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Work has started on the fourth layout in the Farthing series. This will be named “The stables” and continues our meandering walk through the goods facilities at Farthing in the early 1900s. The layout is inspired by my interest in GWR stable blocks, including the larger variants of the standard design that began to appear in places like Slough and Park Royal around the turn of the last century. Slough, 1928. Source: Britain from Above. Embedding permitted. https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW021896 Park Royal, 1930. Source: Britain from Above. Embedding permitted. https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW033806 Searches on Britain from Above show that stable blocks tended to be located near the entrance to goods yards. This provides an excuse to incorporate another favourite scene of mine, namely the roadside views into Vastern Road yard in Reading – including those lovely trees in the foreground, as seen in the excellent GWRJ articles on Reading goods by Chris Turner and John Copsey (Nos 81 and 82). At this point you are probably expecting a large sprawling layout with an intricate trackplan - but, er, this is the trackplan: The layout will be a micro and follows what I call a “matchstick” design, i.e. a few very short tracks. Ridiculously small, I know, but I like the challenge of making such a seemingly dull trackplan scenically interesting, and working out a shunting puzzle for it. My goods depot layout (below) followed a similar concept, and has become my go-to option when I need a quick shunting fix after a long day at work. So I want another one! With the new layout, the idea is to use roadside trees, fencing and the goods yard entrance as foreground view blocks and “see-through” structures. The stable block will be the main event in the middle distance, while the trackbed behind it will be raised to a higher level. An Inglenook style shunting puzzle will be applied. That said, it would be nice for the locos to stretch their legs on occasion. So I've allowed for the option of a possible future modular approach, whereby some of the Farthing layouts could be joined up for occasional running sessions in our living room, e.g. as illustrated below. Whether that ever happens remains to be seen, I’m taking it step by step. As usual, the baseboard was made from 10 mm foamboard. This time I used actual Kappaboard, which is clearly a better quality than the imitation product I used before. The basic baseboard in place, braced inside with more foamboard. Neoprene foam will be used for noise reduction. I’m now at the mock-up phase, testing the scenic ideas. As some may remember, the stable block has already been built and is a model of the prototype at Park Royal. The one at Slough was almost identical but a little shorter. Incidentally, both of these prototypes had sidings crossing close by at an angle (hard to see in photos of Park Royal). The layout fits on my workbench but will have to be packed away frequently. The 66,5 x 48,5 cm baseboard is therefore designed to fit in an Ikea “Samla” bedroller (55 L version), which can be stored under the bed - or stacked with other layouts in the attic. I’m aware that longer boxes exist, but they tend to be quite narrow and I like visual depth. The backscene and major structures will be stored separately. The Ikea version may not at first seem ideal as it has sloping indents at the ends. However these conveniently hold the baseboard in place whilst allowing room for fingers to be inserted. The bottom does have a slight curve at the middle – not a problem for me as my baseboard has legs at the corners, but it won't work for everyone. There remains the issue of the fiddle yard. I can’t use the normal one I have, as this will be a two-level layout (part of the fun). So I need a fiddle yard arrangement that allows me to move stock vertically as well as horisontally. The simplest option would be to move a fiddle stick back and forth by hand, but I'd like to stabilise the movement somehow. One option is a flexible arm of some sort. There’s a whole world of these, including holders for monitors, keyboards, tablets, smartphones, microphones and lighting. The challenge is to find something that is cheap, of reasonable quality and – importantly - does not require too much fiddling with alignment. Another option would be to do a sliding cassette arrangement with a slope. A few tests showed that, contrary to what I thought, the stock stays put on a light slope. Sides might help too! 🙂

