Not Jeremy

I have just packed up my little Titfield book and a bumper bundle of nonsense - poor Chris! Thank you very much Paul for facilitating all of this, I hope he feels appreciated by a lot of people, he certainly is. Simon

Looks really good - well done! Simon

It was through a series of articles that Chris Published in Scale Model Trains on making the Titfield Thunderbolt towards the end of 1994 that I made contact with the very wonderful late Bernard King, and his wife Jean. Bernard was a film enthusiast, and also a model maker, and after writing to him c/o the magazine we met up and became friends. Bernard was a brilliant character who had lots of stories to tell about the filming, and it was through this meeting that I ended up writing my little book and getting more immersed in Titfield-ery. This is the picture Bernard took the year before the film was made while out on a walk, and which appeared in the article as I recall. I hope to publish a second book on Titfield this year, and it will include a short chapter on Bernard and his involvement with the filming etc. Bernard gave me prints of his photographs, a poster and some lovely card models he had made, all of which I now treasure. So thank you to Chris for facilitating a very enjoyable chapter in my own life. Simon

I watched it from the bottom of the garden, which mostly consisted of listening to it before a distant and fleeting glimpse of it and train where they cut vegetation back when they raised the pylons for the electrification that didn't happen. Apologies for the extraneous lineside detail.... It sounded fabulous!

A sack of ferrets for Mrs Postlethwaite perhaps?

Good question! It can't be the cat, because Schrodinger's got that....

Seen yesterday on the containers a stone train through the Avon Valley. Sorry for the excess of pictures, those iPhones are so quick and I just couldn't help myself....

Drums Roll Expectant hush And here.... Fresh from RMweb live... And the Ricoh Arena..... (Steve's back pocket) Please give it up for... None other than.... Your friend and mine... Timmmmeeee Twooooo Trowserssss! Coming to a show near Bath quite soon..... Huzzah!

That’d be your William Clarke, lovely buildings!

Good God man, where's your spirit of adventure, he gets over it soon enough anyway. Mind you, me playing the "Archers" over his S&C video some years ago did take a while to recover from!! It wasn't deliberate - honest!!

I'll have a word with Cookie, we wouldn't wish to disappoint anyone.....

Regulators, they work really well don't they? Take your world of financial institutions, all as tightly regulated as you like The result of which is lots of pointless crap that has to be trotted out in any conversation and nobody normal can open a bank account without idiotic and pedantic difficulty. Meanwhile any crim with obscene amounts of money can have what they like, oh and buy up half of London's property as well, no questions asked. Grenfell Tower? The utter disgrace of the post Office system that drove people to suicide and ruin? All properly "regulated" no doubt, so all arses covered and stuff the poor sods who suffered as a result - that's what regulation is about. You can take your regulators and stuff them all somewhere dark and painful as far as I am concerned, they all make me want to puke. Thank God for the likes of RMweb, personally I like the fact that it is "imperfect" and without regulation or spin. Sure sometimes I think Phil Parker talks cobblers*, but then so do I, but I always get the feeling that everything on here is sincere, well intentioned and fundamentally honest. And yes, some pictures might be lost, possibly, but probably not, but then again, but luckily I saved mine, (actually I'm glad quite a few of them have gone), but then maybe they haven't, but they might have done, best to take back ups, (or off to another forum and wreak havoc there instead), but still come back here to worry about the pictures that might be gone, obviously, or possibly not, and repeat ad nauseam.... Not Jeremy * Sorry Phil, I was just using you as a cheeky example for cheap effect in another post that adds absolutely nothing to the subject at hand but which made me feel slightly better for a brief and fleeting moment....

Safely back from a great weekend. There were indeed a lot of booksellers and I was one of them, out of respect for the others I only took my own (ie Wild Swan) books along to the show. Commercially worth doing, just great to be at a show again, many more conversations had. And very nice to spend the weekend in Jerry's company. We did however unfortunately suffer a key equipment failure at taking down time... However, Jerry very soon had the situation in hand! Thank you to Jerry for your help and everyone who organised and came along to what was a very good show. Simon

Just back from a second day at the "new improved" Bristol show with the books, ably assisted and accompanied by Jerry "Queensquare" Clifford. This is a really good show in a venue which has definitely upped its game since I last visited it. Loos revamped I think, internal spaces and corridors looking smart and well cared for, catering provision massively improved, jolly staff serving good range of stuff in the public space on the ground floor, exhibitors teas etc in nice side area, run by nice people, with merriment and good humour much in evidence. Had lots of nice conversations with the "old guard" and the "new guard" and it struck me that for a first venture the whole thing was going really well, with lots of positive vibes throughout the exhibition. Several good conversations with Phil, very nice to meet Bev from Warners and the whole thing feels really upbeat to me. Lots of happy visitors and lots of traders and lots of good layouts, met up with lots of friends old and new, lots of RMwebbers and some very nice model railways to boot. We sold a fair bit of stuff and will both be there again tomorrow.... Well done and thank you to all involved, it is a pleasure to be a small part of it! Simon

Thank you Mike, you are right as confirmed by Dave Summers over on "Western Thunder". The picture features Reading Middle Box. I'm guessing the date is just before it was renumbered in 1946. Simon

That would make sense as according to the BR database it was allocated to Reading from 1935 until after it was renumbered.

