PeterBB

Happy Birthday Mrs Baz and Mrs GDB. Not much to report here and hope that additional restrictions are not proving to arduous for those affected- we trust that is not the reason why they have not posted for a while - and of course hope we do not have them here. Quite a bit of overnight rain but at this moment - sunny. Local club O gaugers now have DCC and are pontificating greatly. The system is fail safe DC/DCC requiring the main power to be switched off before it can be changed from one to the other, all with very visible lighting. Now means one week one and the next week the other. A great change after what must be at least 40 years of running.

Hi Guys, Third attempt to try to cram all since Friday - may worthy of likes etc. but to no avail. Noticed all these 'where do I come from' items and can see why the new ''tick' box is present. I will make one comment on the idea of 'going back' Members of SWMBOs family have lived in the same house for over 400 years and also built a pub next door to the farmhouse to serve the 'navvies' employed to build things that we care about. The pub, apart from the current Covid situation, is still very well frequented. First SWMBO definitely a Scot with a strong family name present in Canada, late Mil Irish, mother's family - millers - records lost in fire in Baldock, Gd Somerset, while dad's - relates to Cornwall and a move to a Lambeth blue plaque if family history is true - never checked it out.

Hi Guys, Not sure how long I have been 'missing' but the last recorded page is 9006 so best wishes and condolences as hoped for, helpful or necessary. I had a call last night from Joanna, the late Jock's widow. Is it really 4 1/2 years since he last graced theses pages with his help and advice? -Yes. Joanna is still finding it hard but is adjusting, more so because of the way she is able to remind herself from wishes sent to her of the esteem in which Jock was held by our community. She sends her best wishes to all and trusts that Covid is not affecting us too much. This end things have got a bit hectic in one way or another, progress on a recent project has slowed but still in mind and I doubt that ER catch-up is likely but the good news is that we are alive and well. Catch up on followed topics also seems forlorn as there are many - apologies.

The Dudley earthquake, but in retrospect it came after the next two mentioned, some time ago was quite big and on another occasion I was in the bath when an earthquake reached Burton. Another earthquake reached Burton a few years later. These all before Burton General Hospital site was raised to the ground and replaced by housing so some considerable time ago.

Added a van to the bridge - an old one - still have a mint one in its original box from Abbott Diagnostics when they were advertising their move to Maidenhead. Storage is a problem so I have made two wooden boxes to store the bridge, scenic tunnel and station light lead that cannot remain on the layout. My stock of very old timber is now considerable depleted but Cadley Hill can now be stored on top of them. The bridge has plenty of room to store other 'bits' under and around it. The scenic area has plenty of room around it to store stock and that is increased with the shelf that has two small 'stops' on the bottom of the box to stop (pun not intended) it moving up to the scenery. The idea was that the removable items would not get squashed. The hinged unit does not go right down to the rails so that the coal shed and reception can be permanently fixed to the main layout as are the cars, moped and van . Incidentally there are 19 people 'on' the bridge.

Belated happy birthday Robert. Avatar - just a little less hair now. Chris F BT - had some problems last year but seem s OK now. Mike, Derby Derby Hotel and Roundhouse a pity and I will definitely miss what is always a good show.

You are obviously only 'tea'sing!

The Q - are you sure that it is your keyboard and not something to do with the site. Quite a few of us, including our American Abel not seen for some time, have had problems. Hopefully your problem will be passing, mine now means that there is a PW that I am unlikely to forget since forgetting it is the means by which I can visit. Only twice tonight, that's good going. Masks, a pain but I tend to agree with ID and today did find one rather a struggle and just could not stop it misting up the specs. - just as well that no driving was involved.

I'm no food expert but worked in the NHS and was always able to find something on the staff menu that I could eat. As a, relatively frequent patient compared with some who have posted, have had days when little on the menu was 'edible' for me and on other occasions had to remove items to one side before eating. There was a plus to this, I always lost weight so even not so welcome hospital patient food had its positives. Goodness it posted!

