Del

I'd also be interested to know, seeing as when I lived in Slough we lived on Aldin Avenue.

I'm really sorry everyone, but I had a broadband meltdown and wasn't able to access the site. That meant that I was unable to read the messages from those that were interested, and so I'm afraid it was disposed of Apologies once again.

They do now!

When it was retired from the exhibition circuit, Colin very kindly donated the 'junction' board of South Pimlico to me. Unfortunately, in the seven (?) years hence, I have managed to do the square root of naff all with it. And now, I'm having to move house again and the new spare room will not really have enough room for it. So, if anyone would like it, it's free to collect from Northfleet (near Gravesend) before we move on 6th October. It's 4' long by 18" wide at the widest point. It's exactly as it appeared in the press, with the exception of the vehicles & figures, the pub, that Colin kept, and the backscene which got damaged in the previous move. The backscene buildings seen here have been removed but are in a separate box. Please PM me if you're interested.

WARNING: This is long, and probably not worth your while! The circus is in real trouble. The crowds aren't coming any more, and if they can't sell out in this town, that'll be it. The ringmaster puts up a big poster while they're setting up the Big Top, advertising for new acts. A little while later, a chap come to see the ringmaster. 'I've got an act for you. You won't have seen anything like it in your life.' 'Really? What is it?' 'I can catch a cannonball in my teeth.' 'You mean catch a bullet?' 'No, an actual cannonball.' 'Wow. Well, if you can really do that, I'll put you on tonight.' 'You won't regret it!' So the ringmaster gets the whole circus together, and they go on a big walk around the town, proclaiming The Man Who Will Catch A Cannonball In His Teeth! Posters go up, they've got the megaphones out, the whole lot. An hour before showtime, the place is sold out! The press and TV are there, it's huge! The circus starts, the clowns, the trapeze, the strongman all do their bit to, well, indifference basically. The ringmaster comes out. The lights go down and he is in the single spotlight. 'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! Never seen before, it is time for The Man Who Will Catch A Cannonball In His Teeth!!!' Out comes the fella, who stands on a podium on one side of the ring. The cannon is set up on the other side. The ringmaster gets the crowd to count down from ten... BANG!!! goes the cannon, the ball flies across the tent and hits the fella slap bang in the mush. He falls down flat, and doesn't move. Absolutely brown bread. Of course, there's uproar, the crowd storm out, the press and TV are all over things. Negative publicity everywhere, that's it, the circus is going to be done for. The emergency services arrive. The paramedics check everything, and although he's very seriously hurt, the performer isn't dead. They put him in the ambulance and take him off to hospital. The ringmaster feels so guilty. He goes to the hospital and sits by the man's bed every day. He's there for a year, every day come rain or shine. One day, he sees the man's little finger move. He's conscious! Little by little, he manages to lift his hand and beckon the ringmaster over to the bed. The ringmaster gets closer, and the guy keeps beckoning. The ringmaster is eventually bent down, with his face millimetres from the patient. Slowly, ever so slowly, the performer takes off his oxygen mask, and in the smallest, tiniest voice that the ringmaster has ever heard, says: v v v v v 'Ta-da!'

I had one of these not long ago. We were in disruption, and had a number of delays and cancellations. I was told to get on the phone to my superiors and tell them who I was dealing with. When I said 'Who am I dealing with?', the answer was 'I'm not telling you, you don't catch me like that!'

Having finally got a chance to watch the BBC's adaptation of China Miéville's 'The City And The City', I have an idea for a 'side by side' layout. For those that don't know, this story takes place in a place where two cities are intertwined. A denizen of one city must dutifully "unsee" (that is, consciously erase from their mind or fade into the background) the denizens, buildings, and events taking place in the other city – even if they are an inch away. This separation is emphasised by the style of clothing, architecture, gait, and the way denizens of each city generally carry themselves. Residents of the cities are taught from childhood to recognise things belonging to the other city without actually seeing them. In the adaptation, one city, Beszel, was built of brick and stone, and styled to look '70s East European (Ladas, Skodas, etc) with muted yellows and greens predominating. The other, Ul Qoma, is very modern, with glass and steel, bright reds and blues, with Audis and BMWs. There are areas of crosshatch; streets, parks or squares where denizens of both cities walk alongside one another, albeit "unseen". This gave me the idea of two stations next to each other, with different rolling stock, different designs of buildings but entirely separate. The operation would be very simple, just two ovals with trains pausing at the platforms, it would be the detailing that would make it, two completely and disparate separate scenes cheek-by-jowl. Beszel could be something like Pacers or EPBs (or even 1st gen DMUs/EMUs), with Ul Qoma having Javelins or IEPs, you could go Japanese with 103-series and then Shinkansen or Nankai 5000, or maybe stick with the Europe idea with some down-at-heel DMUs and ICEs or Thalys. Of course, there's no reason why you couldn't mix and match any or all of the above!

'My friend is going to south-west France to participate in the World 'Twanging-A-Ruler-On-The-Edge-Of-A-Desk' Championship.' 'Dordogne?' 'Yes, very similar to that.'

By searching random schoolmates names, I discovered that one of my compadres is now the UK's ambassador to Cameroon.

