batrapyr

On 30/01/2022 at 11:48, Oldddudders said:

I watched it being loaded to minfits at Lavant as late as November 1967.

 

I presume the OP has the excellent Middleton Press book on Midhurst. Well up to their usual standard. I can also recommend Paul Clark's history of the Chichester & Midhurst Railway. I think Paul worked for Charles Attwell in the Area Manager's Office at Chichester, so would regularly talk to local staff. His reference to the temperature in Midhurst box being so low that the ink froze in the inkwell is a bit sobering for those who hanker after the good old days!

 

The Chi branch had closed suddenly in late 1951 when a bridge was washed away north of Cocking, resulting in a C2x "Vulcan" being dumped in the stream. 

Luckily, I have all 3 of the Middleton books plus another written about the Chichester to Midhurst branch, produced by the West Sussex County Council.

BTW, that C2x that took a nose-dive, after the blocked culvert resulted in the waters washing away the track bed, burned for several days as the coal fell forwards and must have got through to the fire under the boiler. Remarkably, sometime later it was hauled out (on temporary rails) and was restored to service.

Midhurst and its branch lines was a quirky environment. The signal box at the east/Pulbrough end of the station was converted to a ground frame and eventually became a station staff office. The much larger west box was freezing during winter and like an oven during summer. It also leaned at an alarming angle is the foundations were inadequate. Sadly  the LBSR station was flattened by developers but some of the other stations have variously been used as luxury B&Bs, a vineyard, etc.

Thank you all for the amazing information. So much more than I could ever have expected. Very useful to know the loading levels, etc.

Although white bricks were manufactured at Midhurst I have decided that the brickyard (off scene) will be located at the next station on the branch line from Midhurst to Petersfield. I think that my (imaginary) version of Midhurst will have other incoming wagons to keep the yard fully occupied - livestock will form a large part of the trade as my version of Midhurst will have a popular weekly market. Also, I plan to have polo ponies arriving and departing as Cowdry Park ( well known location for the 'toffs' to indulge in their sport) is nearby.

There will be some necessary renaming of locations but they will still be recognisable to anyone familiar with the area. The station will be called 'Midhirst & Esburn' (the local football club is called 'Midhurst & Easebourne' but is pronounced similar to my version). To the south the end of the branch line will be at Chidester (the Sussex pronouncement of Chichester). Petersfield will become Petersfold (there are plenty of places, in Sussex, that end in "fold"). And, lastly, Pulborough will become Pulbrough (pronounce "Pullbra").

I am planning an N gauge layout loosely based on Midhurst (West Sussex) in the late 1950s to early 1960s. A branchline runs (roughly) east to west with Midhurst in the middle and a branchline, from this junction station, heading south to Chichester. To the west of Midhurst the next station on the line (off scene) has sidings into a brickyard. To the east (also off scene) there are coal fields and sand pits. To the east and the south there are major building works that require bricks from the aforementioned brickyard. Midhurst itself will also require some of the coal (for local consumption).

I want to plan the layout of the goods yard, at Midhurst, to accommodate both this traffic and other traffic (agricultural products, animals, etc.). And so to my questions...

1. What sort of wagons would be used for transporting the bricks?

2. What sort of wagons would be used for transporting the sand?

3. Would empties and wagons of bricks, coal or sand be combined in a single train?

4. if the answer to 3. is "yes", would there have been a specific order of wagons in the formulation?

5. Were private owner wagons still in use in the late 1950s/early 1960s?

Apologies for the 'numpty' questions.

Barry Denyer

Sometime ago I acquired a (large) Z gauge layout that had previously been exhibited but had been mothballed for a number of years. As can be seen from the track plan (schematic), it comprises 4 baseboards each with its own control panel. Handheld controllers plug in via a couple of 6-DIN sockets. It is, obviously, DC and cab control is employed.

To an inexperienced modeller, like me, this was an ideal project where I could learn about things like electrics and I have to confess that my first impression of the wiring loom, under the baseboards, was one of bewilderment. There were wires of every colour of the rainbow and I set out with the intention of figuring out what each wire did and then labelling them. I quickly discovered that there were 3 separate circuits. The first was for the points; the second was for the uncouplers and the third was for the track power (using two separate feeds).

