Flying Fox 34F

Due at Railwells on August 2nd! No pressure then!!!! I’m sure ewe’l pull it off. Best of Luck Paul

I know this dark sense of humour all to well. The joys of working alongside the Transport Police! Those of a delicate nature would be busy being Keyboard Warriors, if they knew the realities of the world. Paul

That should make a Bear happier!!!!!! Paul

The Care in Community policy allowed the closure of the majority of the old Mental Hospitals up and down the country. Operating costs were high. Many sites were then sold off for property development. Nowadays, there are private organizations operating suitable facilities, for example, persons with severe Autism! HM Government spends a very large amount on these. Finally, with regard to CPR, I was told by one Trainer, you will be very lucky if you bring someone back from the Brink! Paul

Out here in Romania, domestic property buying is more straightforward. The seller has all documentation reasonably up to date. A price is agreed and the buyer has to pay a 10% deposit to the seller. The seller then has to clarify any outstanding debts are settled with the Utility companies and the local council, for which more paperwork is provided. Then it is a visit to the local Notary office to ensure everything is correct and the sale is finalised. However, if the buyer tries to walk away from the deal or the sale has not been completed within 30 days, the seller is entitled to keep the deposit. I hope you get the previous property off your hands soon. Paul

Steam Rallies way back used to end up like this on a Saturday evening, after time in the Beer tent. If there happened to be a few vintage, (but fully operational), Fire Engines around. I recall several Hosepipe battles. The joys of hot weather and alcohol!!!! Ironically, I don’t remember waking up the next day, covered in mud, nursing a Hangover? Must have been good quality beer! Paul

Hello Bob, I recall a small layout built by Richard Chown, where he mentioned not to have the common crossings too close together or even directly opposite each. Causes derailments apparently. I suspect you’ve done the right thing. Paul

My parents were kind enough to buy me, Jeff Wayne’s musical version of War of the Worlds, back in 1979. I had fallen under its spell, after my then teacher, Mr Beasley had played it to the class over a four week period. I last played it three years ago, it terrified my wife and daughter! Paul

Recently, at school in Romania, my daughter and her year group were visited by the local Shooting club! The club mainly takes part in the combined cross country skiing and shooting competitions. Anyway, the club had brought along a laser training rifle, for the class to try. My daughter managed to hit every target, which impressed the Instructor and terrified her class mates!!!!! I believe I’m bringing her up right. Paul

Hello Philip, PVA struggles to dry out when gluing panels of Polystyrene together. You would be better off buying the adhesive used to stick polystyrene tiles to ceilings. Paul

Makes me recall Sir Lancelot Spratt of a certain group of hospital comedy films. Paul

Got to dig them out of the relevant box in the basement, first. Give me 24 hours or so. Paul

Somewhere in my stash of photographs, there are images of a Triang B12, that a friend of mine updated. Now cue your imaginations, Network South East blue, with the white and red strips on the cab and the tender. By the way, the back story was it was an electrically fueled Steam Locomotive! Hence a pantograph was fitted on the tender. It used to make random appearances on a layout called Barrowby Junction, ( based on Buxton), but OHLE), in the early nineties. Paul

It just shows they are using the opportunity to claim as much lost revenue as possible from NR. The Government won’t be worried. It forces more people onto the roads paying fuel duty and road tax. That’s all it ever seems to be about! Paul

aka Newark!!!

The crossover is fitted with Clamplock equipment so is fit for use by passenger trains. The most plausible reason for not using it, would be that the Driver and Senior Conductor, (Guard), don’t sign the route through the crossover! Once upon a time!, train crew signed whole areas, but about 20 years ago, I became aware of situations of drivers stating they didn’t sign this crossover or this loop? Caused lots of fun!!!!!!!!! Another reason the TOC will be pulling, as it’s a Landslip, NR have to cover all the costs of the disruption. Happy days as far as the TOC is concerned. Paul

I now have drawings available for the GNRI J class 4-4-0, (two were bought by the SLNCR), and matching 1700 gallon tender with outside frames. Kind regards Paul

It now looks like a RTR chassis, very professional. As for battery charging via the buffers, perfectly feasible, but you just need to be able to isolate the connection when in use. You don’t want a metal wagon kit shorting out the equipment. Paul

You’ve in the Fenland country, then? The Squadron Leader may know of this as well! Paul

Happy St David’s day to all our Welsh contingent. As for the rest, it’s the start of Spring or Autumn depending on which side of the Equator you happen to be. (Of course, if you are a Star Gazer, then you have to wait another 21 days.) Back to watching the rain, wondering when I can partake in some strangling of wood! Paul

This is the Movie Directors version of the event, followed by a huge explosion and yet all the Smugglers survive to be captured!!!!! Paul

I’ve had to do this several times, after Human/Train altercations!!! Management always wondered why I had a pack of ziplock bags in the vehicle. Eventually, we were issued with Biohazard yellow bags. Paul

I have two recollections of pay related matters. One company I worked for in my late teens, (a long long time ago), would adjust everyone’s pay packet in December as a bonus, but the January pay was adjusted to recover it! The other time was approximately twenty years ago. Word got round that no-one working for Railtrack was getting paid on the usual pay date, due to an error???? And as it was a Friday, high management decreed nothing could be done until the Monday. Doncaster Signalman promptly started bringing trains to a stand at various places and advised local management, if no money was to be paid, they would book off duty and not return until money was in their bank accounts! This caused a major panic as more and more trains came to a stand. Within a few minutes, staff were informed that all payments would be completed by lunchtime. They agreed to remain on duty and the service was restored, but it was a close run thing. Paul

The Ancaster Brake Van was doing a good impression of an Ivy Bush, when I last looked at it in August 2021, whilst hunting for cows on the line! They had been a plan to remove it in about 2005, by dragging along the Siding to the station level crossing to place on a Low-loader. There was a corporate project to tidy up the railway at the time. The subsequent removal of the pointwork, put paid to that idea. Paul

Had something similar happen here this morning in Romania, between Bran and Rasnov! The only difference was this was a metallic light blue X1, doing 120kph approx. Shortly afterwards, I overtook said Plank on the Autostrada towards Brasov. He was trundling along at about 80 yakking on his mobile phone, holding it in his right hand!!!!! It is illegal to handle the phone as in the UK, but Planks from the Capital city argue it’s safe to use, because they slow down? Paul