Tom D

Hi Roger, You may already be familiar with the website below, the photos are amazing & it does contain a wealth of information regards Lancashire & Yorkshire. http://www.davidheyscollection.com/ Best regards, Tom D

There is some mention of the new route in these articles, but it is not very specific. https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2020/05/1960s-bletchley-railway-flyover-has-lift-off.html https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/transport/biggest-cranes-europe-spotted-milton-keynes-ready-295-tonne-upgrade-2841784 Best regards, Tom D

Apologies for late reply on caption..............."These HS2 protesters are really getting annoying"

As always, love to follow your thread, but couldn't put my finger on what was so different about the C12 shunting coaching stock.....after a long time staring at the picture, the penny finally dropped, ....................articulated bogie, lovely bit of modelling, how difficult is it to use this in your stock? Best regards, Tom D

Just a word of warning on using spikes, spikes generally tend to work better on soft woods like pine, and in North America, most modelers use spikes by driving the spike into the sleeper without pre-drilling a hole, if you are using plywood, you may have to pre-drill the hole for the spike to prevent the sleeper from splitting.

Hi Dave, Thanks for the memories, some friends and I went to Cark (very close to Grange over Sands) in the 70's, to a parachute centre, although we did not jump from the plane, (due to bad weather), we did visit Grange over Sands, which if memory serves, was a lovely place to visit.

Hi Mike, Shed looks great, I can't imagine how long it took for you to solder all those chutes.

Hi Dave, Over the last few years, I have looked forward to viewing your pictures on a regular basis, they have always given me pleasure especially when viewing an era or location that still seems fresh in my memory. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the time and effort you have put in, it is very much appreciated.

Great video, you have done an amazing job so far.

Congratulations Gordon. I hope this isn't going to affect your golf game

That is exactly what I was looking for, thanks so much.

Hi, Thanks so much for the response, the map you have shown shows some detail, but unfortunately, there appears to be track detail missing on this map, the photos I have shows crossovers at the North & South of the station, I have seen on line, a snapshot of a 1907 OS map that has the detail I am looking for, unfortunately, I cannot find this specific map (only the snapshot).

I came across a 1950's photo of the area around Kirkdale station, it is an area I would like to try and create a model. I have been on line to try and find an OS map of the area, so I could understand the track layout, unfortunately, I cannot find one that presents the specific detail necessary, as I live in Canada, I am reluctant to order a map that would not show me the detail I am looking for . Can anyone from the area around Liverpool guide me to an OS map or reference book with the detail of the track layout in the area between Kirkdale and Sandhills which I can order online. Any help would be appreciated. Best regards, TomD

Hi Dave, Please keep posting, your pictures of the North West are a fond reminder of my youth. Best regards, TomD

Have just read that the "chosen one" was being paid a cool 24 million quid a year, not sure how many years his contract was over, but you have to wonder how much of that he will be collecting now that he's been sacked. Also, the hotel he has been staying at for the past 2 years, was costing Man Utd 800 pounds per night. I don't think he will be losing too much sleep over this.

Thanks so much for posting your photos, I was born in the North West, but having lived in Canada so long, I have to resort to maps to familiarize myself with where some of these places are actually located. TomD

I am not much of a golfer, but I always remember the advice of someone who played the game with passion and skill, he said.....................It's not the length that will kill you...it's the width

I was fortunate to have had a Toolmaking apprenticeship in the UK in the early 70's, when I started there were around 14,000 people (Designers, Engineers, Trades people) working at the company, I emigrated to Canada in the early 80's, and by that time the company was down to 3,000 people. There were two main reasons for this reduction, 1) another company (either in the UK or abroad) was making the same product for less money, 2) innovation, we had 70 Toolmakers in the company, when we bought our 1st CNC machine, it took the place of 20 Toolmakers! The same is true in every profession around the world, I have to deal with Engineers from a US customer on a daily basis, the customer in question, outsourced the majority of their Engineering functions to the Far East, as it was a significant cost reduction, the Engineering skills were believed to be transferable. When I took my college exams, we were not allowed to use a calculator, or use a reference book, now most of us can not get through the day, without using the computer to complete a calculation of some sort, or "Google" a particular item, that would have been difficult to find the information on 30 years ago. There will never be an end to this, as people are always finding ways to design or build things more efficiently for less cost, and innovation....well someone always builds a better mouse trap.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have lost loved ones. My admiration to the emergency personnel who responded so quickly.

First let me offer congratulations to the "syndicate" (as described by the op), on purchasing such a fantastic layout, as I was reading through your posts, I couldn't help but remember an MRJ feature on this layout. What was most striking was seeing a picture, of a seemingly endless rake of oil tankers, most of the pictures in that issue of the magazine were in black and white, and while they were very atmospheric, seeing the colour pictures from this post, really offer a different perspective. From the size of the layout in the article, I can only imagine the task in front of you, so good luck with your endeavors. Are you planning on adding to, or modifying the layout plan in any way? Looking forward to following this thread. Tom D

Hi Gordon, Always interesting following the evolution of Eastwood Town, with your posting of the layout of the engine shed bridges, I couldn't help but think of a similar layout around Edge Hill in Liverpool, the area I was thinking of was the entrance to the Engine shed, which was under the gridiron bridges. There was some posts on this website last year in "UK Prototype Questions" -"Edge Hill Flyover" page 3 posts 62 & 63, they show the entrance in question. Hope this helps. TomD

Aintree Sefton Arms in the 50's would be a terrific layout, I have always been tempted to model this location, just did not have the space to do it justice. Of course the added attraction would be the Grand National, where rail traffic came from all over the country, I had a picture of a Blue Pullman crossing the junction.

Warning to all Viagara users An elderly man had just began using Viagara, much to the relief of his very frustrated wife (having had no sex for many, many years). After the Viagara took effect, the wife was now very content with her life, however, the husband was well aware of the warning, that an erection lasting more than 4 hours, required immediate medical attention, and as he was experiencing this condition, he sought medical attention. The Doctor told the man to immediately cease using Viagara, when he got home and told his wife......she shot him!

I was listening to an ABBA song on You Tube, and just happened to read one of the comments.... "My wife is a dead ringer for the blonde" as I was thinking "what a lucky ba****d", his next comment was... "You know the one with the beard"

The coach had put together the perfect team for the Chicago Bears. The only thing that was missing was a good quarterback. He had scouted all the colleges and even the Canadian and European leagues, but he couldn't find a super athlete who could ensure a Super Bowl win. Then one night while watching CNN he saw a war-zone scene in the West Bank . In one corner of the background, he spotted a young Israeli soldier with a truly incredible arm. He threw a hand grenade straight into a 15th story window 100yards away. KABOOM! He threw another hand grenade 75 yards away, right into a chimney. KA-BLOOEY! Then he threw another at a passing car going 90 mph. BULLS-EYE! "I've got to get this guy!” the coach said to himself. "He has the perfect arm!” So, he brings him to the States and teaches him the great game of football. And the Bears go on to win the Super Bowl. The young man is hailed as the great hero of football, and when the coach asks him what he wants, all the young man wants is to call his mother. "Mom" he says into the phone, "I just won the Super Bowl !" "I don't want to talk to you", the old woman says."You are not my son!" "I don't think you understand, Mother," the young man pleads. "I've won the greatest sporting event in the world. I'm here among thousands of my adoring fans.” "No! Let me tell you!" his mother retorts. "At this very moment, there are gunshots all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister in the house so she doesn't get raped!" The old lady pauses, and then tearfully says,.......... "I will never forgive you for making us move to Chicago!"