I have managed to work out the two baseboards, with pink and grey backgrounds. There are separate 'zones' and I have given the track a different colour for each zone. They are electrically isolated and are controlled by appropriate (centre-off) switches on the control panels, thereby providing cab control. The other two baseboards are where I have a problem.

The previous owner had started to dismantle the layout and had removed the control panels for the two left-most baseboards. I am in the process of reinstating the missing control panels and I have all the necessary wire, switches, etc. however I need to work out where the isolated sections would be. Any suggestions would be warmly welcomed!

Barry Denyer

A novice modeller & an electrical numpty

For various reasons I have, for the past year or so, had an inkling to build a small Z gauge layout. I had acquired some track, controllers, switches, etc. (all from Marklin) and fondly thought that it would be a neat idea to pick up a few items of rolling stock to create a 'simple' tail-chaser. However, I realised that this would quickly become boring as it would have no operational interest. I needed some points, just to make things a little bit more interesting. One thing led to another and having got chatting to a guy who had some track for sale, I discovered that he had an old layout that had previously been on the exhibition circuit (about 15 years ago). My initial thoughts were that if I acquired it, I could delicately remove the parts that I wanted and 'bin' the rest. However, having purchased the layout from him I am now reluctant to carve up something that obviously took him many long hours to create.

The layout is 'end to end' coming, as it does, on 4 baseboards each of which is 1 m x 0.28 m. The track plan isn't overly complex although there are several levels and an integral fiddleyard. There is a very small control panel that appears to cover operation of 2 of the baseboards. There are multi-core cables used to transfer power (and control) between the baseboards, using plugs/sockets the like of which I have never seen before (approximately 1.25" square with about 12 flat pins). Two of the baseboards appear to have all of their wiring still intact but, sadly, the previous owner had started to remove some of the control systems for the other two baseboards. There are lots of wires still attached to the underside of the baseboards but the buttons/switches that they were connected to have been removed. Finally, on the non-viewing side of the layout there are two 5-Din sockets. I had assumed that these were used for throttles but I am assured by the previous owner that this was not the case.

Sadly, for me, the previous owner (who was responsible for building the layout) didn't feel the need to label any of the wires. Indeed, I am fortunate that he bothered to identify some of the switches on the very small control panel that sits above the fiddleyard. It is obvious, from looking at the layout, that its previous owner had designed and built it for his own use and for exhibition purposes - it has a number of the small plaques that are given to exhibiting layouts, at shows. From these plaques it was possible to deduce that this layout had been in storage for about 14 years and a number of tiny spiders had taken up residence in the meantime!

I am faced with a number of challenges if I want to get this exquisite layout running again. Firstly, I need to give it a thorough clean to remove all of the years of dust and cobwebs that have accumulated. As some of the scenic parts are very delicate this means using very soft brushes and a hand-held vacuum cleaner, inspecting the contents of the collection bin very carefully after each and every cleaning session. As this task can get incredibly frustrating and not a little tiresome, at the same time I am going to try to produce a track plan (using SCARM). This is not as easy as it sounds because the scale is so small that an error of a fraction of a millimetre could, potentially, become quite serious. I do appreciate that this is going to take many days/nights of meticulous measurement and recording but once I am happy with it, I am going to add a layer to the underside and attempt to create a wiring diagram.

In preparation for this herculean task I have ordered a new digital multimeter and a set of digital vernier scales (to measure each object - track, buildings, platforms, etc.). I will be using the lowest point on the layout as the datum. 

My first attempt at producing a track plan for baseboard #1 is underway and looks something like the image below.

Thanks for the feedback and advice.

I am now stuck, trying to work out which system to sell. I really like the features of the Dynamis (especially computer control) but dislike the fact that it is only possible to control 100 accessories.

Barry Denyer

Newbie question...

I am planning a ‘Fiddleyard > Scenic > Fiddleyard’ Layout where the Scenic section consists of a station and goods yard. I decided, early on, that it will be DCC and purchased a Bachman’s Dynamis Pro. A little later I picked up another (pre-owned but unused) handheld controller. All good, so far, and I continued to collect things that I am going to need (track, engines, carriages, wagons, etc.).

At a recent auction I picked up a lot that consisted of 3 boxes of N gauge stuff and buried in the bottom of one of the boxes was a Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance complete with 3 hand held controllers.

