Tony Davis

This post has become to me like one of those books that I can't stop reading, and can't wait to see how it will turn out, but I don't know what I will do when I get to the end!

That's right, I managed to get to both the concerts - two memories stand out - Chas & Dave!! and being refused Service in the Wimpey Bar in Stevenage Town Centre because I had long hair and was wearing an Afghan coat. But I have my revenge, the Wimpey bar is now closed but I remain!! The hair doesn't though, and the coat is long gone..................

Don't suppose you went to Knebworth, the Led Zeppellin ones?

Just checked, it was 1975, and look who else was there: Supertramp Judas Priest Thin Lizzy Yes Joan Armatrading UFO Hawkwind Robin Trower Mahavishnu Orchestra Wishbone Ash Ozark Mountain Daredevils Climax Blues Band Soft Machine Caravan Babe Ruth Stella Kokomo Kursaal Flyers Wally Snafu String Driven Thing Heavy Metal Kids Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias Doctor Feelgood ZZebra Alain Stivell, I'd forgotten about lots of those.

Saw them at Reading as well, also 1976 (I believe) - Also on the bill were Albertos Y los trios paranoias, who treated us to a rendition of "Tales from Topographic Toilets", Jon Anderson didn't comment............

Saw them at Reading in 1976 (I think it was 1976 anyway) and thought they were great. Listen to "In the region of the summer stars" regularly. Wish I had known they were on last night, I could have popped down and seen them, and left swmbo watching the tennis.

The new Paloma Faith Album - Fall to Grace - enjoyed the video for the single "Picking up the pieces" as it featured a Ford Zodiac Mk 3, the first car I ever drove. Not as good as the first album though, and not my normal type of music,but then I like to vary what's on the play list from time to time.

Bradenton outlet mall?

Too far? Don't let my wife know, I had us drive 196 miles from Lido Key to Melbourne when we were there in order to visit a Swap meet there. We did spend some time in the premium outlets en route though... I wanted to see how a US swapmeet compared to an English one, pretty much the same.. I ended up buying a book about called The Railwaymen by R S Joby for $2.00 from a chap from Yorkshire! I did get some Kadee couplings as well and a couple of mags about Lionel Railroads as well. Never been to Cici's Pizza, I used to like P F Changs and Cheesecake Factory, but this time we went to more independent restaurants instead, although Cracker Barrel is well worth a visit.

If it isn't too far from where you will be staying I would recommend a visit to the Florida Railroad Museum, http://www.frrm.org/index1.php. We spent a day there and really enjoyed it, except the part where my wife stepped on a red ant's nest, she didn't enjoy that bit much. The station & train staff are all volunteers and are enthusiastic and friendly. Nice length of track wandering through the trees, reminded a bit of the Chalfont to Chesham branch, although that doesn't have alligators.

Do underground ghost stories count? I sort of have some; Coming home from Chalfont to Harrow on the staff train (about 2:30 am) we got held at a signal outside Ricky depot, and while there the driver (who worked permanent nights) started telling me ghost stories about supposed sightings on the north met. This went on for a while and when the signal still hadn't cleared and he needed to contact the cabin from the phone on the stick, he had got himself so scared that he had to ask me to go down the track and make the call for him. Second one; I was booked to cover Eastcote station one Sunday night and hadn't been on the job very long. When I arrived I had been double booked and the other foreman (who was rostered there) gave me a familiarisation of the station. The switchrooms are on the ends of the platform and when the second set are switched off the station is in total darkness, apart from the light from the bardic lamp (if youv'e ever used one you'll know their not great) He was telling me all about the "headless lady ghost" that frequented the place and wound himself up about it all. When we got back to the station the Duty Manager called and said I could go home and the other foreman had to stay, so I didn't get to see any ghosts at all.

Andrew Martins Jim Stringer Novels?, another Railway detective but the series starts off with him as a Fireman and follows him through Railway Police at York, and the last novel has him at the Somme as part of a Railway Pals battallion

Not sure when you are going, but there is this http://modeltrainshowflorida.com/Dealer_Info.html on September 3rd. It's in Melbourne, near-ish to Kennedy Space Centre. Not sure how good it would be, never having been, but I plan to visit this year. HTH Tony