remember them well. My (then new) wife would hear me chuckling whilst reading the Railway Modeller. It was always the same; My wife: "What are you laughing at?" Me: "Allan Downes!" Within his own amazing thread here, I was always impressed that although Allan (with Iain) displayed some fantastic work, yet he was always more than ready to give very high praise to the works of others. It was lovely to still be able to see his skills forty years or more on and to still laugh at his ever-present humour - and I'm sure that Allan absolutely loved being teased about a certain wood dye... My condolences to his family. Steve.