Johnson044

Thanks CKPR - I'll look into the other versions. Some of his humour was really quite dark - Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters for example. Computer was fighting back all day yesterday and whilst watching the little blue circle I kept myself sane with my own version of Damnation Alley: I've got the dog food and I'm going to take it All the way from Folkestone, oh I've got to get through The going won't be easy, but I'm going to make it It's the only thing that I'm cut out to do Riding hairy car seats brings me out in a rash When I get home I'm going to break out the Flash. Driving home more Winalot for him to consume in a Four-wheeled canine flatulation tomb Thank you Tito Minter for going do-lally and Leaving me the heritage of Dalmatian Alley, Dalmatian Alleyway No more Carbonara, now the pasta's been chewed up All the Vegan pate what a pity it's gone Bread bin on the floor and the crumbs have been licked up No more Jacob's crackers, All inside Number One. Flatulation wasteland, flatulation wasteland Dog hairs coming at me now, methane coming at me now Flatulation wasteland, I've got my anti-flatulation machine Thank you Tito Minter, I said thank you Tito Minter For giving me the dog poo with the green furry crust The sky is raining faeces it's a nightmare come true Going down Dalmatian Alley, well good luck to you Good luck to you now Dyson Cyclone angel, cleaning up the excess Dyson Cyclone angel, cleaning up the excess Going down Dalmatian Alley, it's one hell of a mess

Thanks for the interest folks - and, t-b-g. It was indeed the Dalmunzie Railway and the date I now know was 2nd April 1977.

Sorry. All a bit bleak. As songs about nuclear Armageddon go Hawkwind are much more upbeat.

Thanks 5050 - I'd never heard of Cimco. It's all slightly alien territory for me as I've not dabbled in 4mm since my yoof. From memory Romfords definitely seemed much coarser than those on my loco, which also seem much thinner than I remember Romfords being. They seem to be a grey mazak or white metal with N/S or just possibly brass tyres. Don't think I can discern any rim insulation. Fixed to axles in the same way as Romfords. I think you could probably get the wheels off and remove them leaving the axles in situ and then remove the axles sideways but it would be quite a juggle. I've no intention of doing so! The frames aren't painted behind the driven wheels but they are painted behind the coupled wheels. The bogie / tender wheels are presumably Jacksons- so post mid '50's at the very, very earliest. A friend, who I really respect as an authority on these things reckons the smoke box door is a Hamblings casting (and it's back to front too!) and feels that the gauge of brass is much heavier than a Jamieson kit (and he's not aware of them ever doing a kit for this loco) and very possibly scratch built. I'm not convinced still - the spectacle plate and tender frames look far too precisely cut out. The mystery deepens!

Thanks t-b-g - I'll have a look. In 1977 it was pretty moribund! I remember being shown a small narrow gauge system around a remote sawmill in Aberdeenshire whilst on the same holiday but where that was completely eludes me.

November 1983 was entirely retrospective - as you say, it was far from common knowledge at the time. But the overbearing sense of imminent doom was very much there, though in truth I was losing interest in CND at the time and far more interested in messing about with motorcycles.

Just ignore me. I'm full of s**t!

Ah well - you see - if I told you how I came to know that at the time then I'd have to kill you...

November 1983 for me, I think

Please- no! I've coped (barely) with three of them.

Yup. Quite agree. Certainly not panicking - there really isn't much point. As you say, best to be close to the epicentre should it happen but que sera sera. I have a tendency to watch you tube clips of "The War Game" and listen to Roger Waters when I'm on a downer. No way am I watching "Threads" again though.

I'm sorry but the possibility of nuclear Armageddon still scares the living s**t out of me.

Indeed. Every time I go to Salisbury and drive past Porton Down I wonder if I'll hear the sound of klaxons and see people in lab coats running like hell.

I do, of course, speak from a position of privilege. I have freedom of speech, enough to eat and the police won't kick down my door tonight (I hope)....and, I've never had to run for my life, give everything I have to some criminals to get me into a small boat in the hope that I might get a bit of the luxury the people who enjoy my country's oil experience only for some fascist to put me on a plane to Rwanda.

It will all probably go f*cko soon when Putin pushes the button and when you look at the big picture the entire universe is probably just a few atoms in a bit of wax in the ear of a huge dog so in the grand scheme of things all our scrabbling for bare essentials, justice, equality, possessions and entertainment probably don't amount to much. Plate tectonics will eventually erase all evidence of our so-called civilization. But - just for now - from where I sit I can see swifts wheeling between the chimneys. There are bees visiting the flowers. The sun is shining. Just for a brief while there is no sound of traffic or sirens. I'm not in a small boat in the channel, no-one's chucking high explosives at me, we don't have a gun culture, I've a job, a cup of coffee and at lunch time I'm going to pick up the soldering iron for half an hour. I am resolutely determined to be cheerful today. Time for some Paolo Nutini whilst I get through some emails.

Hi folks - my sister sent me some images from slides that she'd found whilst moving house. I thought they might be of interest. I think this might be the Dalmunzie Grouse Railway - in about 1977. No locos or stock around from memory but I didn't walk the entire line and memories of the holiday in Aberdeenshire are patchy to say the least. Looks to be about 3' or possibly 2'6" gauge, which I think the DR was.

No - thanks for asking 33C- not sure what I'm going to do with it TBH. Wouldn't take much to finish the job off but I like the patina and it's so very low on the priority list!

...and here's the link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225015526947?hash=item3463f87623:g:PRUAAOSwWENijk9N

This is on Ebay at the mo. Maybe a combination of Airfix / Kitmaster Evening Star and a Tri-ang Brit chassis? It's been rather well done. Very much a product of the late '60's or early '70's and very refreshing.

That has very considerable charm. Tri-ang Baltic tank or Hiawatha chassis maybe?

I really, really like this. Captures a B class beautifully. The NLR tank is very fine too.

Here's the G0G Gazette article on the repair of a Parley 2-4-0

The motor is a Pittman. Another possible identifying feature is that the footplate valances are from square section brass, which I read somewhere is a Jamieson feature. All starting to point to 1960's rather than 1950's I think.