Can anyone please help in providing any information on or identifying this location? The loco is 4807. Many thanks, photo from the David Hyde collection.

I do hope you all spend the money you saved with the traders at the show!!

Thank you very much for checking Mike. The result of whatever happened was that a string of box vans in the commercial numbering series, ie presumably vans used for local storage, were shunted through the buffer stop on the siding nearest the up main. The first van ending up on top of the collapsed buffer stop hard up against the goods shed, it and the van behind it suffering some interesting damage because of the resulting height difference. It must have been quite a heavy shunt to detach the bufferstop - I bet it made a bang! In the same collection of negatives I have pictures of the same vans in the same positions but on another date I would have thought. All very intriguing, and as you say it must have happened shortly before closure. Sorry to be not showing the pictures here, but they are deinitely worthy of publication in a book, such a thing from WS is heading for publication this year. So much to do and so few brain cells... Simon Simon

I thought I'd cast another question out to the RMweb expertise. I am scanning negatives from the late David Hyde, and have come across what I think is a shunting accident at Colwall, date early 1960s I think. Without wishing to be irritating(!) I don't want to reveal the image as I am going to use it in a new book I am working on. So, the question, does anyone here have any record or knowledge of such an incident? If so then I would love to hear from you! So as not to be seen as too much of a miserly rat bag, here is a nice picture from the same collection, showing a WR DMU running in to the station. This picture pre-dates the incident I think. And here is what I think is the photographer's car, this taken at Hatton I am pretty sure. I think the photographer may be Jim Russell himself, but am not sure and wonder whether anyone here knows if this is the case. Any thoughts or assistance very much appreciated, and I think it fair to offer a copy of the new book when it comes out to anyone who can provide a date and or details for the shunting mishap. I'm going to limit it to the first person to come up with the info, just in case it is something really well known!! I thank you... Simon

It is out, very good, and in stock at the Titfield Thunderbolt bookshop, my take on it is here. As this thread is frequented by wagon aficionados, in my guise as Wild Swan Books I am working on a new title that will cover ex GW wagon types in traffic, which should come out this year. And for your delectation (and as respite from endless mindless and boring wittering on about discounts) here is a gratuitous wagon picture (that appears in neither book). Taken by WA Beard, copyright and part of the David Hyde Collection, now in my possession. Can you guess where it is? Simon

As Jordan says, thank very much Paul and well done for speaking with Chris. I'm sure the situation isn't ideal but it sounds as though he is making the most of it in his usual style! Best Wishes Simon

Jeez All this "too old to be able to carry big layouts" jive has always been with us - find a nipper to carry it for you! Joking apart, the sort of exhibitions that would be produced by expediency and a strict following of "common sense" as espoused above would be, frankly, boring. Without wishing to ruffle feathers, the hobby needs new ideas and new entrants for it to survive and prosper, and exhibition organisers who are worthy of the name should be thinking beyond strict practicality. If your club depends upon a show for its finances then fair enough, and if enough local joes can be brought through your doors then fair dinkum, but you won't be attracting anyone looking for something interesting or different. I won't be attending, unless it's on my doorstep, and even then I might not. Yes I know, you won't miss me etc.... Too often we sink into "gloom and despondency" mode I think, the hobby is in very good shape, the wretched plague has even put up sales (talk to Peco if you don't believe it) and there are lots of new ideas and methods about - 3D printing at home - who of us saw that coming? And before you practical and sage old guys lean out of your zimmer frames to shoot me down in flames, ask yourselves this: Is Warley being at the NEC "sensible"? Can "Heaton Lodge Junction" even exist? Let alone be put on the road and exhibited? Let's be positive and get creative! And if we can't stand the heat then we should get out of the kitchen. Not Jeremy

Yes, a great shame, possibly not men of sufficient faith in York🤔

I have a feeling that whilst many railway modellers have been reverends, accountants, tax inspectors and even Pop stars, very few have ever been found in the diplomatic service.....