great central

10ft ones are still available but the default now seems to be the 12ft wide variant, although some are now 13ft. Then there's the double units costing near on £100k! There's a couple of those on the Haven site I walk past regularly, funny thing is they don't seem to be used that often and the site season is shorter than where mine is.

Final update for today, having felt fairly groggy for a good bit of the day I'm pleased to say that seems to have passed. So, from my experience it's no great shakes to get jabbed and move a little closer to that light at the end of the tunnel. One thing for those waiting, Beast66606 mentioned earlier that whenever his arm touched the bed it was 'rather uncomfortable'! So if you tend to sleep on one side have the jab in the arm which will be uppermost. I didn't think of that at the time but as I'm right handed it went in my left arm anyway so no issues. I did nip out for some milk earlier and although it seemed busy, not as bad as a normal Sunday and no issues. What does surprise me is that door to door election canvassing is to be allowed, from March 8th, before we're fully released from lockdown. Sorry but if I can't go out anywhere and meet others why should someone be allowed to visit my house uninvited?? They can come back when everyone is allowed out.

I've just been walking around the garden for a few minutes. Made me wheeze quite a bit so I don't think I'll be doing much more today. I can normally walk for miles by the way.

Morning after the night before report. Having had my jab around 5.30 yesterday evening I didn't particularly expect any side effects to kick in before this morning. I slept quite well, probably due to not going to bed all that early. Getting up took a bit of effort but whether that's anything to do with the jab or simply being comfortable I can't say. The sun direct into your eyes does tend to rule out lying in bed too much. Definitely feel a bit groggy and achy now though, so taking it easy. Ate the second apple pie I bought on my way home last night, bit odd for breakfast I know. Stretching out on the settee in front of the stove having put some wood on to warm it up. The apple pie is another story entirely, and no nothing to do with American Pie!

Had my first jab a couple of hours ago. No particular effects to report yet although I might have a bit of a headache. Strangely enough I feel rather happier than I have done for quite some time, perhaps it's the thought that maybe, just maybe, there can be an end to this living nightmare? Still plenty of other issues in my life but if I can get out and about I can escape them for a while at least.

I'm from what seems to be a fairly small group of people who don't even hold a passport. I've absolutely no interest in going abroad and certainly not to any so called European hotspots. Given the apparent poor vaccination programme so far under way in Europe, I think anyone would be well advised to steer clear until they've got their collective act together. All I want is to be able to use my fully self contained and socially distanced caravan on the Norfolk coast.

I'm trying to make sense of the word(s) above the serving hatch

I agree entirely and that is my personal opinion on the matter but it remains to be seen what those in charge say in the circumstances. For a bit of, almost, comic illustration of what can happen a quick account of an incident several years ago. I was travelling as a passenger, off duty and out of uniform, the train was held up due to a problem at a level crossing ahead. Sitting quietly waiting an announcement about the delay the person in the seat in front of me was talking quite animatedly, I presumed into a phone, about 'this always happens when I get on a train, it's always delayed' and similar phrases. The fella opposite me looked across with raised eyebrows as this carried on for several minutes. Suddenly the bloke in front of me popped up above the seat back and started telling me all about it! It seems he had been chuntering to himself! My fairly curt reply was along the lines of 'if you know that then why the hell get on the train then!' He looked rather surprised that someone should give such an answer and shrunk back into his seat in silence, and didn't utter another word until he got off the train! Fella opposite gave me a thumbs up as well!

One of the biggest challenges is likely to be passenger expectations. Those currently undertaking 'essential travel' are finding generally fairly empty trains where they can socially distance and feel 'safe'. However, if, or rather when, trains do start to fill up again there will be those who see more people than they want to and will be quickly complaining that the railway is putting them in danger. It already happens on occasion, indeed it did last summer on some of our routes, and can often be seen on the various TOC social media feeds. How can the railway meet everyone's expectations? It can't run mostly empty trains permanently to suit what is probably a small but vocal minority.

Hi Clem, I hate to be picky, given my total lack of modelling output for several years now, but can I just suggest perhaps that your (excellent) working signal seems to be rather awkwardly sited. It appears as though it would be hidden from view to a driver until he came under the bridge, more likely it would be on the other side of the bridge probably with a sighting board. I understand that the constraints of your model have probably dictated it's position, so could either have a tall secondary arm which can be seen above the bridge or a gallows type signal as used at Nottingham Victoria which can be seen under the bridge. It's also possible I've completely misunderstood and there's a banner repeater signal just the other side of the bridge!