After a little over a month away from the build (and feeling slightly demoralized by the B-29A build - blog entry to come), I felt it was time to complete the Sea Hornet.. Assemblies were given a wash in soapy water and allowed to dry. I then masked up the canopies and used foam to mask up the undercarriage bays.. Then painting could begin... First up the Sky underside Then I hand painted the undercarriage bays silver (as per the instructions) and once that dried masked up the assemblies that needed a top coat of Dark Sea Grey (this varies from era to era for the correct shade) With masking removed, not much touching was needed (tail empernage fitted). Inner wing sections added Outer wings and assorted parts painted. 3 quarters of the transfers/decals added.. Just awaiting the handed props.. Props fitted and certain baby sister making a cameo of sorts... Posing in the late afternoon sun.. Usually at this point I'd say 'that's it for now' But this time it isn't, as there'll be another blog entry coming later today TBG

Back last October, I started construction of an Academy Boeing B-29A Superfortress - however due to railway commission work I didn't get very far (and it was proving a challenging kit) A big box of parts.. Start of the cockpit.. Test fitting in the fuselage Cockpit, tunnel & rear crew area test fitted together. Crew area's painted. Fuselage nearly ready to close up, along with a few other bits.. After an awful lot of coins in the swear jar (and insulating tape)- the fuselage is together.. In order to create the A version - there's a lot of filing & sanding involved. Dry fit of the wings (tail empernage is fitted) Also a lot of ballast is needed to get the center of gravity right! Even more filling and sanding needed.. And imagine the swearing when I saw where they'd put the ejector pins on the nose wheels!! Aftermarket to the rescue there - courtesy of Hannants.. Somehow the main canopy needs a 20 thou styrene packer on the port side to fit properly! And on that disappointment - that's all for now.. .. till next time TBG

As the next baseboard to work on contains the station platforms I started studying photographs and plans to work out the exact size the buildings on the platforms. This includes the main station building and also the timber build signalbox. I'd already bought a Wills kit because it matches, or so I thought.... It turns out that the kit is for a building of the opposite hand to that on the platform at Clare and is not manufactured in a manner which allows you to swap the ends around. Clare Signalbox So, faced with the issue of how to reverse the kit I looked at Eileen's Emporium 'Extreme Products' section. Unfortunately, even there I couldn't find the Matter Reversing tool so I had to make one of my own. It turns out that these are complicated to make! So instead I opted to model up the signalbox end in CAD and then try to print it on my Anycubic Photon. The result wasn't too shabby, there are a number of issues but none of them insurmountable. In order to print the part I orientated it to about 75 degrees. This has the effect of limiting how much resin has to get peeled off flexible film which forms the base of the resin tank on each layer. I could have printed it almost vertically, this would probably have been better but would have taken about 4 times longer. The down side of this was that some of the detail on the underside of the part (the inside of the building) was covered with uncured resin when the part came off the machine. I did not remove the support material before final curing because I wanted the part to have the best chance not to warp at all. Again, in retrospect it might have been been best to take that risk, remove the support material while the part was still 'soft' and wash off the uncured resin in the alcohol bath before final curing. So, here is the original molded end. And here is my 3D printed, reserved, reversion. ( there are also a couple of minor changes to the bracing to match the photographs. While all this was printing I spent sometime on more traditional modelling, making the first of a load of bushes. I used some string to form the basic bush and spread PVA over the bottom 20mm to stick the fibres together, once that first layer of glue has dried I tease out the 5 or 6 large pieces of the string and then cover the lower part of each of these parts in more PVA. Once dried again I tease out the individual fibres of the string. I sprayed with Woodland Scenics 'Scenic Cement' from a tiny cosmetics spray bottle I purchased from the pharmacy in Sainsbury's (sold with the transparent bottles for taking liquids on aircraft). Once dried I coloured the bush with a quick burst of brown from the airbrush. More Scenic Cement is then sprayed on and then the bush dunked it Woodland Scenics foliage material. Another quick blast of Scenic Cement and the bushes are finished ready for planting. It is very interesting looking at the aerial photographs of the station site I have from the 1950's. Anyone who has visited the Country Park which now includes the station will be aware of the trees and dense undergrowth that forms the sides of the old cutting. The 1950's photographs show a very different picture with only small amounts of growth on the site. Batch building the bushes has been quite therapeutic. David

