Mike Bellamy

Designed in Poole and made out of white metal ??

Pleased it all went well - next year we'll see if we get a couple of our guys to help out with the parking issues - some of them will do anything for a free lunch - and haven't has school dinners for years ! Mike

Andy and Andy Looking through the paper to see what's on TV and found this BBC1 Sunday 6.20pm Countryfile http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03j4y40 quote As Countryfile marks Remembrance Sunday, Jules Hudson looks at the role Cannock Chase played as a training ground for troops. Hope that helps with the research . . . . . . .

Sorry you lost me on the second line when you mentioned signalling and electrics - and as for interlocking and that amazing diagram - well words fail me . . . . . Good luck - I'm sure someone will be along soon with words of wisdom but you can bet I still won't understand it

Too clean although I see you got the right engine in the background - and in that photo there are two crew members on one side - but I guess you have someone on the other side to hide the motor !! So what about the other photo on page 47 - J54 3637A or does a withdrawal date on 1930 make it too early for you? Then there's the horse from page 46 already discussed - but Grantham had three . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike

And with a bit of luck the Fowler loco as well to pull the GWR wagon !! If Chris is going to buy all of the Lionheart wagons does that mean the next Ixion locos will be LMS and LNER . . . . . ? ?

I must admit that we were all concerned about the weight but the guys on the layout built substantial wooden supports at both ends - probably from 3"x3". There was a slight dip in the middle but that was more about the way the locking mechanism worked and was hidden by the facia board. Sorry no photos - it was only used once at a show earlier this year and isn't set up like that in the clubrooms - besides he wanted his ladder back to get into the loft at home !

Interesting use of the ladder. Our club N Gauge layout uses one like that to support their lighting units. When fully extended it is just the same length as the layout and they have built wooden supports at each end then suspended the ladder between the timbers. Strip lights fixed to timber are then held up with cable ties and a wooden fascia fitted to the front. Looking at the layout you would have no idea that a folding ladder is above it !! Mike

The Landlord of the Alexandra pub near the station is Ralf Edge - one time prolific poster on here but I haven't seen his name on RMweb for a few years now. Local news report here http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/VIDEO-train-standing-Ralf-s-pub-car-park-brewing/story-19259697-detail/story.html Mike

To have a pay cut, you have to be paid in the first place . . . . . . . Like Phil, I remember the 4mm version, including the comments I got from other Club members when I looked after your demo table at the Derby show when you had that and other locos on display and I was asked 'What are you doing there - you've never built a model in your life' - true then and almost true now !! Mike

Ha! thanks Paul - although on Saturday as we'll be in Burton we might have something a bit stronger than tea and in a pint glass instead of a tin mug !! Thanks also for the promotion - I never made manager and never would do so I fell off the Black Horse when they realised they could pay someone half my age half the salary to do the same job - for the last few months I was just answering the phone - of course now they don't have phones in branches and you'll probably get an overseas call centre . . . . . . Mike

Going back to the Derby pictures from yesterday - I love the way that the numbers on 170101 are all out of line (photo 6) - if anyone did that on a model the rivet counters would say it's all wrong ! Mike

Didn't we have a similar argument about the Blue Pullman - look how successful that's been because a lot of people liked what they saw and bought it - the fact that it never ran on a GWR shunting plank (for example) wasn't enough to stop them buying it - the same could be said about Tornado or any number of other models. There are very few layouts that are operated entirely with the correct stock - most have something out of context.

That's speculation on another forum . . . just wondered if anyone else had heard that? Mike

I have picked up from another forum that the latest issue of Railway Modeller being delivered to subscribers has details of a ready to run OO9 loco from Heljan based on the Lynton and Barnstaple 2-6-2 Exe, Tor and Yeo. There is also speculation that Heljan didn't produce the chassis? Anyone got any more information Mike

I can confirm that the figures are from Phil Morris of PLM - he has a stand each year at the Convention - and every year I'm amazed at the number of new products. A few years ago my young son was interested and Phil gave him a whole load of figures from the 'seconds' box free of charge - of course it helps being one of the organisers of the show !! Mike

Radio Derby reports that Leader of the City Council and the local MP are both saying that the East Midlands station should be in Derby - where on earth did they get that idea from and where would it go (although some would suggest knocking down the Westfield shopping centre). The routes into and out of Derby are certainly not straight and isn't the whole point of a high speed route that it's all new and able to run at high speed - no tight turns such as around Pride Park! Toton has always been the most obvious location as there's plenty of disused land there. For local travel isn't the point of a separate line to free up capacity so that the very long distance travel (eg Leeds-London) doesn't get in the way of other trains such as Sheffield-Leicester and so the regional services are better - and with the electrification of the Midland Mainline that will also help. One commentator on the radio said that although everyone keeps going on about the time to London, he felt the greatest benefit would be to improve the times from the Midlands to the industrial North East.

You wouldn't recognise that road junction now - a roundabout and traffic going in all directions! Looks like 'Bill Stickers' has had a field day on the bridge sides - obviously no laws against 'fly posting' back then Mike

Pleased to see that you recovered after your lie-down and it was good to see the mock-up at Club tonight. As I said, when you first talked of doing this project, I hadn't realised that there were so many angles involved and I just thought that the 'railway' would go straight up the cliff at right angles to the road but the final version shows that nothing is square! Looking forward to seeing further updates - any target for completion? Mike

Seen last week in China Town, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sorry about poor quality taken from taxi using I-phone for the first time !! I wonder if his brother is Mr Off . . . . . . . . .

The link to the LNER Forum where this is being discussed is http://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8013 including the fact that they are the first with the news!

Ha! Read that last night and it meant nothing - read it again this morning and got the joke straight away - don't browse the forum when half asleep Mike

Has the Mrs noticed you borrowed a door yet to use as a work bench - might have a few glue and paint stains when you come to put it back where it belongs On a more serious note - looking good . . . . . . . . Mike

I'm still waiting for the phone call to say that I won the raffle !! Congratulations to all concerned - and as for next year, we have some road signs at Mickleoever you can borrow . . . . . . . Mike

All this talk about the Lotus Cortina reminds me that the October issue of Classics Monthly has a feature about a guy who has three of these, each in fully restored condition and described as 'The Rare One', 'The Fast One', and 'The Everyday One'. I spent a long time looking at the photos and dreaming but the Lottery failed me again last night so it's back to the old VW Touran! http://www.classicsmonthly.com/2012/09/21/latest-classics-monthly/ As for Minis, son has a 1978 standard 998cc which he bought for £250 a few years ago and paid nearly £5000 for a rebuild and respray. When finished with new MOT, I went to collect it (he was still too young to drive) and had an interesting experience driving it the 50 miles back - seemed very unstable and there was some vibration through the steering wheel. Got home and eldest son took it for a quick drive round the block and said he was never going to use it again as there was something wrong with wheels/steering. Quick look showed nearside front wheel loose as there wasn't a split pin in the castle nut and the whole hub was in danger of falling off. Had it passed the MOT like that or had it fallen out (I doubt it). Further evidence of a bit of a botched job was when he had electrical faults/flat battery that seemed to indicate a poor earth somewhere - I suggested it might be the earth strap between the engine and body - quite right as there wasn't one! Problems come in threes as suspension was riding high with new rubber cones so they fitted adjustable 'Hi-Lo' which were fine until he tried to adjust them once the cones had settled a bit - to get the others to fit the end had been chopped off with a grinder and so there was no thread left to adjust. What a bunch of cowboys - at least the body work was first class! Mike