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I had better raise my hand to the same failure of civil engineering: Sorry! Lovely layout, by the way. Look forward to reading more.

Let's re-open it to Lewes, then! 😀 Retrieves hat, coat, gloves, umbrella, ...

Not at all, @Oldddudders . The older one gets, the more one values 'life' and 'others' lives'. Please feel free to give some 'typical days in the life of...' as well as discrete projects. History needs to record how one chased carriage cleaners as well as closing a railway line. E.g., I still have no idea how a 'Link' works, or what loco or crew rosters look like and how they were interpreted. Sorry for the alarming thread-drift.

A memoir thread, please!

@Asterix2012 thanks for that. As you will have guessed, I had no idea.

Does anyone know what 'armour plate' looked like with which this wagon would be loaded? I assume 3" plate sheets (so 1mm. thick in OO), perhaps two side by side loaded along the wagon-length (with a few more on top with laths between for un-loading)? Thanks.

If you are looking to buy, the librarians' choice at my place is: www.justbooks.co.uk ... which is the U.K. edition of www.bookfinder.com

Please may I thank you all for your contributions. They provide much-needed context to the subject, and I am grateful for your time and efforts. Again, if there is someone who can explain what specialist metals can not be produced from recycled steel and why, I would be very interested. E.g., why are car-body panels so 'special'? If anyone knows, please do share the information if you can. Encyclopedia Britannica article on how a blast-furnace works (although I expect we all know this already!) 🙂 : https://www.britannica.com/technology/blast-furnace I hope the community affected can be cushioned from the effects of the replacement, but I fear for them, after previous experiences of industrial changes.

As no-one else appears to be marking this grim news, I thought I would put a thead up. Please ignore if duplicated elsewhere or there is no interest. B.B.C. News web-sites: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-68022901 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-wales-68023528 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-67748505 Please correct me if wrong, but I think these are the last U.K. blast furnaces functioning. The Community trade union rep. pointed out that with these closures of 'sovereign assets', the nation would be unable to refine iron ore domestically. A very bad start to the weekend.

Alas, there is the paradox: those who desire ever more detailed models which involve higher prices (I lost track of those contributing here who said they were appalled at the standard of U.K. models compared to those seen overseas, and so stopped modelling) and those happy with the 1980's releases at cheaper prices and made in the U.K. U.K. manufacturing is not to return, and was not a factor in keeping prices down anyway, if I understand correctly, so what does one do? Having two ranges ('Railroad' and something more detailed) for varied depths of pockets is a good solution, I think.

There is Squires of Bognor Regis (no connection, but a contented customer at a few exhibitions). http://www.squirestools.com/

I was listening to the B.B.C. Asian Network radio station yester-day after-noon, and the presenter was getting very excited about his collaboration.

Just came across this selection of amateur movie clips on the 'That's T.V.' station (the web-site of which refuses to load this morning to provide a link). https://railway-dvds.com/acatalog/Midland_Publishing.html Scroll down to 'British Railways Vol. 3: Vintage Southern'. I am no fan of steam, but was bewitched by 1930's film of an un-rebuilt L.B.S.C. Baltic, and the colour shots of the East Grinstead and Uckfield lines of particular interest to me. Also (briefly) Lewes Goods Yard flooded. If you do not know it, l recommend looking out for it on the T.V. station, and perhaps even buy a copy. The past looked a different world, up on the High Weald anyway.

For some reason, there is a greater diversity of pickles available on the supermarket shelves - the well-known Patak's range I like very much (including the brinjal/aubergine) - but there is a lack of 'cooked' chutney types. Geeta's I like (theirs prompted my attempt at the lime and green chilli), and in specialist Asian supermarkets there are a few more, I think.

