br2975

Three years ago today, I was here - surely the 'spiritual' home of railway modellers . . . . . . . . of a certain age. . .

Well, I watched as much of the Olympic opening ceremony as I could stomach. I now know why there are such long queues on French beaches with folk desperate to leave..............................

. I have photographed these 'wagans dipio' at Gilfach Ddu and have a grasp of their construction. . I can see how the 'box' body folds up and the rivetted strips with a hole are attached to the body for lifting by a Blondin ropeway, or crane. . Similarly, I can see how the underframe folds up to form the channel section. . Also the small brackets that fit centrally under the box body at each end to hold the coupling chain/hook. . I assumed the two rivetted etches (top left) would fit on the inside of ther channel frames, facing outward - but they appear a bit too long ? . I am lost as far as where the two rivetted etches (centre left edge) and the longer rivetted etch (lower left edge) go. . So any help there would be appreciated.

CL = 19 First, 41 Second BS = 72 S = 108 SLO = 80

. Society, in the form of vote seeking politicans, newspapers pursuing greater circulation figures, media outlets obsessed with viewing statistics and pressure groups with agendas have brought this about. . In short, many currently serving police officers will openly admit that if a suspect's description is broadcast over their radios and that suspect is unnamed, or unidentified, save for his/her clothing and ethnicity ; the ethnicity may decide whether or not the officer stops and searches that 'suspect' if they see him/her. . If the suspect is named in the radio broadcast, and the officer knows or recognises the suspect by name and description, then the officer is more likely to take positive action. . Officers at the sharp end are too scared of losing their livelihood due to generally spurious allegations of racism, racial profiling, misogyny etc. . This has, in recent times been compounded by senior police officers apologising for officers actions, even though their officers have been acquitted/cleared of any wrongdoing or impropriety. . Trial by media, and focus groups with a jury composed of ill informed members of the public, and a police officer defendant with no support (even from his senior officers) is part of what determines the officers actions. . In the 16th. Century, if you wanted to ruin your neighbour with no evidence you called her a 'witch' By the 1950s, if you wanted to ruin your neighbour with no evidence you called them a 'communist' Nowadays, if you want to ruin your neighbour with no evidence you call them a racist, misogynist, transphobic, Islamaphobic etc ( any number of other terms are available )

. Let's look at it from a Senior Police Officer's point of view. . And, unbeknown to most members of the public, senior police officers can be paid a handsome annual bonus that is performance related. . It is accepted that shoplifting (it is actually "theft" - there is no offence of 'shoplifting') is a crime, and in most such offences the value of the stolen items does not exceed £200. . Therefore, if the police are 'instructed' to take no action, the offence goes unreported and unrecorded. . Hey Presto - it reduces the incidents of reported theft. . Similarly, if you downgrade drugs related offences - you take less punitive/positive action and have fewer recorded drugs offences . Hey Presto, statistics show, drug offences are down.....so you are making progress in the fight against drugs. . As was once cynically said to me "if you don't arrest anyone for drugs, you won't have a drug problem" . . Let's move on to the judiciary . In the overwhelming majority of matters, the police must approach the Crown Prosecution Service with the available evidence, and seek the CPS authorisation to charge the suspect, and the CPS will tell the police what charges to lay. . The CPS can, and do, refuse charges - they also have the power to take on any private prosecutions brought by outsiders, and either 'run them' or 'terminate the prosecution' . The CPS is judged by its success rate i.e. the number of success prosecutions it brings, based upon convictions or guilty pleas. . Therefore, if a police case brought to the CPS for advice on charging appears difficult, or 'could go either way' - the CPS can refuse to authorise charges, thereby not running the risk of losing the case at court, and thereby reducing their 'success rate' . . Such is the way policing and justice are administered in Britain today.

. Any legal basis for not pursuing shoplifting offences where the loss is less than £200 . In short, I doubt it. . However, governments of the day come up with 'ideas' such as this, which they foist upon the Home Office, the Lord Chanellor's Office, and the College of Policing. . These organisations, and others all get together, and by means of a magic spell, the 'idea' becomes 'policy' - not necessarily law, but 'policy'. . I could write a book on hare brained ideas that are foisted upon the police and the judiciary, none of which are ever accompanied by the increase in funding, or increase in staffing levels that are necessary to make the 'idea' work. . In a year or two, the idea / policy is quietly moved onto the back burner, in order to make way for the next great project. . . If the police are as incompetent as we are led to believe, why are the prisons full causing the new government to release prisoners early to ease prison overcrowding ?. .

