Persephone

Good to see it out Mark. I was sizing it up for our show at Littleborough but I think it's a shade to big. Shame it's not EM gauge though, I'll get me coat :-)

I like its approach, there's a lot less concentrating on the "characters" on the railway that tend to get front and centre in most programmes because they allegedly make good TV, and more on the Joe/ Josephine ordinary. Its also a lot better at explaining things too, technical but not so much that its unintelligible to the layman. If I've one very minor bug bear with it its whoever scripted the voiceover, the 3rd episode with the wedding on P3/4 at Bolton Street, the station was constantly referred to as "Bury St" despite the camera constantly panning to the running in boards! This week the commentary constantly referred to Braunton as "The Braunton" which grated after a while. Some of the continuity is a bit suspect as well but we will gloss over that! Not complaining though, we have had some good publicity out of it for the weddings and the dining trains. The crew filmed me operating the crossing gate wheel at Rammy from the platform, so I await with interest to see if its the cutting room floor or my 15 seconds of infamy.

Sub frame finished and baseboards finally connected together properly. I'm going to do a lightly different approach to this one, normally I'd be getting some track down right now, but have decided to do the lighting pelmet next so that the whole lot can be painted - White underneath to give some light whilst upside down at shows lol, and a smart gloss grey for the rest, The backscene boards will get a coat of a sky blue. By that time I hope Ive got some 1.5 mm thick point timbers, needed as I'm using the new EMGS PECO track, the thinner sleepers wont match up the track height. Hand built pointwork as usual though. All that whilst starting the selection procedure for pubs for next years Good Beer Guide as well, which does require some quality assurance ;-) Assembled sub frame, pleasingly rigid

ELR is most definitely running this weekend, I'm rostered in Ramsbottom Signal box on Sunday.

Work continues - second board completed last week and now building the sub frame - One hard lesson of setting up at shows I've learned over the years is to label and mark everything on the legs and frame, so no one has to guess where things go! newheymodelrailway.wordpress.com/2019/10/29/keeping-things-in-order/

Greenbooth is a layout of two halves, at the front an industrial sorting yard, which is a direct crib of Yates Duxbury’s, with a line off to Ding Quarry in the North and another to the South serving Greenbooth bleaching and dyeing, a malodorous industry giving ample scope for the import of various toxic materials there. At the back is a small station, I must have been thinking of this whilst on ELR duty because I’ve subconsciously almost replicated Rawtenstall’s track plan as it is now. I was going to start joinery work myself as usual, but having chatted to a few people, decided to get some boards from Tim Horn as he could laser burn the track plan into the baseboard, which would make building some of the complicated pointwork a sight easier. The boards arrived a couple of weeks ago but as I've been a tad busy lately with CAMRA and ELR work (I work harder now Im retired than I ever did when I was paid for it), as well as building a new aircraft for North Ballachulish, today is the first chance Ive had of starting work on them. I must say I’m pleased the way they have gone together, its taken me 3 very easy hours (even allowing for waiting for glue to dry) to get the first (obtusely board 2) board together. There’s still the strengthening cross pieces to put on when Ive worked out the point drive clearances, but tomorrow should see work commence on the next board. https://newheymodelrailway.wordpress.com/

