Not Jeremy

I wonder if anyone can help me please? This is part of a larger image that I wish to put into the new Wild Swan book on siphons, but I can't workout where it is. I don't think it is anywhere in Wiltshire, the loco in the complete picture is Himley Hall which was last allocated to 84G Shrewsbury and I would say the photo was taken earliest from the late fifties onwards. Any assistance much appreciated! Simon

Ah yes, I see where you are coming from. Actually, I find myself quite liking the stuff these days - don't know what my world's coming too. Mind you, Monsieur Woodentop did warn us about the dangers of root vegetables earlier in this thread, sage advice.... How lovely to be able to have these daft virtual conversations again. Thank you for your second coming RMweb! Simon

👙🍄👜🧥🤼‍♂️👺🍌🍌🍌😳 What's not to like?

A further meeting recently took place and we now have a floorpan and everything, Jerry is taking it all very seriously.... One of the many attractions on July 23rd will be two stunning models of "Active" and "Bulldog" in 1/32 scale, together with their builders Steve Harrod and Andrew Vines. These were both built from Fred Phipps' kits. Simon

A great outward looking initiative, I hope it does really well. It might also go some way to displacing the apparently widely held idea that "Hornby" is synonymous with model railways(?) I appreciate it is much more than just model railways when I say that. Anyway, really good to read of an organisation in Blighty doing something positive and new and on its own account. Simon

Well done and thank you to Andy and everyone else involved in getting RMweb back on track. Of course, I didn't miss it at all🍌 Hell, I think these new emoticons are pretty cool too👺🧥👜🍄 👙 V(virtual)UNHCR were apparently getting pretty worried about the makeshift camps of refugees in neighbouring territories, the usual problems, petty crime, lack of sanitation, wish lists, you know the sort of thing..... It is a pity about the pictures I guess, but how much worse would it have been if the pictures were there but there were no words(!) Just think of all the pointless guff we'd be missing out on! Soz, that was a bit rude. Joking apart, it has been a very strange virtual world without RMweb, it is absolutely embedded in so much of the internet. For example how many searches on numerous subjects by now return results for information that is on RMweb - many thousands I think. And then there are all the virtual friendships and conversations it facilitates, think of all the people you'd not hear from again if RMweb were to really disappear for good(!!) And the many benefits it affords all of us, model producers, publishers, modellers experienced and new, just anyone interested in the world of model railways. Mind boggling - the good things that flow from RMweb are many and varied, long may it continue. Moving on to more serious matters, whatever did happen to that nice chap and his "Electricnose"😳 Thank you for returning, really. Simon

At the risk of being told off for further drifting a very good thread, what is it about Thames Traders? I find them extraordinarily appealing... Perhaps a new thread needs starting! Simon

Porcy, you aiming for something like this?! Yes, I know it's not a gunpowder van. I only say that as I feel that had I not done so, then some helpful soul would have felt duty bound to have pointed out that this iron monk is not a gunpowder van. And nor is a monk a mink.

I have checked my scan of an the print I have from David Hyde's collection, and the first word is without doubt "Demonstration". As regards location, looking at the excellent Warwickshire Railways website I can't see it as being Leamington, but then I don't know the station that well! Work continues in the book, I may well flag it up elsewhere soon... In the meantime thank you again for the very helpful information that you provided. Simon

Thank you very much Rob, that is a good idea! I am hanging back a bit as this project has been "in the pipeline" for quite a while now and I want to be sure that I have got it properly underway before publicising it. All that said it isn't any kind of secret either, so feel free to mention as you see fit. It will be a Wild Swan book, produced with the active cooperation of the HMRS, but extent and price etc are still to be determined. Having spent the last two weeks or so really going through it I feel I know the subject a little better, John Lewis has done a great job with the text, as you would expect. I am picture editing and by lunchtime today have got the end of the Siphon J chapter. If anyone has any brilliant previously unseen pictures then that would still be of interest, a customer recently sent me one of a B4 tank shunting a siphon off a train at Winchester City station(!) Best Wishes Simon

Hi Steve That is brilliant, and yes that is the image I am considering in the shape of one of Russell's prints that was in the late David Hyde's collection. I wasn't aware that it was in Russell's book as I don't have them in my collection This is all in relation to preparing a new edition of the HMRS Jack Slinn Siphons book, written by John Lewis. I am sorting out the pictures for inclusion at the moment and it will be published this year. I'm minded to put this picture in as I think it is interesting, I will take another look at my scan and see if I can decipher the first word. Thank you again for your reply. Simon

A bit of an obscure query, I am researching Great Western Siphons and have come across a reference to a diagram 062 siphon G which carried a large board which said: Tote Delivery system demonstration, or something like that. As far as I can see this would have been in early BR days. Has anyone any further information on this, I can so far find nothing. I will be extremely grateful for any assistance or pointers. Simon

Brilliant pictures, like a time machine! Simon

Going back to the chamfers, the "other" Titfield toad definitely had them: Photograph from my collection. The "main" Titfield Toad 68740 did not: This image is copyright of Studio Canal and appears on their public website, from where you can purchase it, together with many other wonderful images. Simon

Looks terrific - Summer double time! Simon

Nailsworth

It looks absolutely superb - well done! As far as the spring hangers go, I modelled them exactly as you have done when I built "my" W68740, so if you are wrong then so am I! I was working from the Toad that is at Bristol Industrial museum, which I think I thought was an AA20 Either way I will not be losing any sleep over it, nor do I think should you.

Some of us kept our milk outside, but collecting it could be hazardous... Why do I get the feeling that the caretaker is about to turn up and chuck us out of the building... Sorry Phil, it was Andy's fault....

Hang on! Thats near... And that's far away.... My pop up model railway exhibition in Coventry many years ago gave a good idea of the scale of the model.

But in its pre "buried and planted over" days!

As Kevin says, it was a bit of a time warp sort of line and the model of Waddon Marsh is terrific, right up my street! I love the prototype photographs too. I used the line once; in 1980 I took the train from Hampton Court to Mitcham in order to buy some Hitachi "Bean Can" carburettors for a kit car I was building. As I recall Mitcham station building was in a house that pre dated the railway. I used to frequent Platform Two in Wimbledon too, often with my uncle who had started work as a cleaner at Gillingham and was a great modeller and fan of the "Suvvern". The layout to my eyes perfectly captures the atmosphere of the Southern at the time, pure magic! Simon

Just chipping in to say that the book on offer is a really lovely production, very nicely produced, full of information and well worth having! Simon

That is a great little show, you will really enjoy it. Run by the same bunch of reprobates that set up and ran the world beating "Small and Delightful" over 25 years. Can it really all be that long ago...

Based upon the colour scheme on what remains, this was perhaps an action by the little known group Action for Rolling Stock Exactitude....

Fantastic pictures, thank you for sharing them. I think I have somewhere some really pretty decent pictures of the GWR building that flyover, shared with me by a friend who bought them at a postcard fair as he couldn't work out where they were. I will try and find them. Moved by this thread (and even the old GWR) here is a shot of a box that wasn't photographed much, Limpley Stoke, which was closed when the MAS scheme was introduced through Bath. Taken by the late Mervyn Halbrook, who was signalman here and later on at Bradford Junction. Mervyn was on duty when "Lion" first arrived to make the Titfield Thunderbolt, and was a fund of good stories and a very decent bloke. The original photos are with his daughter now, and I don't think this has been seen before. I'd appreciate it if it weren't copied everywhere else, but then again it is great to share these images so if any does then please at least attribute it properly to Mervyn Halbrook. This is a great thread, thank you to all contributors! Simon