"Not mango again, Mum!"; or, alternative chutneys. Jars: left = lime & green chilli, right = tomato & aubergine. I realise now I will never get this post to be as glossy and well presented as I wish, but hope it will still encourage others to try alternatives to the Mango Chutney that appears to be the only one commonly available in U.K. supermarkets. Please find below three recipes I have made at least a few times each (latter re-posted changed), and which I hope others might enjoy. Waitrose Smokey Spiced Tomato & Aubergine Chutney (adjusted). ------------------------------------------------------------ 2 Aubergines, cut into large dice. 2 medium onions, finely chopped (I used red). 4x garlic cloves. 3 cm. fresh root ginger grated. 1 red chilli, finely chopped (and de-seeded if wished). [2 tsp. salt.] I omitted this. 4 tsp. cummin seeds. 4 tsp. coriander seeds. 1 tsp. black pepper-corns. 2 tsp. fenugreek seeds. 2 tbsp. black mustard seeds. 2 tsp. smoked paprika. [1 tsp. ground all-spice.] I omitted this. 450 mL. white wine vinegar. 400 g. Jaggery/Guur/Palm sugar (can use caster or granulated). 1x lime's juice. 1 Kg. ripe tomatoes, or 2x tins of chopped tomatoes. 2 tbsp. tomato puree. 2 tbsp. sunflower oil (or other flavourless). Makes three 454g. jars (Garner's Pickled onion sized, as photo above). Method. - Sterilize jam jars (15 mins. in 120 Deg.C. oven from cold) while doing following. Turn out and keep in oven when done till filling. - Chop and fry aubergine over medium heat. The original recipe calls for the chunks to be spinkled with salt for a few hours to dessicate, but I did not. - Roast in dry pan: cummin, coriander, pepper-corns, and fenugreek. Allow to cool, then grind. Roast mustard seeds, and add whole to above ground masaala. - If using fresh tomatoes, peel these by pouring over boiling water and resting for five mins. This is too much bother to me, so I use tinned. - Fry onion, then add ginger, garlic, and red chilli. - When the above are cooked, the onion strating ot brown (but not crisp), add the spices and stir so they do not burn, approx. 1-2 mins. - Add aubergine, and continue stirring to coat in mixture. - Add tomatoes, vinegar, and guur/sugar. Bring to boil, and stir until sugar is melted. - Reduce heat and simmer for forty mins. Stir every five mins. - Add lime juice, stir well, bottle. As the Waitrose web-page says, it is also delicious with cheeses. I have kept mine beyond six weeks to no deliterious effects yet, in 'fridge after opening. Date & Tamarind Chutney. ----------------------- I have made this about four times, and am still cautious about getting the consistency correct: one early effort turned into roofing tar and was almost impossible to take from the jar upon cooling. Try using a fraction of the ingredients below, lest the result turn out wrong, for first efforts. However, the 8 mins. gave a good thick (but not solid) consistency for the quantities as follows. 1 box 550g. un-stoned Iranian dates. 400 g. Jaggery/Guur/Palm sugar (I have not tried using other sugars). 312 g. Tamarind concentrate paste. Have used TRS and Nishan. 1/2 pt./280mL. water. 2" fresh/2 tsp. from jar ginger. 4 tsp. cummin seeds. 2 tsp. ground coriander. 1 tsp. black onion seeds. 1/2 tsp. Kashmiri red chilli. Makes three 454g. jars (Garner's Pickled onion sized). Method. - Pit the dates, and chop into about six pieces each (or as to taste). - Roast in dry pan: cummin, coriander, and onion seeds. Allow to cool, then grind. - Simmer dates and tamarind for 10 mins. until softened. - Add guur, water, and ginger, and boil for eight mins., stirring gently to dissolve guur/sugar. - Add roasted spices and chilli powder, and stir to mix well. - Rest for ten mins., then bottle. Lime & Green Chilli Chutney. --------------------------- N.b., a 'two-stage' recipe, needing first stage to macerate for at least six hours, perhaps better over-night. Ten limes (2lb. total). 9 whole green chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped. 1 pint white malt vinegar. 1 tbsp. grated fresh root ginger. 9.5 oz. red onions, finely chopped. 1 lb. guur. 7 oz. sultanas. Seasoning: pinch each. Spices: 16x Green Cardamom seeds. 4x Bay leaves. 2 tsp. black Mustard seeds. 2 tsp. Fenugreek seeds. 16 whole Cloves. 2 tsp. Coriander seeds. 2 tsp. Pepper-corns. 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon. Pinch crushed Red Chilli flakes. Makes three 454g. jars (Garner's Pickled onion sized). Method. - Halve limes, squeeze out juice and reserve in 'fridge, then chop finely. - Dry roast whole spices, then crush in pestle and mortar. - Simmer vinegar for five minutes with crushed spices and fresh grated ginger. - Add chopped, de-juiced limes and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon to simmering vinegar and spices, and continue simmering for 15 mins. - Turn out heat, transfer to glass bowl, and leave to cool and macerate over-night. The next day... - Return to saucepan, add reserved lime juice, chopped green chillies, and chopped onion. Simmer for an hour. - Put jars into oven to sterilise (15 mins. from cold at 120 Deg.C.). - Add guur, stir till dissolved. Add sultanas. Simmer 11 mins. until like jam thickness. Rest for 15 mins. Bottle in hot jars. On the second time of making, with the above proportions, the resultant taste was still dominated by 'lime tang and chilli warmth', so do play around with the spice flavour proportions, and see what you get. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Again, I hope these are of interest. Sorry the measurements vary between Imperial and Metric. One day I hope to post some recipes for side-dishes of raitas, kachumbers, salads, pickles, etc., but please do not hold your breath! All comments and improvements gratefully received. Bon appetit.