As North Ballchulish is now finished (barring a decision to replace the resident low flying Phantom with a Buccaneer), thoughts turned to what next, or more pertinently where. Whatever it was it was going to be a lot smaller, 1 car and two operators small to be precise, and for the last year or so have been toying with the idea of a Spotland Bridge Mk2, ie a branch with an industrial line, having a growing collection of industrial locos both steam and diesel. last year I picked up a superb book off Bill Hudson Transport Books "Industrial Locomotives and Railways in The North West" by Gordon Edgar. The front cover picture is of Yates Duxbury Paper Mills at Heap Bridge, (or Ape Bridge if you are a local) about 3 miles away from home and contained some quite inspirational pictures of said complex that Id not seen before.The line was reached via a branch off the Bury Knowsley St – Castleton line (Now part of the ELR, and the trackbed is still visible as you come across the motorway bridge) Now I didn’t want a straight copy, Ive had my fill of prototype modelling with New Hey, but I did like some of the track layout. Around the same time our local free advertising magazine had an article in it about a proposal to build a line off the Bacup branch up to Norden where I live, so it wasn’t hard to put 2 and 2 together and come up with the idea of Greenbooth, the next village up the line which had among other things a textile works as well as a quarrying industry at Ding. The village itself doesn’t exist any longer, it was all demolished in the 60s to make way for Greenbooth Reservoir, the site is now under a hundred feet of water! The basic idea therefore is a small branch line termini with a line leading off into the industrial site. Fiddleyard at one end only although there will be a single line run through at the other end ostensibly to another part of the works and Ding Quarries. Station building will be that at Stacksteads to continue the East Lancs theme and the various industrial building will be taken from those at Yates Duxbury as well as some based on the very few photographs of Greenbooth itself. A track plan has been made using Templot, and bespoke boards ordered off Tim Horn which have had the track plan laser cut into them. Watch this space.

Steam gala at the ELR this weekend featuring Union of South Africa and Repton visiting locos, plus the home fleet. A few images taken between pulling levers in the box at Ramsbottom yesterday.

Can't attend this year as 100km North of Lillehammer in Norway. Otherwise would be a visit to the show followed by beer. Will be there with the layout in 2021 I think it is.

Its also the Saltaire Brewery Beer Festival on the Saturday of the show. Every reason to visit the show then the beer fest. https://www.saltairebrewery.com/events/

I think the move across to the dark side has paid off. Despite having to have my visa checked at the border post on the M62, and my Visa card checked considerably at the EMGS stores, the show had more people and a buzz about it it hasn't had for a few years now. The hall(s) are an improvement on Partington, and even though there are 3, they are all together so the show seamlessly morphs into one without negotiating any corridors. Its all a bit more appealing and cleaner than the previous halls both at Urmston and Partington. The catering, maybe a bit over hyped on here I thought before attending, actually was the best I've had at an exhibition for ages. Layout selection was good, South Pelaw magnificent albeit seemingly having a few gremlins early doors, was more settled later. Great variety of trade which sated a few needs for the new layout. A box of the new EM PECO track was acquired along with a selection of Exactoscale chairs and rail so that once the new boards arrive from Tim Horn, work can commence on Greenbooth. 5 stars from me, ticked all the boxes for a well rounded finescale show but more importantly, the move seems to have given it a shot in the arm which has been sadly needed for a while. Well done chaps (and chappesses), excellent. Edit: Oh and if you were umming and ahhing about going, just go lol.

I've been a member of the East Lancs RPS for a good few years, but despite being interested in getting involved as a volunteer and getting pressure of two fellow members of the Manchester MRS to throw my hat into the ring, steadfastly avoided it. Main reason - time. A job which could take me all over the North of England and Scotland, away from home at times, plus keeping modelling and organising the annual exhibition as well as playing in a band, no chance. The desire and interest was there, the time and commitment, no. I did say to the two Johns though that when I retired ..... Three months before I left work for the last time I signed on the dotted line as a signalman. I was in wind down mode and had got to the stage where I couldn't give a toss about work to be honest. At the same time my wife, who had just retired, also signed up to work in the Museum, and also as a meeter and greeter for organised parties and tours. Why signalling? Whilst I like cabbing locos and have indeed had my hand on the regulator and shoveled a bit of coal, I just am not interested enough to endure the dirt grime and hours. OK working a block post is no sinecure, (probably work as long as some of the crews) but my interest is in the operation and regulation of the railway, a fascinating subject in its own right. Has it been worth it? Absolutely, a bit of hard graft mentally to learn the rules and the boxes etc, written exams and assessments but at the end of it a very fulfilling job which I enjoy. Mrs C as well, who had no interest in railways, finds herself getting more and more involved (She even knows the difference between a 24 and a 25 now, prior to that she'd look blank if I even mentioned the word Diesel) and it gets us both out and both physically as well as mentally exercised. Yes there's politics and cliques but there are those everywhere, we have made a whole set of new friends and are probably working harder than when we were paid to work!