I'd started the process of weathering my track in the last entry. I prefer to do this before laying ballast to avoid spoiling the ballast itself and to avoid a uniform colour across the entire trackwork. I start with a good coating of Halfords grey primer, my go-to for any painting project now. In the past I have applied paint direct to the track but it never quite adheres right and looks ugly. Next up is a coat of Railmatch sleeper grime. I mask/cover any areas I wish to avoid getting paint on/in and wipe all paint from the rail heads immediately. A cotton bud dampened with white spirit usually does the job. Although this can have the unfortunate effect of leaving cotton behind as it snags on the gaps between rails courtesy of insulated joiners! Lastly, I paint the rail sides to resemble rust. In the past I have used a Humbrol enamel which is a close approximation to a muted rust. However on reflection it wasn't the most accurate of colours. This time I opted for Phoenix Precision Paints' Rusty Rail paint. On the first attempt I unfortunately put it on too thick. The result was a glaring colour which looked too bright and like I had quite literally painted the track! It also took ages to dry and when it did it was gloss. What a disaster! Luckily I had only tried this on a small section, so I could respray with sleeper grime and start again. On my second attempt I gave the paint pot a much better shake/stir. This has always been recommended to me for any painting project, but I never really paid the advice much heed... until now. After a proper mixing the paint went on a charm, dried quickly and set in its proper matt form. Perfect! I was much more reserved with the paint, almost dry brushing this time. The result was a much more subtle colour that you almost have to look for. I'm pleased with the result. Although not ready to lay ballast, I started to consider what I would use when I did reach this stage. Ballast has been something I've never really been happy with; the size, the colour. It's just never looked quite as I expected it to. So I trawled forums for advice on ballast and found that there are as many options for ballast as there were frustrated modellers seeking a better way! The key appeared to be research of your chosen area/era. Addleford Green may be fictitious, but the line on which it is based was not, so that gave me a starting point. I found this most useful website: https://colourrail.co.uk and was able to purchase a few digital photos of considerable resolution for stations along the Hawkhurst branch - in colour! None of the books I have feature colour photography. Not only will these help me to get a feel for the general "mood" of the area for later into the project, they also showed me the kind of ballast I was looking at. I wanted something that was mostly brown/tan with some grey in it. I looked at the most recent ballasts to be released, hoping things had changed considerably since my last attempts. Hatton's own Constructor range and DCC Concepts Legacy ballast seemed like contenders. Hatton's ballast seemed too grey for my liking, the highland mix being closest to my needs but still too grey overall. Legacy's steam era ballast was much closer but ultimately seemed too dark and better for mainlines that see a lot of use - were I modelling Paddock Wood instead this may have been my choice. It's really very hard to tell for sure from photos but in the end I wasn't satisfied and decided to make my own mix, something that has always felt like a job reserved for "serious" modellers! I had some Woodland Scenics buff and brown in coarse which I had used for another project. I liked the colour of them when mixed so I bought a bag each of the fine variant and poured them together. I also had some leftover grey (possibly my first ever ballast, still going strong) and some black stuff - no idea of its origin! I grabbed a small jar and used an old teaspoon to mix a small amount together. I started with 3 spoons of buff/brown, 2 spoons of grey and 1 spoon of black, mixed and applied to a piece of test track. I was very pleased with the effect and surprised to have something so close to what I wanted so quickly. The only thing I'll change is the amount of grey, as I felt it overpowered the buff/brown mix by virtue of it's larger particles. Oddly I found the black was mostly lost in the mixture and actually gave a pleasingly subtle colour variation. My final mix will be three parts buff/brown, one part grey, one part black. Weathering of the ballast itself will be completed separately, after it is fixed to the track. I'm a long way off laying the ballast for now. I want to get the platform installed first and possibly some of the other railway infrastructure. On reflection I won't be using nearly as much ballast on this layout. In the past I have smothered every track in it. But this time I'm going to try for some more varied and realistic coverings; cinders/ash around the engine shed, tamped earth around the sidings and goods area etc. A lot of new techniques to try and learning curves to handle. All for now, Jonathan Next blog: Installing the station platform.

