devonseasider

In MRJ 69 way back at the start of 1994 there was an article by Trevor Gibson about his imaginary branch terminus set in Wedmore, on the edge of the Somerset levels. It's also noted that the layout was booked to appear at the East Midlands Model Railway Exhibition at the Victoria Leisure Centre in Nottingham on 5th & 6th of March 1994. Other than what's in the article, does anyone have any information about Trevor or the layout? Also, can anyone throw any light on subsequent events that led to the layout being abandoned in a garage in Lyme Regis? It was saved a couple of years ago from an ignominious end in a skip & is slowly - very slowly! - being "freshened up" in the hope that it can one day go back on the exhibition circuit. Any information gratefully received either on this thread or by pm if that's thought more appropriate.

Darren - should find them on ebay under seller fair-price-models. If not, try a pm on RMWeb to steammad. PS got another couple of photos for you of Weymouth MPD back in 1960-whatever when I get round to posting them for you.

Purely by chance I've just recently come across the "fair price models" corridor connections on that well-known auction site. Didn't know quite what to expect but they sounded OK & at the price seemed worth a punt. Well, what can I say? I know things like this are very subjective, but personally I think they're excellent value for money. For around 30p per coach (or per pair of coaches) they fill that tell-tale gap between the vehicles & look so much more realistic. I know they won't suit everyone, but an absolute bargain in my book. Basically they're nothing more than heavy-grade black paper cut & formed to size/shape - which any of us should be able to do - but at the price it isn't worth even considering the effort of producing your own. There are lots of different versions, each designed to fit different types of r-t-r stock, but all work in the same way. A spot of adhesive of some sort & off you go. That's it. Attached photos show the gangways connected to a pair of Hornby Maunsell p-p coaches on Tormouth Quay.

A few days ago, back in post 5791, I commented that some clearance work had been undertaken at SJ & suggested it could be a precursor to the development of the site. Seems I jumped the gun a bit on this one. For the real reason, go to: http://www.eastdevon24.co.uk/news/colyton_pair_s_station_clean_up_1_4898287 Sorry for any confusion caused. The report includes quite a number of new photos that could prove useful to someone.

I suggested that a couple of years ago & you turned the offer down . . . .

Went past the station yesterday afternoon (first time I've been out of the village on that road for a few days) & noticed that there's been some clearance & tidying up on the site. Not much, but perhaps significant. Tacked on to the eastern (Axminster) end of the station building is a little store (?) and immediately east of that is a walled (Exmouth Jcn concrete works fencing panels) "garden" area. For many years this has been an unkempt, overgrown jungle but has now been largely cut back & burnt. I can only speculate that this may be the first stage in the redevelopment of the site. For those who don't know, planning permission was granted (with conditions) in June (I think) 2014 for conversion of the station building & the adjacent 2-storey flat-roof former office building immediately to the west into 2 dwellings. One of the conditions was that work should start within 3 years of the approval date. A previous application, approved in 2010 with similar constraints, had been allowed to lapse. If clearing the overgrown area can be argued to be "starting work" then the owner/developer has complied with that particular condition. Certainly there's been no sign of any maintenance etc. to the site for many years. The station building, forecourt, office block and the eastern-most bay of the former dairy complex are owned by someone in Bedford, or thereabouts, with a "local agent" in Seaton. The centre & western bays of the dairy, which have recently been repaired & upgraded, are owned by a local man and are the base for his delivery business. This is not part of the planning submission & there is no connection at all between the two owners.. If anyone is interested in the details, it's all on the planning section of the East Devon District Council website - search for Seaton Junction.

God only knows . . . .

Wasn't that Harold Wilson?

Going back through your posts, it's got to be Ray Wilson at left back. The Jimmy Greaves question pops up repeatedly but more intriguing is the question of why George Cohen got the nod over Jimmy Armfield, probably the first of the now-familiar "overlapping fullbacks". I did read somewhere that Alf Ramsay considered Cohen's defensive strengths to be of more importance than Armfields attacking qualities, considering the rest of his team selection. A true gentleman, "Sir" Jimmy is still with us although, I understand, not too well at the moment. Coincidentally, and to bring it back in line with earlier posts (although hardly "on topic"!) he is another former pupil of that same school, although he had left quite some time before I joined.

Ooooo, the delectable Miss Coleman. I may have mentioned it before, but she & I went to the same secondary school. Unfortunately, I left some 30 years before she started (they didn't let those "girl" things in back in my time!).

Oh, Lordy - you're worse than me! Stop far-tAr$e-ing about & get up there & do it!

Bless you.

Oooooo . . . . . stop it! I don't need shocks like that considering the state my heart's apparently in! Walkabout last week & now this . . . . Nurse !!! Pass the whisky bottle !!!!!

