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With talk of forthcoming RTR V2s, I thought I'd rummage through images of some of LB's existing ones............. These are in no particular order, and, unless otherwise stated, made/painted by me. A Nu-Cast example, painted by Geoff Haynes. A much-modified Crownline kit, with a Bachmann tender, painted by Ian Rathbone. A Graeme King resin body on a Comet chassis, towing a Bachmann tender, painted by Geoff Haynes. A less-modified Crownline V2, painted by Ian Rathbone. Another Graeme King resin V2 body on Comet frames, towing a Bachmann tender. A Jamieson example, towing a DMR tender, painted by Ian Rathbone. Another Jamieson one, towing a Nu-Cast tender. One of John Houlden's Crownline V2s. John Houlden's DJH/scratch/Comet V2, now on its EM frames running on Retford. One of a pair of MJT 3D-printed resin bodies on a Comet chassis, with a Bachmann tender, painted by Geoff Haynes. A Nu-Cast V2 towing a DMR tender, started by the late Geoff Brewin, painted by Geoff Haynes. Another Nu-Cast V2. A Jamieson V2, built for Bytham's LNER weekend, painted by Geoff Haynes, and now sold-on. The other MJT V2, this one towing a South Eastern Finecast tender, painted by Geoff Haynes. A Nu-Cast V2, a present from Jesse Sim, rebuilt and repainted, weathered by Geoff Haynes. There are more LB V2s, but I'll have to hunt more for their images. An interesting selection?

Yesterday my 12 yr old grandson Bradley was here after school and went up and ‘played with the railway’ for a while. I could hear stuff moving around and then this morning he sent me some pictures he took on his phone using various settings.. I have to say I was rather impressed….

Thanks Rich. However it isn't right to say that I saved Buckingham. There was never a real danger of it being scrapped. There were several people who put their names into the hat and I was just the lucky one. Having said that, I like to think that I was a good choice. Buckingham is a layout that needs you to really understand it well and you need a certain skill level if you are going to be able to maintain it or fix faults the way Peter would have. The layout and I have developed a lovely relationship and I have grown to know its little quirks and oddities. The more time I spend with it, the more I appreciate the skills and abilities of the man who made it. I have added a totally gratuitous and recent snap of the old layout. I may have posted it elsewhere. It is early morning at Buckingham and the platforms are all occupied ready for the morning rush hour.

Mange Tout. I have managed to have a bit of a play with P x today. I dug out the 03 and spent a quiet hour shuffling a couple of wagons about. Much fun and in no way arduous. Who says you can't have fun with two sidings ? My apologies for the poor quality of the photos but hopefully you get the drift. Rob.

Deltic is now coming to a halt, while the Ely-Birmingham is running in to Platform 6.

North Blyth for this afternoon, featuring the alumina import terminal. The sea is on the east side of the line and the harbour is on the west side. It is built on the site of the old Blyth south staithes. North Blyth 56133 Alcan empties Fort William to North Blyth March 89 J9848 North Blyth about to run round 55022 Royal Scots Grey Alcan Lynemouth to North Blyth 11Apr 2011 North Blyth Alcan alumina silos Aug 85 J8341 North Blyth Alcan terminal 4th Sept 95 C20510 North Blyth Class 37 shunting 1st Sept 94 C19797 David

Some morning delight as we see some more Manton Grange action. If anyone from Hornby is reading this can I ask why you've never done this livery.

A classic Norman Lockhart 'worms eye' view.

About half way across the photo near the bottom.

More freight passing through...

Thanks for the concern @Erichill16, but don’t worry, all our skill set trainings are described in code. For example (and something I can share as the training is obsolete) “powerpoint training” is code for “turning someone’s brain into useless mush”. Captain Cynical

9/11 has a different significance to me; that date in 2015 I officially became a resident of South Carolina. Mid-morning I signed the papers to buy my current abode, early afternoon registered my car in SC and exchanged my Florida drivers license for a SC one, and late afternoon spent a large grouping of modeling tokens for major appliances. Note that I had been renting this place for a couple of months while the mortgage was being processed so no real major changes to my daily living routines were incurred.

