Devo63

Martin, What is this "manual" thing to which you are referring? Is it something I need to know about? Dave R.

Dustman: 'Where's ya bin?" Man: "I've bin up north." Dustman: " No, where's ya wheelie bin?" Man: "I've really bin in the clink and just got out."

I'd call it "PUGWASH" after one the early cartoons (original b&w series) I used to watch growing up. Dave R.

I have a card somewhere in my collection sent to my father by BR (WR) sometime around 1960 which has the final green, cream and brown paints used by Swindon at that time. Each colour sample is about 2" x 1.5" in size. It would be interesting to see how this compares to some of the modern paints modelers use. Not really helpful for early liveries but I'll see if I can dig it up. Also in the package were 3/8" scale drawings of the 56XX class and a Barry 0-6-2T which I think would look good on the wall of my railway room. If you can pick one up in good condition Ernest Carter's livery book from 1952 has a fold out in the rear with real paint samples applied. Dave R.

The Taff Vale Railway had three (one previously owned by the Aberdare Railway) of the B&GR Norris 4-2-0's in the mid 1840's and ran them for about three to six years. They retained their original B&G names of 'Moorsom', 'Gloucester' and 'Columbia'. Dave R.

G'day Eric, I've been downloading and reading the Digest since issue 0 and been impressed in the way the the magazine has developed over that time. In my opinion the mix of illustrations and text is at about the right level and I definitely like the larger size photographs accompanying the articles. I only read this on my PC so I can't comment on any other operating platform. I always look forward to each new issue - this coming from a 'dyed in the wool' Great Western fan. Dave R.

G'day Justang, That line should be amended to "out of production since 1961" as that was the time that Kitmaster ceased producing their kits. I believe the tooling was passed to Airfix but this kit was one of the many in the range never to be re-introduced. Dave R.

We've actually had the last couple of days of nice sunny weather and they are forecasting a maximum of around 20C later this week . My trouble is that I'm online (RMweb) during the early hours of the morning and live in the foothills of Adelaide where the temperature drops quite low, for us sun loving Aussies, during the night. My computer and railway room is at the bottom of the garden and not the best heated. The night before last the bird bowl just outside the door has frozen over and there was a good layer of frost over the back lawn. Nothing like the winters I remember from north Wales when I was younger but still cold enough for my old tired bones. Dave R.

Only six more months to go for poor, shivering little me! BTW the Dean is looking VERY good. Dave R.

Is that the sister loco to 'Fire Queen' ?

I'd be very interested except for the problem I'm at the other end of the world. Dave R.

G'day Godfrey, In my haste to see how some of Alan's figures worked with my locos I trimmed a couple up without leaving anything attached on their feet for handling while painting. I later used a very fine modelling drill bit (about .5mm or less and just twisted between my fingers) to make a small hole in the heels to stick in some wire. This was just for mounting for painting but should also be fine for positioning figures on the layout. Sorry the answer is not on a postcard but it would probably take at least a week to get to you from here. Dave R.

G'day Linny, I don't know if it is available in the UK but I use Testors 'Decal Bonder' spray to resurrect thinly printed or old decals (as well as for sealing my home printed ones). Dave R.

How do you keep an idiot in suspense? (I'll tell you tomorrow!)

My all time favourite snack when growing up was a lightly toasted bread crust spread with the tasty, dark and meaty juices from the bottom of the dripping bowl. Now they tell you that it is bad for you and you should use healthier types of oil for cooking. To buy lard or beef dripping these days I need to order it from my butcher about a week before I need to use it. The BBC are quite welcome to quote me regarding this! Dave R.

Thanks for reminding me Jason. I knew there was another prolific white metal kit producer for early locomotives and rolling stock but had completely forgotten about Chris Cox. This is very remiss of me as I have one of his very neat kits of an 1850's LB&SCR open sided third sitting right on the shelf next to me. I would love to see his 'JENNY LIND' model available as I would like to build it as 'WILL SHAKESPERE' on the OW&W. Dave R.

