geoffers

According to "BR Steam Locomotives - Complete Allocations History 1948-1968" by Hugh Longworth, 82001 was at Bristol Bath Road - Mar-58 to Jul-58 Chester - Jul-58 to Apr-61 Templecombe - Apr-61 to Sep-62 Hereford - Sep-62 to Apr-63 Exmouth Junc - Apr-63 to Dec-63 Taunton - Dec-63 to Jun-64 Bristol Barrow Road - Jun-64 to Dec-65 Withdrawn - Dec-65

jonny777 - well I haven't yet got to the stage of wanting a full-blown recording station. That said, he says rather sheepishly, I do have a barometer, hygrometer, and thermometer suitably sited so I can keep an eye on things. No rainfall measuring - at least not yet. For me meteorology was not so much the measurement of the elements and their potential extremes but the physics behind it all and the wrestling with so many potential forecast options from a single start up position. Bit like the insurance industry - assessing risk.

melmerby asked....."Anybody in Eastern England with a professional weather station?" Enthusiastic amatuer observer in Buxton Norfolk http://www.buxton-weather.co.uk/weather.htm#latest Bit of a frost hollow and summer maxima can be affected by sea breezes but an extremely competent site. Funny thing is that despite being a recently retired forecaster I do not do recordings of weather. Think I have had enough and glad to be out of the ratrace. However if you know where to look there is plenty of observational data available and forecast model data too, so still do my own forecasts. Recently national weather has seriously underplayed Norwich maxima. Just saying..................

CaptainK has hit the head on the nail here. Pictures are scare (the one with 76019 taken by Colin Caddy has been reproduced in "The Somerset and Dorset Files - No 4 by Martin Smith) but the caption mentions that steep hills and narrow lanes precluded bus services so the station was surprisingly well patronised. Aas was Wellow nearby. Also mentioned in one or two other publications. A very basic structure (Southern Railway concrete) was opened 23 Sept 1929 and staffed throughout until March 1966 by the Tapper sisters.

Smashing day at RSPB Minsmere last Tuesday (12th). Top of the tree (as it were) was a Bittern prancing around in front of the Bittern Hide in full view of all inside for around 10 mins before flying off. That don't happen very often. A couple of Bearded Tits too and a Great White Egret.

Laurie Poulton's Evercreech Junction is a superb model of the prototype. Have had a number of very enjoyable hours operating this with Laurie and Steve. All analogue too but with Laurie a former GPO engineer it works very well indeed. Not sure if it was ever shown in a magazine but the late Eric Rimmer did a model of Henstridge which Steve, Laurie, me, and a some guests exhibited in the early 1990s around East Anglia. It was featured in the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust's Bulletin 171 (July/August 1992) which can be retrieved from the Trust's website (though you may have to be a member to do so - not sure).

Five games to go and the top of the Championship is still very tight. Who are the lucky two going to be?

Nice one Eric. Geoff

Ah but Bruckner's adagios have space and breathe.......and you get lost in the space. Love Bruckner and always have.

I had heard reports from birding friends that Red Kites had been spotted around Norfolk over the last 2/3 years and then saw my first one last June near the Norfolk Showground. Not seen one since though. Buzzards are becoming more common though.

For an S&D Standard 5 I just renumbered 73030 to 73028. You could also renumber to 73019.

"...On the face of it the race for promotion to the Premiership is the most exciting and closest of recent years, but I think it indicates that there are a number of mediocre teams fighting like cats in a bag and none of them is capable of breaking free of the pack..." Possibly - unless there are more teams at a better standard this season, which I somehow doubt. Next season the Premiership may provide the answer.

Hmmmm - Linn and Naim - very nice.Not sure I would go for high-end audio now as I've got old man's hearing these days so would not appreciate the quality (as long as I can hear the chuffs and diesel roar). Thing that irritates me about the Cyrus system is that there is no headphone socket. Bought a Ruark R4i with Monster noise reducing headphones to cope with it. Not a bad system though lacks the space of the real hi-fi but decent enough sound when placed at table top level and bluegrass is good over the phones but the classics sound a bit compressed.

Almost bought an Arcam system 20 years ago (really that long ago?) when we renewed our then B&O system. Bought a Cyrus system instead with Monitor Audio speakers. Why? Loved the mellowness of the Arcam but the thing that decided it was the start of Walton's Belshazzar's Feast (we took several of our CDs in to test various systems) which was electrifying on the Cyrus. Little things like that swing these sort of decisions. The drawback is a system which is slightly drier in sound and can really show up poor recording quality. I appreciate the system is now over 20 years out-of-date but Metallica at full blast is fantastic!

"....I'd like to see Bournemouth go up, it seems to be a very well run club with a nice atmopshere...." Eddie Howe is a Bournemouth man through and through (played for them for years) He saved them from dropping into the Conference a few years back then next season got them into D1 and subsequently almost got them promoted to the Championship. He left for Burnley towards the end of that season (where he appears to have set the foundations up for Sean Dyce's success) but then the successor management team let them slide to 6th place in the play-offs and defeat in the play-off semis. They then plunged to the bottom of D1 before Eddie returned from Burnly and they shot up the league. Many fans are in "never, never land" at the moment not quite believing their current Championship success. Eddie Howe seems to have the gift of "man-management". If Bournemouth (Boscombe to us elderly followers) fail to make the Premiership I wonder how long Eddie will stay. I hope he would choose the right club with the right board support if so.