The brake van is the 'new' tooling of the 20t LM&SR jobbie. Not had it out of the box for a while so here it is on Bleat, under better lighting. Rob.

Good moaning. Sitting drinking my coffee and waiting for the nurse to arrive. We had a good evening last night with our firstvquiz forva year. Didn't win but I had LDC for dessert. After nursey has bern I'm due to setvoff to Surgères, about 30 miles away to collect a new small shed flatpack. This was advertised in our weekly bumph delivery at too good a price to leave. Then the chickens need to be cleaned out. It's the 11th September. Yes I remember where I was 20 years ago. Driving down to Leeds with Beth to visit a friend in hospital. The news came over the radio. Then watching the collapse on the TV in Mary's room as she and Beth chatted. The date though always confuses me. In 2012 I flew to the US and chose the 11th September for various other reasons. A friend in thevStates asked if I felt safe flying on 9/11 and I replied that the 9th November was my dsughters birthday. I'm afraid that that date will always be more significant for me. Anyway nurse Frederique has just been so once I'm sorted I will be away to Surgères. Regards to all. Jamie

Greetings 9/11 is one of those dates when most people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing. I was on a photo charter at Barrington Quarry and blissfully unaware of the happenings in New York. When I got home I turned on the TV and found nothing but news, of course. For a fleeting moment I wondered where Harrison Ford was. A couple of pages ago is a reference to the Fawlty Towers episode featuring the deaf lady. She was portrayed by Joan Sanderson, who played some sort of battleaxe in many a TV programme. Was she not in "Please Sir" a long time ago? To the present, and I aspire to visit Milton Keynes Pride today, subject to suitable weather. Sadly there is no parade, which I consider a sad omission. No doubt the organisers know what they are doing and there is only one way to find out. Best wishes to all Chris

"Really Stan, I don't think it necessary to take a break after only doing half the lawn. It is only 4mm scale after all".

Going underground! 1938 stock in N! Revolution Trains is delighted to introduce the first RTR underground trains available in N gauge with our forthcoming model of the iconic and distinctive 1938 stock. 483 on Ryde Pier Head in 2020 Over 1100 cars of 1938 stock were built with additional cars built/converted during the 1950s to supplement the original batch. The 1938 stock was primarily designed for “deep” tube lines on the Bakerloo, Northern, Piccadilly and Central lines though 1938 stock was also used on the East London sub-surface line during the 1970s. Despite being deep tube stock the 1938 stock regularly ran above ground particularly at the northern ends of the Northern and Bakerloo lines alongside sub-surface and mainline stock. The final 1938 stock was withdrawn from service by London Underground in 1988 following 50 years of service with a 4 car set preserved by London Underground. Despite the long service on LU lines in 1988, 10 pairs of 1938 stock were sold to BR for future use on the Isle of Wight. This saw the 1938 stock slightly modified for use on the IoW where they saw a remarkable further 30+ years of service with the final sets withdrawn in January 2021. Several sets have been preserved and we hope to support the preservation efforts with sales of our models. We plan to offer sets in original LT red, Network SouthEast and Island liveries. Our model is undergoing final CAD corrections and once those are complete we will open the order book (expected to be late Q4 2021). Our model will feature highly detailed bodyshells, separate flush-glazing, moulded interiors with working head, tail and saloon lighting. Revolution Trains would like to thank South Western Railway and TfL for their assistance and support.

Just finished the second of two dog events with Lucy. We are now both knackered. The second event was “agility training” (well we call it “agility training”) Once the equipment (and bodies) are cleared away, we’ll be tucking into grilled steak and (as a nod to @polybear) “supervillain” chips. All washed down by a Stein or two of Captain Cynical’s limited run Medieval Ale. In all a great, albeit, tiring day. iD

Afternoon delight.