And so to my question... Is there any sensible way that I can use the two systems together? I am, potentially, thinking of using one for points and signals only and the other to control the trains.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Barry Denyer

(Approaching retirement and looking forward to some modelling time)

Hi,

I am hoping that someone can help with a spot of ignorance, on my part, in relation to the Bachmann Dynamis Ultima.

I did a fair amount of research into the most appropriate system for me. I am NOT saying that the Dynamis Ultima is the cheapest, most sophisticated or easy to use - it just happens to meet most of my requirements in a reasonably uncomplicated bit of kit. As I am only just starting out with my first layout I believe that the Dynamis Ultima will deliver all of the functionality that I will require, at least for the first couple of years.

Following advice, I am going to start 'small', in terms of layout size. However the ultimate objective is to build quite a large layout - not in terms of rolling stock or track but in surface area. I hope to end up with a fiddleyard > scenic > fiddleyard layout that will show the railway being 'fitted' to the countryside, not the other way around. If all baseboards were laid 'end to end', this N gauge layout will (eventually) be something like 12 metres in length. I hope to be able to wire up so that it can be run semi-automatically, with one operator. However, I would like to be able to run it with 3 - 4 individual operators. And that is where my problems will, eventually, lie.

The Dynamis Ultima comes with a piece of kit ('IR extension') but I have been unable to find any instructions on how to use this. Also, If I want (say) 3 operators how do I add an additional 2 controllers (throttles)? At various points on the Bachmann web site, it refers to these throttles as part number 36-507 but I have yet to find anywhere that I can purchase one or more of them. Even Bachmann seems to say that they are not available!

Final 'daft' question.... given the length of the layout, will I need boosters?

Thanks, in anticipation, for any help.

Barry

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your wonderful feedback which is going to take me a week to assimilate! Please forgive me if you don’t hear from me for a few days, there was so much wonderful and useful information in the replies that is going to take me some time to follow up on suggestions and ideas.

There were, however, a few additional questions in the posts (above) so I will see if I can answer some of them...

The layout will be N gauge.

The trains running from foddleyard to fiddleyard will consist of engine, maximum of 4 or 5 wagons (5 plank) plus a guard’s van.

Era is roughly 1954 to 1963.

Location is fictional and Region is up for debate.

A ‘plank’ was suggested and that is, indeed, what I aim to do or, at least something similar. I had actually thought of creating the basis of one of the fiddleyards to start with.

Or now, I am going to print off all of the replies and get my reading glasses out.

Regards and thanks

Barry Denyer

Hi,

I am in the planning stages of my first layout and would like to make use of DCC, automation and computer assisted control. My plans are for a slightly unusual track layout with fiddleyards on both ends and a scenic section in the middle that includes a branchline station and a shunting yard.

For various reasons, I would like trains to start in the left fiddleyard, travel through the scenic section and enter the right fiddle yard. From there they would reverse, behind the back scene, to return to the left fiddleyard. I would also like trains to run in the opposite direction. I would very much like to be able to automate this part of the operation so that these trains run to a pre-defined schedule.

On top of that, I would like to be able to intersperse these automated trains with other services that are manually controlled. Important factors include, but may not be restricted to, the following...

All accessories will be controlled by DCC (e.g. points, uncouplers, etc.)

The fiddleyards will be hidden by (removable) scenery

Fiddleyards will be monitored by means of CCTV cameras

If possible I would like to include a DCC-controlled turntable in the scenic section

The layout needs to be partially automated (see above)

Trains also need to be run manually, including route setting

Cost is not an important factor

I do not want the distraction of sound

Cost isn’t an important factor because I intend to start small and steadily increase. I realise that there will be a major outlay at the start (when purchasing base station, etc.) and I am aware that electronically controlling all points etc. Is going to make them quite expensive. However, I have a lump sum that I can invest, now, and will have a regular disposable income in the future.

I have the ability to create schedules that include logic and decisions (e.g. checking status of points before determining whether of not they need to change) and I have several laptops, an iPad and a smart phone.

So, my first question is... Is this feasible? I kind of assume that almost anything is possible given the funds :-)

Is there a DCC system on the market that includes a computer interface that permits the automated and manual control of a layout?

Given that I live in East Anglia (but am fully mobile) can anyone recommend a good model shop that would give impartial advice on the choice of system?

Any comments or observations would be warmly welcomed.