Cadley Hill as it now stands does not have a fiddle yard as such, although Andy had initially planned the hinged end to be so, therefor all is 'visible'.

Au Now know that someone else had had the same thought Pleased to know that Dave is out and on the mend; Anyram is feeling a lot better; that Gwiwer is coping ... know a wee bit of potential outcomes so pleased to congratulate him on making 25 years as well as his obviously training abilities. NHS Overall service 35 working plus 6 as publicly elected governor - and during a lot of that time members of my team did 80 hour weeks! Hope the CBT goes well and that he doesn't get 'tanked-up' but remains safe. Like the idea of one-colour socks, never quite managed that until recently on grey. Good to see that Andyram is feeling much better at the moment and hope it continues. Again sorry that I have not been able to tick that many due to my repeatedly forgetful PW nature ... but life goes on and I have read everything on the last 4-days.

Yes Steve, you are right we did run it at one ... think at one of the Stafford meetings the year after Deesdale Road as he had Loch Leven as well as Trebudoc going that year. sb67 Thanks Andy. Sad to hear about Mike, your operator. Mike used to have a layout on the table at Christmas. I spoke to his wife and arranged for a 4 x 2 N-gauge layout built for my Granddaughter tube used ... it kept him happy and Eirwen still says that he runs it (the roundy-roundy section that allows her get on with something else so it is still there. Granddaughter now has a small N end to end in a 4' x 7" former gun box.

Trebudoc was a great layout to work - 2013 - just shows how the time goes.

Where are they now? Not sure what is happening, the next post didn't and this one has come up again. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Dave H and thoughts with Tony and Aditi. The items read were family trees, helicopters and tanks not forgetting the weather and the 'sights' that increase blood pressure. Cannot remember the rest but will post this now ...

Where are they now? This above one did not post at the time, probably will now and the one following it that added to this ... disappeared into thin air. I will post then do another one.

I see you mentioned an 'old shed' - new ones are usually better - just watch the 'bye-laws'. Glen Roy, dare I say it, is not looking quite so good now and the state of Fiddlers Yard I know not. Deesdale Road is still going and potentially has a booking subject to Covid.

Thanks. "Put aside until later" ... sounds like a good idea! Have spent some time on a layout (Cadley Hill) that Andy P started but didn't like, have enjoyed doing it but wished now that I had taken up his points and put motors on them. It has been surprising what has come out of the old cardboard boxes - hence noting the unmade-up kit. They have been through at least 6 houses in their lifetime as have some of the buildings and also a motor bike and racing car put away with the date 1957 on the box. Surprised also at the number of signal boxes ... I was planning an N rather than getting on with Rothleigh after ripping up the track and to gain space thought I'd use up some of the 'stock' bits and pieces and thus Cadley Hill, except that it bears no resemblance to it, is now up and running. Neverhill might be a better name for it.

The patience of Job. I have a kit still not made up that must be nearly 40 years old ... it will never get made up now.

If he will allow a member of this forum, AndyRam, was one such committed individual whose head made life impossibly difficult such that the end result was that he was lost to education. Thankfully he is establishing himself in the model railway supply field and personally delivered to his customers during Covid to keep it going.

Hi Guys, Work continues - spending so much time on the web and get cut off before I add so below is the latest. The rock face was an idea suggested by young son and the P.Black and Co. unit (early kits probably remembered by more than a few on the web) as the real Cadley Hill was a mining area. There are 40 plus people on it, including 'Michael Portilo' climbing the signal box steps, the station platform has grain of wheat lighting- with a resister in tow- and the engine shed has two LEDS with half a coach (cut not to take up too much of the track) with two men working on it and a lady leaning on the benches. Had to use a bit of Midland fencing to complete the 'security' at the side of it. Currently all track working and the 08, 20 and 47 take all the bends although when testing my granddaughter pointed out that the latter scraped a bush - so then cut down. Not often do I have a running session with three locomotives running simultaneously and not crashing into each other. Thanks for reading, cheers.