Hi everyone! I decided to take a break from posting this week, as I felt I was running the risk of saturating the thread with photos of the layout. I have been busy working away behind the scenes though. The layout is now fully operational with working fiddle yards. I've been working out a sequence (depicting 1942-1945) so I can now disappear into my own little world and play trains. I now have more rolling stock to build. As well as finishing 'Skarloey' I have some RNAD/War Department vans to build along with an 'on loan diesel' to build. This gives the layout three locomotives to work with during the 1940s period.

Except that "Airplane Jelly" does not exist whereas almost everyone who has enjoyed such a thing in Australia knows the popularity of "Aeroplane Jelly" G'morning all. The Hill of Strawberries is bathed in late summer (or early autumn according to your interpretation) sunlight between some creamy-grey fluffy bits. I skimmed over iD's quizzes and the past several pages to arrive here and record continued respiration and health good enough to make something of the day. Best wishes to one and all.

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare, I think I had a reasonable amount of sleep, though a bit intermittent. We had thunder and a little bit of rain yesterday afternoon. Ben did not approve and hid in his safe place. MRC last night was a bit quiet, I was it , I knew 1of our bubble of six would be missing, but what happened to the others I have no idea. Most of what I did went well but trying to modify an old building to a distillery was met with brittle plastic, alternative ideas / ways of modification are being considered. Noticed while studying it what the source was for the windows on the model, the distinctive Pattern of window panes in cabins for the controlling of parallel bits of metal in the west of England and Wales. The still I was given turned out to be made from .... A candle, yep carved to shape painted, and a few bits of wire . Did some repairs to that , not sure if it will stick. Need to get some copper paint. Where was I twenty years ago? Sitting in my room in Saudi, watched the second one go in on CNN, work was a bit strange for a week or two. Some Saudis were cheering including aircrew, so all flying ceased, others were terrified of reprisals by us. Security went crazy, but they were more interested in checking westerners than Saudi's. The authorities announce it was done by the Japanese grenade gang?! Plans for today, Glue another section of hatch together. Cut up another bit of the tree that was chopped off last week. Inspect the roof of the muddling shed and mobile home for maintenance before the winter comes. Clear gutters etc. But first, Ben's giving me the stare, time to move...

Good Morning All, Wow, there’s a HUGE amount of aviation knowledge on tap at ER! All but the SABENA question have been answered correctly (but sometimes for the wrong reason - I’ll post “my” answers later) @Pacific231G has posed some serious aviation brain teasers. The only question I think I might be able to answer is “What do American pilots mean by a pattern” - I believe a pattern is a set route an aircraft must fly delineated by markers - as in “holding pattern” when landing at busy airports. Otherwise the rest of the questions are way above this Supervillain’s paygrade Hmm, looks like I’ll have dig into my repository of anatomical, pharmacological and medical arcana for my next quiz. Too many people are getting the answers right! Interesting the reminiscences about 9/11. I was in the business class lounge at LHR-T4 on my way to New York when it all unfolded. That was an interesting day to say the least. An enjoyable day beckons: Mrs iD, Schotty, Lucy and I will be doing a “military” this morning. For reasons already explained, I doubt that Lucy and I will win any prizes (although I hope we do well enough). Schotty is definitely the John McEnroe of the Hunde-Military circuit - he barks (mouths off) at every possible opportunity. Lucy is more lady like in her approach, but absolutely refuses to do anything - such as fetch - that is normally done by a member of her staff! And on that canine note, I’m off to fill my pockets with treats (some of which destined for Lucy ) in preparation for today’s Hunde Military. Enjoy Saturday!

G'Day Folks

Eeeyoop. I am told Pudsey is the centre of the known universe, not Barnsley? My friend may be biased. Full day of being towed around by Mrs NHN. but as that involved a ride powered by seam on a train all the way to Port Erin it wasn't too bad, and a slap up all-day beary-brekkie in the best hotel down there was adequate recompense for the traipse around the shops later! Tomorrow is looking like kayaking, must check the tides.

