Mr Brunel

Could be worse. Could be the old 'fag packet' livery ...

4144 looks marvellous! My abiding memory of this engine happens to be a rather tired-looking static exhibit (painted in a strange, discoloured shade of green) so it will be great to see this one in steam.

Hi Castle, I was just wondering - have you ever considered running 4079 with the smaller 3500 gallon tender? If you ask STEAM nicely, they might let you borrow 4073's... P.S. - the manual looks excellent and you can rest assured that I will be getting my grubby hands on a copy one way or another!

This is deeply saddening news. Clearly, there's not much I can add to the tributes which have already been posted; I didn't have the privilege of knowing Mr Shakespeare or, indeed, having direct contact with him. However, his superb modelling has had a profound impact on me (just as it has on the hobby as a whole). Seeing "Tetley's Mills" in an early edition of Model Rail magazine, sometime during 2005 or thereabouts, is one of those things that really sticks in my mind. Not only that, but his warmth and good humour - and, of course, his courage - emerged very clearly through his postings. What a sad end to a brave fight.

Hi Castle, I wonder whether you are aware of the Bluebird Project? A favourite saying of theirs happens to be: "Do you want it done now, or do you want it done right?" I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment; I would rather wait a little longer, so as to see No. 4079 in the best possible health. Which, of course, I'm sure it'll be - the standard of restorations at Didcot is exemplary, and this particular project stands out through the dedication and and perseverance which you have described. Executing a major restoration on a steam locomotive - which is, to be honest, a huge and mechanically complex lump of handbuilt ironmongery - is never easy. A knackered old veteran with Australian sand leaking from practically every orifice? Incredibly difficult, and I admire the work you and your team have done in bringing No. 4079 back to life. I'll be looking forwards to the finished article - another shot at "Z48", perhaps? - and hopefully I'll be able to get to the Members' Tour on the 27th July and see the work for myself. (PS: I wonder whether you and the team could be persuaded to have a go at No. 7027 sometime in the near future ...

Great Western superpower at Didcot in April 2011: Didcot Railway Centre 23rd April 2011 by 6000KingGeorgeV, on Flickr No. 6023 King Edward II, and - Didcot Railway Centre 23rd April 2011 by 6000KingGeorgeV, on Flickr No. 5051 Earl Bathurst

Well, does anybody here remember "The Sea Devils"? That Doctor Who story with Jon Pertwee, where the villains emerged from the water at a beach? I'll get my coat...

"Camp Freddie! Everyone in the world is bent!"

Quite recently I passed through Leckhampton Lane (in the Cheltenham area) and noticed what seemed to be a grounded van body, tucked behind one of the large hedges next to the road. I didn't get a good luck (I was in a car at the time), but I'd guess it was a BR design with end vents and a new roof made from corrugated metal. I realise this isn't very interesting due to the lack of a good picture or, indeed, any proof of its existence. But still!...

I think that tender was restored and given to Princess, wasn't it?

That would be good to see - Mountaineer or something very like it, I assume?

As you can see from the time-lapse video, the dismantling of Welsh Pony has now started. Looking forwards to seeing the restoration completed - but I have no idea what they're going to do about the tender. As I understand it, Welsh Pony has no tender of her own, largely because of the conversion of Linda and Blanche to tender engines and the shuffling of tenders that's occurred in the years since then. Are they going to build a new one, or will they 'acquire' one from somewhere? (I should probably mention that the video is not mine, and posted here solely for illustrative purposes).

I think it was because of the presence of 'K4' No. 61994 and 'D49' No. 249 'Morayshire'. The Motherwell shedplate was added so that the Black 5 would fit in with the Scottish theme, so to speak. (I seem to remember that for the weekend, No 78019 ran as No. 78054 for the same reason).

'Black 5' No. 45305 at Loughborough on the Great Central Railway. Taken way, way back in October 2010 and recently dredged up and edited in the interests of being "arty farty".

A Hornby Mallard (R2339) for just over £70. I'm pretty sure it's a good buy - after all, Hornby A4s these days seem to go for well over £100 apiece.

That's a BAC TSR-2, isn't it? 1/72 or 1/48? (Your rail-based models are also stunning, I might add)!