jcm@gwr

Just checked (with another magnet) and all 3 are the same way up. It's possible that long term use is the problem, I certainly didn't have a problem for the first few years, but I also didn't use it as often as a home layout would have been used. It only takes a moment with a de-magnetiser to sort it, but I've no idea where to get one, I'll have to ask the club member (who did it for me) where his came from, once we re-open.

It's possible that I didn't get the magnets all in the same pole alignment, I honestly don't remember reading that! When I can get to the layout, it's been stored since the point tie-bars failed (and lock-down), and I'll check.

I still use cash a lot, as well as contactless, so each evening when I get home, I empty my pockets and separate out the loose change. I keep the £1 and £2 pound coins for day to day spending, everything else goes through a coin sorting machine (present from the kids, Science Museum) The small change gets bagged, and eventually used at the supermarket, but the 50p and 20p coins get put aside for exhibitions, it means I can spend more without the authorities knowing! Sometimes I go with £200 in change to a show, which can be interesting at times, one year at RailEx, I paid for entry in coins, an hour later they had run out of show guides, came looking for me and bought £50 of change off me, result! Another time, I was wanted an Ixion Fowler, and he was more than happy to take the asking price in coins (£140, I think) because he owed money to another trader, and wanted to wind him up! Basically, I don't mind how I pay for entry, food and drink, or anything else from a stand, so long as I'm given a choice.

10800 was named Hawk.

wrong!

Originally this was to be a clearance checking vehicle, but I thought it might have space inside to fit a small vacuum cleaner, to create a maintenance train, which would include our CMX track cleaning tank wagon. That needs a decent loco to move it, so that meant twin motored. it also meant less space, and more complications, so I'm going to build a dedicated vacuum wagon. So, out with the razor saw, again, and it went from 625mm to a slightly more plausible 530mm Then, as it's obviously one of the early diesels, being trialled alongside all the other prototypes, I thought black over silver might look quite good I had to strip all 4 bogies down, I should get 2 working ones, an un-powered, rolling bogie and a pile of bits, I thought about the bits It looks quite good as a Bo-Bo-Bo!

I'm going to stretch the boundary of plausibility with my latest cut-n-shut, but first, the reasons behind it's creation. We (my local MRC) took advantage of the lockdown(s) to give our clubhouse a bit of a refurb, that meant taking down the layouts, unfortunately, that has shown us some serious faults with our large 0 gauge layout. So we are building a new one, with a similar trackplan ('cos it worked well for a club layout), and the guy drawing it, asked about clearances for the largest vehicles (we're trying to future-proof it as much as possible). It was decided that an Azuma coach, at 26m, was probably the largest we would need to allow for, 597mm in 7mm scale! I had a rummage in my 'that might come in handy, one day' box, and found a couple of non-working Atlas F-units, so I thought, maybe a Super Deltic? So I did It looked better in primer But at 625mm, it was too long, plus I realised that the bogies were in the wrong place, so I just cut a piece of ply the right length, and screwed a pair of bogies on, at the right distance to match an Azuma.

I have C1 and C1E, valid until 2028, but I'm also not expecting a call!

I keep the sprues to strengthen cut-n-shut projects!

I have a similar problem, I've been looking for a replacement van for a while now. I have a Transit Connect Bi-fuel, which means not only it is ULEZ compliant, but I don't need to pay to travel through the Congestion Zone (if I need/want to). Unfortunately, since the announcement of the extended ULEZ, the price of petrol vans has rocketed, the cheapest I found was a Citroen, MOT fail, with a knocking engine, for £5k! So, like it or not, I have to keep mine going, I replaced the engine a couple of years ago, but it needs an ECU, which are not available, anywhere. My only option is to get a Focus ECU, and complete under bonnet loom, then get it re-programmed to the van, and then a new LPG system fitted, this is on a van with a mileage of 366k!

I think India has enough red tape to deal with!

Pre-Covid, as that's what the OP asked, for me was, in no particular order, CMRA- Stevenage (previously St. Albans) Ally Pally Railex- Aylesbury Reading (7mm trade show) Kettering Guildex and some local events as well, as a club we're involved with a museum open day (Stevenage), a mini exhibition at the Howard Centre (with another local club) and our local Village day (Datchworth). Hopefully, most will continue, the CMRA are looking for another venue.

Although I agree with most of your post, I think that the residents of Cornwall might be a little upset with you comparing the whole of their county, with a medium sized coastal town in Wales!

I bought a Ford Transit Connect Bi-fuel, so I could drive into London. I enquired about reduced road tax, not available for commercial vehicles! I'm still keeping it going, because it's almost impossible to buy a s/hand replacement (at a sensible price!) I replaced the engine a couple of years ago (got it back on the road just before the first lock-down) because it was burning too much oil, it had done 317K, it's also become a matter of principle to keep it going. Still got the original g/box, rear bearings, front struts and all the body, apart from some sill welding.

Also try- Alpha Kenny Boddie

Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to help, my F-in-Law was diagnosed with dementia at the beginning of 2020 and went into a home. Any information is now, sadly, locked away.

I've had a situation where I've pretty much lost control of my car whilst on a roundabout, it was more luck than anything else that there was no-one else around, and the car ended up parallel to the kerb, between an entrance and an exit, even the policeman that attended said I had been rather lucky. It could easily have had a different outcome, at a busier time, or with pedestrians about. The reason for the loss of control, was a rear driveshaft shearing in the middle of the bearing, no way of inspecting it without regularly removing the bearing, or ultrasound equipment, not yet part of an MOT! It was an odd sensation, firstly feeling like you've hit a patch of spilt diesel, so I steered into it, then the back sort collapsed, I hit the brakes, nothing, grabbed the handbrake, still nothing! Then the rear n/s wheel bounced past me, complete with drum still attached! Now, had I killed someone, should I have been stripped of my license and imprisoned? And no, I wasn't speeding, I wasn't in a hurry, nice day, hood down, enjoying the scenery.

Well, when you've finished your lunch, you could position that pedestrian talking to the driver!

I'm afraid that, although I agree with your first paragraph, I don't think that 'Their day is done now'. I have a number of these coaches in the process of an upgrade (cut-n-shut), and the list of diagrams you can create (to varying levels of accuracy) is quite big, so far, I've done the following:- C23 C19 C10 C4 A4 E17 D3 D8 D14 D37 F12 Most of which probably won't ever feature in kit-manufacturers thoughts, let alone RTR!

Wouldn't have happened this year!

Guess what! So am I!

Nice job. It will be interesting to see if any of the other TOC's pick-up on the date, after all, the LMS and the LNER were also formed/created at the same time.

Not if the recovery/towing vehicle was electric!

Another variation on a theme would be yet another 'shed' layout, but with all the available siding space filled with rusty wagons, and no room to run anything (maybe play a loop of workshop sounds) Just tell everyone it's a failing/failed preservation group!

Unfortunately, the 'it seems to be working now' situation, was a short lived one. I can put in the exact wording, ie a thread title, and it comes back with 0 results!