Coppercap

Woodies love getting wet - see how they sit out in all this rain while all the other birds are sheltering! They'd probably enjoy getting squirted!

Don't see it mentioned previously, but in the opening sequences of "The Phantom Light" (1935) there's clips of the Festiniog Railway, with a Double Fairlie and Tan-y-Bwlch station.

Have you never seen the real Rocket or the replica? They are pretty tiny too!

I had a (number witheld) call this morning. Caller asked to confirm my name (they quoted my surname - it's in the phone book), I didn't say, but just asked who was calling. English voice said it was "Detective Constable (whatever it was...)"...I just said "Right...". Call then cut off. Obviously was going to attempt a scam, but they've not yet called back for a second attempt.

He'll never succeed though, never does...

It's noticeable how much richer the yellow is on Rocket, compared to the coaches. Presumably that's deliberate on Hornby's part.

Shame Hornby have used their standard hex headed screws for the crankpins and on the crosshead. I would have thought a smaller headed slotted screw could have looked a bit less conspicuous. Otherwise (apart from the barrel...) it looks fantastic!

I suppose it's just to give the impression of planks instead of looking too plain - they could have been much less pronounced though. More noticeable is the fact that the replica Rocket (as at Rainhill 150) appeared there with a yellow barrel, and bare wood driving wheels (I think they had problems with the driving wheels, and had to make a new set), and different trailing wheels to those fitted now. The sectioned Rocket in the NRM has a yellow barrel and yellow driving wheels. The working loco's since been rebuilt and the trailing wheels now have more spokes (as modelled by Hornby). I expect we'll see some modellers variations in due course..

Too late now, we know, but knowing what happened after the criticism over the Terrier tank tops, Hornby will probably re-tool Rocket's tender barrel for the second batch...

The standard release, is still limited in numbers, there are just more being produced than the 'limited' set, but I haven't read anywhere as to how many are being produced.

But how up-to-date is their website? Some are very good, with stock levels indicated, others just list things as being orderable, even if they have no stock available. If you're after one, I hope you succeed.

A brilliant performance! The Rocket seemed to work a lot better this time too!

A couple of years ago I bought a part (air filter) for my motorcycle on a buy-it-now on ebay. A 'genuine part', but sold as as new-old-stock, and somewhat less than half the current list price, even with postage. I didn't need it for a while yet, but it was too good to miss out on. Parcel arrives, feedback given to each other, all done and dusted. Less than a week later, another parcel arrives from same seller. Identical item, even the same ebay item number. Baffled, I kept quiet, and waited for contact from the seller - it never came. Even if I'd been honest and sent it back and they refunded the postage, they'd have made virtully nothing on it.

I wonder how may who have pre-ordered, with the hope of having a useable loco are now having second thoughts on seeing this? (FYI, I've ordered the Tri-ang one...).

But the comments only say it's a development sample, and the production ones will be of the highest quality. That's the sort of thing that British Leyland used to say...

They had a rope coupling on the Titfield Thunderbolt! Then it broke during the emergency braking test...

Nah, it's deffo a Riley 1.5 or Wolseley 1500. They were quite tall when compared to a Mk.III 'Tina.

Blimey, they've not even arrived in the shops, yet you're worrying about the longevity of the motor already!

Cirencester, like so many towns, has had quite a bit of new house building over the last few years, especially on the road heading for Lechlade.

Well, I think we all know it's origins, but then the GWR didn't want to have it's own trains soiled by mingling with midland ones in the new 'joint' station: "Shove 'em in the old terminus, they're going back to where they came from anyway!"

This question was asked of 'someone on the know' at a recent GWS meeting, and it was said that the signalbox still has to go to gain access, but it was still unclear of when and what exactly was planned for the old station. The plan doesn't show the old station itself as being reopened to trains, just short platforms outide (like the one currently used for Severn Beach trains).

As in what you actually told the missus it cost - a lot less that it did! She'll no doubt think it's worth even less than that...

In past years, sometimes my 'chosen' hour, whenever it is, saw only a tiny number of birds, yet at other times during the day, when I wasn't actually counting them, I could see a great many were coming and going (and do I know the object is to count the maximum number of each species at any one time). Had I chosen a different hour to spot, the results may well have been vastly different. In some years, on the day before, and the day after, there were a great many birds around. On the day itself (and usually on my chosen hour), the birds are elsewhere...no doubt somewhere where nobody's counting them.

TBH, that's exactly what I've always done. I feel the '1 hour' thing is just to encourage people to do it. If it was 'do it for an hour or as long as you want during the day', I feel less people would bother. Having said that, for the last year or two we've had hardly any birds around to 'spot' anyway, whatever the time of year...this year's entry was blank!

TV aerial cable. you can see a kink in it where it goes over the front of the wall.