Barry Denyer

I am going to miss Allan’s musing especially those on this thread. Like many, I didn’t know Allan personally and never had a chance to meet the great man. However, he was kind enough to exchange private messages with me and encouraged me to ‘have a go’ despite my complete lack of talent, skill or knowledge.

Fare well, fella. It was a privilege to know you.

Barry Denyer

You have got to laugh at some of the numpties on here complaining about the start and end times of this show. Unless I am mistaken, all times and dates were advertised well in advance. I have no complaints about the venue, the times, the dates, the security staff, the traders or even Andy York.

My only complaint is that some of the layouts were just too good, displaying craftsmanship and skills that I have zero chance of replicating. Apart from bring very impressed, I went home feeling totally humbled.

Well done to all exhibitors.

Barry Denyer

My first (and, probably, last) visit to Ally Pally, today. Many positives about the show but too much of a ‘faff’ trying to get to the venue. A couple of changes on the train and far too much walking. I might have been better off driving but having to negotiate the M11 and M25 really didn’t appeal.

As for the show, I thought that they got the balance of layouts to trade stands just about right. I went with a shopping list but actually came away with nothing. I realise that our hobby isn’t inexpensive but when I see items that have doubled in price in less than a year, my wallet is going to stay firmly in my pocket. A classic example of this was Hornby’s 2HAL - on sale for £52.00 (at Hattons) last year and I assume that they weren’t making a loss, now on sale for prices ranging from £89.00 to £92.00. I am glad that I am not contemplating a 3rd rail layout! However, I do want a Wainwright Class H with Pull/Push set. I was astonished to see the Hornby ‘Push/Pull’ set of 2 coaches for the best part of £100. <rant over>

On a more positive note, I was delighted to be able to spend some time watching the operation of Brighton East. I had first seen this layout on this forum and seeing it was one of the prime reasons for visiting this show. I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Very difficult to fault the modelling of this layout and, having misspent much of my youth in and around Brighton I thought that the team had captured the essence of that town. The terrace of houses (upper right, above the entrance to the fiddleyard) was a fine rendition. Spot-on, guys.

Although not my era or scale, I was equally impressed by Saltdean. Most modellers would shy away from anything pre-1900, so it was particularly pleasing to see it again. One other layout held a personal fascination - Friday Bridge. As a ‘What might have been...’ it was intriguing to see someone’s interpretation of a branch off the Wisbech to Upwell Line. As someone who lives in a village (Welney) that could also have benefitted from a connection to the Wisbech/Upwell line, I was particularly amused to see that it was modelled ‘in decline’. Had it been built, I believe that it would have been abandoned long before even the Wisbech/Upwell was lifted.

And finally, highlight of the day.... I got to meet and chat (briefly) with Andy York. He is not as tall as he looks on the DVDs

Barry Denyer

Hi Terry,

Given the all too frequent problems with OHE between Ely and Kings Lynn, I would venture to suggest that you might like to consider modelling a 'Rail Replacement' bus service in the car park!

Best regards

Barry (a regular user of services out of Ely)

I don't post on here very often because, to be brutally honest, I really don't know what I am doing.

I have posted the odd enquiry to help me in my decision on which era and what location to model. Some forum members have been most kind in providing information and their expertise has been invaluable. However, having finally reached a decision on the time-frame of my proposed layout and the specific location, I am now stuck.

I would really like to model a location in the south of England during the period immediately prior to the demise of steam. I had considered my home town of Littlehampton but the more I researched it the more I became convinced that the track plan was far too complicated for a novice modeller. Various other locations were identified and quickly dismissed, for a variety of reasons. In the end, I settled on Midhurst, a location that had been modeled before. However, that layout was (I believe) in OO and I would prefer to model in N gauge as I would like the track to be set in the scenery rather that the scenery to be built around the track.

My problem is that the major manufacturers appear to have overlooked this part of the country in the late steam era. Indeed, as far as I have been able to determine, there are no 'small' locomotives that would be appropriate for branch line working. I would really like to acquire several Class E4s (or similar) as these were used for both passenger and goods traffic. Sadly, none appear to be available in N gauge and, indeed, I haven't been able to identify any 0-6-2 tanks of any description, in N or OO gauge!