Here’s a summary of my recent 'experiments' (a.k.a. mucking about) with Modelu and other 4mm figures, and how to store them. I have previously modified figures from the Andrew Stadden, Dart Castings and Preiser ranges. So obviously, the Modelu range had to suffer too! The resin used in these figures cannot be bent (it will break), but clean cuts with a scalpel worked OK. Joins were sanded, fixed with superglue and smoothed out with putty. Not everyone will think it’s worthwhile, but I find it relaxing and you get quick results. This driver was shortened and had his feet repositioned to fit in the cab of my Dean Goods. Another driver had a head fitted from an Andrew Stadden figure, in order to enhance the Edwardian look. That left a headless Andrew Stadden body, so a head was transposed from a Modelu station master who I felt looked a bit too modern for my Edwardian period. I have also been experimenting with painting, especially those difficult eyes. The pro painters do some amazing work in this respect, but as a mere mortal I’m just looking for a simple way to achieve a rough indication of eyes without spending too much time on it. The approach illustrated below has helped. First, two black stripes across the eyes. The stripes can then be narrowed and shortened by painting skin colour carefully around them. I find this much easier than trying to paint the eyes directly. The same technique can be used for the eyebrows and mouth. Eyebrows can be tricky when hats etc get in the way, but do add character. I suppose the next step on the learning curve is to fill in those blank, black eyes. Not sure I'm up for that! Reading up on brushes led to the purchase of these Windsor & Newton Series 7 brushes (not the “miniature” range). The sizes are 00 for faces (right), and 1 for larger details (left). These are bigger sizes than I have normally used. This is based on online advice from pro painters. The theory is that larger brushes give better control and the paint doesn’t dry as quickly on the way to the face. If you look closely at the lady above, you can see that her face isn’t quite smooth, because I let the paint become too dry on the brush. A larger magnifying glass has also helped, although I’m still struggling a bit with the weird hand-eye coordination that this requires. The field for extra magnification is useful and tells me that it may be worth investing in an even stronger glass at some point. Because we now live in a flat I have to pack away the layouts in-between operating sessions. This has led me to consider how to store the figures and other fragile items. If stored too casually the paint easily chips, noses are flattened or accessories break. So, inspired by Chris' storage box for figures, I had a look around the web and came upon “pick and pluck” foam trays. These are available on ebay, or from military modelling manufacturers like Feldherr. After plucking out the foam as desired, a base layer is added, and the tray is ready to use. The foam trays come in different thicknesses, this is 15 mm (0.6 inch) plus a base layer: For my horse drawn wagons I used 30 mm (1.2 inches). In retrospect it would have been better to go for something even deeper so the wagons could be placed upright. The trays can be stacked… …and fitted in an appropriate box. This is just a shoebox. I added an extra protective layer of foam on the top. In order to handle the figures, I fitted a bit of felt to a pair of old tweezers. Having made the trays you end up with a lot of foam cubes that are supposed to be discarded. This seemed wasteful so I decided to use the cubes for making additional storage boxes for my “second-tier” stuff. They have a sticky underside so it’s very straightforward. The box is a takeaway food container. Ever since Northroader pointed out the usefulness of takeaway boxes we have been eating a lot of Thai food! Some of my figures are fitted with wire in order to fix them on the layout, which takes up a lot of space in the “pick and pluck” boxes. So these are stuck into a bit of good quality dense foamboard... ...and fitted in yet another takeaway box (Phat Kee Mao, if I remember correctly!). There is room for a lot of figures this way... ... and the boxes stack up nicely. That's it for now, I'm off to run some trains!

