great central

Pest control officer in Great Yarmouth, yes really! Has been kind of adopted by a burger bar and is very territorial! Any other bird lands on his patch, soon chased away, even got his own water dish which he doesn't like sharing with dogs either. Never offers to go inside the shop but patrols outside. Staff told me that a few weeks ago he chased another bird through the church opposite in the middle of morning mass! Given a rasher of bacon while I watched, waiting patiently for each piece, very partial to mushrooms as well apparently

Had a very different view from a similar position, actually on what would be your up main, several times earlier this evening wish I'd taken a photo now for comparison purposes

So are these high brow people the ones with painted on brows like the woman I saw a while back? Hers were at least half an inch above normal position, didn't half look starttled though

Well if that's low brow, wonder where Planet Rock comes in some people's estimation? Don't care anyway:-)

Spectacular sunset over Werrington Junction near Peterborough

I seem to recall Sherwood Models having some years ago. No idea if they still stock it though I'm afraid. Probably be able to tell you where you could get it anyway

Seen on my way home today, in traffic so no picture I'm afraid. Old stretched V reg Vauxhall with, in gold lettering on the bootlid, J K Digs and J B Backfills, Funeral Service

A good few years ago I heard a story about a regular ECS working where a 153 was attached to a 170 which was,of course, a 100mph unit. Driver forgot the 153 was on the back..........

I can't help wondering if that is some kind of smokescreen. I read in, I think, Modern Railways a couple of years ago a breakdown in the lease costs for these IEPs. Although I don't know the lease costs of the current fleet, the costs quoted for the IEPs was, to my mind, very very high. It seemed to me to get the money to pay the rent every coach on every train would have to be pretty much full at all times, and we all know that doesn't happen.

At least one was condemned on arrival, several others didn't last long either

Yes and don't 'we' know it Load of saddo trainspotters on here according to many so called comedians and a good part of the national media as well PS, It doesn't bother me in the slightest who wants to watch 22 ####### (insert your own derogatory term) kicking a bag of wind about PPS, Please take this with pinch of salt, don't want to spoil the thread

Problem from memory on my company iPhone messages was 4E22 in the Newark area. Caused trouble with our Lincoln-Leicester service as well due to pathing over the flat crossing at Newark

Well it would be rude not to, a pair of DC kits locos, does that make them DC/DC? Must be over 30 years old now Next an AC electric loco but NOT RTR, trying to bring out the, perhaps, older kit or scratch built stuff

Well, I said I'd got an itch and 2 1/2 years later I've finally scratched it As I was at my caravan near Yarmouth over the weekend I deciced to drive down to Foxhall on the saturday evening for a Brisca F1 meeting. Thoroughly enjoyed myself, things have changed somewhat in the intervening 40 or so years, cars are still LOUD though, had thought they might be over silenced but no. Plenty of cars, two heats with around 25 cars each all with 7 or so litre V8s, the sound hits you in the chest . Then a consolation race and final of 33 cars followed by a Grand National race, like an allcomers final race again of 33 cars, all these on a 1/4 mile oval with full contact allowed to move the car in front out of the way. Fast plenty of action, ably backed up by the ministox which are also incredibly fast on that circuit and not afraid to put the bumper in, a particularly hard knock in one race was I think the move of the evening and these are kids between 10 and 16 I believe, quite a number of girls as well, in one race from the top three two were girls. Ministox were just getting going when I stopped, very much a race formula in it's own right now. The other support act was hot rods, again very fast close racing, a little time consuming setting up their grids but still very fast, although non conatct there is still a certain amount of 'barging' with so many cars on track. All that for £16 at old codgers rate for 15 or 16 races with viewable practice earlier if you wnated, very good value in my book Will I be going again? Most definitely, had thought about Belle Vue this Sunday but working now and as it looks like the wife has bust her car, I'll need to get some overtime in Edit: Pretty good video of some of the evening's racing here

Been turning my brain inside out to figure where that was taken. I'm almost certain it's on Lister Gate/Carrington St which is now underneath part of the Broad marsh centre, which, having checked, opened in 1975. When that was being built I spent many hours above the ceilings in that very area dragging in cables for PA, fire alarm and intercom systems. All in mid winter before any doors or windows were fitted! The car park on the left is scheduled for demolition soon, the Victorian(?) building on the right survives although in varying states of occupancy, the ground floor most recently a Chinese supermarket but has been empty for a good few years now.

