Anybody actually modeling in this heat?

[Nick G]

After highs of around 24c today it's a bit cooler in North Wales this evening, still no rain though. Expecting a couple of sound chips in the post tomorrow so at least one of them will be fitted tomorrow evening.

[Steamport Southport]

It makes a change, it's normally bucketing it down every time I'm in North Wales.  

 

I can't believe that it's only a couple of months since the Llangollen gala when it was absolutely freezing and now they have suspended all steam services due to fire risk.

 

https://www.facebook.com/565414286884098/posts/1864295446995969/

 

 

 

 

Jason

[The Fatadder]

At least normal service will be resumed for most of you pretty soon, we've got a steady increase to 45 degrees to look forward to!

 

Mike.

I certainly don't miss travelling to Sevilla at this time of year, 30 is bad enough but 40 plus, no thanks!

[tomparryharry]

Yes, work continues on the 4mm OO scale Broad Sidlinch layout at Holt Station on the North Norfolk Railway.

 

Lunchtime interlude included the N2 on the Gresley Quad-art set and the Y14 on the vintage train.

 

Paul 

Very nice. The last time I saw Holt, it was just a line of trees.

 

Ian

[tomparryharry]

I had an hour or so out on the patio with SWMBO yesterday fettling up the 94xx body for my Limbach converssion; garden chair, ice cream, beer, and 2 files, rat and flat.  Trimmed off the excess from the slitting disc cutting, and reamed out the buffer holes.  I drilled a hole in the chimney and started reaming this out as well, then it got too hot, the ice cream and beer were finished, and I went inside.

 

Oh Johnster, you pacemaker!

[The Johnster]

In 66 years nobody has ever described me as a pacemaker before; mostly they've complained at my reluctance to keep u,p and any of my former bosses would be astonished at the accolade (soft drink made out of acco)!  I am duly flattered; thank you Ian...

[Huw Griffiths]

Meanwhile, I'm beginning to wonder if, in certain parts of the country, some trainspotters might be turning their attention to rail replacement buses.

That's a rather sore point round these parts - one of the rail replacement buses last weekend got a bit lost between Moreton and Oxford!

 

That reminds me of one rail replacement bus I was a passenger on a number of years back - between Gloucester and Swindon - when the driver asked me for directions, from Swindon's "Magic Roundabout" (which I'd never seen before) to the nearby railway station.

 

Thankfully, we both managed to "muddle through" OK (it might also have helped that I'm generally very good at navigation). It turned out that the driver was from another part of the country (and he hadn't been given any info on where he had to go).

 

 

In fact, during the years I faced long distance commuting to and from my last job (officially by train), I often encountered replacement buses - and I was rarely impressed by them, for various reasons.

 

At the time, the "Train Operating" Companies in question often seemed to wait inordinate lengths of time before even attempting to get hold of one of these buses. When they finally "pulled their fingers out", the things rarely seemed to be worth the wait.

 

They frequently used firms from outside the area - who'd probably send some totally unsuitable (and often rough looking) vehicle, which would wait ages before a TOC official finally got round to letting passengers board. Of course, there'd be loads more messing about - before the bus got moving, a few seconds before the next incoming train arrived (so the whole cycle repeated itself).

 

At the other end of the journey, there'd be a high probability of seeing the tail lights of an onward train vanishing into the distance - with a long wait for the next one.

 

Needless to say, the "help" desk at this station would either be unmanned, or be manned by some jobsworth who only seemed to know 3 words: "Next available train."

 

Despite this, the TOCs concerned still expected their long suffering passengers to pay their normal "expense account distress purchase" fares to travel - with no hope of any recompense for all this messing about.

 

Somehow, I don't see myself ever being a fan of rail replacement buses - even if I'm reckoning on one of the things featuring in a "CBC" entry ... .

 

 

Regards,

 

Huw.

Edited July 11, 2018 by Huw Griffiths

[The Johnster]

Once came home from a stint on the SVR from Bewdley to Cardiff by bus, and our Midland Red driver on a Birmingham-Hereford service had never been beyond Leominster on that route before, so I had to act as route knowledge pilot for him.  I knew the way and he just kept an eye out for stops.  On the road across Clee Hill, an RAF fighter jet barrelled past us in a bit of a hurry in the valley to our left, about 100 feet lower than we were; the noise was tremendous!

[bike2steam]

Once came home from a stint on the SVR from Bewdley to Cardiff by bus, and our Midland Red driver on a Birmingham-Hereford service had never been beyond Leominster on that route before, so I had to act as route knowledge pilot for him.  I knew the way and he just kept an eye out for stops.  On the road across Clee Hill, an RAF fighter jet barrelled past us in a bit of a hurry in the valley to our left, about 100 feet lower than we were; the noise was tremendous!

 

'Mach-loop' ?? see the videos on You-Tube.

[The Johnster]

We are relatively used to this sort of thing in Wales, but the Clee Hill pass was the closest I've ever seen!  But, when I was a guard at Canton in the 70s, the Western I was riding in the back cab of was buzzed by a couple Harriers at Pembrey; they were lining up for a mock attack of our up oil train and looked convincingly as if they were actually going to open fire, and I assume they did, with camera guns.  One made an attack pass from behind, so I had some warning; it passed over the loco at (seriously at about 50 feet flat out level and gave me driver and secondman, who were caught completely by surprise, a bit of a fright!

 

Good fun for all...

[eastglosmog]

Expecting a good bit of RAF cover today as The Donald is coming to Blenheim this afternoon.  There has been a fair bit of activity all week because of the Fairford Air Tattoo this coming weekend.