What did Bear achieve this afternoon? Hmm....slightly dull, but sorting of boxes of computer guff (leads, old floppy drive etc ) - some of which is now on freecycle, some items onto the 'bay, and a welcome collection of unwanted lightweight coving that Bear had listed on Freecycle - it was heading towards the bin after no interest was shown - and then all of a sudden I get a message....that's another bit out of the loft I received an email this morning enquiring about a micrometer that I have listed for sale (I have little use for a 75 - 100mm jobbie - and for those rare occasions when I do a digital vernier is fine); it looked just like this - bold, big text size, italics: Good day to you.Am interested in your Advert and would like to know the reason you are selling it..Mind you,i will be responsible for the pick-up of it at your locations okay. Kindly leave me your mobile number. I replied accordingly - but he never got my mobile number; my Beary radar detects a scam attempt in the offing. I've yet to have a reply back, strangely..... And finally: For those interested it seems that a certain tennis match in NY is to be broadcast live on Ch4 at 9pm (the guff actually starts at 8pm). Whilst I'm no great fan of such things I'd quite like to see Emma R. win. Besides, there's little else on the box - apart from the film "The Abyss", and I know the script on that one....

I thought you might want to keep Lucy’s skill set a secret anyway (as a member of Captain Cynical’s personal body guard team). Fore warned is fore armed etc.

We Wuz Robbed! I have just finished the Hunde Military with Lucy and the entire course was rigged against us! Not only were there no nose-work exercises (Lucy’s strength) but there were not one, but TWO “fetch” exercises. Obviously, someone told the organisers that we (Lucy and I) have staff for that sort of menial thing and the course was set up accordingly. I reckon it’s up there with football fixing in the skullduggery leagues (I know as Captain Cynical I should approve. Well, yes, but only when I [or a designated minion] is doing it to somebody else). Fortunately, some small consolation was obtained after the course was completed from a grilled bratwurst, followed by a big piece of chocolate cake! More later. iD ps I’m really going to have a serious talk with Lucy about upgrading her skill set!

A long day comes to a close. Just a few wagons to shunt & off to the shed to drop the fire, at last. It got dark early Fred, look at that Moon !