I must admit, I often read a novel and think 'That's a good name for a layout...'. I'm currently reading 'I Capture The Castle' by Dodie Smith, and that has set cogs whirring about a 1930s Suffolk branchline. The Mortmains live at Godsend, but the nearest station is Scoatney, which is on the branch to King's Crypt.

So I've been thinking about names, and wanted something that sounded like it could be an urban industrial backwater. I've gone through various family names, friend's names, schools, old workplaces and streets that I and other family members have lived on. One that I kept coming back to is Stainforth, a road in Walthamstow that my Nan & Grandad lived on for many years (and so did we, for a little while). That sounded very down-at-heel and grimy, I thought and was going to use it until I found out that it's a real place not far from Doncaster (as well as one near Settle). But Stainforth had been recorded as 'Staneforde' in the 15th century, so that has become Stainford. The original idea was a Selsey/Wantage-esque tramway, where observance of rules and regulations is somewhat lax. As far as I can tell, neither of them used signals of any form, nor bothered with trifling things like facing point locks, and neither owned or used a brake van. Now, I'm sure that if the man from the Ministry had ever made a surprise visit, the management would have been for the high jump, but it seems that they managed to get away with it. Thus, I was intending to use hand-operated points (as an example), because that's what they would have done, the fireman or a shunter would have moved the points as and when required. However, because I want a viewblock to conceal the fiddleyard, I want a fairly substantial building, which is going to be a factory (also useful as a source of traffic, of course). Now, with the presence of an important customer like that, what are the chances of the Stainford Tramway escaping the attentions of the Ministry like the Selsey managed to? Possible I guess, but unlikely... So, I think I'm going to go with some form of remote turnout operation. Whether that's going to be wire-in-tube, bicycle spokes, motors or something else, I haven't decided yet. That's about as far as my thinking has got so far...

I was in that. I can be glimpsed very briefly in the football fight.

OK, so I've had a rearranging session, including moving the engine shed, and there's now only one siding in the yard, to be shared by the coal merchant and the goods shed. This gives more space for vehicles in the yard and hopefully looks less cramped.

That's a good point! I guess it has, although it must have been subliminal. I was just shuffling bits of track about until I got something that I liked. The thing I don't like about Wantage (and I don't doubt it worked for them) is that the sidings in the Upper Yard are 'divided' by the passenger platform. I've just arranged them as they are, because I can have one entrance to a goods yard, which gives access for all the users of the yard. I'll have another shuffle around tomorrow and see if I can come up with something else. Thanks for the feedback Mike

Damn. I've spotted a flaw already! If the passenger train is in the platform, there's no way for the goods loco to run around...

I have decided to get my bottom in gear and finish a layout by the end of the year. This is a variant on a theme that has been rattling around my bonce for a number of years. It's been influenced by many things including Ivydale, Trawden, Wantage, and various other micro layout plans. Imagine an inner-city backwater, terraced houses and factories in the background, run-down but somehow clinging on. So, this is an overall view of the plan: The longest train will be the Pug and four wagons. They are currently sat in the fiddle yard, which will be a simple 'stick' that can move between the upper two lines and form the left-hand end of the runround loop. The Terrier and coaches are in the platform road, although those coaches are soon to be replaced by Ratio four-wheelers. The green 0-4-0 is at the factory/brewery/creamery/possibly something else, which is currently represented by the pile of boxes to act as a viewblock to the fiddleyard. A la Trawden, there will be a covered walkway which will link to a another part of the factory on the backscene. I know the engine shed on a running road is unusual, but Wantage had one! The hut at the right will be for the coal merchant. Their pens/staithes will be to the left of where the little Fordson van is. I'd like to squeeze in a loading bank somewhere, so I might stick it on the end of that siding and move the coal yard next to the goods shed. This is a better view of the right-hand end. If you're wondering why the sidings don't run to the end of the board, it's because I want to show a dirt road into the goods yard and station. The station 'building' will be converted from an old coach body, placed in the top corner. This is the factory area. I think that I might just keep this to one straight siding, the lower siding maybe makes it look a bit cluttered? Here's a few other views, more at eye-level. Have I missed anything obvious that will make operation difficult/impossible? Does it look convincing overall? Any input will be very much appreciated.

It's a Panther Six. I didn't think any were actually sold!

I bought a book on anger management the other day. Then I bloody lost it.

School can be good as well. One of my old schools had colours of green and yellow, so I've considered fictional companies and even a football club that use those colours. It also had a very East Midlands/Yorkshire-sounding name, so I intend to appropriate that as a town/station at some point.

What might be a suitable RTR chassis to pop under one of these?

Only twelve? That's actually rather a surprise. Hmm, maybe not then.

They certainly seem to be widespread, which is good news for what I have planned.

I tried that, but there seems to be lots of photos of a few of them!

I've seen numerous pictures of girder bridges with Ferodo advertising on them. How many were (are?) there? Were they geographically widespread, or only in certain locations? When was the first advert put up? Any info gratefully received.

All I was really wondering is if there was a prototype for Newcastle Haymarket. I have an idea for something similar, but it seemed a very unusual setup. These two seem to be the closest, but still not exactly like the layout, as there's no non-railway building at the end. Thank you all for your input so far.