There is not a great selection of early stock available, especially in OO scale. There are a few HO scale models, mainly by Bachmann, that can be adapted for pioneering railways. Off the top of my head the following have been available at various times in the past and can be found on various online auction and sale sites. Triang/Hornby - Stephenson's 'ROCKET' 0-2-2 and coaches - OO scale. Kitmaster/Airfix/Dapol - 'ROCKET' 0-2-2 plastic kit - OO scale. Can be cut & shut to make other early locos. Keyser (K's) - 'LION' 0-4-2 white metal kit - OO scale. Keyser (K's) - 'BUDDICOM' 2-2-2 white metal kit - HO scale. Keyser (K's) - Spanish Mataro plastic 4 wheel coach kits - HO scale. Trix - 'ADLER' 2-2-2 and coaches - HO scale. Loco is unpowered with motor in first coach. About the first Era 1 model produced. Piko - 'SAXONIA' 0-4-2 and coaches - HO scale. Loco is unpowered with motorised baggage car. Bachmann - 'DE WITT CLINTON' 0-4-0 and coaches - HO Scale. Small tender drive loco and very small coaches. Bachmann - 'JOHN BULL' 2-4-0 and coaches - HO scale. Bigger tender drive loco. Bachmann - 'PRUSSIA' 4-2-0 and coaches - HO scale. Loco drive. Bachmann - 'LAFAYETTE' 4-2-0 and coaches - HO scale. Same loco as 'PRUSSIA' with larger coaches. Bachmann - 'PHOENIX' 4-2-0 and coaches - HO scale. Same as above bit different livery. A number of members of this forum are producing designs for 3D printing of early locomotives and rolling stock. One example is found at: Hope this is of help. I feel there are a number of other models/kits that I have forgotten about - I have not listed the various Broad Gauge kits by the BGS, Mike's Models or Keyser. Dave R.

Hi Dave, A lot of these earlier Tri-ang and T/H models had the lining applied with a heated stamp which, ever so slightly, impressed the plastic. It seems to be too shallow to fill and too deep to sand down the surrounding panels. On some of my cuts and shuts I've used them as a guide for relining as you suggested. The model looks great as an O/S framed 0-4-2 and gives me a bit of inspiration for some of the many Nellie type bodies I've collected over the years. Dave R.

G'day Corbs I have just listened to the first podcast and have a few (positive) comments. First thing that grabbed my attention is your measured and well enunciated narrative. In the past I have listened to a number of podcasts (and videos) in which it was next to impossible to understand the presenter, let alone comprehend the subject matter. The choice of the Railway Mania as the first subject was one that grabbed my attention straight away. I have collected a fair amount of references for this early period of railway expansion so I do have a good working knowledge of the trials and tribulations involved and of the fortunes won and lost by the public and the promoters. I quite like the way you made use of modern analogies to help explain some of the concepts - the Simpson's monorail example made me laugh. You could talk for hours on the subject of the Mania although the podcast contained enough details to inform the listeners and, hopefully, encourage them to conduct further research of their own into the subject. All up I think this is a great first effort and I look forward to future editions. Dave R.

The green one would have been their Original Pale Ale which is 4.5% alcohol. The red label is the Sparkling Ale at 5.7%. I know about that one quite well as I had one with dinner tonight. Dave

There are three schools of thought regarding opening bottles of Copper's Ale. Due to the brew being partly bottle fermented you get some residue in the bottom of the bottle. 1 - Slowly roll or tip the bottle to mix. Main problem with this is that the ale can foam out the bottle upon opening. 2 - Open the bottle and decant the ale into a glass leaving the residue in the bottle. Sometimes called the 'sissy' method (but not by me). 3 - Open and tip the bottle straight into your mouth. The brewing residue mixes through the ale without the mess of method 1. This is my preferred way of drinking Cooper's products. After finishing your first six-pack you probably won't care how you go about drinking the stuff. Dave R.

Cooper's Brewery are a South Australian institution. They were founded in the 1860's and are, at the present time, the largest Australian owned brewer. I don't know if it is exported but their Dark Ale is quite a nice drop. One that I think is only sold in Oz is their 2018 special release Vintage Ale. I've only had one and thoroughly enjoyed it. Dave R.

As a loyal Crow-Eater I need to put in a good word for Cooper's Pale Ale (complete with cloudy bottle brewed residue) and for winter Cooper's Stout (aka 'Looney Soup'). In fact any of the Cooper products, still owned by the original family, are worth a try. I grew up drinking Southwark Bitter long necks which was frequently referred to as 'Green Death'. Dave R.

Total waste of time and money. All those years on construction and modification and it still never flew more than a few feet. Mind you - it is better at keeping razor blades sharp than the pyramids.

The supplier is actually called Country Scenes. I don't know if they have a seperate website but are on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CountryScenes/ Dave R.