Ahh you mean this one and HeyfordDave111? http://forums.airshows.co.uk/ Crowdfunded 1:24 F111 model anyone

Given the fact he's had a go at every manufacturer, whom most think hes a joke, and been dropped by every commissioner he has had, as well as dropping them in the mire, I hardly think that's likely. Reputation counts. IMHO the hobby is better off without him or his like.

The liquidator could and indeed should under due diligence if they found any evidence that DJM had done anything illegal. But also the customer has rights as well and personally if I felt that I had been scammed would be making a complaint to the police. They may not be able to do a lot to be honest, but at least the complaint would be registered.

Before I retired I worked as a senior investigator tasked to investigate serious internal and contractual fraud within Central Government. I've got a degree in financial and economic crime. DJM as a business ticked enough boxes in the indicators that would trigger a formal investigation. What's been revealed in these statements would only reinforce the decision to investigate.

Not a lot I can say other than what a loss. I loved his down to earth approach to modeling, his layouts and his sharp sense of humour embodied as PMP says in "that" E mail address (they were always a delight to open) and a certain editorial he wrote. When we had New Hey at Expo EM South as it was then, he sought refuge behind the layout to escape the attentions of a certain well known individual, and kept us in stitches with his description of him. Roy is one of the four people who inspired / persuaded me to model in EM, as he did a lot of others. RIP Roy, and my and the rest of the Rochdale groups condolences to family and friends, especially the Retford crew.

You didnt have to carry the barrier (Scaffold Tube) up and down the Town Hall stairs at the set up and strip down lol I did the MRJ show at Central Hall with Trevor Hughes' Tan y Grisiau, that show was something else albeit a one off. Top class accommodation and an absolute superb show, stuff of legends. But for your annual show it has to be York. It will always be my favourite show as an exhibitor.

All this talk of flogging on "Rare" DJH has got me thinking. Last Xmas in the Hattons bargain clearance sale I picked up a DJM J94 going for a song. Basically I wanted the body for an EM Gauge industrial layout that I have about to come in build. The intention is re chassis / wheel / motor and gearbox it, as Black and Decker Boy referred to many posts earlier. Well you have to, in its current guise it runs like a 3 legged dog sh*tt*g peach pits, its the worst piece of mechanical design I've ever seen in my life. But now I'm wondering should I not bother and stick it on Flea Bay and make a profit. Then again maybe not, even as a rare model its tainted and I'd probably get less than I paid for it. Far better I suppose to have that rare bird, a DJM model that actually runs sweetly even though I did make half of it myself.

Nail hit firmly on head here. No one but no one was allowed to say anything perceived as negative, which is why now all of a sudden the dirty washing is appearing, and people are questioning "why wasn't I aware of that before". In actual fact it was there, but you had to look very hard for it in various places. This isn't character assassination after the event, its a repressed truth which inevitably emerges once the protections are gone. The question people should have been asking is how and why Jones created a firewall around himself.

Very relevant TBH. Jones makes Alastair Campbell look like a rank amateur when it comes to spin. It's about time some of the more vacuous claims were challenged and put into perspective. The hobby needs Jones back like it needs a hole in the head to be frank.

There's a lot of this "he's lost everything" assumption going on around here. I suspect at the end of all this sorry affair you will find that the only thing he has lost is whatever remained of his already tattered reputation within the industry. In my experience of dealing with folk like him before I retired, they have an uncanny knack of being able to walk away from train wrecks (sic) intact.

Presumably from Dave Jones himself How can you actually say that with any degree whatsoever of certainty (see comment above) Until the liquidators have actually finished their job there is no certainty at all.

Ill judged is being too kind, disingenuous is more like it. To come up with a very precise date of the 17th to have answers by was stretching credibility, but there was seemingly an automatic assumption, quite wrong, that he wouldn't have Internet access. Now to not even to give his investors a crumb of comfort whilst all this is going on, even if it is the usual empty rhetoric that emanates from DJM Tower is to be quite frank just extracting the urine.