Hibelroad

Things are getting more and more difficult when it comes to house sales. We have recently moved and the house we sold had a conservatory built about 20 years ago prior to our ownership. When we bought the house there was the usual vendors questionnaire where boxes had been ticked to say all permissions were in place for the conservatory. This was deemed satisfactory at the time. However for the recent sale we were asked for documentation, which of course we didn’t have. In the end we had to pay £150 for some sort of indemnity in order to keep the sale on track. So if you are having any work done on a house check and double check if documentation is required, it could save a lot of time trouble and expense in the future.

Out in the sticks, that’s a vertically polarised TV aerial, not Dorset by any chance ?

Try Rails of Sheffield.

I had a bit of a double take moment there, 1967, is that old ? I started modelling in 1967 and it seems like yesterday to me. 😁

I think it’s a modern thing, I seem to remember Alister Cooke ( letter from America) and newsreader of old using “ev”, but I could be misremembering.

My supplier is Octopus and I thought their winter projections were ridiculous when I first started taking notice in the Spring, however I have since found them to be depressingly accurate. Having said that I have just moved and no longer have gas (using oil) so all I'm not sure what the costs will be. However I do now have a wood burner and a good stack of logs so at least we can keep warm in the evenings.

Sad news indeed and I hope Derek and his family are OK once the dust settles. I have bought from Eileen's for many years but as others have noted it has only been occasional purchases, mostly at exhibitions. In the past, when large numbers of modellers made occasional purchases, the company could remain buoyant but unfortunately there has been an inevitable shift from the old manual metalwork skills to computer based crafts. So sadly the market for the kind of products Eileen's traded in is shrinking.

I’ve also heard them called nodding donkeys, they certainly nodded vigorously when they got a bit of speed up between Ashton and Manchester.

I managed 11% in the first end of year Latin exam. This got me downgraded to a lower form where I could do Metalwork and Tech drawing instead, and I've never looked back.

Mrs HR called the class 304 EMUs rattle traps, based on the quality of the ride. Also class 101 bug chariots ( apologies of that’s already been covered).

I think that’s the best TV ad ever, and let’s not forget that until recently the Manchester model railway society Christmas show was held in the Barns Wallis building.

Our George is a regular mouse catcher, but once they are in the house he drops them and looses interest. We have a few humane traps which we bait with cat biscuits, if we fail to catch the mouse and it goes into hiding the traps are set out and we wait. Usually a trap catches the mouse within 24 hours, then we can release it outside. I’m sure some of the mice spread the word, if you want a free cat biscuit and a warm house for the night just hang around when George is about. 😆

I’m just starting to look into solar panels now I have a decent south facing roof following a house move. I’m also hoping to include a battery. I can do the maths regarding pay back time but that won’t be my prime concern as I am more interested in having security of supply and being self sufficient to a degree. We can only guess at future electricity prices but I will feel a bit more secure with a panel/battery system.

One which is railway related is the pronunciation of Burntisland. The number of people who get it wrong must be a constant irritation to the the modellers of the superb layout, I have to admit that for a long time I thought it was “Buntis Land” . However , split the word in half and all becomes clear.

Hope this isn’t too far off topic but sat nav pronunciation of place names beats any human name mangling hands down. I travelled to Stoke on Trent several times, this was pronounced something like Stoosh un trennnnd. Having now move to Wales the sat nav seems to have admitted defeat and mostly just says turn left or turn right.

I think the soldering iron is the best idea, I have also used a quick waft of a gas powered mini blowtorch when working at a bench but that sounds like too much of a fire risk under a baseboard.

If the plastic is really thin then the flutes of a twist drill will snatch at it and ruin the hole. I would probably start with a very small drill, 1 mm or a bit less then progressively enlarge the hole using tapered reamers as stocked by the likes of Squires or Eileens. If you require an accurate sized end result keep checking the hole using the shank of a drill.

Isn’t Waitrose car park provided free for the benefit of Waitrose customers?

If this was the Granada TV build then it was located near Macclesfield and I think it still exists. It’s was revolutionary at the time being clad with insulation and having controlled ventilation with heat recovery. The solar panels were for water heating rather than electricity generation. I was too young at the time to take much notice of it but many of the innovative ideas have become mainstream today. I worked for the electricity board at the time and it amused me that a 3 phase supply was installed for an energy efficient house, but I suppose that was for the TV and heavy building work and it was removed and converted to single phase when the project was completed.

Superglue, it only seems good for sticking the top on its own bottle or hands to roads.

And now for something completely different. A young Australian is hard at work gold prospecting in the outback when he comes across a large nugget. Hurrying to the assay office he is offered $10,000 for his find. What will you do with the money? asks the assay officer I’m going to spend it on the best night of my life, replies the prospector Back in his cabin the young man loses no time in calling up the flying escort agency service. He explains that he will require an escort for the whole of the night. The agent says OK, but that’s going to cost $1,000. Thats no good, says the young man, I want the best you have got. OK said the agent we do have a top escort but she will cost you $5,000. Still no good said the man, I need the very best and I’m prepared to pay whatever it costs. The agent thought for a while then said he did know of an exceptional escort but the cost would be $10,000. That will do said the prospector, send her over A little later the plane lands and a stunning woman in flying overalls steps out. Now, she says, I know you prospectors live a lonely life here in the outback, tell me truthfully, have you ever spent the night with a woman before? The prospector looked down at his shoes and muttered no I haven’t. Well that’s OK, she said, we will take things nice and slow and you will have the time of your life. Now I will need to get changed in your bedroom. As she was getting changed she heard a good deal of noise coming from the main room. There was scraping. dull thuds, sawing and hammering to be heard. When she emerged she was stunned, all the furniture had been piled in the corner, the carpet rolled back and boards nailed across the windows. What the hell is going on here ? she asked I’m just making my usual preparations said the prospector. What preparation? I thought you said you have never had a woman here before. Well no I haven’t, he replied, but I thought if they are anything like kangaroos you need to give them plenty of room.

Train travel must have been pricey in the 30s, I remember an off peak second class return Macclesfield to Manchester was 6/- in 1968 so that was only 2d a mile 30 to 40 years later.

Myth is a very mellow Whisky, a favourite of Mrs hibelroad. Celt is Penderyns peaty whisky, I’m not a big fan of peat but this is acceptably mild. I will shortly be moving to within 30 mins of the Penderyn distillery in Llandudno so I be able to stock up direct from the gift shop !

I grew up travelling on class 304s, ( Macclesfield, very early 25v electrification). I used to wonder why the local railways looked so different to the models in the shops, sadly they still do. I've waited all my life for a RTR 304, I am still waiting.

It’s a bit difficult to say without some photos, however bear in mind that softwood as bought will not be straight and ply is often twisted. Are all the joints cut square? preferably with a mitre saw or great care if hand cut, even a few degrees off square can make quite a difference over 5 ft. Unless you have access to quite a bit of woodworking equipment it is difficult to make a good flat baseboard which is why laser cut kits are now so popular.