Stanley Melrose

My son lives near Llanberis and I find that in most local shops Welsh speakers switch to English when I make my first contribution to the conversation in English. What Ivan reports is another urban myth, in my view. Similarly, nowadays, you are quite likely to find in France that you will be spoken to in English by native French speakers. But don't let that get in the way of bashoing Johnny Foreigner. Stan

What purports to be complete details of next season's Premier League fixtures has surfaced on the internet. I have accessed it and it looks genuine or someone has gone to a lot of trouble to fake it. As these things are - or this one maybe - copyright, I don't want to post a link but I'm sure anyone with a bit of ingenuity can also find it. For example, Leicester's first three games in August are - or could be: 13th Sunderland (H) 20th Arsenal (A) 27th Bornemouth (H) Cheers Stan

Hi Mike, Are these vents the same as those used by the LMS? Stan

The two chimney pots on our house came from Sheffield Victoria Station so the guy who replaced the roof on our 250 year old house some years before we bought it told me. Other than that, I have several BR enamel signs, a couple came from Collectors' Corner at Euston many years ago when I worked In London and they cost peanuts but two were bought at auction and were somewhat pricey. Stan

How about a couple of rubber bands around the conduit when moving it holding the handle - better to be sure than sorry . . . Stan

Ah, another "wonder man" . . . When in my student days I worked on "the Docks" for a summer vacation job, there were still lots of the old docker characters around. One slim weedy looking guy was called "the wonder man". Naive as I was, I pondered how he had earned his nickname. I asked my colleagues if he was deceptively strong, given his build. When they'd ceased laughing, they explained it was because every time he looked out to sea and saw another ship heading up river to dock he would always say, "I wonder what's in that?" Stan

I've always thought that the A4s would have benefitted from being finished in the maroon (ex-LMS) lined livery instead of GWR green . . . Stan

On the other hand, many years ago I was in a queue a couple of places behind someone who was obviously blind - white stick, etc. A bloke came up, recognised the blind person and said, "Hi, long time no see!" I regret that I don't recall whether there was any response as those in earshot were just cringing at the insensitivity of the remark. It's only 53 years later that it brings a smile to my face . . . and I'm still not sure why. Stan

My French Canadian in-laws, without any hint of irony, but simply mis-reading the captions, call the programme, "Downtown Abbey". Stan

My dad was apprenticed as an engineering draftsman at Cammel Lairds in Birkenhead and worked for several relevant companies until he decided that designing buses after working on motor torpedo boats was boring so he gave up and opened a shop. His skills weren't left behind, however, and pretty much aas soon as I could hold a pencil I was shown the rudiments of technical drawing and by 5 or 6 I was making balsa wood gliders. Soon after I was designing my own with lots of advice from my dad. As he had somehow managed to retain his drawing board when he left his last employer (Saunders Roe) I was allowed to use this covered in grease-proof paper to asemble my model planes. I still have the drawing board but haven't had it set up for many years but it is full of memories whenever I see it. Soon enough, a Trx Twin set arrived but I hated its completely unrealistic appearance so a trip to (the original) Hattons in the early 1950s saw the start of my interest in model railways kicked off properly with some Pecoway track and (Heaven help me a Graham Farish 2-6-2T Prairie Tank with that dreadful 2 pole motor. It didn't stop my making model planes and boats (including two versions of the MTB he had designed - see below). Some 60 years later, I'm still designing things - and even making some of them! Stan Unfortunately the photo of P539 is too big to attach . . .

Having recently had eye surgery which required the replacement of the complete lens system in one eye, I was very surprised to find as I recovered that, although the vision in both eyes was rated similarly, colours as seen by the repaired eye were sharper and clearer than with the other (original) one which gave everything by comparison a very slightly yellowish tinge. It was as though I was seeing things in clear wintry weather with the repaired eye and in high summer glare with the old one. i mentioned this to the surgeon who repaired my eye and he informed me that I had the very earliest beginnings of a cataract on the untouched eye. Fortunately, that wonderful piece of evolutionary development, i.e. my brain, merges the two slightly different colour images so I am normally unaware of any differences unless I close my eyes alternately when the differences are apparent. This leads me to think that colour perceptions are likely to be different between individuals but also to wonder if, despite that, different people using Pantone swatches to match colours would choose the same matches even though each saw the colours differently. I also wonder whether what different people see in colour albums may be due to the state of their eyesight as much as the quality of the colour reproduction. Stan

I always find the reports of a "professional foul" in football a tad amusing when what is really meant is a totally cynical foul, usually depriving an opponent of any advantage from their superior skill. Stan

The answer is, of course, "No!" but I was hoping my response would immediately follow your somewhat cheeky questioning of my ability to feed myself and then I would have made a bacon sandwich. Cheers, Stan

I recall a visit to the beautiful island of Grenada a few years ago when we visited a small cafe on the edge of the rainforest in the middle of the island. I noticed an item on the menu, "Hunter's Pot". As a dedicated carnivore, I ordered it and persisted in the face of warnings from the waitress that it was for the locals and not visitors. A delicious stew arrived which I enjoyed, although the bones were relatively small and a bit sharp in places. I was asked if I had any idea what I had just eaten and confessed that I could not identify the meat. To my relief, it turned out to be possum, rather than dog or cat or anything else that had crossed my mind. Today I'm wearing a nice warm sweater, purchased in New Zealand, which is made from a mixture of Merino and Possum fibres. I always think of that meal when I wear this sweater . . . Stan

No Stanley Melrose

My wife's first degree was in the history of fine art and it is a joy to accompany her to a gallery where she will explain to me what I should look for and appreciate. I confess I have learned a great deal from her and enjoy much more "art" than I ever did when looking by myself. That said, I still have a snigger at some of the stuff that those "in the know" think fantastic and I truly believe there are some "artists" who just take the mickey - and worse still get away with it. For example Picasso was doing that (IMHO) once he stopped painting "proper" pictures long before Ms Emin forgot to make her bed and the Hurst guy put a dead shark in a tank. Fortunately for them there are idjits ready to part with loadsa money to own their junk but not me. Of course, model railways are art and many are fine art. Stan PS Happy New Year . . .

