Wright writes.....

[Tony Wright]

Hello Tony

Glad to hear you and Mo got home safely. It was great being able to catch-up with you again.

 

In regard to my question to you on a possible speaker for a future BRMA convention in Australia, it was for two years time, so 2020. Canberra have already arranged a keynote speaker for the 2019 Convention, one of BRMA's inaugural members, Phil Knife who now resides in Western Australia. Interestingly, Phil Knife built the layout 'Abbotsbury' back in the 1960s-70s which appeared I think in RM at the time. Also of interest is that the layout still exists with some modifications  and is owned by BRMA Member, David Lord who lives on the Central Coast of NSW. The layout is now called 'Hamworthy Old Poole'. David was at the Convention on the Saturday and three of us visited him late on the Sunday afternoon after the layout tour, calling in on St Enodoc of this Parish on the way (thanks John).

 

Personally I think its better that we don't debate who a suitable speaker might be for 2020 on the web.

   

I note comments above on the Sydney exhibition at Liverpool that many of us attended on the Monday. The Tasmanian layout 'Fingal' was actually built by one of our BRMA members, Simon Handby from Launceston in northern Tasmania. It took out four awards at the exhibition and deservedly so. The track gauge is actually 14mm, not 12mm as someone mentioned above so it is a scale 3'6" in 4mm scale, the scale it is built to. My biggest concern was that Simon actually left me in charge whilst he got a coffee. Now although I have operated DCC layouts here in Adelaide, mostly of South Australian prototype none use Digitrax so I'm lucky nothing went awry in that time! 

 

I must admit I was somewhat stunned by the number of hands that went up at the Convention indicating delegates used DCC. I feel much safer back here in Adelaide where the majority use DC! 

 

Anyway back out to the shed now to fit a fall plate to my J3 and then to give it the final wash - with any luck I might get it primed tomorrow.

 

Andrew

Thanks Andrew,

 

I respect your wishes, but it was in answer to a question about future presenters.

 

Thank you for your kind comments about my presentation style. Graeme Lewis asked 'Is he for real?'.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited October 8, 2018 by Tony Wright

[Bucoops]

Think that's the first A1 I've seen to the original GN design (without clipped front buffer beam etc). - looks great!

[St Enodoc]

That's the one, John,

 

A jolly good layout indeed.

 

Speaking of jolly good layouts.....................

 

John Nuttall 02.jpg

 

One of the shots of yours I took. 

 

Uley Junction 01.jpg

 

And one of Charles Rudder's Uley Junction. How many pots did Charles win? 

 

Brighton Junction 02.jpg

 

Jessie Sim's Brighton Junction is coming along well (including a bus on a bridge!). 

 

Convention 01.jpg

 

Here's Jessie demonstrating his alterations to Peco points to make the 6' correct (inspired by Graham Nicholas).

 

Convention 10.jpg

 

What impressed me most at the Convention were Chris Williams' locomotives, including this pair he built - a DJH Duchess in 4mm and a Finney one in 7mm. He also did the painting. Aren't these fantastic?

 

Thirlmere 01.jpg

 

And what could be more fantastic than this? 12 inches to the foot English engineering at its best. Beyer, Peacock's Manchester-built Garratt preserved at Thirlmere! 

Thanks Tony. I don't think the roof ribs look too bad in that shot...

 

Charles won four trophies - one each for his steam railcar and his goods shed, one for the best model entered by someone who had never won a trophy before and finally the Alex Mathieson Trophy for the best article published in the BRMA journal "The Clearing House" in the previous year.

[Woodcock29]

 

Thirlmere 01.jpg

 

And what could be more fantastic than this? 12 inches to the foot English engineering at its best. Beyer, Peacock's Manchester-built Garratt preserved at Thirlmere! 

Tony one of the dilemma's I had on the weekend was that one of these garratts was operating over the weekend but on the other side of the Blue Mountains. Two hours drive (I didn't have a car) from the Convention or three hours twenty by train. I seriously contemplated going over there on the Monday instead of going to the exhibition but in the end sense prevailed - for once! I've never seen one of these NSW garratts in steam so I'll have to make a separate trip over at some stage to do that. Hopefully I'll see and ride behind steam this weekend on the Pichi Richi Railway in South Australia - its about 4 hours by car from where we live. I have attached a photo below of the loco I expect to ride behind.

 

Andrew

[cctransuk]

My enduring memory of Australian steam is riding the Mary Valley Rattler from Gympie to Imbil; a few years ago now, before it was curtailed and threatened with inundation.

 

Any news of the prospects of the line being restored to it's former length?

 

I notice that Wikipedia forecasts a partial reopening from the weekend just past - 06/10/18.

