Not Jeremy

I don't know all of the "sub text" to this, and have no agenda, but offer the following in good faith: I spoke to Crecy today, whilst ordering more of their books, and had a brief conversation which the very helpful and pleasant chap on the end of the phone, who seemed to me to have a good grasp of what was going on. He is the person who normally answers the telephone when I ring Crecy. He said, of the above book, that it was indeed delayed, and I did not get the impression that he had or knew of any exact date for its publication. I didn't attempt to "drill down", but alluded to the time taken etc, at which point in the conversation he did say that they had received material for the book from the author and that it would be definitely going ahead. I got the impression that this would be sooner rather than later, but have no way of knowing. Speaking as a publisher myself, even with 100% accord, goodwill and plenty of good material, it can still take ages to get a book into print. There are a million and one things that can and do get in the way, and some books never make it. So I think we should all cut the publisher and author(s) a bit of slack. Simon

I have just received apologies from Steve Harrod that he will not be able to make this year owing to a family bereavement. This does mean there will be more space for Andrew Vines of course, who has several lovely "big trains" on the go... Back to Steve, he is therefore the first booking for the 2024 show with his James Hilton inspired micro layout "Larkhill Crossing", which will be finished by then. So in advance of next year's show, here is a foretaste of what he is up to, man at a gate looking out for an AC Cars railbus... How's about that for forward planning!! Simon

You.... you..... you.... Modeller you....!!

Here's just one good reason to stick a new battery in and get yourself up to Larkhall on the 15th - I give you the estimable Brian and his Branchlines...

Thank you very much Scott. The lamp is a miniature work of art in 1/32 scale (G1), one of several batches made by the very talented Chris Tolhurst, famous in 16mm scale especially for his very beautiful bespoke steam engines. Unfortunately for us he has now retired and works on his own models only, I think. Simon

Well, I appreciate that the lighting is poor, but it has to be said that I struggle to see through the windows on W68740. As to what and what isn't inside, I couldn't possibly comment..... The Rapido model is however superb, no matter how you look at it. Simon

Ooh, I just love it when you talk dirty..

Going back to the show, I have today received confirmation that we are able to use the car park below the Bath Brewery on the 15th. Drop down the hill past the brewery and take a left into its yard before the hotel and toll bridge. Very many thanks to Rob Thorpe and his colleagues for once again allowing us the use of their very splendid car park, in front of and inside below the below building. We are also running a minibus shuttle between Tollbridge studios, where the parking is and also the premises of the Titfield Thunderbolt bookshop and Wild Swan Books, which will be open to visitors for the duration of the show. The minibus is provided by the very kind courtesy of Brian Wright (Canal Digger on here), who will be driving the bus in addition to having made it available for our use. Thank you ever so much Brian! And there is lots of stuff coming - a list of delights will appear very shortly.... Simon

Ridiculous lugs on the inside of the roof - whatever are they thinking of!

Not really speaking of sheep, I have just had the most fantastic of afternoons.... ... Thank you very much to Ian Lucas, the new owner of Sid's steamroller, top man! I'm not sure Larkrail is going to be quite so much of a knee trembling experience as that was...

For Gawd’s sake don’t any of you ask for oat milk or any such new fangled concoction in the “Larkhall Inn”, you’ll give mine host a seizure! You’ll be Ok for that sort of thing in the caff or “Ma Cuisine” mind….

Thank you very much for a most enjoyable afternoon Jerry - I think that's a wrap! And with Cookie's attendance confirmed, I'd better try and finish his bespoke gentleman's brake van... Tally ho!

Parking below Fielden Clegg’s Bath Brewery should be available for the show, final permissions being sorted out. Brian is already lined up with minibus to shuttle between shoffice and show. The final planning meeting has now taken place….