. If anything, this highlights one thing..................... when was the last time you wernt inside a police station enquiry office, or better still, when did you last find a police station where you could access a public enquiry office ? . Many of the policing stories regaled on this forum are historic and "of their day" and should not be taken as a reflection of modern day practices. . Despite what focus groups, armchair critics, keyboard warriors and the media may claim, only those who have been directly involved in policing will know that no organisation changes as rapidly, and continually as UK Policing plc. . However, . In a recent conversation with a serving, mid-service Sergeant, discussing the indiscretions of police officers continually featuring in the media, the Sergeant said to a former colleague; "I bet they don't do anything that didn't happen in your day ?" . To which the former colleague replied; "In my day we never had mobile phones with cameras, WhatsApp, TikTok or Facebook"

I am but a simple man, who studied English to 'A' Level standard (as it was then). . But, even I get confused even irritated by either misuse of the English language, or worse 'new fangled' descriptions based upon 'The King's New Clothes" . Tonight whilst perusing what must be the most abysmal news outlet in Christendom, "Wales Online" - I happened on the sorry tale of three 'ladies' from South Wales whose £5,000 Tui package holiday was cancelled due to last weeks worldwide computer issues. . "Tammy, who works as a patient flow navigator......" beggared just one question........................... . What overpaid imbecile is draining the NHS budget thinking up job titles like this ? . .

Saturday, 15th. January, 1972 8 Car South Wales Pullman set; (60093+60738+60748+60749+60739+60648+60649+60099) worked a Bristol – Leeds ‘Footex’ in connection with an FA Cup 4th Round tie.

. 25th. April, 1970 Gilks-Grenside , (Educational Special Numbers 7 & 8) . The route was ; Surbiton - Woking - Guildford - Wokingham - Earley - Reading General - Didcot - Swindon - Wootton Bassett Jn - Westerleigh Jn - Patchway - Severn Tunnel Junction - Newport - Cardiff General - Bridgend - Port Talbot - Court Sart Jn - Felin Fran - Morlais Jn - Llandilo Jn - Llanelli - Carmarthen . At Carmarthen the passengers swapped onto a DMU lash up to tour the 'West Wales milk branches' which route was; Carmarthen - Abergwili Jn - Bronwydd Arms - Pencader - Pencader Jn - Pentrecourt - Newcastle Emlyn - Pentrecourt - Pencader Jn - Llanybyther - Lampeter - Aberayron Jn - Felin Fach - Aberayron Jn - Llangybi - Pont Llanio - Llangybi - Aberayron Jn - Lampeter - Llanybyther - Pencader Jn - Bronwydd Arms - Abergwili Jn - Carmarthen . I passed the Pullman heading west along the GWML, as we headed east on a Cardiff - eastbourne 'Mystery Excursion'

. We once had a Superintendent at my Cardiff (punisment) station who hailed from valleys mining stock. . Unusual for a man of his rank he would answer the enquiry office phone, and deal with callers at the counter. . I answered the phone one morning to an irate member of the public (regular customer) regarding some simple matter but demanding to know what the lazy b*stards at Ely were doing about his problem; especially as "I pays your wages" . The Super snatched the phone from my hand, and let fly.............. . "Why don't you get off your fat arse and drag it down Crossways Road to the nick, in your untaxed shed of a car and I'll show you what my officers are f***ing well doing !" wasn't the response expected. . On addressing a Tutor Constable's course ( of which I was a member ) on the subject of discretion this officers told the class "Being a Superintendent at Ely counts for f**k all, the only thing that differentiates me from the PCs is that I get a parking space !" . He would walk out of the nick at lunchtime to buy a bag of chips, and take his notebook and HORT1 pad with him and book people (report them for summons) if he saw them committing offences. . Looking out of his office window one day he watched as a teenage boy walked out into the busy main road, without looking right, but looking left instead. Bang ! a car took the lad out, hitting him back onto the footpath where he landed on his back. The Super ran out and unsympatetically berated the bruised and battered lad "Haven't you ever heard of look right, look left, you stupid **** ?" The lad looked at the Super and said "Ich spreche kein Englisch, ich bin Deutscher" He was an exchange student. . One day our Reserve Man (enquiry office PC, and this one ran the nick, even the Super did what Steve told him) sidled into the Super's office and said "The prisoner in the cell wants to make a complaint boss" "What's his name Steve ?" "Bird, Sir" "Leave him to me" . The Super unlocked the cell gate, walked into the cell saying "Right you little.............. what the " Mr Bird was a captured Harris Hawk, sat on the cell bench ! . And The Met think they have troubles ?

. I didn't note any with builder's plates on them, so can't positively identify their origins. . Mountain Ash had a large fleet of 21 tonners, built on former tank wagon running gear, for use carrying duff between Penrhiwceiber / Pontcynon and the Abeflyarff Phurnacite plant when the NCB took over the former BR / GWR Vale of Neath line (at the turn of the 70s) linking the two locations and thereby being no longer reliant on BR for moving their 'duff'. .

. Mountain Ash MA238. . When rail ended at Mount after the flood in 1981, many of its wagons were moved to other South Wales pits, for re-use. . MA238 was captured at Mount circa 1976 . No.2378 was captured at Cwm (Llantwit) in the winter of 84/85, during the strike

I have recently acquired some former Mercian Models etches for the Dinorwic waste wagons, known as 'wagans dipio' / Whilst I'm familiar with the wagons, and the basic construction of the kit, the etches contain some parts that have left me a tad confused . With the passing of Trevor Cousens, I'm in a bit of a quandry. . Does any kind soul have a copy of the instructions they could scan, and post here please ? . Thanks in advance . Brian R