Chris M

Sorry officer, but I have no idea how an unweathered Jubilee came to be hauling a clay train through Little Aller Junction. I don't even own a Jubilee.

All heanious crimes! How dare you! Especially running unweathered stock.

It is a lot quicker if I make them all by myself but not so gratifying.

We look after our 3 year old grandson once a week and of course have to find things to do with him. This week I decided to have a go at a Woodland Scenics tree. We started with the flat tree and I bent one to make a tree shape then he bent the next one. I then added the clumps to mine. He followed on his tree. Obviously I applied the glue to the tree but he broke up the clumps and told me exactly where to put the glue. He put the clumps in place on the tree and I squeezed them on place to ensure the glue worked. Later in the day he asked to make another one and of course I said yes. This is the fruit of our work. To be fair he will be four in a couple of weeks time.

Reminds me of the early days of the Shakers tone railway. That was all they had for passengers.

February 1979. I haven't seen the article but based on an index this was a plan written by in house staff. I'm still sure I remember a John Allison article but that was some years earlier - maybe in the 1960s.

Yes I recall a layout built by John Allison. Was it a sea wall one? The one I'm thinking of had some form of automation maybe using a tape reel and also location sounds such as the sea and seagulls.

Importing g scale size boxes from the USA is quite expensive for an individual. You have to pay air freight (sea freight was much cheaper) plus when it gets here VAT on the cost of the item plus postage. You also pay about £15 to parcel force for collecting the VAT from you. Sorry to say I really cannot recommend buying this item. In 20 years of having a garden railway the only item I have bought and then sold on is the Lionel Hogwarts Castle set. It was that bad.

I just look at typical replacement cost for stock and the cost of all the bits on the baseboard - track, buildings, scenery etc. I would not include the cost of actually building the layout. If there was a total loss then I would start a new, completely different project with the funds. Once you have built a layout would you want the same thing again but built by someone a professional? The cost of having a professional build the layout would probably be considerably more than the cost of all the components.

I didn't ballast the track on Jawed Junction but the person who spent many happy months on this task told me she strained the chinchilla dust first to let the really fine dust go through and just keep the slightly larger stiff for ballasting.

Nice exhibition as well. Perhaps no blockbuster layouts but a lot of very high quality layouts and a good variety too. Wickwar deserves a special mention as being a wonderful piece of modelling. Good spread of trade exhibitors. That is exactly what I expect from Stafford. Well done chaps.

I was in the queue outside. Everyone seemed to be happy. The queue moved at a good pace once the show was open. Colin, the exhibition manager, was doing a great job of keeping a high throughput at the ticket sellers. As a seasoned exhibitor the last thing I need is a show letting the public in even five minutes early. It's often a time of last minute tweaking.

As it might help others, here is my story so far. I didn't have any of the symptoms, except sometimes needing to have a wee more than I used to. This is kind of what tends to happen to folk in their 60s so it didn't worry me. I did develop just a slight discomfort in my side which lasted a month so, unusually for a bloke, I went to see my GP. Luckily my GP was interested and set off a process of tests. 1. Ultrasound scan to check my kidneys, liver and balls - all OK. This is a very cheap test and eradicates some possibilities which is why it was done first. 2. PSA test even though there wasn't much to point in that direction. I scored a rather impressive 26 which led to hospital appointment. 3. At the hospital I had a DRE by specialist and further PSA test which gave enough cause for the specialist to require further tests 4. MRI scan. This shows up where the prostate may have a problem and in my case they could see quite a problem but I didn't know at the time. 5. Biopsy. This was the first invasive test and is the one required for medics to know exactly what the situation is. I had mine under full anaesthetic because they wanted to take lots of samples. Because there is so much stuff close together down there there is a risk of infection following a biopsy of this kind. I was fine and all of my friends who have been through the same were also fine. 6. The biopsy showed I had a problem but I was not informed at this point. I did however get cordially invited for more tests which kind of told me they had found a serious problem. 7. CT scan - makes you feel hot and that you have wee'd yourself. This is done to look for cancer around the body and see how close it is to any organs. 8. Bone scan - you get an injection of something radioactive and are told to keep away from young children for the rest of the day! This is to check whether cancer has spread to your bones. 9. Meeting with consultant to discuss findings and further treatment. The reason for not saying anything to me before meeting the consultant was so that they he could give me a full picture of where I was and what he recommended next. I'm having the standard treatment (drugs and radiotherapy) and should be OK. If I had left it much longer it might have been a very different story; the cancer was found just as it was about to break out of the prostate. The point is that it is a logical sequence of events. The PSA test being just a start point to kick off further investigations and these investigations only continue if the previous one gives cause to continue. So far as I am concerned I am very pleased that my GP decided that a PSA test was worth doing even though my one slight problem (and it was very slight) was not a symptom of prostate cancer. I'm also pleased with myself for going to my GP because the normal bloke reaction would be to just ignore such a small problem. The PSA test did good for me. Based on what happened to me I would say better to do it sooner than later.

