Mad McCann

Good man. I fully support this advice as it caught mine early, just as I hit my 50s. I opted for surgery which sorted the problem and 3 years on, so far so good!. There really is nothing to be embarrassed about. If in doubt; get checked out! D.

Perhaps a Gaugemaster DCC 26 8-pin compact would be suitable. Much smaller than the Bachmann decoder and I’ve got one in a Heljan Class 14. Admittedly it requires fine tuning but that’s more a Heljan than Gaugemaster problem!

There’s still enough of the real McCoy out there that you don’t have to look far, bud. Most of it is just down to ignorance though, rather than malice; it’s just a question of getting people to engage brain before opening mouth. There lies the challenge as there are still far too many who have still to master that skill, even at an advanced age. ;-) Davy.

I particularly liked the section of the abandoned steam shed with the t/t pit and the parked staff vehicles on it, Martyn. Pretty much shouts out the immediate post-steam era of the late ‘60s and ‘70s. Lots of great period detail and well executed. I was probably too enraptured by South Pelaw on Sunday so I’ll make sure Crinan gets much more attention when it’s at Wigan. Especially love the NBL bashes. Davy

Absolutely top notch but that MacBrayne’s boy at the top of the slope will need to pull back and let the lad in the ‘chinese Six’ coach cross the bridge because they’ll never get past each other up there! ;-) Davy.

I went on the Sunday and the turnout seemed perfectly healthy. Keep the show at this level of quality and layout/trader balance and I’ll bang the drum for it every time. It’s certainly given my enthusiasm a boost again. Davy.

Catering was still better than the arrangements at Expo EM North by a long chalk. Davy.

Thoroughly enjoyed watching the layout, guys. My mates started taking the mick that they knew where to find me all afternoon! If you ever need more operators I’d be happy to assist, work permitting.

Never apologise for being yourself, buddy; if you're a decent, honest and humane person who does their best to make the world a better place for all, that's good enough. It's the best advice I can ever give to any young person and it's drawn from my own life experience apart from trying to find work that you enjoy. The problems begin when people try to be someone they're not and I know that because I've been there personally and professionally in my younger days. It took me a while to realise it but it did eventually dawn on me. I went for a job for the biggish pay cheque and I spent 22 not terribly happy years as one of ejstubbs' 'concious incompetents', doing all I could to survive in a field I was never really cut out for. It took a mental and physical toll but I stuck it out long enough to get to an age where I could take a lump sum and a modest monthly pension that would get me by as long as I still worked part time. That's where I'm at now; I took a job on the buses three days a week and I absolutely love it. It combines a whole load of skillsets drawn from every job I've done in my life and it still gives me a life off the pitch. Find something you love doing and try not to fall into the money trap! The world of work is going to change like never before during your lifetime and you may not have the opportunities that some earlier generations had so take your time and find the thing that suits you best, but try and learn as many 'hands-on' skills as you can because they will always come in handy through life and you're never too old to learn new ones. Only in the last month I've learned how to put up concrete fencing and do pointing - I'm about to lay a concrete and brick foundation for a new shed! Davy.

It's taken me until my mid '50s to mould myself into something useful to wider humanity so take heart! ;-) Davy.

What decoder is best for one of these? That recess is a bit tight for any of my old Lenz decoders.

Meanwhile, I’ve still got three of those lovely kits to build. Must make a special effort with those. Might have a couple of blue RTRs though for my 1970s ‘play’ collection!

Understood. It's a pity all the same.

It’s a shame we don’t have self-quartering wheels with the finesse and availability of AGW. Gibson’s are a bit of a pain to install on a rigid chassis.

I’d also recommend Sunrise Models and Transfers. Also a short-run resin manufacturer of primarily (but not exclusively) Scottish prototypes. I have a few in my stash along with a Leyland T—type from Little Bus. Davy.