380John

This is coming on really nicely. I like the individual projects you have all over the layout. Nice to see it all blending in together now. John

And another

Good point Mark. I see the Navy have had divers down so hopefully a good indication as you say that the acid is diluted. 22 metres and with that sort of quantity of contaminants aboard, hopefully the likes of smit Tak, Titan and Mammoet will have the expertise and equipment. Structural integrity permitting. A full break up of that weakened hull would be catastrophic. I guess as shes lying on her stern the forces on the Hull will be tremendous. A bit like a ship settling on the drydock blocks (p-force) but for much longer and already weakened. It may actually be better if the bow settles too, but I suppose it depends how much of the stress is spread along her hull rather than just one point. Cheers, John

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-57327300.amp It was the Prestige. Very interesting video. John

Looks like the X Press Pearl is now sinking by the stern. Preparations have been made on parts of the Sri Lankan coast, but I doubt they will help much in the grand scheme of things. Looking at her I'd think towing her into even deeper water will only increase the rate of her sinking and prove a danger to the towing vessel. The combination of operating liquids onboard as well as the cargo will be catastrophic for the ecology system at least locally. I wonder how deep it is there? I imagine unless on a shelf of some sort it'd be quite a depth. If any contaminates can be removed this would be a great feat of engineering . I remember the "Erica" (or was it the" Prestige")? sinking and her HFO (Heavy Fuel) being pumped out years later. In fact there's a short film about it made by the salvors on YouTube. I think it was Mammoet or Smit Tak. The cargo however is a different story and at the very least, the environment will be a different animal. The warm waters will reduce the chance of liquids solidifying and staying put. If at any considerable depth then any removal of contaminates will probably be a non starter. John

Happy Birthday Bob!

Only launched in February. Very sad. John

Nice to see you back Nick. Not a week to be at sea! Strapped up in pembroke dock. 11 metres outside! Cheers, John

That looks great Bob. I always think... If you can look at a model and imagine how the 1:1 scale surface would feel to the touch then you've hit the nail on the head.... You've hit this one dead square! Excellent stuff. John

With so many businesses struggling at the moment, and many working from home... I wonder if a local business might be able to help and rent or even allow you the floor space for a weekend, then you could do a mock run in peace and quiet. Most places will probably have security etc anyway so if it was all pre-arranged it maybe viable. Failing that, perhaps a church hall, community centre or similar will allow it? I know it's all subject to sanitation and elf and safety etc but there may well be a way around it? Just an idea. John

Good timing for this subject, the cruise ferry Viking Grace has just tested the Flettner rotor sail and has had favourable results..... https://gcaptain.com/ms-viking-grace-completes-rotor-sail-testing/ John

Really coming together now Bob. Looking great. John

I hope to start one very soon. I have been collating pictures of the conversion and subsequent "train room". But I really don't want to "jump in" whilst you have just started yours my friend. I've just laid and wired up the track for my station section so not lots to show really just yet. It's nice to think that someone is building a layout with the same background to it at the same time! Really great stuff. The cambrian is one of those evocative railways full of atmosphere and its great to see layouts built to try and convey that. I hope you enjoy building it. Cheers, John

Looks good this!.... Believe it or not, I've just put a partition up in my garage so I can build my "Cambrian" layout. 12.5ftX8.5ft. Although regrettably mine won't be based on a real location. Your track plan looks very interesting and I see the appeal of that type! Do you plan on building the boards etc yourself or using kits etc? Good luck with it, All the best, John

Brilliant documentary. I saw it a few years ago and couldn't find it again. Thanks very much for sharing the link! It's in the favourites now. What a life that must have been. Amazing how things change.

Ah I see. Thanks for the clarification... Stupid of me really as I thought it looked like the USATC tank but as I know extremely little about these I thought I best ask! Still a nice little project there and look forward to seeing how it turns out. Cheers again, John

That looks like it'll be a nice conversion project. American look to those. Is the prototype a Croatian/ European build or are they American in origin? Perhaps a Chinese build? Very interesting. John

Like I said, it's one of the websites providing a service and is popular. Others are out there but depending on where you go or prefer app based methods, payment maybe required. Unfortunately, some of these tracking apps/websites use adverts and other techniques to force you into parting with your cash to allow you full access. Some even take your cash and still limit you. Flight radar 24 is one such example. John

Tanker Bartock is bound for London and the container vessel is the Ranger bound for Tilbury. As the Fat controller says, as long as a vessel has her AIS (Automatic Identification System) turned on, they will show up on one of the tracking websites. Marine Traffic is another good one, and very popular. Cheers, John

They really are! Another common LPG tanker seen around the UK coast is JS Alular and her sisters. About the same size as the stealth gas vessels, but all green! Certainly different and worth looking out for! Glad I could help. John

Vessel is the Eco Universe of the company Stealth Gas. Looks like off up to London from Antwerp. I doubt you'll see her tomorrow as she appears to be underway. Cheers, John

Looks like one of the stealth gas LPG tankers. I'll have a look and see if I can find out.... John

Thanks Ian, That is interesting, I hadn't heard of that. It sounds a thoughtful cameo. These are popular models for scrapyard dioramas as they're so inexpensive, but that sounds really well done and a cracking title! I'll have to try and find some more information on it. Many thanks, John

Hi guys, I've built a few of the wagon kits, but thought I'd share these pictures. First is a city of Truro in preserved condition after a boiler lift and although repainted, she's awaiting the hand of a skilled painter to reapply numbers and insignia. The next was an attempt at Salt weathering so needed a suitable guinea pig... Its the schools class devoid of motion, buffers and a smoke deflector in Barry scrapyard condition. The tender was covered with a piece of an old "St Michael" (for those that remember!) Marks and Sparks carrier bag to act as a tarpaulin, representing a loco that had just been acquired for restoration.

Great news. Must have been quite an experience. I see one of her cranes lost its jib. Just shows the forces at play.