 

I was also impressed by the West Coast Wilderness Railway in Tasmania, though I didn't manage to fit in a ride. To have rebuilt that line and it's equipment, so long after abandonment, was an incredible feat!

 

We're off to Perth and the West Coast next month - not much there of historic railway interest, I suspect.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Lecorbusier]

What a great bridge/via duct thingy.

 

Are all the supports original .... or is there some remedial propping going on here?

[Chamby]

November’s BRM arrived in today’s post, with the LB 1938 feature. Some very nice photographsindeed, though I would have preferred to see more than the six featured (instead perhaps of stupid stuff like the giant plastic lobster on page 30...) I do wonder about editorial decisions sometimes! Though I have still to watch the DVD.

 

Well done Tony Et al.

[Woodcock29]

What a great bridge/via duct thingy.

 

Are all the supports original .... or is there some remedial propping going on here?

I think the structures on the blocks are reinforcements that were installed at some stage.

 

Andrew

[Black Marlin]

Are there more in the way of injuries now caused by folk walking into lamposts, striding into the road, falling over obstacles or just bumping into each other because they're constantly looking at their phones?  

 

Welcome back Tony! This may amuse:

 

 

 

And as for your 'even more unique' concerns; yes, you're quite right. That being said, although the presenter's lexical decisions were poor, his underlying thinking does, in fact, make sense: what he meant was 'even less imitable'.

 

Still, no worries, eh?

Gavin

[The Johnster]

Bet. Better. Betterer, Bestest.  

 

Or, good, gooder, gooderer, gooderest.

 

Don't see much wrong with that!

[Black Marlin]

Bet. Better. Betterer, Bestest.  

 

Or, good, gooder, gooderer, gooderest.

 

Don't see much wrong with that!

 

Thank you for providing the excuse for this...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQoK3Tw9zvc

[Chamby]

. .....Prior to the arrival of the A3's, Woodford and Sheffield dominated the Cross country and London expresses, with Darnall shed working right through to Marylebone and return on the likes of the 'Master Cutler'. Conversely, Darnall's Atlantics worked through on the Sheffield-Swindon but only worked as far as Leicester on the 'Ords'. Passenger carriage workings are well known, however, the corresponding locomotive diagrams and its associated paperwork is as rare as hens teeth. As a result, a lot of the reasons why have been lost in the mists of time. For example, why was the South Yorkshireman double headed north of Leicester? ......

Andrew, there will undoubtedly be various explanations for double heading on the GC, but for a while this appears to have been common practice during WCML electrification, due to extra services apparently being diverted onto the GC between Manchester/Preston and London. Locomotives were moved around to service these additional trains, with double heading being used in preference to light engines, to avoid having too many additional movements. These double headings occurred southbound as well, the 14:10 from Manchester to Marylebone being one quoted example double headed out of Leicester.

[Enterprisingwestern]

I think the word he was looking for is 'distinctive'. The unique qualifying error is not unique. Many people are guilty of that bit of double talk. Actually, I find journalists are often the worst offenders.

 

In my experience it is almost uniquely journalists.

 

Mike.

[Tony Wright]

November’s BRM arrived in today’s post, with the LB 1938 feature. Some very nice photographsindeed, though I would have preferred to see more than the six featured (instead perhaps of stupid stuff like the giant plastic lobster on page 30...) I do wonder about editorial decisions sometimes! Though I have still to watch the DVD.

 

Well done Tony Et al.

Thanks Phil,

 

Having been in the 'editorial chair', there never is enough space to feature so many pictures. However, I believe there are more in the digital edition. 

 

My copy arrived today as well, and I have watched the DVD. I'm generally pleased with it, though I could have wished my pronunciation had been better in places. 

 

I'd appreciate comments from readers about the LB 1938 DVD; constructively-critical comments, please.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[The Fatadder]

There’s a lot more photos in the digital edition. Really good stuff!

 

Though I still need to find time to sit down and watch the video.

[landscapes]

Thank you for providing the excuse for this...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQoK3Tw9zvc

Hi

 

The Who,

 

Lead singer Roger Daley is I believe a keen model railway enthusiast.

 

David

[Black Marlin]

Hi

 

The Who,

 

Lead singer Roger Daley is I believe a keen model railway enthusiast.

 

David

 

Yes, Roger Daltrey is a very keen modeller. I met him at one of the shows; we had an amicable disagreement as to whether hanging basket liner or teddy bear fur is the better material for long grass!

[Tony Wright]

Yes, Roger Daltrey is a very keen modeller. I met him at one of the shows; we had an amicable disagreement as to whether hanging basket liner or teddy bear fur is the better material for long grass!