"....A playoff Final derby would certainly be wild - just getting everyone there would be a massive difficulty...." Train journeys to Wembley would be a nightmare but just imagine the journey back as one set of losing fans set upon the winners in the same train. Would have to have different trains for each team's fans. Is football really worth this hassle????

Yes - very tight at the top of the Championship. It is now going to depend on mental toughness and character. A good time to start a winning run too. Hopefully Bournemouth have emerged from their dodgy run - they have dominated most of the games, at least in terms of possession, that they have lost and drawn this season. An attacking side under Eddie Howe but liable to suffer from the sneak counter attack but who would ever have expected them to be in contention. Could be a disastrous season in the Premiership if they managed it though but Bournemouth fans are at least enjoying the ride. Given the conditions at the Goldsands would the Premier League even let them in? Might be a profitable time for the lawyers. Norwich have tightened up under their new manager Alex Neil. How about a Wembley play-off final between Ipswich and Norwich? That would be wild. What would be the odds of Ipswich winning having lost home and away to Norwich this season !!!! Edired for spelling - must do better.

Just thought of something that may be relevant for modellers. The home signal arm in question, as with the others around Bailey Gate, were the LSWR/SR crinkled type - instead of being flat faced they were those that had two crinkles, the dip in the crinkles being on the red side of the signals. Two of these signal arms reside here in Norfolk although I have no provenance apart from my word that they were bought after closure. Friend went down to Bournemouth Central and paid 10 shillings for each of them (he also bought some). He did get a receipt but I doubt whether it still exists as this was near 50 years ago.

There is an irony here - I have a photo (taken with a Brownie 127 so it is not up to much) of this signal taken just to the south of the signal and looking north. It was taken on Sunday 6th March 1966 and I was in the middle of the two tracks and having just taken the shot was alarmed to hear a train rushing up the climb from Bailey Gate station. It was 80043 and 48706. Took a poor picture of these as I rushed off the track down the embankment. These photos are about the house somewhere but I cannot find them- too many years, house moves, and too much clutter. No doubt buried deep underneath something. If I ever find them I will post them on here if I am still alive and kicking. They are not up to much but may have a value for researchers. Edited for spelling

The picture in the Pope collection shows the down signal immediately by the bridge. I cannot find the photo looking north from the bridge but you have probably seen it as it shows 41320 on the April 1967 special returning from Blandford. Have searched what is left of my mind and can still find no memory of a diamond.

Yes "Blest Pair of Sirens" is a super work. The old goose-pimples went up and down my back when I first heard it (possibly at one of SWMBO choir concerts - not the madrigal group) and I play it now and then still. Trouble is with great music if you play it too often it can seem to become "run-of-the-mill". Dvorak's "New World" Symphony for instance was used in an Hovis advert and it is sometimes hard to chase the image out of your head when you hear it. The worst example of this for me is in Sibelius' "Finlandia" where the central melody has been used in a evangelist's hymn and Holst's jolly "Jupiter" melody from "The Planets Suite" being used as a patriotic song. And yet great music can survive this. How often do we take refuge in a familiar piece. Beethoven's "Egmont Overture" always stirs me no matter how often it is played. If you are into English sympohists try Rutland Boughton's No 3, Ernest Moeran's Symphony in G, and Robert Simpson's No 9. If you would like to travel on more exotic highways try Havergal Brian's symphonies and works by Granville Bantock. And can I also re-iterate how entertaining this thread is and how lucky we are to have performers with us. Now shut up geoffers.

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford wrote some excellent orchestra music in addition to his choral compositions. Chandos records issued a collection of his symphonies in the late 80s and enjoyable they are too. His Piano Concerto No 2 has been criticized by some as being too influenced by Rachmaniov's No 2 but at least that gives a flavour of how it sounds. My own secular favourite of Stabnford is his Songs of the Sea - reminiscent of Elgar perhaps and sets poems of Sir Henry Newbolt to music including Drake's Drum (Drake, he's in his hammock and a thousand mile away). One of my late father's favouroite poems and one read at his funeral being ex-Navy and a "Devonport man." Yer 'tis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWynVFp2zVI

Hah - the Widor Toccata - Mrs geoffers chose that to walk down the aisle at our wedding many years ago. Her madrigal group (minus her of course) sang "...How lovely are thy dwellings fair ..." (in English) from the Brahms German Requiem whilst we signed the register. Raise a few eyebrows that did. She walked into the church to the music of Mendlessohn.....no not that one - it was from "Athelie" and was "...The War March of the Priests". Superb organist too. Here it is......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-spNrIHQoA. Edited for spelling.

From memory - no it did not. I have a couple of photo references which may help but will have to wait until I can access them this evening. One of the books is Mike Pope's Steam South and West (??). I think the sigtnal you refer to was at the back of our house when I was a nipper and I used to climb it for a look-out!!! The one going north about 200 yards north of the railway bridge, If this is so I am pretty sure there was no diamaond sign on it.

Zen-Buddhist - I did not know that. Thanks.