Of course if you really want to investigate this kind of motion, you really need to start with <Lissajous curve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia> I remember seeing in the 1960s an oscilloscope display of the motion of parts of a Ford car engine which introduced me to this topic. Stan

Perhaps you drive a pre-WWII car or maybe you don't have a TV but apparently you have a computer? Times change and we need to appreciate that fact. I don't imply that all change is for the better but re-creating old steam locomotives is a vanity project no matter how many improvements are incorporated. I'll happily model the railways of my long-lost early years but doing so at 12ins = 1ft is not something that I intend to share. A friend arranged for me to drive (and fire) a steam locomotive some years ago and all I can say is that their designers had no appreciation of the horrors they inflicted on their crews. Riddles may have been an enthusiastic driver but I bet many enginemen were less sanguine. Stan - I hope this doesn't descend into a squabble . . .

Like all attempts to build new versions of ancient designs - a vanity project which will prove nothing except the gullibility of those wasting their money on it . . . When will someone invest in a steam locomotive that is 21st Century in concept and execution - always assuming there is such a thing, e.g. <http://www.5at.co.uk/> Stan

I took a quick peek and was gob-smacked by the detail - and then carried on walking but reminding myself that there is no way I could ever justify or even think about buying one of these lovely models - and that goes for the HST prototype as well. Not because I can't afford them but they would never be run on my layout. So why I ask myself do I have two Rapido VIA Rail F40PH locos? hey're HO and I'm a P4 modeller . . . I really wish Rapido every success with their UK range and that hopefully Jason & Co. will one day turn their attention to some of the UK locos and other rolling stock that I lust after but no other manufacturers see fit to add to their ranges. Stan

I've been pestering Dave Smith for 6 years - ever since I first saw that it was on his list to be done. I think that John Redrup of London Road Models might be persuaded to produce a kit for the 70ft Cowans Sheldon TT because I've given him all the details I've been able to collect. I suggest as many as are interested in this type and size of TT contact John <http://traders.scalefour.org/LondonRoadModels/contact-us/>expressing their interest. If sufficient folk do this, it might influence him to produce a kit. After all, he does kits for 42ft and 50ft CS TTs. Stan

My Dad was an engineering draftsman and as soon as I could hold a pencil, he started to show me how to do technical drawings of boats and planes. I probably made my first balsa wood aeroplane when I was about 5 or 6 and went on to make planes and boats thereafter. A Trix Twin layout at 7 or 8 never satisfied so it went to Hattons and in return I had a Graham Farish prairie tank with that weird motor/gearbox which was a constant source of frustration. Tri-Ang stuff followed (including a Black 5 made from a carved up Princess!) but all too soon pressure of exams, girl friends and the purchase of my first car (in 1961 a 1934 Austin 7) put modelling well into the background, although the monthly purchase of Railway Modeller continued from 1955 until about 2 years ago when I decided I had seen enough of what had been on offer over the previous 60 odd years. At the last half-term, three grandchildren came to stay for a few days and they happily played with the layout, although none had any idea of how the real railway might operate. I had a session in front of my computer with the older grandson and we found on YouTube a video of an American teenager making a balsa wood glider. I told my grandson that well before the age he is now (10 - almost 11), I was making planes more complicated than that and offered to show him how to do it. His dad (my son) had once won a medal at the model engineering exhibition for a diorama (with only a very little help from me . . .) but while he is a competent DIYer, he hasn't found time to give his kids the start in making things that I hope I did with mine. That said, many hours are spent with Lego and drawing all sorts of things which augurs well for their creativity. I showed my grandson some pictures of model planes built from formers and ribs with stringers from strip wood, all eventually covered with tissue paper and doped, and asked if he would like me to help him make something like that. His reaction was immediately to say that he didn't think he could. I told him that we could start with a simple glider made from sheet balsa and in time he would have the skills to go onto more complex models. He says he'd like that but we shall see. The two boys have had a Hornby set I gave them for several years, as well as a 6ft x 4ft baseboard I made for them to play trains. The baseboards are in the loft, along with the boxed trains. Will they become modellers? I don't know but somehow I doubt it. Does it matter? To me, it seems they might miss out on the thousands of hours of satisfaction (and frustration) that I have had in my lifetime but maybe they'll find other routes to enjoyment - just as long as any railway modelling is to P4 standards . . . . Stan

I think you'll find, if you ask the right person, that the original Scalefour Society Deputy Chairman's Cup was to be awarded for the producer of most original benefit (product/mechanism/tool/fixture) to P4 modellers . . . It was a later idea to award it to the "winner" of the obstacle course - and this was definitely NOT endorsed by the guy who donated the cup and the award! Stan

Loads of vans and hauled by Fowler 4Fs and 3Fs in my day. I think Austerity 2-8-0s and possibly Standard 9Fs became common but I never saw any myself. I once saw a Class 40 on the Huskisson branch, as I think I've already mentioned to you, Mike Stan

A guy who worked at Fords at Dagenham in the 1960s was called Len Plum - he only went and called his daughter, Victoria. My sister went to school with Hazel Brown Anyone ever meet Eileen Dover? Or the Scots "lads", Ben Doone and Phil MacCrevis Stan