If you thinks that's undignified try having a colonoscopy with nitrous oxide to ease the pain. Now that really is a loss of all dignity.

Sorry to hear that, I hope things go well. I recently finished my radiotherapy and am awaiting the recent PSA test score to see if it has worked. I had no symptoms to speak of either when I had my PSA test.

Answer - generally yes. Having said that there are some very big layouts that somehow manage to not run many trains and this is he worst kind of layout. Every is entitled to their own point of view and nobody is right or wrong but I find dioramas boring no matter how well they are modelled. I can see how operating a diorama would be interesting but watching one is about as interesting as watching paint dry (for me). My N gauge layout history suggests bigger is better for me - first 1 - 44 in by 27 in, second one 7 ft by 38 in, latest one 11 ft 6 in by 40 in. I agree modelling competitions are fairly meaningless as it says more about the judges views than the modelling, and how can you compare very different concepts? The visitor vote for best layout at a show can be a useful tool as the complete results give the organisers information as to which layout types are popular. The layouts that come third or fourth won't get a public mention but they help to show the organisers what the paying public like.

Going back on topic, I bought a number of Peco N gauge points with their plastic packaging last October. I laid the points and, after following this thread, I kept the packaging with my modelling materials. I have now used the packaging to glaze a large scale project for free. So thanks for raising it and thanks to those who have good advice.

Looks like I'll be there in the queue on Saturday morning clutching my £10 note.

The weather looks set to be mild and maybe a bit damp for next weekend. Looks like no chance of snow.

Here's mine on action. Shame the motor made more noise than the chuff chip.

I had the Lionel G Harry Potter set some years ago. Sorry to say it was junk. The loco was a very poor model but the coaches were abysmal. The radio control has hardly any range. I bought the set hoping to make a reasonable loco out of it but in the end sold it on eBay.

Thanks for all the input. The layout is progressing slowly.

You could balwaus buy uoirsel a cherished number from DVLA. Costs about £400.

Interesting off topic point. Would some people be saying the hobby is better for not having an NEC show?

I didn't go to this show because I was too busy over the weekend - shame because there were a few layouts I would like to have seen. Regarding small traders at shows. You have to consider that they will have to not be working (and therefore losing revenue) on the Friday before the exhibition and probably the Monday after. They will have the cost of getting to the show which may include hiring a van and possibly have to pay for two nights in a hotel. They may have to pay for an additional helper over the weekend or at their shop if they have one. Its not just the cost of the trade space at the show which is an issue. Many of these specialist suppliers are only just eking out a living and simply cannot afford the luxury of attending exhibitions. I don't think you can blame show organisers or small traders for their absence from exhibitions - its just the economics of the situation. Looking forward to Stafford in a few weeks. It is a very good show which is well worth visiting but it is not quite as perfect as suggested. Even the best of shows have some issues. If it is wet then cars get stuck in the mud which looks a lot like grass until you put your car on it. I'm picky where I park but my brother got stuck a few years ago. Unless things have changed there isn't much in the way of phone signals in and around the halls which means trying to contact people you plan to meet is a pain as is buying anything by card from the trade stands. The exhibition centre owners really should get this sorted. Finally it goes very cold in the halls overnight. The heating is very effective and the temperature rises quickly to a very comfortable level by opening time. This makes it great for exhibitors and visitors but I reckon some of the layouts get gremlins due to this sudden change in temperature. Nevertheless, always an excellent show and well worth a visit. Good bunch of lads running it as well.