So, I am looking for advice. How to I resolve this particular issue? Is there an N gauge chassis that I could use? Also, is there a kit supplier who produces a Class E4? If the answers to those two questions are negative, what should I use instead? Or would it be easier to completely relocate my layout to be generic GWR, where the market seems better served?

Any suggestions, sensible or otherwise, gratefully accepted.

Barry

Sadly, for me, Warley was a bit of a disappointment. No fault of the organisers.

I am sure that some of the layouts were stunning. My uncertainty stems from the fact that I made the mistake of going on Saturday when Hall 5 was at its busiest and actually getting anywhere near enough to view them was next to impossible. One of the criticisms that has been voiced before is the lack of ‘activity’ on some of the layouts. I spotted one or two that I wanted to take a look at and, quite obviously, other people had the same idea but because nothing was happening they would take up residence, in front of the layout, and stay there until something did happen. As a result, it was only possible to catch the odd glimpse, over the shoulder of someone seemingly glued to the spot!

Because I didn’t attend with the intention of making any significant purchases and had not singled out any of the layouts as being of special interest, I was able to have a good wander around, pausing to look at anything that peaked my interest. By making my way around the Hall in a logical fashion, I think that I managed to (briefly) visit every stand. By a sheer fluke, I came across one of the stands selling books (Crecy Publishing) and found a book that will be of great assistance in my proposed layout. ‘Impermanent Way. Volume 2 - Susex’ has some wonderful, colour photographs of both stations at Midhurst. This ended up being my only purchase.

I have concluded that big shows, like Warley, are not for me at this stage. Maybe if I am seeking inspiration or want to see items before purchasing, I might return. However, given the cost of travel, parking and then getting in, I would need some justification. Forking out £100 (or thereabouts) for no real reason definitely can’t be justified!

Barry Denyer

Keep popping those pills, Allan. I wish that I even felt like doing cart-wheels. Sadly the back pain is too great to even contemplate any form of acrobatics, just getting out of bed is a struggle!

Frankly, your work is an inspiration and I am champing at the bit to get started on my layout. If only life didn't get in the way. Too many other commitments that need to be dropped so that I can 'crack on'. At least, now, I know what I want to model and, having viewed some of your work, I now realise that I am not going to build just a railway layout. I am going to set it in a landscape populated with buildings that 'look right'. My layout is unlikely to hit the exhibition circuit but I am certainly going to aim for exhibition standards of workmanship, because of you.

Best regards,

Barry

I am perplexed. I first started thinking about building a model railway about a year ago. Since then I have been indulging myself in lots of research. I acquired a substantial collection of books covering all aspects of Modelling plus quite a few on the real thing. These all make for interesting reading but are not much use when it comes to deciding on scale, location and time-frame.

Late last year I was lucky enough to lay my hands on something like 400 back issues of Railway Modeller. More interesting material telling me ‘how’ to model but, again, not what to model, what scale to model in nor when to set the scene.

After dismissing Littlehampton (1960), Cambridge (current) and an imaginary location somewhere around Royston, I finally settled on Midhurst in the post WWII period. I really wanted to set the railway in the landscape and capture the LBSCR station and the abandoned LSWR station. To achieve that, I really needed to go for N as opposed to OO. However, so far I have been unable to find much R-T-R motivepower that was seen on the lines.

Looking at the catalogues for the major suppliers I have only found 2 classes of steam engine or diesel that could have been used. I am a complete novice when it comes to model making, so can anyone suggest a supplier of suitable kits that doesn’t need 30 years experience of kitbashing in order to produce a half decent representation?

I had actually been in touch with Michael, under his other forum entry, because I am also planning on build a layout based on Midhurst. However, my layout will, in all probability, be set in the post-World War II period but assuming that the branch line to Chichester wasn't closed as a result of a flooded culvert washing away an embankment.

Midhurst, although boasting three lines, was never the busiest of branch line stations and passenger numbers failed, miserably, to meet expectations. Essentially goods traffic kept the lines alive until final closure. Building a model and running just a handful of short goods trains each day is hardly going to maintain my interest. So, modeller's license comes into play and that starts with the name of the layout. "Midhirst & Easebourne" will hint at the location and all 'locals' will know that "Easebourne" is pronounced "Ez-bun"!

Other reality changes...