Here are the answers I was thinking of for yesterday's quiz: 1. You are piloting a commercial airliner into SFO. SFO ATC contacts you, prefixing the message with “Speedbird Two-Eight-Five Super-Heavy”. You are flying… a. A Virgin Atlantic Airline Boeing 787-9 b. An United Airline Boeing 777 c. An American Airlines Airbus A321neo d. A Delta Airlines Boeing 717 e. A British Airways Airbus A380 (Heavy and Super-Heavy is a reference to the amount of turbulence left in the wake of a plane and thus allows ATC to distance aircraft accordingly). 2. Which one is the odd bird out: Kestrel, Skua, Condor, Storch (Stork), Albatross, Flamingo? Kestrel (built by Rolls Royce) was a aircraft piston engine, the rest are aircraft powered by piston engines. 3. What are “circuit and bumps”? Circuit and bumps aka a touch-and-go landing (TGL) or is a manoeuvre that is common when learning to fly a fixed-wing aircraft. It involves landing on a runway and taking off again without coming to a full stop. 4. What do the Basler BT-67, the Nakajima L2D, and the Lisunov Li-2 have in common? They are versions (modification or made under licence) of the Douglas DC 3 5. What was the big irony about the 1969 Film The Battle of Britain? That the flying aircraft were nearly all powered by Rolls Royce Merlin Engines. The Spanish built ME109s (Hispano Aviación HA-1112) and the Spanish Heinkel HE-111s (CASA 2.111) were powered by Merlins, as were the Spitfires and Hurricanes. 6. You have motored down to Southampton, had a spot of lunch and boarded the Imperial Airways’ Short Empire Flying Boat Cygnus (G-ADUZ). In about ___ hours / days / weeks you will arrive in Sydney. About how long will be your flight? a. 48 Hours b. 72 hours c. 10 Days d. 21 Days e. 4 Weeks 7. You have completed 45 hours of flight time, passed seven written exams, completed a solo cross-country flight and not killed your examiner during a flight test. You have your PPL and are now permitted to a. Fly your mates around and charge them a small fee for the privilege b. Act as pilot in command (PIC) in non-commercial operations on aeroplanes c. Fly jet planes like an Airbus A380 or a Typhoon d. Fly during the night or in very limited visibility e. Touch the aircraft 8. Mix and Match Match the cockpit instruments to the right category: Visual flight rules (VFR) or Instrument flight rules (IFR) adjustable altimeter, airspeed indicator, altimeter, an artificial horizon, clock, compass, directional gyro, rate of turn indicator, slip-skid indicator, Visual flight rules (VFR) require an airspeed indicator, altimeter, compass or other suitable magnetic direction indicator. For Instrument flight rules (IFR) airspeed indicator, altimeter, compass or other suitable magnetic direction indicator an artificial horizon, directional gyro rate of turn indicator, slip-skid indicator, adjustable altimeter, clock. At least according to my sources... 9. What is the difference between a nacelle and a cowling? A nacelle refers to the whole covering of an engine that is outside the plane, typically on the wing. The cowling would just be the removable part of this cover. 10. It is the year 2000 and most airlines have banned smoking onboard passenger planes. Unfortunately, you can’t go for 20 minutes without a cigarette. Your boss says that you have to fly to Tokyo for business or loose your job. Wanting (and needing) to keep your job, withwhich airline do you fly? Air Canada?, American Airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeroflot, British Airways, ANA or JAL? Aeroflot. They didn’t ban smoking onboard until 2002. BONUS QUESTION: What does the acronym SABENA stand for? (two possible answers). Serious Answer: Societé anonyme belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation aérienne. Non-serious answer Such A Bloody Experience Never Again. I flew SABENA when they were still in existence and can say that, on bad flights (of which there were more than a few) not only did they live up to their second "full name" but were hardly any better than O'Leary-Air. Off now to feed the doggies before the Hunde-Military and take all kinds of (illegal?) performance enhancing substances before the start of the competition - that's for me not Lucy! iD

Bear forgets when he last had a FEB..... - let's see know.....it'll be about 18 months..... Oh yes, Bear got a parcel today - I couldn't for the life of me remember what I'd ordered, but it was one of those distinctive "sent from China" grey bubblewrap envelopes with a customs label on it. This stated that the parcel was a "Movement Motor" Huh? All was revealed - it was an order placed 2 weeks 2 days ago on Amazon for a Servo**....costing £1-67. Daylight robbery (it could be - I've yet to test it......). How such a sale can involve profit is beyond me. **Rumour has it that such devices may be useful for making certain items move from side to side, or up and down.....

I think they are Martin, Especially on top of a Comet set of frames and (in some cases) with a first-rate paint job. As I hope these two further shots show................. This is one of my Graeme King-bodied V2s, with my painting/weathering. It tows a Bachmann tender. And one of my MJT 3D-printed V2 bodies, this one towing a South Eastern Finecast tender. The painting here is the work of Geoff Haynes. I built the Graeme King one about five/six years ago, and the MJT one last year. I wonder, are they substantially better than a Jamieson V2 I built over 40 years ago? Not knowing any professional painters back then, this is all my own work. We look forward in anticipation to the forthcoming Bachmann RTR V2. This is the firm's previous one, tarted up a little by me (new dome, new pony wheels, etc.) and weathered by Tom Foster. Not bad, even given its inaccuracies/deficiencies? Regards, Tony.

Afternoon Awl, Hatch bit glued on, Gutters cleaned, Over hanging hedge/ bits of dead tree cut off. Discovered why some tiles fell off in the mobile home bathroom.. xxxxxx magpies.. The join between the two halves of the mobile home are sealed with flashing tape, but the magpies had ripped off about 18 inches, allowing water between .. There was also damage from their pecking elsewhere. Half a dozen patches fitted... Very tired after that, it's still very warm and humid... We discussed what to do with the remaining shelving units, the chest of drawers and a wardrobe. The wardrobe will become a storage cupboard for SWMBO's completed paintings. The chest of drawers will be built into the alley way for weaving material storage. The some of the shelving will fit in the mobile home.. Musical chairs literally in the mobile home, two existing bookshelves moved into new positions which allowed one of the inherited others to be installed, another may be built into position tomorrow.

