jwealleans Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 You'll get fluff in the mechanism, running it on surfaces like that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rapidobill Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 And here is my LRC walking around the Highlands from July (boldly going where no LRC has been before) : These are fantastic! Thanks for taking them, and for supporting the cause. Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted November 23, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 23, 2015 You'll get fluff in the mechanism, running it on surfaces like that.It's ok they can beam it out after scanning it. Hmmmm a Rebel X wing liveried one running down a cutting with feel the force sound effects comes to mind Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSpencer Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 It's ok they can beam it out after scanning it. Hmmmm a Rebel X wing liveried one running down a cutting with feel the force sound effects comes to mind I did that with Bachmann's class 37. Aside from the normal 37 sounds, it has various R2D2 sounds, X-wing fighter, various canons etc. I might do the crosti 9F as Darth Vador with Tie Fighter next !! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rapidotrains Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 The journey continues... We started Sunday morning - with the sun shining, contrary to standard Scottish practice - by heading to Glenfinnan to see the route of the Hogwarts Express. Well, that's why I went there. Bill wanted to see some bridge thingy. As usual, we arrived a few weeks after the last steam train ran through here. Travelling around the UK in the days leading up to the Warley show is only for the strong-willed tourist. Just about everything is shut. We've been to empty stations, empty locks between lochs, empty pubs, empty museums, empty B&Bs. I'm convinced that a large portion of the British public hasn't realized the war ended. Every November they descend into their air raid shelters, come up for a drink at Christmas, and then go back underground until Easter. Despite the total lack of other people, we had a good rummage around Glenfinnan. We saw the empty station museum along with the empty camping coach and empty signal box. Ben Nevis was visible in the distance, and as far as we know it was also empty. Glenfinnan is where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard on 19 August 1745. From what I understand, he raised his standard in an attempt to find some other people as the railway station was empty. After taking some nice photos of the empty Glenfinnan Monument, we made our way to the empty Glenfinnan church. This lovely little building, built in 1873, was also empty - despite it being Sunday morning. Actually, there's a neat story there. When the church was dedicated on 19 August 1873, a piper from the MacDonald clan played the pipes - the same pipes that were used when Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard. That's either true or completely made up. Actually, I tell a lie about the emptiness. There was this doddery old couple who were wandering around the monument, the viaduct and station looking for "the coffee." I found myself intrigued by their use of the definite article. Was this a special Jacobite coffee that was drunk by Bonnie Prince Charlie himself? Was it the fossilized remains of the first ever coffee drunk 20,000 years ago by the early Britons? We first ran into them at the viaduct. "We'll just go in there for the coffee." "There" was the tourist centre. It was shut. At the station, "We'll just go up here for the coffee." "Here" was the station museum. It was shut. And then they said, "We'll just go over the road for the coffee." "Over the road" was the pub. It was shut. I wonder if they are still wandering around the deserted buildings of Glenfinnan looking for this elusive coffee. If you can find the coffee, please go to Glenfinnan and tell them. They are probably still there. We had hired a car in Fort William and we drove to Inverness, passing by Loch Ness on the way. And that's where we lost Bill. He insisted on going down to the water, and despite my misgivings I pulled over and let him out of the car. I will never forget the next few terrifying moments. That's because we got it all down on film. I drove on my own to Inverness, trying to get as far away from the Loch as possible. If you ever hire a car from Easy Drive Scotland, bear in mind that when it's time to return your car, you're on your own. There was nobody there, and their carpark was locked shut. I left the car in the station carpark. If anyone wants a 2014 silver Ford Focus hatchback, you can get it from the Inverness station carpark. The keys are hidden under the rear passenger tire. Just get in and drive away. But first send me the £100 excess. Warning: the car may need a new clutch because I really don't know how to drive a stick shift. The burning smell is still in my nostrils. Due to a coincidental aligning of the temporal rift in Cardiff with the Mandragora helix north of Thurso, Bill materialized in the station, hale and hearty. We boarded the 158 to Wick. We had a choice in Inverness station. We could board a 158, a 158, a 158 or a 158. Apparently the ride to Thurso and Wick is quite lovely. We wouldn't know, because we rode it at night and we're riding home at night as well. I did get a great photo of the Highland Railway logo at the 1872-built Brora station, mind you. We arrived in Wick to find... another class 158. We stayed at the lovely MacKay's Hotel. The service at this hotel was first rate, and I can't recommend it highly enough. And the shower had water pressure, which was a considerable improvement over the electric water tinkle