Purely for information, the Coopercraft stand was noticeable by its absence from the Weston-super-Mare show last Sunday. Over the last few years that show has been the only place I can recall having seen the stand. To not attend was obviously an early decision as the name doesn't appear in the "traders" section of the show guide so it can't be that he had to pull out at short notice due to illness or whatever. As to why he wasn't there, I have no idea & it didn't cross my mind to ask the organiser. I'll try to remember to do that when I next see Keith, but that could be some time.

Little wonder the swagman was jolly if that's the billabong he was camped by!

I bet you can't eat a whole one . . . .

I'm sure someone will be along soon to point out that "Saturday 25th November and Saturday 26th November 2017" isn't quite right either. Mod4 must have looked at the OP with at least one eye closed . . . .

I was at home yesterday afternoon - would have waved as you went past if I'd known you were coming.

Phil - as a "man of leisure" you could get your a#se into gear & come down here for a few days. Go on, you know you want to! Tesco (Seaton, Devon) continues to sink, I believe, while the associated housing development(s) continue to grow. To quote the 1970s Moody Blues, "Isn't life strange". Lots of changes since you were here a couple of years ago. For a seasonal treat, Jenny & team at the Tramway have done a wonderful job transforming the Colyton end into a North Pole Wonderland for the kids while Pecorama continues to be a major attraction. Having said that, Seaton wasn't at it's best today, with Haven Cliff shrouded in mist & even Beer Head doing it's best to hide. echoes of Chris de Burgh's "Fatal hesitation" The cafe's are all deserted The streets are wet again There's nothing quite like An out of season holiday town in the rain When the tourists go And the cold winds blow And my girl is on a plane Home

Reading through this makes me think that almost all of us "of a certain age range" suffer from our own slightly different versions of basically the same thing & each cope with it in our own ways (and each with our own recipe of medications!). I'm with the rest of you on high BP, but compounded by diagnosis 20 years or so ago of ME. I/we have learned to live with/around that & it's effects are much less than they were but I still get days that effectively don't exist - fellow sufferers will know what I mean. The effect on the immune system is also worthy of note, as is destruction of normal body-clock functions, hence my typing this at this time of the morning! Tinnitus appeared 2 or 3 years ago for no apparent reason and, like the ME and the moon, it waxes & wanes. It's always there in the background but not always to the fore. I can cope with that. Enlarged prostate (of Olympic proportions according to the consultant/specialist) can make life interesting in its own special way but, for reasons I don't understand, isn't consistent. All I have to say about this is that if you haven't had the "camera up the willy" procedure you're missing out on a real treat. You do, of course, also miss out on other "treats" but I won't go down that route . . . . . The real icing on the cake came earlier in the year with the discovery of "atrial fibrilation" - according to the GP, a legacy of a really good dose of swine flu that put me flat out on my back for 3 weeks back in March. Apparently it's not uncommon for the flu-related coughing to throw the heart out of synch but it usually goes back again when the coughing stops. For some reason mine didn't, so that's another couple of tablets & a bit of a struggle when I try to go uphill (rather like the Hornby Adams Radial Tank!). On the other hand, I'm incredibly lucky to be down here in sunny (ha!) East Devon. Five minutes walk puts me in fields alongside the river, and to all intents & purposes a million miles away from civilisation. Ten minutes in the car takes me down to the beach. OK, it's stone & shingle rather than sand so walking's not easy but it's a million times better than trecking round a housing estate. My wife's waiting for a new hip so at the moment I'm chief dog walker & really enjoying it, If only I could sort out the body clock & cut down on the falling-down-water intake I'm sure I would be in the late Terry Wogan's "racing snake" category!

One or two journies there that I wouldn't like to do these days but I'm guessing you're somewhat younger than me!

Just be careful - remember what the policeman told you last time!

Not 100% certain but I think it was a paint wash rather than a proper cement (or whatever) render. While there are some almost-sensible posts on here, and mention of photos, perhaps it's a good time to say that I've finally been able to contact the owner of "that" house, who would be amenable - with some understandable reservations - to having its backside photographed. In this particular case, of course, I'm talking about the house, not the owner/occupier. I've also spoken to various people at Peco who tell me that they have no source material other than what has appeared at various times in RM. For their Pecorama SJ model they referred to readily available published information. But . . . . it may come to nothing, but I could be about to unearth a little goldmine of photos etc. from another contact I was given earlier in the week. I've got copies of photos in & around the dairy that I've not seen before, also more-general shots. Quality is not very good but I'm trying to find who's got the originals so we can get copies of those rather than poor quality copies of poor quality printouts. As I said, it may come to nothing, but watch this space.

You're probably better off not knowing what might be coming your way, young man!

As others have said, "No", but this one looks as if it could be interesting. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0711037957/ref=pe_2655091_155288261_em_1p_1_ti