Diagrams and discussion here: http://www.wnxxforum.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=84 Things can change of course and units be substituted

Some years ago I bought a car I knew very little about, neither did the guy selling it to be honest, spur of the moment and cheap. A Mercury Capri 3.3l straight six, bought by it's original owner in Cheyenne Wyoming and some how finished up on a more or less backstreet dealers lot in Langley Mill. Apparently it was the posh version of the contemporary Mustang even had the V8 engine option available according to a sales leaflet I picked up at a swapmeet of all places.

Deepcar's minimum radius is 3ft as the main lines turn into the fiddle yard with, I think, medium radius Peco points as the lowest there. The curves at the ends start at 6ft radius and tighten up as they go round to the 3ft at the half way point of the curve. I think that's right, it's a rather long time ago now since the track was laid! My vestibuled coach rakes all use a simple spring between vehicles which keeps them touching on straights but allows them to open on curves. That said mine are mostly modified RTR, and now quite old as well. Granted there are limits about 8 vehicles seems to be as much as the springs can keep together before too strong a spring is needed, biggest is a 2+8 HST, so not suited to everyone. I acknowledge that in particular it wouldn't work with many of the rakes on Little Bytham but it has also been adopted by another group within the club running 8 or so car rakes on curves as little as 2ft radius. I must also say that I didn't come up with the system, if indeed it is such a thing, but was shown it many years ago by another exhibitor, memory unfortunately fails on who though now. He had started with some springs salvaged from an old typewriter and my first ones also came from another dismantled office relic:-)

From my point of view, little worse than the hugely overlong false ones provided to fill the gap. On the real thing it's quite easy to step directly from one coach to the next without touching the gangway yet on a model it would take a metaphorical giant leap:-)

Pretty much standard operating on the GC many of the freights ran at speeds into the 50s, almost by the time the 9Fs came along traffic was a bit sparse due to the attentions of the midland region, certainly south of Nottingham there wouldn't be that much to cause a signal check. The various Colin Walker books are full of such instances

Don't know if it's due to viewing the pictures of my phone but Duke of Gloucester looks like it's got a radiator in place of the boiler? :-)

I like the comment on one of those mini reviews about thin pillars giving good all round visibility. Bit different to today, peering out of a letterbox! Still if drivers can't see out of their cars no need for indicators or common courtesy cos there can't be anyone there

Over the 36(!) years since Woodhead closed, it's just about possible to count on one hand the number of exhibition layouts. I'm a helper on Graham Clark's 7 mm Netherwood Sidings and he gets very few invites, nothing this year after Stevenage in January, a possible late next year and then one I believe for 2019. Deepcar hasn't had an invite since Quorn 3 years ago and I don't recall having seen the N gauge Woodhead or mini NSW for a couple of years either. All of which proves absolutely nothing of course but does point to there being less interest than some of us might like?

Doubt that's likely to happen, there's not exactly been a lot of Woodhead based layouts since the Olivia's/Heljan ones were released and still available I believe?. I know they're not perfect but still shows it to be a fairly specialised interest. I've got 13 completed DC kits 76s as well as several Triang EM2s, given the price of new stuff nowadays I've no intention of replacing them. In fact my modelling over the last few years entails precisely zero in useable results, simply not got the interest I once had.

Maybe only a few hundred yards but if the crew don't sign the route they can't go, disciplinary outcome at the very least. Regarding pilot working, if it's the same company, maybe easy enough but to hire in a driver and/or guard could cost several £000s. That's always assuming you can find the spares at short notice