Bernard Lamb

Very relevant if you see the news item today about a window cleaner who was left about £300k. The relatives contested the will and won. He got sent to prison for not telling them where the money went. Bernard

First and last pages of Beeching from the original draft. I do wonder at times just what should be attributed to the Doctor and what was added by others in the published report. He identified problems in accordance with the brief he had been given. He did not work for the railway and did not actually close any lines or stations. Sorry for repeating this, as I have posted on the topic on a previous occasion, but on a less viewed part of the forum Bernard.

The same wagons would behave in that way if there was another layout on which they could run, but most people do not make sprung or compensated wagons, so no it probably wouldn't be the case.. Bernard

So would it be better spending a few bob on giving out review samples to the model press? Bernard

To be serious for a moment. As a person who has had some involvement with pensions and the legislation governing them in both the UK and the EU. (Those not in the know look up the history of PPF and FAS). I suggest you look long and hard at the remark by Mr Davis that pensions are debatable. That remark can have serious consequences for many people in general terms and not just in respect of the current situation.. Bernard

From an east end almanac 1925. I wonder how it would be viewed by some groups these days. Bernard

It is not the track gauge that causes the problems. It is the closer adherence to scale adopted in the individual dimensions. I don't think Ian was saying it could not be made to work as well in P4 as in 00 but that the area required and the time needed are so much greater. A factor in the order of 2-3 in respect of area and who can guess at the amount of time needed to build it. Not to mention the extra time needed to keep things running almost perfectly. P4 has been demonstrated to work but it does impose certain disciplines that most individuals will find very difficult to adhere to. Bernard

Very much the case. A few years ago I came up behind a J15 on the A41 just NW of Aylesbury. Before Chinnor was reconnected all stock arrived and departed by road. Several preserved lines are not connected to the national network so road transport is the only option. Bernard Bernard

Sounds like a rather inaccurate rehash of an old story to me. Defence spending has always been a juggling act and a very dodgy one at that. As far back as Banockburn to my knowledge and I don't know much about what happened before then. But I only signed off 640 forms so what can I say against the words of a jounalist and a pressure group with an axe to grind. Bernard

During the infamous 3 day week we had an 08 engine still mounted on the frames and including the buffers as a standby generator. It was delivered by road though I do not remember exactly on what type of vehicle. As a stationary power source it made a heck of a lot of noise and vibration. Bernard

A pity they did not recall all firearms in the USA after 8 kids had been killed. Bernard

Is the thread on Ships more likely to drift than other threads? Bernard

Something like a true scale model of Deadwater comes to mind. Bernard

You are definitely in the lead in the Bah Humbug competition. The festive atmosphere and the carol singing and the opportunity to meet up with folks you have not seen for ages is a time to be savoured. I would not miss it for the world. Having mastered the skills required in avoiding being bashed by rucksacks at model railway exhibitions, I have no fear in fighting my way down an aisle of maniacal trolley drivers all fighting over the last special * Christmas Pudding. The dribbling, little brats sitting on top of the trollies grabbing items from the shelves and after a good chew throwing them on the floor might be a bit off putting, but it is only one day a year. If the weather is nice watching the fights in the car park over parking spaces from a safe viewpoint can also be an entertaining way to pass the odd half hour. My money would always be on the 30 something professional woman in a Porsche. I would avoid the two newish German supermarkets as at these I find the customers are too intent on the shopping to provide any diversions. * I like Heston's but other brands are available. Bernard

Just heard a story about people who have already booked the delivery slot for their Christmas food supplies. The mind boggles. Well mine does. Bernard

I have tried various loomotives through one of these points. The FIA trains 10000 is quite happy running on the original wheels which are known to be rather sensitive, The only problem I have found is with an Hornby Q6. This, at a very slow speed, catches a wheel on some part of the crossing when travelling on the straight branch in the trailing direction. It is not the leading wheel set and appears to catch on one side only but I have not yet tracked down the exact problem. Everything else runs just fine. Regarding the comments about track gauge. The rail is quite loose in the chairs and can move from side to side and the angle to the vertical also has some movement. Any variation can be adjusted as you connect a point to a length of track. In the real world the visible difference would seem to be of no consequence. Bernard

All sub contracted out to China these days Colin. Bernard

All very nice. But the limits can presumably be very easily overridden by a person in the know. I do feel that machines such as these should be restricted to use by qualified licensed operators. You cannot use a firearm or a motor vehicle without being subject to certain checks and controls. Even then these come with built in limits and there is a cottage industry in making then perform better than the off the shelf version. To me they are aircraft and should be treated accordingly. Bernard

I find it interesting that four people find this comment to be funny. Round my way there are people who live in isolated houses and criminals have used drones to carry out surveys on potential targets. I have a friend who lives on a farm at least half a mile from a public road and he has had several flying visits. He has lost diesel fuel and had a tractor damaged while these low life scum were attempting to steal it. The only way they could have acquired the exact details of the farm layout was by an up to date drone survey. Others have had break ins were the entry point and time of the raid has been selected by drone survey. My friend has informed various bodies that he intends to shoot down the next drone that flies over his farm. He has spoken to the CAA and asked about the legal situation and off the record they say it has not happened yet but they would be very interested in a test case. I have nothing against the use of drones in the hands of qualified licensed people but in the wrong hands they can be used in harmful ways. Certainly flying near roads and railway lines are areas where more control is required. Bernard

Several books cover the A3 class. RCTS Part 2A on LNER locos. This series is often called the green book. Yeadon has a volume on the class. There is another book by Irwell. All of these have plus and minus points but all provide a heck of a lot of information. Bernard

From where did you get the information about any improved profit? My hunch is that they are very much more expensive to produce then the FB type and have been launched at a suitable price point to be competitive with the nearest alternative. Only Peco know what the margin is. Going by their usual awareness of all details of how to run a business I would not be surprised if they are making a reduced profit per item on the initial batch. As they establish a reputation, which I am sure they will, going by most informed observations, increased sales will improve the margin, as will increased efficiency. That new pack does not come cheap. I have noticed that there seems to be a small problem in that the under sleeper wires are easily damaged. Bernard

Seeing that this topic has strayed into other vehicles and goods I should add our local vans. John Dickinson, paper makers and stationary suppliers, had a large fleet of vans. Each was inscribed with a destination and most large towns were covered. I don't know how long they were in service in Big 4 days bit in LNWR times they were relatively common in bulk near the London end of the WCML. This trade continued into the 1960s and by then standard BR 12 t vans were almost universal for this traffic. Bernard

Most coal was carried in 7 plank wagons while the 5 plank type were used for a variety of materials. Our local builders merchant for example, Anderson and Woodman had 5 plank wagons. I don't think they were ever used for coal. Bernard