Are you quite sure? According to the O.N.S., it is 62.5%, (15.5 million) in 2021, if I understand correctly: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingenglandandwales/census2021

What a delightful, heart-warming tale that is, @The Johnster . Perhaps you have not depleted your sources for more tales yet...

Sorry to drag this way off topic, to the subject of the English teaching and learning (or not) foreign languages, but I found trying to retain my language lessons very difficult when not using it every day. Quite apart from the difficulty some find of the language learning itself - do not get me started on the two years of forced school Latin - it is hard to retain what little aptitude one has unless one devotes one's entire existence to this single goal. And I would rather spend time on other interests as well. Working with those whose entire existence is their foreign language/culture (even after retirement they return!), I do not think it would be healthy.

But was it not also the case that the firm made a 'profit' out of that low-wage trainee during the duration of her/his training? Also, there were not always jobs at the firm for the apprentice to move into upon qualification.

I work with them. Trust me, many are. Also arrogant, self-entitled, thoughtless, and selfish. But the nice ones out-weigh them. As to nurse education now being degree-level, this was owing to professional rivalry with doctors. British industry's investment in training for its workers has been neglected for decades. See the several books on the nation's economic decline and short-termism.

May I thank you all for your interest and postings thus far. I am sorry not to have contributed as hoped - Christmas was not as planned, as I should have anticipated by now. As well as believing we should have a dedicated thread to the subject, I wanted to learn from others here how the programme is progressing, now what I assume the easier targets of station re-openings have been met and the more difficult projects of line re-openings should be happening (or not). In the June 2022 Programme Update document, the line-reopenings are in two tranches: (A) 'Schemes Developing to Strategic Outline Business Case' and (B) 'Schemes Progressing Past Strategic Outline Business Case'. Under (A) we have: 1. Reopen lines ... Bolton-Radcliffe/Bolton-Bury. 2. Reopened lines ... Consett-Newcastle. 3. Reopened lines ... Gainsborough-Barton. 5. Reopen line ... Wareham-Swanage. 10. Reopen the Gaerwen-Amlwch line, Anglesey to passenger services. 11. Reopen the Ashton-Stockport line to passenger services. 12. Reopen the Askern branch-line. 13. Reinstate the Beverley-York line. 15. Reopen the Darlington-Weardale line to passenger services. 16. Reopen the Middlewich line to passenger services. 17. Reopen the Oswestry-Gobowen line. 18. Reopen the Rawtenstall-Buckley Wells line to pasenger services. 19. Reopen the Don Valley line to passenger services. 20. Reopen the Stoke-Leek line. 22. Reopen the Tavistock-Plymouth line. 23. [Reopen the Mablethorpe-Louth and Firsby lines.] Under (B): 26. To reinstate the Fleetwood line. 28. To reintroduce passenger services on the Leicester-Burton (Ivanhoe) line. 32. To reinstate rail access to Devizes via a new station at Lydeway. (Scheme Nos. as document.) Thanks to @HillsideDepot for relating their interesting experiences of 32. Nothing much appears to have happened for nos. 26 and 28, and these are the ones that have a 'business case'. For those still to prove a 'business case', there appears much excitement about the Newcastle-Ashington reopening for summer 2024, but little said about improvements to Consett/Newcastle (2) and Gainsborough/Barton-on-Humber (3), and reopening Darlington-Weardale (15). The York-Beverley line (13) appears to be waiting for funds from H.S.2 cancellations before anything happens, as does Stoke-Leek (20) and Oswestry-Gobowen (17). Sorry, I have lost the will now to comment upon every one of the above. Railways do need to be run to cater for a demand, but sometimes I wish I lived where a more Chinese attitude prevailed to national infrastructure (but with a liberal attitude to compensation). Like @The Stationmaster, I wonder how many of these schemes will have 'shovels in the ground' before yet more programmes and policies come along to subsume and reappraise them (e.g., 'Network North' and the scrapping of H.S.2's northern legs). Meanwhile, construction costs continue to rise... Hope this thread might be supplemented soon by more positive news. Thanks again for your contributions and consideration.

And was used by B.R.'s own "InterCity" for a while! 😀

Please let us know the bibliographic details of both articles a.s.a.p. Looking forward to reading them. Thanks.

Trust me, there are many of us eager to model inter-dependent railway networks/systems, but lack the space, time, and money so to do. 🙂 What I have in my garage, and what I doodle over a glass of port after dinner, differ massively in scale and operational interest. We have to work with what we have.

Just wanted to say thank you @montyburns56 for the diligence and perseverance in taking such a comprehensive survey. I have no connection with the area, but like many others here, I hope, your hard work is much appreciated in creating this record.