RJS1977

I now have a working Excel indicator board (sans sound!). All I need to do now is to find a way of interfacing it to a small enough monitor....

When he joined Military Intelligence they had a shortage of Spanish speakers.... so they made him a liaison officer with the Polish resistance!

Along with the area between the two - the youngsters moving on from the train set who with the right encouragement will be the modellers/enthusiasts of the future, those on low budgets who can't afford the top-notch models, those who want to try the hobby out with something a bit more serious than an 0-4-0 tank belting round a circular track with three wagons but don't want to buy something expensive in case they discover the hobby isn't for them, and those who enjoy detailing/repainting/converting models without paying for someone in China to do it for them.

Apparently in London a person gets knocked down by a car every thirty seconds. It's hardly worth him getting back up!

I've seen a motorcyclist use this garage to bypass the one-way section of London Road, Reading on numerous occasions. He would come down Redlands Road, through the garage, up Watlington Street (where there used to be a model shop 20+ years ago!) then out through the bollards at the blocked-off north end by the Lyndhurst Arms. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4494448,-0.9601241,227a,20y,45t/data=!3m1!1e3

The two-phase firework rocket story was told by Michael's son Richard on an episode of the radio programme "Dad Made Me Laugh" some time after Michael's death (Richard also told the story of how when Michael was dying in hospital, the family received a call from Prince Charles to ask if he could come and visit Michael. Richard explained that Michael was unconscious and unlikely to wake up, but Prince Charles said he'd like to pay his respects anyway. So the following day an RAF helicopter landed at the hospital and HRH was shown to Michael's bedside. As he arrived, Michael suddenly woke up and said "Good, everybody's here now!" and started laughing and joking with the family and HRH while the doctors and nurses tried to figure out what was going on! After about half an hour, HRH looked at his watch and said he'd better be going, When he'd gone, Michael said "I'd better go as well," went to sleep and died the next morning without having woken up!)

Video of the recovery of one very special "old car" (with a RH&DR connection). I was priveleged to see her in action at Pendine earlier this year. http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-babs-recovery-1927-1969-1969/

When I went to the 009 Society show at Sparsholt in April, I got chatting to another punter at the bus stop in Winchester about the bus services. He told me: "The last time I caught a bus in Winchester was back in the days of King Alfred." I only just stopped myself asking him whether it was before or after he burnt the cakes.

Malliphant sidings have been masted for probably a couple of years now.

I've no doubt that Triang locos could still be theoretically still running in 50 years' time (barring catastrophic accidents etc). The only question mark to my mind being the availability of the brushes (which probably applies equally to HD locos too). On the other hand, the issues with Mazak rot in Hornby Class 31s are well known, and I have a Hornby Pannier tank which according to the service sheet needs an entire new motor after every 100 hours' running!

Sorry, being brought up on Margate models (and Lima), I hadn't really considered HD/Wrenn. The Triang models were a lot cheaper than the Binns Road products, partly due to the use of plastic, partly due to using the same chassis under different locos (personally I can live with a couple of mm discrepancy in wheelbase if the model captures the character of the prototype), and partly due to the economies of scale in being aimed at a larger market than just those who could afford HD.

Not only that, but the models produced from the 50s to the early 90s were designed as mass-market products for people on a tight budget, unlike today's premium high-fidelity offerings. Rather like comparing a classic Mini with an Aston Martin.

Pretty much inevitable though given the fall in the pound this year - one of the downsides of overseas production.

Reminds me of Michael Bentine's infamous two stage fireworks rocket (he apparently loved experimenting with fireworks - so all his neighbours went on holiday in early November every year for their own safety!). Inspired by the Apollo missions, he built a two-stage rocket, such that the explosion of the first part would ignite the second and launch it even higher. Unfortunately what he forgot was that firework rockets start to dip just before they explode, with the result that the second stage was not launched upwards, but downwards - straight on to the roof of the thatched cottage next door! Bentine rang the fire brigade and gave his name. The duty officer replied "No need for any further details - we've been there enough times before!"

I'm in Reading, and whilst I might be able to get over for an occasional running session I don't think I'd be able to do it on a regular basis owing to other commitments.

I've often wondered about the possibilty of an "electro-diesel" (or electro-ethanol) trolleybus picking up off trolley wires where available and running off a generator the rest of the time (like a Class 73) - primarily to enable municipal routes to be wired whilst longer routes use the wires when they can, but it would also enable trolleybuses to be diverted easily.

Two points about this building: 1) The web article quoted says that this is the only "surviving building", "a shed with an entrance at each end" - the transformers etc could have been in another part of the complex, now demolished. 2) The entrance in Street View looks large enough for a tram to have gone through it - certainly I don't see why a substation would need an entrance that big.

Amazing what a difference a vinyl roof can make to a car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C8xyiddv0Q

Could you 'pave in' the track to counteract that?

Maybe, like Bloodhound, you need one motor to get started and another to get the higher speeds.

Wikipedia gives the "Stanley Rocket" of 1906 as the first car to beat the rail record: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_speed_record#1898.E2.80.931965_.28wheel-driven.29

I've seen photos of an equivalent Russian jet railcar too.

The WSR had through freight traffic on it when the sea wall at Minehead was being repaired, which slotted in around the steam trains - indeed on one occasion a steam loco had to leave its passenger train to go and rescue a failed diesel-hauled stone train! I think there is/has been some arrangement between the GCR(N) and one of the freight operators/NR to enable some freight trains to use the GCR(N). I know of one other preserved railway which was approached by a stone company with the possibility of stone trains being worked over their line during the week, as the heritage trains normally only run at weekends. In that instance, the heritage railway were advised to be very careful with the wording of the contract so as not to impede any non-public heritage workings which may take place occasionally (school trips, filming trains etc).

Which is why the challenge for Hornby (and the hobby more widely) is to encourage the 7,8,9 year olds to carry on in the hobby, expand their train sets into layouts and eventually become the next generation of serious modellers.