^^^. From what I can see at times if there's too rapid a return to train travel some fleets are going to become overcrowded very quickly.

For what it's worth, our lot are still talking up increased services from the timetable alteration in May. These being on top of stuff that ran before covid. Can't help thinking there's two different conversations going on.

Tutbury, although the station is actually in Hatton, so called Tutbury and Hatton, to also distinguish it from Hatton station on the other side of Birmingham. Had a very long, frustrating, discussion trying to explain that to a lady some time ago who'd bought an advance ticket from Hatton to Birmingham and couldn't understand why it wasn't valid from Tutbury! Belvoir Castle can be seen from the Nottingham-Grantham line and would also have been visible from the GN and LNW joint line through the Vale. Nottingham castle is visible from the line approaching Nottingham, although it's not really a castle now, rebuilt as a stately home.

To continue from above due to the upload limit. The view across Mill Road where a level crossing would have been, interestingly there's an area of old paving slabs where I would have expected the line to have run. No idea what they were for. And looking back towards the incline which comes out at the galvanized gate. No further trace apart from a blue brick wall beyond here.

After re-covering a chair for 'er indoors this morning I decided that it was time I took a decent walk again. We needed some milk anyway and nearest shop is over half an hour walk. Haven't done much walking since before Christmas so set off on a route I used quite a lot last summer. After walking across Colliers Wood on the former Moorgreen pit site I follow a footpath towards the Hilltop area of Eastwood. Last year I thought it seemed like a former railway line and found a map on the old maps website which shows it as a mineral railway, but couldn't get a clear enough look at it. I actually found a large scale OS map of the area as a mural in the newly refitted Co-op at Hilltop a couple of weeks ago which confirmed my thoughts, so took a picture of it. The footpath follows the trackbed as far as Mill Road then the rest up to the sidings is buried under a recentish, 1990s(?) development of bungalows. I'm guessing it was a landsales area as the line comes directly from Moorgreen pit yard. It's quite steep in places and again I would guess that wagons were propelled uphill, as it appears there's no run round facility. As for closure dates, the pit closed in 1985, landsales may well have finished earlier. A couple of photos: the bottom end of the incline towards former colliery buildings and workshops, now prospering with Caunton engineering. Towards the top shortly before coming out on Mill Road which must have been crossed on the level, the building on the left is fairly recent but the wall beyond is quite old so could give an idea of the gradient at this point.

I doubt that B1 tenders would have been used as sludge carriers because, by the time they became available following withdrawal of their locos the purpose for having them would have gone also. Most of the ones I have seen photos of were pre-grouping tenders, GN ones around Grantham and Colwick. A number of B1 or possibly V2(?) tenders did get converted into snowploughs. Edit: see Clive's post above, he beat me to it by a few seconds

Growing old is mandatory, growing up, however, is optional

Nothing wrong with a bit of rave/dance IMHO, some if the tracks can have quite an hallucinary quality to them. This just evokes summer on the beach. And this has quite a railway feel to it, train climbing uphill then once over the top pulling away strongly. Not sure about the video that goes with them but I get my music from radio, only time I see video now is on YouTube or similar.

Nooooo. Not that. Here's a couple of antidotes for those, like me, of a sensitive disposition where music is concerned https://youtu.be/v2AC41dglnM. https://youtu.be/pAgnJDJN4VA. And if you want to move around in time to the music, the perfect air drumming track https://youtu.be/TnzFRV1LwIo

Must be a hell of a job to get it to stay where it's been placed then, or it's blo@dy hot in Spain

And look where that got him....

Couldn't help but laugh when I saw these in the co-op on Nottingham station. Not sure if it's 'clever marketing' or not

Both Nu cast and Craftsman made an A5, whitemetal and brass respectively. I don't know the current status of either but they do appear on eBay once in a while. Possibly LRM do one?

For the sake of comparison and completeness a view taken today from, as near as I could guess, a similar viewpoint. The last time I was here there were still some remains of the platforms and the whole area had a distinct air of dereliction. New hotels opposite the station front and new homes to the rear of the station have changed it dramatically. The newly renovated station entrance is a joy to behold. I'll either start a fresh thread or find somewhere appropriate to post some more pictures. Having looked more closely at this photo I think I'm rather too far to the left but hopefully you can see the remaining section of parapet.

One cab still exists, in the car park/ beer garden of a Derby pub. The name escapes me at the moment but it's next door to the Brunswick Inn within sight of the line just north of Derby station. Last time I saw it some weeks ago it looked rather sorry.