Del

I wonder how many of those that can't get their head around Doctor Who being a woman could quite easily cope with the Three Musketeers being dogs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4G12PfIR44

Missy is the latest incarnation of the Master, who is also a Time Lord, but there are also numerous others - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Lord#Partial_list_of_Time_Lords_appearing_in_Doctor_Who

The taxi is interesting, it's not an FX3 and it's not a Beardmore (possibly the most common non-Austin black cab). EDIT - Looks like it's a Winchester - http://www.forgottenfiberglass.com/fiberglass-car-marques/foreign-fiberglass/forgotten-fiberglass_pond-winchester-taxicab-bill-munro/

Jokes about white sugar are rare. But jokes about brown sugar? Demerara.

Love the Nankai. Would much rather we'd got these instead of Javelins!

Well, nearly a year later, the Strandbeest is built! And a video of it in action! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WxV4zaSpFo

Because of the conversation I've just had on Twitter with the artist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hQqzp46Uw8 And the conversation ensued because I mistakenly thought she was a member of this band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLyehHpPUL0

While browsing for something completely different, I noticed that SNACK boxes are back in stock at everyone's favourite Swedish home emporium. They're available in 56x37x30cm at £17, 56x37x12cm at £14, 37x27x30cm at £12, 37x27x12cm at £10. http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/small-storage-organisers/storage-boxes-baskets/snack-box-plywood-galvanised-art-50259742/

I'm rather impressed by those trees. Are they home-made?

When I was trying to conjure up a Kent-based name, I looked at the line from Swanley to Ashford via Maidstone East, and noticed that almost all of the stations either contained or were suffixed by -ford, -ing, or -ham. Eynsford, Shoreham, Lullingstone (never opened), Otford, Kemsing, Borough Green & Wrotham, West Malling, East Malling, Barming, Bearsted & Thurnham, Hollingbourne, Harrietsham, Lenham and Charing. I seriously considered 'Fordingham' and 'Hamingford'.

There is, I believe, not a passenger railway anywhere in the world that does not need Government subsidy to some extent. Some countries subsidise a lot, meaning they have lower fares, some don't. Our Governments want the burden of financing the railway to be borne more by those that use it and less by general taxation. However, successive UK Governments have also had this very weird fixation on the railway being profitable, which is why we got Beeching and could have got Serpell.

You are not. But I would expect the Government to. Why ask for a report to be prepared, and then completely ignore the recommendations from it, and instead suggest a strategy that the report dismissed?

I find it very odd that this proposal is completely at odds with the Shaw Report, commissioned by the Government in 2015 and published in March of this year.

Thanks for the wheel advice. I only checked that it ran by a controller onto the pickups, so haven't actually put it on track yet. Going by my ancient Triang Jinty's struggles I had assumed that this would be similar, but looks like I might be OK. It's a green one, numbered 27. Any idea how old it's likely to be?

While digging around in a second-hand shop, I came across an old 0-4-0T, which looked like it might make a nice characterful light railway goods loco. There was no guarantee that it worked, but for a fiver, I thought I'd take a punt. Well, it does work, and a little bit of research tells me it's a Triang 'Nellie', very loosely based on a LSWR C14. I don't want it to be a C14, just a better-looking 0-4-0T. The plan is to rewheel it, possibly remotor it, new buffers, some proper handrails, a proper bunker, get rid of that odd front 'shield' around the base of the smokebox, maybe remove the toolbox on the footplate. However, a brief excursion around the Internet seems to suggest that rewheeling for Code 100 is not a simple task, with talk of specific Romford wheels and axles required, and I was wondering if there are any other RTR chassis that might fit under it, like the Hornby 0-4-0 ('Smokey Joe', 101 etc) or the Pug?

One of my nominations has been mentioned already, that being 'Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)' but the version I prefer is by Swedish rockers The Leather Nun. And the second is a version of 'Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)' by The Wedding Present. And the third, which if I'm honest probably isn't better but is pretty darn ace, is in turn The Wedding Present's 'Kennedy' by J-Pop girl band Toquiwa:

Absolutely fine, apparently. I'll quote him from another forum: There is no LSD and traction is fine, as long as you don't go daft, as it will easily spin the 13 x 7 low profiles. The engine is very tractable and power delivery is smooth. Get to about 4,000rpm and you get pushed back in the seat and the speedo goes mad. The engineering is beyond my capabilities but I know the original 1275 block was bored offset to 1310. The crank was wedged and bladed (loses about 500g)and heat treated. The crank was balanced with the pistons and rods on. The pistons each have 4 pockets machined in them so the valves clear. The only problem I have at the moment is engine temp. The new alloy racing radiator is a bit too efficient and I can't get above 65 degrees in this weather but should be fine in summer.

All this talk of Minis reminds me that I haven't shared the photos of my stepdad's one on here. Nice BRG paint job. Fat Ultralites. So far, so what, you may say. Alfa Romeo seats? What's that all about? And why all those extra gauges? Er, what's that? Oh, that's a 1310cc A-series +, with a 16V head from a BMW K1100 motorbike...and you might wonder what that massive air filter is connected to... It just happens to be connected to a Rotrex supercharger £13,000-worth of engine, 200bhp at the wheels, 130 mph (he thinks, he's never been brave enough to take it that far yet...).