Simond had it spot on in his comment on my last post - I guess the glimps of a roller bearing was a clue. A very new departure here and a pretty steep learning curve but made much easier by some good advice from Giles and Pikey on the RC thread - if you have not already guessed the Foden is now Radio Controlled. Although a bit of an indulgence for the current layout, as in real life, the Foden will eventually be demobbed and will feature large in a new post war creation. There was a rather lengthy wait while some motor options were shipped from China but who can complain at the prices, This was actually quite useful as I was able to complete all the slightly tedious detailing and even spent three evenings recreating the wheels which I was going to use from the kit but a) found they were not particularly round and b) I can now say it is totally scratch built. So here it is with painting and weathering still a work in progress; The radio control is now fully working but it has been a bit of a nightmare as constantly taking things in and out has meant a series of broken wires and conections but now everything is in place I hope that is at an end. In the next pictures you can see the steering servo neatly in place in the fire box and all the other gubbins in the water tank. Power comes from an Ipod LiPo battery under the rear a 2mm worm and gears I found on Ebay perfectly. The only downside is that at 90rpm it is a bit too slow. I bought a second one so may experiment with fitting the shaft to a higher reving gearbox but just happy that the thing moves for now! Next thing of course is that I have to create a body but I have an idea for that. I did do a video of it moving on the layout but can't seem toget it off my phone at the moment so until I have overcome yet another bit of technology you will have to put up with some pics on the layout; I can see great potential in this RC thing and have several more projects in mind and have even bought in several parts to experiment with getting a 20hp Simplex on the move. Oh, did I mention that it is completely scratch built?

I am now the proud owner of two BR Green Bachmann Class 37s. Two Bachmann Class 37s produced around 2004 According to Mick Parker’s splendid new Class 37 web site https://www.class37.co.uk/fleet.aspx?strnumber=37676 my D6707 was outshopped in 1961 and spent its early life allocated to March. D6826 was a later design without gangway end doors and was outshopped in 1963. It was first allocated to Cardiff Canton. Although outside of my layout period it was reported as being based in the north east of England between 1966 and 1969. Two Bachmann Class 37s, note the blue BR WR route availability symbol on D6826 These Bachmann models date from 2004. They were unused and would have been ‘resting’ in their packing for around 15 years. Not surprisingly when placed on the track they were rather reluctant to move. In one case the motor was dead. There was an oily residue in the packaging and I surmised that the brushes might be gummed to the commutator. I dropped one of the bogies and turned one end of the motor by hand. I was lucky, with power from the track the motor stuttered back into life. Early Bachmann Chassis - Class 55 top Class 37 bottom The early Bachmann Class 37s are similar internally to the larger Class 55 Deltics and as such are easily dismantled. Both Class 37s were taken completely apart, excess oil removed where it shouldn’t have been and fresh oil applied to the dried up motor bearings. I even had to prise out one of the motors to tighten the fixing screws for the plastic cradle. These screws must have been loose when the model left the factory. Back together and performance was much improved. However I thought both engines had a wobble. I would swap some wheels (and gears if needed). Bachmann Class 37 bogie (L) with Bachmann Class 55 bogie (R) NB Different designs of steps Bachmann Class 37 bogie (L) with Bachmann Class 55 bogie (R) NB Finer profile leading wheels at the right of the picture My last two Blog Posts have been concerned with Bachmann Deltics. I have become very familiar with the Deltic bogies highlighting how the leading wheels have a smaller profile to assist with negotiating ‘train set’ curves. Comparing my early Class 37 and early two axle driven Deltic bogies I had decided that with the exception of the front wheel profiles, the Class 37 and Class 55 bogies were identical. What about the prototype? I would dig out my copy of ‘British Railways Main-Line Diesels’ by RS Carter from 1963. Quoting from RS Carter ”The traction motors (Class 37) are identical and