Now out and in stock here in Bath, the latest issue of Model Railway Journal. A nice varied content, my take on it is here. Possibly a slightly brave cover shot, in that a few elements of what is nonetheless a very effective picture are a tad unfinished.... Everyone's a critic!! Simon

Nice train, shame about the lavender... What this line needs is a decent photographer!! Simon

As a follow up to the above, I am happy to report that after publication of "my" book, I was contacted by Ian Lucas, the new owner of "Harry's roller", and after some maintenance it is out and about again. Ian had it out at Swindon back in June and took this picture. He is very keen on the history of CH 3282, and if anyone would like to meet him and see the roller, it is going to be at the Heddington and Stockley Steam Fair on the 1st and 2nd July this year. It is a very friendly and reasonably priced event with a relaxed atmosphere, I intend to visit on one of the days. Roll on, my beauty! Simon

And going back to Limpley Stoke, the view from the box was (unlike Bradford Junction) also very picturesque, looking across the valley to the river Avon and Kennet and Avon canal above it. This shot has never been seen or published before, it didn't make the book as the quality isn't brilliant, but it was taken by Mervyn and shows a "Dean Goods" which looks to be shunting the exchange sidings(?) O for a time machine... Simon

Great pictures Keith, thank you for sharing them. Two years later, we went on a two week holiday in Kilifi, up the coast from Mombasa, travelling down through Tsavo and stopping at Voi where the Arusha line diverged. I took some shots inside the shed there, here is one of them. Either on the way down or possibly on the way back up, we also stopped at Bachuma, just south of Voi, where I photographed the tablet exchange on a Mombasa bound freight running through hauled by one of the fabulous 59 Garretts. And it wasn't a 23 I saw on a ballast train, it was a Class 24 - not the Sulzer version(!!) I think that apart from anything else (like the passage of fifty years) the new standard gauge line has made a big difference to the metre gauge line through Tsavo. I will find my other photographs and slides and get them properly scanned.

Mike, I did get your message, thank you very much and I will get back to you. In the meantime I have found a picture that I took of Mervyn outside Bradford Junction box which you might like. I think this was on the trip with Tim that evening, or perhaps we returned a second time(?) Those GW boxes were handsome structures.... Simon

I have found a few images, they are not very good and I ought to rescan the original slides, but as that isn't imminent I will post some here - apologies for the quality. As I recall, Geoffrey and I would walk down to the line every evening to watch what we called the "5 o'clock goods", this was about a mile south of Nakuru station across the road from the school where he taught. This train frequently included a withdrawn Garrett that was being returned to Nairobi, as diesels were increasingly coming in to use. They were certainly hauling all of the passenger trains I saw, in their smart green and yellow livery. One evening we drove down to Gilgil, the next station south of Nakuru to see the evening freight, and I took this picture, no Garrett on this one. I think that might be Uncle Geoffrey's Cortina estate at the right edge of the picture(!) I think this might be another of these evening freights, photographed at Nakuru, or it might be somewhere else. Nearly a great picture, if only there had been a decent photographer present! It was a fantastic landscape and the skies and light were amazing. I am sure they still are. Simon

Yes they have, thank you. And I still haven't really "plugged" either book yet....

An antipodean doppelgänger?

Great idea for a thread. I was lucky enough to spend summer of 1972 in Kenya with my sister. We stayed with our uncle and aunt in Nakuru up the Rift Valley, luckily Uncle Geoffrey was an enthusiast and I went around Nakuru, Nairobi and Voi sheds. The railway was truly fabulous, semaphores and a great maroon livery with brass cut out numbers on the steam engines. I loved the "tribal" class, 29/30/31 and the 59 Garrretts going through Tsavo were something else. Stopping off at Voi on the way to Mombasa I photographed one of those really lovely 23 class on a ballast working. We saw lots of other things too, loads of game, Thompsons Falls, the white sand of Malindi beach, Jomo Kenyatta and soldier ants. Geoffrey sadly went some years ago, but I have a letter from him to CIE and its reply, dictated by none other than OVB himself! All of it never to be forgotten, I'll dig some pictures out, they are on an older computer and as slides.

Ah yes, a great evening in Mervyn’s company “inside the triangle”, and then there were the chickens, or at least the smell of them…..

Another partial view of a large project, testing some new motive power earlier this evening.