RJS1977

Aren't Dennis in Guildford? Michael Portillo visited them in his last series.

Sounds like something from a Johnny Cash song to me... wonder what an amalgam of 30+ years' smuggling parts out of Swindon works would have looked like?

How about the 1989 Reading station footbridge? Nice, easy modular construction and easy to fold up!

I may have a couple of other photos somewhere - if they turn up I'll let you know. I would quite like to see ours returned to a serviceable state as we currently only have one serviceable brake coach, so if that goes wrong we can't run until it's been fixed. But that would need us to find a new home for all the spare parts (mostly "standard" doors of which no two seem to be the same!) before any restoration to service can be begun.

I believe there's also a Mk1 Fiesta on the way. MZ have informed me it'll be in in the next few weeks,

Ours is 184 - there's a history of it on the "Stock" part of the CWR website ( http://www.cholsey-wallingford-railway.com/ ), along with a picture of the interior of the guard's compartment, which is a hidden jewel as these days the van's only used as a store. IIRC it needs quite a bit of work doing to the floor/mechanical parts before it can run again, and the bodywork, although tolerable, is in need of smartening up (some panels have been replaced quite recently). Unfortunately as it's not revenue-earning stock it has lower priority than the service carriages, but when opportunity arises, it does get some work done on it!

Guess I should really have a K41 on "Wallingford" too - didn't realise there were two so close to each other! Maybe one day....

Having been over the Gerlos Pass a few years ago, all I can say is I think (very) steep gradients are to be expected - I can understand why there's no prototype rail route going that way!

Oddly enough, that's the second picture of that clock I've seen today (the first being the Cuneo painting of Waterloo via the NRM Facebook page!).

And I've just remembered one back in the early 80s - it was an N gauge layout with all manner of unusual (at least for then!) space fillers including a football ground, a stately home and a bowling green.

Was Vivian Thompson Lillian's sister? ;-P

As has already been stated, it would probably run into copyright issues if it was set up by RMWeb (apart from layouts which have appeared in BRM of course!). On the other hand, I wonder if PECO could be persuaded to set up an online archive of old RM articles for selected layouts? (perhaps this could be as a "freebie" taster to a "pay for" complete archive).

Or if you really want a challenge, there was also an article some years ago on converting a Hymek (in this case the "Blue Flyer") to an AL1...

ISTR there was a series of articles on building the lower 8-series in RM in the early 80s by a chap called Bob Holmes.

Thanks for posting the Whitland one - I've been past it so many times in the last 15 years or so and always wondered what it was like inside! (Couldn't tell a lot trying to peer through the window from a 158 that's stopped over the level crossing while the driver and signalman have a good chinwag as part of the token exchange)!

Tried looking for it on Google Street View last night but couldn't see it - which side of the road is it on?

Yes, there was the GMT system. Before my time and I never saw it, but I remember it being discussed in RM a few years back when the Hornby Live Steam system came out as the principle was very similar. Just been reminded of another "inspirational" layout I only ever read about but never saw - an indoor SM32 (as it was called then!) NG line with electrically controlled live-steam locos, one of which was clearly VoR-inspired. It was in RM c1981 and included a low-level terminus with turntable, continuous run and reversing loop in the sort of space it would normally take to do the same in 00!

And of course the Big Trams were also out for Warley last year, although operation seemed to be somewhat limited (technical difficulties?) each time I walked past, which was a shame as it's one I definitely remember from my childhood. I think the first layout I remember seeing "in the flesh" was the outdoor lines at the now long-closed London Toy & Model Museum - quite an impressive sight for a young boy! Other past favourites seen in the flesh were "Chewton Mendip" and "Boldon Junction", whilst those only read about included "Buckingham", "Sherwood", Ken Payne's "Last Great Project" and David Jenkinson's garden line. Would have loved to have seen the Compton Down Railway, as my parents live not too far from it, but never did and too late now of course.... :-(

In the case of aeroplanes, there's a lot more to design on them than there used to be.... (which is why it's a much bigger job to keep XH558 flying than the BBMF Lancaster).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21231044