interchangeable with the traction motors fitted to the production “Deltics”. The bogies, too, are generally similar to those on the “Deltics”.” The Deltics were rated at 100mph whilst the Class 37s were only rated for 90mph. From memory the speed rating was linked to construction, some bogies being welded whilst others had ‘cast’ parts I can also remember reading when the Deltics were withdrawn that their higher speed rated bogies were given to Class 37s, and this included those Deltics sold into preservation. I had some spare Bachmann Class 55 bogies so I would swap wheel sets around between the different classes. How wrong can you be! The Deltic wheel sets went into the Class 37 bogies no bother and the wobbles disappeared. However all was not well with the replacement centre driven wheel in the Class 55 bogie which no longer sat evenly on the track. I only have dividers and a steel rule for measuring but my check showed that the wheels in the Bachmann Class 55 two driven axle bogies were 14mm diameter whilst the wheels from the Class 37 were 14.5mm (the same as some spares that I had for a Class 24). I checked a couple of other old Bachmann Deltics and they were all fitted with the smaller diameter bogie wheels – so yet another ‘trick’ to ease the Bachmann model round over tight radius curves? In the absence of ‘one’ outside to measure I have had another look in my copy of ‘British Railways Main-Line Diesels’ by RS Carter published 1963. I also visited the Scale Four Societies CLAG web site and Wikipedia. I have summarised my findings below. More details are presented as an Appendix at the end of this Post. Being the owner of a 1973 MGB I am well aware of differences between present day and past specifications. The Class 37 and Class 55 locomotives are even older than my MG so it is not surprising that there are differences of opinion. I would say that the evidence confirms that the Class 37 and Class 55 used the same wheels, with a diameter in the range 3’7” to 3’-9”. I would also say that the wheels used on the BachmannClass 55 Deltics are a touch undersize. For completeness I have posted a video on YouTube showing my two overhauled Class 37s running with correct sized wheels. I am well pleased. http://youtu.be/_iZ_vVi7AOQ Appendix Wheel Size Data Firstly two extracts from RS Carters book from 1963. The 4.3” wheel diameter for the Class 55 Deltic seems erroneous. The drawings were made to be 3.5mm to the foot to fit the printed page. The erroneous dimension might have been added as an afterthought and the value would be correct for a drawing scale of 3mm to the foot. Class 37 dimensions from 'British Railways Main-Line Diesels' RS Carter 1963 Class 55 dimensions from 'British Railways Main-Line Diesels' RS Carter 1963 Secondly an extract from the Scalefour Society website. Interesting to see the foot note rejecting a size of 3’ 9” for the Class 37 wheels. Comparison dimensions for Class 37 and Class 55 from the Scalefour Society Finally some extracts from Wikipedia: Comparison dimensions for Class 37 and Class 55 from Wikipedia

I decided to have a short break from railway commissions, but instead of going back to the Sea Vixen, I opted to start something new.. .. so I dug this kit out of my stash - the Trumpeter 1/48th Scale DH Sea Hornet NF.21. I'm glad I did to, this kit has gone together beautifully and quickly, with the minimum of flash and only a few minor bits of filling needed (bit like the Wyvern). Typical of me, I built things out of instruction order! I started with the wings, engines and tail empernage... Then I built the pilot's and navigator (and/or radar operator's) cockpits. I built these up before painting Installing in fuselage and buttoning up.. Dry fitting the wings, tail and fuselage together... Test fitting the wing fold brackets and the left and right handed props.. Fitting the arrestor hook (the only part that had a serious amount of flash) Canopies glued on (I'm doing this one canopy closed).. A little bit of rubbing down and she'll be ready for paint (Sky first obviously) - hopefully I'll get this one done before I have get back to Railway stuff. Till next time TBG

