Hibelroad

In the 80s the covers on platform fluorescent lamps at stations had the station names on them but sometimes they got mixed up, I’ve seen a Cheadle Hulme cover at Manchester Piccadilly. On a similar theme named luggage trolleys seem to go wandering and I’ve seen incorrect destination blinds on Pacers, especially when the Cornish ones moved to Manchester but I suppose thats more likely to happen anyway on a model. Little details which add life to a layout or start arguments at exhibitions.

Slip coaches and banking engines picking up and dropping off trains are easy to do with DCC but you need a very big layout for the action to play out. Servos have allowed several forms of movement to be achieved which were difficult but as always novel things soon become a cliche.

The best part of breaking up is in the making up..... (humming the tune) But it is good news for all.

The stamps sold well, but it was a good few years age.

I think Britain gets off lightly on the graffiti front, it’s nothing like as bad as Europe but, as this case shows, vandalism is everywhere and a constant menace. I don’t have any easy answers except that when I was at primary school good social behaviour was drilled into us and enforced by a fearsome headmistress.

Being a keen woodworker I regard trees as a slow growing plant, we shouldn’t be afraid to cut them down and use them once they mature. They will grow again. As has been noted upthread there is a feeling these days that trees are special and should not be touched, this leads to unkempt scrubland. Funnily enough I was in some maintained parkland last week and was struck by the majesty of their specimen trees growing without interference of other vegetation, but I also commented on what fine boards and logs they would make 😁

I’m not sure what to say about this so I will just leave it here as a caption competition

You need to be tough to drink our wines.

In my experience any party will water down manifesto commitments once in power, and no doubt blame the voters for misinterpreting what was promised.

Centered around, a centre is a point so it can only be centered on. And don’t get me started on plug sockets, it’s either a plug or a socket, in engineering they would be termed male and female parts, I bet you won’t get it wrong now. Ah here comes the nurse with my medication ... 😁

Could the London Underground ban also be due to terrorism concerns i.e photos used for surveillance and planning purposes? Terrorism in one form or another has existed for many year and must be a concern on the railways. I once read somewhere that men were arrested after being overheard in a pub as they planned to blow up Marple Wharf signal box, this was at the time of the Irish uprising (about 1920) so it’s been going on for a long time.

I worked for a while on the construction of Dinorwig power station, we were told not to take photographs as they might reveal commercially sensitive information. Possibly the same sort of thinking was applied to the railways, particularly when they were competing companies.

About 20 years ago I was a prolific seller on eBay, partly because I was given the job of selling a large inherited stamp collection. After that I did very little but have returned this year in order to shift some unwanted household items. It has changed out of all recognition and I do struggle with the sellers interface. However I can understand that ebay have had to address many new scams and fraudulent transactions since my early days so things have had to change. In the event my few transactions have gone smoothly and payment received without too much delay. In my case I was more concerned with getting unwanted goods out of the way than making a profit so the week or so that payments were delayed were not too concerning. It is still a good way to move unwanted stuff providing you are not looking to get rich quick.

If it's a family day out the experience will be riding the line, the rolling stock used will be a secondary issue. Unfortunately economics are a big consideration and it seems that the preservation movement is experiencing the same problems that BR had, it's just that they are a few decades behind.

I think I’ve only seen one reference to shellac here but it is a good surface treatment for card, it keeps moisture out and makes the cut edge more crisp. It is essentially french polish so just buy a bottle from a diy shop and brush it on both sides. Brushes can be cleaned in meths.

I think much of this is down to the rules don’t apply to me mentally which some people have. There will be signs at all the popular tidal crossings advising of the safe times, at Hilbre life guards go round in the summer advising visitor to leave. There is also plenty of online info which can be accessed when planning a trip, however some will choose to ignore it, after all there is always the coast guard, mountain rescue and other ‘free’ services just waiting to give you a ride home, all of which makes for exciting social media posts.

I have used personal finance budgeting software for several years and would recommend this approach to everyone. It allows you to plan ahead and be aware of what’s affordable. Some might say that’s boring but it’s not as boring as being in debt.

I’ve been to Hilbre many times, and worms head. The key is to check the tide tables which are available online. I’m a great believer in learning from your mistakes ( you should see some of my kit building efforts) so I think that those marooned should be left to wait for low tide, unless life was at risk.

The Fringe jokes are so bad they even make this thread look good.

No idea what it is but having worked in power station control rooms and substations I would put my money on it being electricity supply related, it’s that sort of terminology.

I’ve had a new tin of Precision Paint turn to gloop recently after a couple of uses, but still have tins from 40 years ago which are perfectly usable. Whatever is added to paint these days is ruining it.

I read somewhere that there were hydraulic lifts at Stockport Edgeley, presumably in the early days when there was a footbridge and no underpass. I cannot find the reference now so cannot give any more details but I believe there is still a spiral staircase within the main building which would have given access to the footbridge, so a lift might be needed for heavy luggage or other goods.

Yes I did wonder about that myself, hydraulic was an important way to transmit power in the days before electricity was readily available. There is a hydraulic accumulator at Heaton Norris which was primarily a source of power for the goods warehouse but was also piped to Stockport Edgeley station, a distance of around a mile across the viaduct so long pipe runs are not uncommon.

I've recently come across this water tower at Holyhead which clearly shows the LNWR tank design. The whole structure looks like it should be a coal hole but there is no indication or brickwork to show that it ever was. As far as I know this must be one of the last LNWR tanks on existence but I cannot find anything out about it, as it is some way from the station it seems to have been missed by photographers in the past and not mentioned in any books I have which cover the station and engine shed. https://goo.gl/maps/XfszMgDgoDX3Ghhk8

I only asked where Gymru was, I wasn’t expecting the Spanish Inquisition.