When I started Brian could have been wished a happy birthday but now it os hope you had a happy birthday - and it looked you did because of all those tokens. The Q stern woodwork looks great. Chemical/smells: Burton (and Guilford Friary and Oest Houses) have the effect on me of removing my recent food; Cambridge Heath had ?Palmers and if they had a leak ... and of course good old H2S; once also remember someone dropped a bottle of xylene and the next morning all the staff had 'odd' headaches. The bad was the sewerage farm and unfortunately the story goes the first one went in, did not come out, the second went in and did not come out the third started to go in suddenly realised and called the ambulance ... remember it for other reasons. Neil, glad to hear that Grace is coming home - lovely picture. Locally a lady scrubbed her bathroom out with bleach and another chemical (can't remember off hand), windows closed, suddenly collapsed and unfortunately inspite of rapid response died of chlorine poisoning because the second chemical reacted with the bleach to release chlorine. Sherringham flooded - no help for the rest of us an here yesterday! rain sun torrent sun rain wind - no snow but three seasons in one. Start the uni process al over again - Coombe Barton- that would be like putting water onto a burning fat filled frying pan. Not great but the send off via the surgery of his doctor BiL just showed how respected he was. Thoughts with you. Apologies if I missed anything and for those that I was unable to 'tick' or comment earlier. Hope you all have a great day

Like what I've seen but was unable to comments it first said that I did not have permission and then a while later wouldn't let me go further so I've reentered for the third time tonight to let you know.

Danemouth - not alone and 34theletterbetweenBandD and I bought the same Rimsky-Korsakov LP as our first 0- a great piece of music. Favourite symphony Beethoven's 6th favourite composer Tschaikowsky. A-level results etc. Mike Stationmaster and Aditi with Tony S totally agree. At school, couldn't happen now, to teach English your degree had to be from Oxford. That's an aside but hated the days when we were told to mark in pencil instead of red pen (because, dare I say it 'little dears' -16 plus- were upset by all the red) so that they could rub them out. I'm obviously so-called 'old school' where we were taught to write and spell - this 'critical thinking' could come later once we were able to express ourselves 'neatly and correctly' as I remember 'Pug' Peckham writing at the end of one of my essays. Phonetically children might learn to read (parents are definitely discouraged from helping children learn 'words') but there are still 'red words' that have to be learnt and it is nice to listen to them working unknown words out ,but spelling? ... The good thing about this type of reading is that the modern books have listed questions and hence one can find out if they 'understand' - also a word that is not liked by the current generation of teachers - they must 'show how the story develops'. There will be some who can really justify that they should have a higher grade but I think that a teacher giving a truly honest opinion on some would have been taken to the coals by the relevant head teacher. Is there enough procrastination in this response? PS I am truly by now a very experienced repetitive 'forgetter' of my password but now have some more RAM (SBN?) in my computer so it doesn't take so long to get through the process to resume.

Looks like my next primer will be Halfords! Have been having a bit of a time with grey primers so thanks al of you. Peter

Great to see you back Jeff. This end main layout - nothing touched for ages although a few small layouts for Granddaughter and a friend but some time before lockdown Andy P started Cadley Hill ... and stopped so it passed onto me as a bare board with n hinge extension to fit in the back of his car - the same model as mine - and some track Lockdown came (now nearly 23 weeks since last entering shop) but thought I'd make Cadley Hill work ... and then modified some track and then decided to make some scenery, changed it, ballasted, grassed, decided to make it 'better' but, in hindsight wished that I had put in point motors. Inwil put some more photographs on the blog soon as it has changed again from the lat set. I had tried thmany 'firsts' including some scratch and found it very enjoyable. Stone walls ... some way off I think. Best wishes and look forward to your forthcoming layout. Peter