Farthing, 1887. The Great Western is a sleeping giant. The system is plagued by gauge inconsistencies and circuitous routes, and the Churchward revolution is yet to come. In the bay platform at Farthing, a Buffalo tank sleepily knocks a few wagons about. For the past ten years the world has suffered from a global economic depression, but Workman P. Quince has never read a newspaper and is more concerned with the stinging pain when he urinates. Perhaps he should find a better way to spend his meagre wages. The Buffalo tank shunts the empty Open and brake van into the storage siding.The locos and rolling stock carry the features of a vanishing age. The livery follows Atkins, Beard and Tourret when they state: Before about 1898, a light red colour had been adopted for the wagon stock with white lettering, but the goods brakes were grey. A bird's eye view of the scene. The timber sheds are a bit crude and don't feature in the normal 1907 set-up of the layout, but I thought they suited the slightly Wild West atmosphere of the early days. They were loosely inspired by similar sheds at the old Newbury station. As if rebelling against the slumbering nature of his railway, Driver P. Appledore demonstrates his uncanny ability to make even the slowest shunt look like a mainline express. "It's not what we do" he would tell new firemen, "It's how we carry ourselves. Look sharp!". The shunt brings the wagons up against the buffers. This is a 3-plank Open of 1881 vintage, and a pre-diagram brake van of 1882. The former was built from the David Geen kit, and the latter was restored from an old van originally scratchbuilt by Chris Edge. The brake van is left in the storage siding while the Open is propelled to the loading dock. Certain aspects of the loco are not, I fear, entirely correct for the period. Eg I am unsure whether the curve of the cabside is right for 1887. The otherwise appealing number 1234 is also problematic, as I am not sure that this particular loco had yet been converted to narrow gauge by this time. The loco has left and brought the brake van with it. The bay has gone quiet, and Porter C. Walker appears to be lost in thought. Or is he secretely savouring the whisky fumes from the load he carries?

Farthing, 1904. With a rising sense of panic, Goods Porter E. Sparkler stared at the pigeon baskets he had just knocked over. A lid had opened, and the pigeons were escaping. The pigeons soon scattered around the goods yard. They were white show pigeons, en route to a prestigious event at the London Philoperisteron Society. One of the pigeons flew into the goods depot. At first it flew aimlessly about... ...then the clouds parted, the depot filled with light and the pigeon seemed suddenly to know where it was going. It settled on a roof truss, and immediately relieved itself of a huge dropping… …which fell right into the paperwork….. …of Goods Checker J. Vemmick. As he hurried to restore his notes, Vemmick unknowingly made a mistake: He recorded a crate as loaded, although in fact it was not. As a result the crate was left behind, and despite the best intentions of the GWR goods handling system…. …the crate ended up in a forgotten corner of the depot, where it remained lost… …for 58 years. The crate was finally found in 1962, when BR pulled down the old goods depot. A scrupulous clerk decided to forward the crate to its original destination. With passing interest, he noted that it was addressed to the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. After a circuitous route and numerous security checks, the crate eventually landed on the desk of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who at that time was in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Upon opening the crate, Khrushchev found 15 bottles of Welsh wine labelled “Castell Coch, 1904”. The bottles were accompanied by a card, hardly decipherable after all those years. It said: "From the Marquess of Bute to Tsar Nicholas II, with compliments". "Well!" thought Kruschchev, "the Tsar is long gone, but that wine looks tempting!" And so he shared a glass with his staff. They stood there tasting it, then burst out laughing: The wine was terrible! Quite simply horrific! Khruschev immediately relaxed: If this lousy wine was all the West had to show, what was there to fear? The West would destroy itself, this awful British wine proved it! He might as well end this whole Cuba crisis thing. He sat down and drafted a letter to Kennedy. The rest is history. The Cuban missile crisis was over, and the two Presidents congratulated each other on their cool heads and statesmanship: They had spared the world an all-out war. But on that morning in 1904, Goods Porter E. Sparkler knew nothing of all this. He just stood there among the escaping pigeons, cursing his clumsiness. "Why", he thought, "can I never do anything right?" He was wrong of course, he had saved the world, but no one knew. No one except maybe a certain white pigeon. For many years afterwards it could be seen in the goods depot, flying at night, happy to have escaped.