As Flavio hasn't set todays quiz here’s a quick one from me. Where is Sydney? (From our hols).

I carried on with the sequence today, getting through another 30 trains with only two interruptions for frozen DCC... Anyway, WC wasn't around today so I took a couple of photos myself. Train 533 is the 0950 Plymouth - Penzance ordinary passenger, hauled by 6809 Burghclere Grange. This is an old K's kit, mounted on a Bachmann Manor chassis. It was a bit of a buqqer to build as the firebox had to be widened considerably to clear the mechanism. I built it about 25 years ago when I was away every week on a weekly commute, to stop me going to the pub every evening. The stock is a mixed bag - from the loco we have: a Hornby Hawksworth BTK; an original Airfix Centenary CK (one of a few I have where I ruled in the modified ventilators using a bow pen and maroon enamel); a Lima Siphon G fitted with Airfix 9' plate bogies and new buffers; a Hornby Hawksworth BG; and a Hornby fish van, which I'd like to replace one day by an Insixfish. This is train 550, the 2310 (FO) Manchester London Road - Penzance. It's hauled by 4099 Kilgerran Castle, an original Airfix tender-drive model detailed and repainted, about 30 years ago, for the loft layout. Behind it, all ex-LMS stock, are: a Bachmann BSK; an Airfix CK with flush glazing and a repaint, which holds its own as long as it's not placed next to a more modern RTR model; a Dapol BG that I repainted while I was living in Singapore about 20 years ago; a Bachmann CK and BTK; and a Hornby TK. Regarding the DCC freezing, I haven't yet added an RC filter to the Terminus power zone bus or to the Polperran points bus. I need to order some resistors and capacitors to do that, after which we'll see whether it makes any difference. If not, I'll be back on the phone to Marcus to see what else he can suggest.

Thank you G. Glad you like it. A couple more then.

The new K1 62066 has been slotted into the Great Eastern Link on the loco roster, and coincidentally after the photo session this meant it was in the right place in the Loco Yard to work No. 20 Down in place of the D16 62530, which was also in the yard. This meant that 62530 was 'spare' on shed and cluttering the place up. Eventually a means of working it away was devised, coupled ahead of the booked loco (J15 65390)for the Loco Coal Empties. Here we see the Sweedy pair making their way along the Down Slow; a surplus of power for this short train!

Afternoon all My bit of pond liner arrived via Hermes this morning so we have lined the wishing well planter filled with compost and planted some winter pansies in it as a starter. The final jobs on it are to fit a cross bar a bit of chain and its bucket but that can wait to be done tomorrow. 9/11 I was at work in the centre of the known Universe (aka Barnsley) I got a text message to say there had been a plane crash the rest is history.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. A bit grey this morning but predicted to stay dry for the weekend. A bit worrying but there is a 'spike' in covid infections since the kids went back to school. Worrying because a lot of events I plan to attend between now and C*******s will possibly be cancelled at short notice. The swap meet tomorrow is still going ahead thankfully. Time to get on with the rest of the day, be back later.