that we had at the B&B in Fort William. The reason for our visit to this out-of-the-way bit of the UK is obvious to anyone who has ever been here: the Old Pulteney distillery. Wick used to be called Pulteneytown, after some fishy fellow named Sir William Pulteney. Whatever it was called, they make amazing whisky at Old Pulteney. It's a relatively small distillery, its whisky-making operation run by just eight guys. That's me breathing in the fumes in the washback room. At this point the whisky smells like rubbing alchohol. Knowing the incredible paint-removing properties of rubbing alcholol, I asked if I could drop a model locomotive shell into the washback to remove its paint. I was politely shown the door. Old Pulteney only has two pot stills. Here's Bill and tour guide Kathy taking a closer look. I took this photo before Kathy noticed that I had climbed up some scaffolding to the ceiling to get a better view. She started yelling at me to come down and two burly police officers were called in to get the job done. Luckily I managed to escape incarceration by pushing them into the mash tun. The distillers were pleased with this happy accident and you can expect a new Gordon & MacSnail independent bottling of "The Thin Blue Line Reserve" in about 15 years' time. In all seriousness, the tour was informative and enjoyable. As usual for travelling in the UK in November, there was nobody else there. Kathy let us roam through the warehouse and get lost amid the thousands of casks of whisky dating as far back as 1967. Two of the eight guys were resorting some casks, and they literally toss them off the top onto a huge sponge and then roll them along. The tour finished up in the visitor centre with a tasting of numerous different Old Pulteney single malt whiskies. The 1989 peated malt was most definitely my favourite, but I weighed the benefit:cost ratio of A. spending £130 for a bottle of Scotch and B. explaining to my wife that I had spent £130 on a bottle of Scotch. Unfortunately the costs outweighed the benefits and I was forced to leave with a somewhat less expensive souvenir. We walked back to the hotel in the driving rain. From what we could see, Wick looks like a lovely place to visit. But we're not actually certain. When you're soaked right through you don't take the time to appreciate your surroundings. I did take a quick photo of the harbour, which is usually steeped in maritime history but at that moment was steeped in a whole lot of wet. We were warned by the guard on the way to Wick that we had better get to the station early if we wanted to get the seats with the power sockets as they are the first to be snatched up. So we took a taxi to the station an hour before departure and waited for the train from Inverness to pull in. We leaped through the still-opening doors and dove for the seats with the power socket. I'm writing this on the train 42 minutes into our journey and currently there is almost one other passenger in our carriage. Out there, somewhere, a ScotRail guard is having a good chuckle. Next stop... Inverness and the South. (Note: I'm now writing this from Inverness. I am pleased to report that our carriage did eventually reach a capacity crowd of FIVE PASSENGERS for about ten minutes when the one-eyed muttering guy rode the train between adjacent stations. I'm not kidding.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
srihaggis Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 How very spooky, this time last year I went over to Wick for the day... but as you are experiencing everywhere is empty or closed. Went over to Thurso and got pretty much the same so I ended up in Tescos, which is where most of the far north Scotland appeared to be camping out in the Starbucks cafe! Got to admire your bad photoshopping of nessie, i'm convinced one of them is a bear mouth haha. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSpencer Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 You guys are really following in the tracks of my LRC... except she got to see the Harry Potter train ;-)) To got from the Viaduct to the station, you have to pass Neptune's foot steps: And here is the LRC drinking whiskey after escaping Loch Ness: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Can't believe you're surprised that the UK shuts down in the depths of winter. Talk about pots and Kettles!! Canada closes for the winter on Labour Day and that's the first Monday in September! And most things in Canada don't re-open until June. At least the UK stays half-open during the autumn. (CJL) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rapidobill Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Can't believe you're surprised that the UK shuts down in the depths of winter. Talk about pots and Kettles!! Canada closes for the winter on Labour Day and that's the first Monday in September! And most things in Canada don't re-open until June. At least the UK stays half-open during the autumn. (CJL) Not really, depends on what you're referencing . There are lots of winter activities that draw people in during the winter. Hey, they do have like skiing and stuff, eh? Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Not really, depends on what you're referencing . There are lots of winter activities that draw people in during the winter. Hey, they do have like skiing and stuff, eh? Bill If you hang about long enough in Scotland you might get some snow and be able to ski there, too. I'm long past being fit enough for Canadian winter sports so I try to be there between June and the end of August - but then it tends to be too hot for my liking! (CJL) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rapidotrains Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Can't believe you're surprised that the UK shuts down in the depths of winter. Talk about pots and Kettles!! Canada closes for the winter on Labour Day and that's the first Monday in September! And most things in Canada don't re-open until June. At least the UK stays half-open during the autumn. (CJL) He's right. There's really not much to do in Canada in winter... -Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Legend Posted November 24, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 24, 2015 At least you were spared the 100mph fog that sometimes afflicts Wick. I was up there on a job once . Actually in Thurso. In the Middle Saturday of working I decided I'd go to Wick for a change of scenery. Car park down by station . Spotted fish and chip shop that I'd get my dinner in later. Went back at 5 only to discover it closed for dinner! Reopened at 6 , but really!!! I get your empty thing . North of Inverness I think the country goes into hibernation Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 He's right. There's really not much to do in Canada in winter... Canada1.jpg Canada2.jpg Canada3.jpg -Jason Like I said, I'm a decade or two past skiing and skating and all those other bitter cold outdoor activities. So I guess I should have said there's not much FOR ME after Labour Day. (CJL) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted November 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 24, 2015 Like I said, I'm a decade or two past skiing and skating and all those other bitter cold outdoor activities. So I guess I should have said there's not much FOR ME after Labour Day. (CJL) If you are after indoor activities, the craft beer scene in Canada is getting pretty good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I hope you asked the Zygons before you borrowed that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaym481 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Like I said, I'm a decade or two past skiing and skating and all those other bitter cold outdoor activities. So I guess I should have said there's not much FOR ME after Labour Day. (CJL) Try Vancouver or Victoria then. The climate is very English. The post-Labour Day winter is really just confined to the more Northerly cities (like Edmonton, on about the same latitude as London). Then there's Winnipeg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVgjD8wdNzo Yes, the chorus is "Portage and Main fifty below." I reckon you don't want to go there, though just experiencing 50 below (F, about -45C) is, uhh, something. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcolmt Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 In between all the stuff that one can do in summer, then all the stuff one can do in winter, it's hard to find time to play trains. I'm constantly moving trains out of way so I get at the outdoor toys. Malcolm Turner Calgary, Alberta. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Like I said, I'm a decade or two past skiing and skating and all those other bitter cold outdoor activities. So I guess I should have said there's not much FOR ME after Labour Day. (CJL) If you are after indoor activities, the craft beer scene in Canada is getting pretty good There's always the confluence of indoor ice and beer drinking that the Scots and Canadians have in common - curling! Of course curling is not without it's controversy. Skip the intro and go to 1:18. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted November 25, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 25, 2015 Do all British restaurants have a sign that says "Closed for dinner" or just the ones I can afford? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Try Vancouver or Victoria then. The climate is very English. The post-Labour Day winter is really just confined to the more Northerly cities (like Edmonton, on about the same latitude as London). Then there's Winnipeg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVgjD8wdNzo Yes, the chorus is "Portage and Main fifty below." I reckon you don't want to go there, though just experiencing 50 below (F, about -45C) is, uhh, something. I know Victoria very well - my sister lives up island from there. I usually go in summer via Toronto (to visit a friend) and can't imagine that I'm likely to be there in the depths of winter. (CJL) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted November 25, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2015 Do all British restaurants have a sign that says "Closed for dinner" or just the ones I can afford? There are McDonalds restaurants open 24 hours a day these days Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 There are McDonalds restaurants open 24 hours a day these days Depends what you call a "restaurant" ! For me, the word implies a lack of plastic... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted November 25, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2015 Depends what you call a "restaurant" ! For me, the word implies a lack of plastic... I thought that might spark some comment but they do actually call themselves a restaurant chain!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phatbob Posted November 25, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2015 I thought that might spark some comment but they do actually call themselves a restaurant chain!! I could call myself "Supreme ruler of the universe and master of all things". Doesn't make it so. Maccy Ds is NOT a restaurant! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted November 25, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2015 As Jason's main UK hobby seems to be drinking Whisky I'd have thought there was more than enough 'open' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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