Good morning Gavin,

 

Roger Daltrey is not only a very keen railway modeller, but an exceptionally good one at that - witness his scenic work on The Gresley Beat. 

 

Some ten years ago, I visited him at his wonderful home on the Kent/Sussex border, as a preliminary for taking pictures of his (under construction) model railway in the vast loft(s). However, my personal circumstances intervened, and I never did take pictures. I imagine someone will in time, because it was already most-impressive (European Continental). 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Headstock]

Andrew, there will undoubtedly be various explanations for double heading on the GC, but for a while this appears to have been common practice during WCML electrification, due to extra services apparently being diverted onto the GC between Manchester/Preston and London. Locomotives were moved around to service these additional trains, with double heading being used in preference to light engines, to avoid having too many additional movements. These double headings occurred southbound as well, the 14:10 from Manchester to Marylebone being one quoted example double headed out of Leicester.

 

Good morning Phil,

 

It was a major logistical operation and an exspensive one at that. It would not have been necessary if the existing arrangements for operating long distance expresses over the London extension hadn't been wrecked a few years earlier.

[Lecorbusier]

Good morning Gavin,

 

Roger Daltrey is not only a very keen railway modeller, but an exceptionally good one at that - witness his scenic work on The Gresley Beat. 

 

Some ten years ago, I visited him at his wonderful home on the Kent/Sussex border, as a preliminary for taking pictures of his (under construction) model railway in the vast loft(s). However, my personal circumstances intervened, and I never did take pictures. I imagine someone will in time, because it was already most-impressive (European Continental). 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Roger Daltrey is one of the great and the good involved in this ... The Aimrec model railway museum, Ashford, Kent.

 

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/ashford-on-track-to-get-4-million-model-railway-centre/25/05/

 

Don't know where things have got to since the article. This is the web site

 

http://www.aimrec.co.uk/

 

Just found this recent article ... so still alive and kicking!

 

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/historic-sheds-could-house-ambitious-159198/

Edited October 9, 2018 by Lecorbusier

[Clem]

Thanks Phil,

 

Having been in the 'editorial chair', there never is enough space to feature so many pictures. However, I believe there are more in the digital edition. 

 

My copy arrived today as well, and I have watched the DVD. I'm generally pleased with it, though I could have wished my pronunciation had been better in places. 

 

I'd appreciate comments from readers about the LB 1938 DVD; constructively-critical comments, please.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

I've just watched the video. Constructive criticism? Only constructive, I'm afraid......        Loved it!  The layout, signals, the stock..... I absolutely loved it. A window into 1938.

[Tony Wright]

I've just watched the video. Constructive criticism? Only constructive, I'm afraid......        Loved it!  The layout, signals, the stock..... I absolutely loved it. A window into 1938.

Thanks Clem,

 

I've already had some emails telling me how much folk have liked the DVD. 

 

I look at it and think.............. I should have mentioned this or that, or, perhaps a point wasn't made clearly enough, but I think the trains themselves tell the story.

 

And, regarding those LNER locos/trains brought along by the Grantham chaps, it's a testament to how well they were made, because we just plonked them on, opened the throttles and away they went.

 

Jessie Sim and I have already filmed the 1958 sequence on LB, for release/publication next year. Because I've built most of the locos/passenger trains shown on that, I'm more able to comment personally. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

[Lecorbusier]

A super DVD Tony and congrats to all involved. Its lovely to be able to watch a layout in this way and to this quality ... so much better than the usual Youtube fair filmed at stolen moments around sundry shows. Wouldn't it be fantastic to have such films shot of all the great layouts, with those who built them talking you through ... for the most part a pipe dream I know .. but its wonderful when in a small way it comes true. Really looking forward to the 1958 sequence.

[jamie92208]

A super DVD Tony and congrats to all involved. Its lovely to be able to watch a layout in this way and to this quality ... so much better than the usual Youtube fair filmed at stolen moments around sundry shows. Wouldn't it be fantastic to have such films shot of all the great layouts, with those who built them talking you through ... for the most part a pipe dream I know .. but its wonderful when in a small way it comes true. Really looking forward to the 1958 sequence.

The Gauge O Guild do this for 7mm layouts and the DVD's can be hired out by clubs and individuals. It started off as slide collections taken by the late Jack Ray of Crewchester fame and is now DVD's run by Chris Simpson. I don't know if any f the other gauge societies do something similar.

 

 

Jamie

[Manxcat]

 

 

. Because of the time-restrictions of the presentations, I wasn't able to show all the shots I'd brought, which included the Gravett's work. 

 

 

Tony,

 

Please could I be today's pedant? Shouldn't that be "the Gravetts' work"? Otherwise, who goes by the moniker "the Gravett"?

 

Archie