Regarding the above: 1. Because there are airfields in America so far above sea level that setting the altimeter so that it reads zero when on the runway would be impossible so in the interests of commonality, QNH (so that altitude above sea level is indicated) is generally used. There is also the argument that cutting out one of the three different altimeter settings commonly used in the UK eliminates one potential source of error. Note: QFE is largely only used in the UK. 2. ? 3. The same as other pilots, I.e., a fixed procedure of set heights and courses defined for approaching or departing from an airfield. In the UK this is generally used only when referring to an instrument based procedure whereas when flying visually in the airfield vicinity the procedure is called the visual circuit and air traffic clearance to enter that circuit is given by the wording, "Clear to join." In the USA, however, the circuit is called the closed pattern and permission to join it is given by the phrase, "Clear closed." 4. Only if going into a small airfield with no approved air traffic control setup. 5. Nothing except that it is used to refer to all civilian airfields whereas in the UK it generally just means large commercial ones. 6. ? 7. Mode C IFF displays the aircraft's flight level, I.e., the altimeter reading based on the standard ICAO pressure setting of 1013.2 mb or 29.92 in hg. Mode S also gives the aircraft's location using onboard navigation equipment. In military aircraft this is a somewhat different system called Mode 5. 8. Probably Sir George Caley, the pilot rumoured to have been his coachman. 9. Three axis control using moveable surfaces. 10. This probably refers to the simplified way of explaining aerodynamic lift by Bernoulli's theorem of pressure reduction in a restricted area over the curved surface of an aerofoil. It isn't actually a lie, just a simplification of something more complex. The usual argument against it of the fact that (most) aircraft can generate lift when upside down doesn't actually hold water as the angle of attack needed to generate sufficient lift is different for most 'classical' aerofoils, as is the stalling angle. For symmetrical, or semi-symmetrical, aerofoils as used in most high speed aircraft, the difference is less. Have a good day all. Dave

Bear was in the office at work ("B1" - which will be familiar to Puppers); the open-plan travel office was close by, and was regularly walked past as it was on the route to Bear's dominion after entering the building. Needless to say the travel staff were a pretty good source of info as events unfolded. B'stards . They're more than happy to buy our kit though - the sale of which was, and is a BIG mistake in Bear's book. Still, money talks n' all that..... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Yamamah_arms_deal I'd like to think that at least some of their aircraft etc. "suffered some sort of, er, misfortune" as a consequence of p1ssing off the Saudi Support Teams....

Morning Pencarrot. I agree. Hooves crossed for Taunton in April. Sadly missed this year though last years virtual jobbie was fun. And no, I don't sleep. Too much work rubbish bouncing round in woolly brainbox at the moment. Filled it up with train stuff instead and nodded back off. Rob.

Morning all. Bleat Wharf will not now be appearing at Taunton Railex. The show, scheduled for Oct 23rd/24th, has been cancelled due to the ongoing uncertainty around COVID and all that goes with it. Not unexpected really. Looks like plans are ahoof for it to go ahead in 2022. Rob.

Needed loads of little bits for the Layout, but whilst in AC Models I saw this, made by Oxford Rail, and thought WOW, the quality is absolutely superb, and compared to Bachmann and Hornby, a really good price. Its s such a shame that the Road side will rarely get seen, other than in a few pictures of the Street and entrance. Also got the little Island building as well, such a shame the the original Island Platform Building got burned down a few years ago, and was replaced with this carbuncle of a building. Just need a Footbridge next.

I forgot to mention that this seems to have worked - touch wood.

Yup. A lot of us are old and common.

Evening all, Not much happened today, other than that this evening I became a full member of The Newcomen Society, something I’ve been meaning to do since April, and I would recommend it to anyone, the journal and archive are extremely interesting. Douglas

Perhaps my observation is semantic, but there is nothing odd about the word in the US. It is the proper word here. Yes it a different word from aerodrome but it is not "odd". Nothing "odd" with "airplane" versus "aeroplane" either. Colloquially, people would use airstrip rather than airport where there are no facilities, even if "airport" is formally specified so. A good example is Pacific City. Local weather conditions (and whether the runway is above the high tide) can be obtained by telephoning the hardware store across the street. It has some unusual remarks: And yes, I've seen the runway underwater.

Years ago, while married, my wife made a similar suggestion. I don't think it had anything to do with my hearing. Hearing aids always makes me think of Fawlty Towers: Communications Problems (where the guest, Mrs Richards, has her hearing aid off because it runs the batteries down). Modern hearing aids can be very good - if expensive.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. If you can hear her telling you that you don't need one. Selective deafness perhaps?