• The government didn't decide to splash lots of cash on improving the roads after WWII
• The LBSCR line from Pulborough to Chichester was the chosen route for all goods traffic headed to Portsmouth
• SR ran 'specials' for Goodwood races (trains working through to Singleton)
• All stations (from Fittleworth to Rogate and down to Chichester) were built much closer to the communities that they were supposed to serve.
• The local brickworks made better use of Wealden clay and expanded (rather than the opposite)
• Chichester became a sprawling city with many workers and shoppers travelling there from Midhurst

Of course, the ultimate 'history change' would be if the South Stoke tunnel (on the Arun Valley line) suffered a major chalk fall and was closed for a long period. That would mean that all traffic headed for Bognor Regis and Chichester (from Horsham) would have to divert to Midhurst. The only drawback with that idea is the fact that the Arun Valley line was electrified in 1938 and, of course, none of the lines to Midhurst were similarly enhanced.

I have (precisely) half of the garage to work with as the domestic authorities have taken over the rear part for dog grooming, etc. So I have a space of, roughly, 10' x 9' 6". I don't think that this is big enough to do justice to the prototype using 4 mm, so it looks like I will have to go with N gauge. The big question is - can I find enough R-T-R stock to operate realistically. Only time will tell and I have plenty of that as #1 grandson is only 1 year old :-)

Barry Denyer

Great to meet you at Peterborough and the 'behind the scenes' look at Neely. Personally, I think that it looks great as it is and any extension (over the river) will just mean extra work - lugging another baseboard to an exhibition.

Interesting to note the degree of concentration by the two operators. Keeping every thing moving in accordance with the schedule/timetable would be frightening for a novice (like me) but they made it look simple. Very slick and 'professional'.

All in all, Neely was a credit to all of your hard work. I continue to be very impressed with this model and you thoroughly deserve all of the accolades that must surely come your way.

Barry Denyer

(A frequent visitor to Ely and, now, Neely)

Hi Michael,

Having read your 'old' blog, I followed your instructions to locate your more recent postings. I was sorry to hear about the Parkinson's but can empathise as it also runs in my family and, frankly, I have never had a steady hand either.

Whilst the period that you have been modelling is many decades prior to the one that I am considering, it is great to see anything related to the area of Sussex that is dear to my heart. My surname is "Denyer", which is very much of a Sussex origin. Indeed, from the limited research that I have conducted into my family history it would appear that our branch of the family tree emirates from Bepton, not a million miles from Midhurst.

One thing that has always intrigued me about Midhurst is the 'trademark' of the Cowdry Estate - the yellow paintwork on properties owned by the estate. Do you happen to know how far back in time this 'tradition' started? Was it in place when the line from Petworth was first built (the routing of which was altered to suit the Earl of Egremont?

Best regards

Barry Denyer

Look forward to meeting you Barry. Please make yourself known when you visit Neely next week. If the layout is behaving itself we can have a chat.

Regards

I will look forward to it.

Terry, I am really looking forward to seeing Neely, next weekend, at Peterborough. This an absolutely stunning model of a station that I visit every day. I will, of course, be bringing a high-powered microscope to see if I can spot Ely's unique feature - the overflow pipe in the shape of an eel's head! (Tongue firmly in cheek).

Are you considering incorporating the new by-pass as a scenic break on the Cambridge end?

Barry Denyer

What do I find annoying? My own indecision on what to model! I first started thinking about starting to build a model railway when my grandson was born (over a year ago). The room (front half of unused garage) was quickly identified but need ceiling (done) and then all of the junk removing,a task that remains incomplete because someone keeps finding urgent jobs that I need to do. Most of my 'free time' is the daily commute to the office. I spend this time leafing through old copies of RM, looking for inspiration.

I am one (of many?) who only post on RMWEB infrequently. Indeed there are times when the pressures of everyday life mean that I don't even get the opportunity to 'browse' through postings. However, when I do get time to flick through the latest posts, I am always delighted when I see that someone has posted something on 'Loftus Road'.

I can certainly appreciate that other activities can preclude the posting of pictures of the latest developments on this wonderful layout. As an 'armchair' modeller (hopefully this is only temporary) I look to layouts, such as Loftus Road, for inspiration. I am deeply grateful for any updates that you manage to make available. I would really love to be able to see it 'in the flesh' but, so far, every outing has either been too far away or on a day when I am committed to doing something that can't be re-arranged.

Please keep up the good work and I really look forward to the next batch of photos - whenever that might be.