john new

I remember going to a series of meetings about a new software purchase and various proposal/demos. I was being regularly criticised by colleagues for asking questions about does it do X etc., which were functions they were not showing. My rejoinder was along the lines of I can see it does what they are demoing (they wouldn't be demoing it if it didn’t) but can it do the things we want it for that they are not showing us. Asking for a text search on a word they hadn’t pre-selected was always one good one.

And if they do go wrong, or you even think they have, they are guaranteed. Personal experience confirms that. I also recommend them.

After another afternoon listening to the footy - the rail painting now completed, a highly relaxing and therapeutic exercise. A weird one though. When I initially made the backscene I fitted it with bolts into tee nuts. That was deliberately done so that it would (should) be removable for access. Undid the bolts earlier with the intention of getting easier access to the rear side of the rails and found it stuck (glued?) to the base frame. One for a month or two's time when it is warm enough to work outside and try to establish why the thing is stuck as I have no recollection of glueing it up. Next job, making sure all stray paint is off the rail heads and then more test running before track ballasting.

There is also an excellent pdf article about the tour. See https://www.academia.edu/23561018/Flying_Scotsman_modernity_nostalgia_and_Britain_s_cult_of_the_past_ Free to download/read.

The cab on Humorist and cab numbers look very slightly angled too in comparison with the straight lines on the boiler and coal rails. They look very slightly down hill towards the back.

I think that blame is a bit strong, although responsibility across those involved rather than specifically Network Rail would be better wording. Viewing it from a pax perspective. Some one has also suggested bussing from Preston, that assumes there were/are enough coaches/buses available WITH SPARE DRIVERS able to do a London round trip without overrunning drivers hours. For what it is worth I would also bung in a (6). Tours too long to avoid ludicrously start finish times for pax even when all goes to plan. Consequence when you push to the margins there is very little wriggle room when something goes wrong.

Aren’t they (47s) 75mph locomotives everywhere these days.

Going back many years a similar attempt with a Hornby 2-10-0 on the WMRA’s then club layout (Evercreech Junction) failed when the coupling either broke or was pulled off on the lead coach. After this many years I can’t recall how many it was loaded with but it was a lot. Sadly many of the other members present on the day have passed.

Yes, it struck me that the green tint people mention from washing up liquid might be from the colouring agent. If it went yellowish or reddish it wouldn’t be such a problem.

If it is any help I use 50/50 PVA mix a lot as it makes a good primer for using water colour paints for weathering. I always use an orange or a red. No problems with using onto limestone gravel, with fixing artists chalk scrapings or on plastic but can't comment on granite ballast going green as I don't use granite chips for ballast. Brief YouTube intro' here - last use of it onto crumbled limestone was on the inside of the Rufus Castle model seen in the video.

Having had two bursts of medical enforced rest (First in autumn 2007) and on and off over the last 18 months before a prostate op last year and for a hernia op just before the most recent Christmas take care and make the most of the rest. It was the long 2007 break off work after my major heart op that got me back into active modelling.

Started the necessary, but slow process, of starting to paint the rails and roughing out the sizes for some concrete roadway panels. Being done whilst listening to the Watford v Saints game. The rails - about 1/3 to 1/2 now painted.

Interesting to see the unloading tyre marks on those hoppers. I’ve not consciously noted them before on the earlier type of hoppers but so typical of the later MGR hoppers. (HDAs?)

Looking into it with my Board colleagues., will answer when I get the info. One minor website change today, the layout ownership of Four Feather Falls corrected. As we are always asked - "Is the bus link running?" Yes, York Pullman have confirmed our request to run it. The travel page will be updated in the not too distant future as/when I have time. Hope to meet many of you at Easter.

Whilst the tall view blockers aid operator distraction as you state they can disappoint those of us who like to see the spare stock and how other operators work their fiddle yards and stock exchange. Whilst most are all worked to one of the common options in the last year I have seen two options I'd not seen (or remembered seeing) before. One IIRC was at the Taunton SWAG day last year and one at the very small Beaminster show earlier this month. Both now squirreled away for possible future consideration.

Progress update: Nothing much done on the actual layout so far this winter. I tend to work on it outside in the warmer weather. Back to the model railway club last night after missing it over the Christmas break and a couple since where the weather was bad and I didn’t feel like crossing the causway off the island. Started work on weathering some more freight stock, six wagons and a brake van now about half finished.

As requested. QR code is to the pre-paid tickets Box Office.

An example of the yo-yo state of public finances in the USA?

The Papermaua/Mather’s site @MartinRS links to is the one I was thinking of.

Several. Try a Pinterest search for card buildings to get lots of images with links to the various websites. Quality is variable. Also search free card kits, you should find a site that lists many many links, the downside some of the links are now dead. There are also some free to download on the Illinois history site. I think that is the correct state. Been a while since I visited it. There is, or was, another free site that has downloads for basic Christmas village buildings. Hope these help.

Like the use of card, a very much ignored medium these days.

Hull, Barnsley & WR Junction. Hull (tick) Barnsley (close but no cigar) but did reach collieries in the West Riding.

At the risk of going off topic we have just been through the same dilemma as the family are all now over 300 miles away but by random happenstance grouped within a 30 mile radius of each other. That includes both our children/grand children but also both my sister and my wife's sister. We have decided to stay put as whilst moving appears good on paper neither of us likes the prospect of having to restart building the social support network we have here as a consequence of living here on the Island just short of 37 years! Outcome we are investing in a new garage roof (warm type) so that the space can become a proper hobby area without all the condensation and white mould issues that have cut that opportunity out for all the time we have lived here. Everybody will be different but the social network where you currently live, if you have a strong one, is a very significant anchor. Knowing you I am pretty sure you have a similar strong social network too. Plus as you say, a stunning place to live despite the periodic gales. (66mph forecast for tomorrow evening!)

True, and one of the better one's too. On same lines there were two in York I recall from living there in the late 70s and early 80s:- C Hopcutt (A butcher's shop on Burton Stone Lane) A Buckle & Son (Joiner's shop, which IIRC was on Gillygate).

A possible is very careful use of a scalpel point almost parallel to the glazing and gently scraping off the no-smoking text; sort of as as you would use a chisel on wood. I recently used it as a technique in getting some white paint off the glazing strip on an r-t-r coach where the previous owner had, for some unknown reason, blocked off several of the windows which on the prototype MK1 full brakes were clear glazed with bars behind.