manna

G'day Gents My memories of (real) steam sound are rather different, when I was a child (single digit) I watched the steam engine, and didn't take a lot of notice of the sounds, except that they 'hissed' and chuffed out of the station (N2's) when I reached double digit's steam was on the decline, most of the tanks were disappearing fast, we still had the wonderful 'clank' of the WD's, But, the main sound of a steam loco was to me, a ECML Pacific, roaring through Wood Green station, at about 60mph, you could hear the engine working hard on a Down Express, but the sound was, to me a bit muted, it was only when it hit the end of the platform, that you got the full effect, but it only lasted a few second, before the noise of the whole train, overtook the sound of the loco, Up trains were even lest distinct, the loco's were under light steam, or coasting, so you didn't even hear the loco, except for a roaring clank, followed by a diddle dum, diddle dum, as they passed 6' away. The only time you could really hear a steam loco, was when I was in bed at night, when I could hear a train coming through Hornsey and accelerating towards Potters Bar, Then you hear them for miles. manna

G'day Gents Good to have a verbal update, if the Southern layout is as good as the Leith layout, it'll be something to see. !! manna

G'day Gents I thought for the moment, that the last pic WAS the M25 !! manna

G'day Gents I like it, I did think about this as well, but I don't think they ever got up to Edgware, I suppose rule 1 can apply. lol manna

G'day Gents Good looking flyover, but...........................where's the Wath banker !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! manna

G'day Gents You've set yourself a wonderful target for Christmas, I suppose I'll just have to put up with the Wine, Women and Song and to much Christmas pud. And to everybody else that like the LNER and railways in general, Merry Christmas, and may your railtops stay shiny. manna

G'day Gents I'd take a few K1's with bendy running plates, off of anyone's hands for 25 quid a pop. manna

G'day Gents Looks a nice little engine, but a J50 at the same price as a P2, even Doncaster, could make a J50, cheaper than a P2. Will I buy one, possibly, but I'm being squeezed out of the 'New Buy' by the huge cash grab, of all the model makers. manna

G'day Gents Think it looks great, but 'How' did you do the weathering on the back of the garage door !!!!................. manna

G'Day Gents Finsbury Park, was (may still be) a rather low 24" even in the mid 70's.......always a interesting spectacle, when watching trains arrive and the doors thrown open the be confronted by this massive drop, short skirts, always an eye-opener. manna

G'Day Gents I think I'll put my name down for an unpainted RailRoad version, my 69BP cheque is in the post. manna

G'Day Gents I'm locked out to, anyone got Richards phone No. Other than that, I'm enjoying Grantham slowly turning 'Green' manna

G'Day Gents Holme closed in 1959, but the branch I think closed in 70/71, I can remember there was a ex GN somersault, that you could see from the mainline. That may have still been there in 73/74 As for LE workings, there was a lot more LE works than you may realize, almost every footplate diagram somewhere includes a bit of LE work, one I worked was from KX passenger loco, to Dagenham ! to pick up a FORD car train, bound for Wakefield, but many were mundane, Hertford North to Hitchin to pick up your next working, ( Hitchin-Peterborough, parcels) or after a Moorgate - Hertford North, LE to Bounds Green to work ECS to Kings Cross. manna

G'Day Gents Gawd, I thought you'd gone and knocked Gilbert's wall down, PN would have got all wet. manna

G'Day Gents That's alright Gilbert, you keep adding pictures, we'll keep looking at them. manna

G'Day Gents Congratulation GN, wonderful achievement, only 10 million to go. manna

G'Day Gents Due to a very heavy shunt, it should be 'carded' one trip only, 'To Works'. manna

G'Day Gents Did any of the C1's get a repaint into plain Grey, during WW1 ?? manna

G'Day Gents Yes the widened lines catered for a lot of freight, mostly coal but some general goods, my avatar, is a J52, at York Rd station, Kings Cross in the 1930's heading over the widened lines, loco's that worked through Snow Hill were J50,J52,N1, N2, diesels, inc, 08 and class 24. manna

G'Day Gents It looks like everybody had a good time, but it begs the question, Did ! the Raven A2's work through to KX. manna

G'Day Gents I once had the disconcerting experience of coming out of Gasworks tunnel at 25MPH,at 3.30am, after my driver fell asleep after leaving Bounds Green CS, with the 'odd stock' bound for Kings Cross, at Holloway I looked at my driver who was sitting up straight, with his hand on the controller which was fully open, and travelling at at 'least' 75 MPH, a few moments later I called across to him, asking him if he was 'alright' with a start he asked, 'where are we' I said 'just about to enter Copenhagen' tunnel' Oh sugar---- and slammed on the brakes, seeing that we had about 14 on and vacuum to boot, we took a while to slow down, we were still doing about 50MPH when we entered Gasworks tunnel, I was by that time starting to get a bit worried !! We hit the end of the platform (5 or 6) at about 15MPH and stopped perfectly 10' from the buffers, on getting out of the loco, my driver said, shaking his head, 'I fell asleep, I don't believe it, I fell asleep' I never fell asleep on a loco again, whilst it was moving........... manna

G'Day Gents Kinda comes down to , if LB was 6' shorter or PN 6' longer, would it make any real difference, there still two of the finest ECML model railways in the country, although Grantham, is catching up rapidly. manna

G'Day Gents Well Hello Sailor !!!!!! manna

G'Day Gents I, like many others, wanted a mainline, but space stopped that, 13'x8' just wasn't big enough for 'Holme' on the ECML and trying to fit in the branch to Ramsey, didn't help either, so I had to step back and look again at what, I 'could' build and not what I would 'Like' to build, so I ripped it all up, and started again, this time it's Edgware (GN) now I Can fit in a six coach train, and it looks right (instead of two Quad-Arts) and there is the space to have that openness that we all desire. So what is the point of trying to run scale length trains when you don't have to room for it in the first place.................I'll now go and hide under the stairs. manna

G'Day Gents Loved his post's he'll be sorely missed by many, what a terrible waste. Condolences to all family members manna