Stentor

Hi Roythebus, It cannot be this as the watch is dated 9th May and this accident was on June 27th. //Simon

Hi Wickham Green, it’s them who asked for my help in finding out more, his descendants knew nothing about the incident until they found the watch. Different times back then and I guess people didn’t talk about their achievements so much. //Simon

That was my first thought Roddy but searching the microfilm copies in the local library didn’t reveal anything. Local newspapers in the 1920s are very interesting there’s much more of a focus on world events and on school sports than you see today. I was was wondering if there was a searchable index for The Railway Magazine or an equivalent of the time which might have carried the story? What the library archivist did find for me was this article about George Cobley which shows he went onto enjoy a long career with the Southern retiring from the railway in 1947. //Simon

Thank you Roythebus that would be much appreciated. //Simon

I don’t know for sure, I’ve assumed it was date of the incident as the inscription refers to the incident and it’s date would naturally be there. //Simon

I’m trying to find out more about an incident that happened at Wimbledon Station on May 9th 1927 for which George Cobley was presented with this watch. I’ve tried the local library and looked through the local papers around the time but there is nothing about this incident at all, only plenty of adverts for the Southern railway. Are the original Southern Railway records still held somewhere and are they accessible? Can anybody suggest where I should look to find out more? Thanks for any help. //Simon

There are a couple on eBay but the prices are quite electrifying themselves. //Simon

On my way back to the car dodging the worst of the rain by stopping up under the shop front awnings in Wells I spotted a succession of ladies, of a certain age, all doing the same thing. Each was on their mobile phone saying pretty much word for word: “All right, are you sure you’ve seen what you wanted to see? I’m happy if you want to stay a little longer. I’m opposite a coffee shop, it’s just down from the Town Hall, I’ll be in there”. To the ladies, God bless ‘em all. //Simon

The model shop in Frome is at the top of Catherine Hill so you will have got some exercise getting there. They are closed on Sunday and Monday. Stourhead, a National Trust house, is just south of Frome and well worth a visit. //Simon

Thanks Phil, I was wondering that, additions to the spares box always find a use sometime. //Simon

"Choice" Kiwi, thanks for the information and the link. The price is surprising as well although I appreciate the condition of the one I will be selling is far from mint. //Simon

I've got another one to identify if I may. Any idea what this Dinky model is based upon ? To my uneducated eyes it has a Ford look to it. Ta. //Simon

Brilliant, thanks Hroth and Stewart. Following your lead I think the green van is a Matchbox 1956 Bedford van. // Simon

I'm selling some model vehicles on behalf of a friend's estate. I've got these two which don't seem to have any manufacturer's identification on them. Can anybody help me please and tell me who manufactured them and what they are models of ? Thanks for your help. //Simon

Yes, but I saw several trucks with "we 2 are one" on them in Nepal and they weren't Eurythmics fans.

Happy Birthday David. At 70 you are still in the type 5 classification so here’s to many more birthdays to come. Thanks again for the daily present you share with us, have a good day and hope your shoulder feels better soon. //Simon

Thanks Fat Controller, PetetheMole and Clive for the answer to my question. A pity but I think I’ll still get one as the body and chassis may be of use for conversions. //Simon

Airfix have reintroduced a 1:76 model of a PAK 40 gun and truck https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/airfix-vintage-pak-40-75mm-anti-tank-gun-truck-1-76.html Can anybody identify the truck and would it be of any use to modellers of the UK in the 1950 / 60s? Thanks //Simon

On Corb’s podcast they discuss an incident when a junior queried Thompson’s placement of a lamp bracket and Thompson himself went up a ladder against the loco with a ruler to prove the guy wrong. So he was quite hands on. Thompson proved himself wrong on that occasion and apologised to the junior for doubting him. //Simon

Hi Clive, Good stuff as always but isn’t it Mr Thompson’s cement mixer, not Mr Peppercorn’s? BTW you should check out the Railway Mania podcast, by Corbs of this parish, on Thompson, some interesting new insights on the man, his works and his very vocal enemies. Best. //Simon

There was/is an Alan Gibson E4 kit which is out of stock but at priority 2 (whatever that means) http://www.alangibsonworkshop.com/Kits.html The rumours of a RTR E4 have probably dampened kit makers enthusiasm but I’m starting to wonder if the only sure way to flush out a RTR E4 is to announce that I myself am about to invest a king’s ransoms and release a kit myself. Did that work? //Simon

I agree with you on that but I think it is because I’ve been looking at E4s, F5/6s, round topped boiler N7s and J67/69s which all fall, currently, into 34’s “of a rare but extremely desirable subject” category. //Simon

A friend of mine has been selling stock from his late father’s layout, mainly Southern railway and much of it high quality kit built. A dealer told him that the kit built locos will be worth less than RTR locos because they cannot be converted to DCC as easily. Ok, you can say that’s a bargaining chip on the dealer’s part but he’d already agreed a price when he said it. So what it made me wonder was does anybody know just how popular is DCC in the UK. Does anyone have a feel for the percentage of active UK modellers who run DCC layouts? Thanks, //Simon Dear Mods, I assume this belongs here, not in the DCC section but I leave that to you.

With a surname like that surely something in Fisheries. //Simon

Thanks everyone for your informative answers. //Simon