Narrow Minded

"St. Christopher" - the patron saint of safe travels I bet the passengers on your new line are given a new level of confidence!

That looks great Mike Having railroad artifacts in the yard creates a terrific atmosphere for the model railroad - and that particular one is "a doozy"

I've owned several Accucraft loco's in the past (and have two currently on the roster) and TBH I've never had any quality issues - though I've heard the horror stories, and 'after sales support' has been faultless. I even got sent a replacement crank completely free of charge when I messaged them asking for their recommendation for re-fitting a pin which had worked loose on an old secondhand loco I'd just bought and at a show when I asked Ian Pearse if the Accucraft whistles would fit the Pearse Countess (I'd just bought mine secondhand with only one whistle), he asked me to write down my snail mail address and he promptly sent me a pair - again, free of charge, Small things I know, but very often it's the "small things" that make a huge difference. I don't think there's any argument that Accucraft had issues in the past, but I really do think that they've made a tremendous effort to improve the situation and deserve every credit for their achievement

It puts me more in mind of some "Sharp, Stewart &Co" designs (especially the smokebox and boiler shape) - I always think of the Bagnalls having characteristically 'small' smokeboxes.

Thanks Phil, I've heard nothing but good reports on them, so thought I'd 'push the boat out' and get one (especially as I've no suitable mesh on hand to do the usual mod)

A couple of drivers were checking on the Caradoc's progress today.....

Great job and looking really "at home" on your line!

In the past, I've always wrapped a fine metal mesh sleeve arounf the Accucraft burner to improve the performance, but this time around I decided to try the "Bullet Burner" mod from 'Barley Pit Works'. The old burner was sent away earlier this week, and this arrived in the post yesterday Just waiting for the chuff pipe and name plates now

VERY nice !

It's an addiction Neil - does anyone have the contact details for "Steamaholics Anonymous"?

I'd make an educated guess they're Southern Railway "dark olive green", and if they are, Halfords rattlecan "Land Rover Coniston Green" is a good match

Nice bit of "testing" - it's all looking great, and the astro turf is looking better already (much better than my real grass which needs cutting!). So, c'mon, how'd it get on with the incline?

That looks the biz with the new edging - bring on the paint

I think most of us "garden railwaymen" have problems with computers - it's the reason mine is deliberately positioned at the farthest point away from the window Fingers crossed for the photo's you've got on there, I know that losing stuff when the computer snuffs it just adds insult to injury.

I started out in live steam as one of the "burnt finger brigade", running manually is one of my preferences and there's no batteries to charge before a quick steam-up Thanks to the gradients on my line, if I get the regulator and gas just right, trains will pause at Riddings Halt and Loscoe Station before self starting when the pressure rises - little things please little minds This is from May last year....

That's because they have an aversion to anagrams - the soft, newly turned soil of the vegetable patch is an ideal litter tray, and an unkempt lawn allows 'em to rake just enough grass to pass as a 'job done'

"a mowed lawn is less of a toilet than an unmowed one." Cat poo and a Flymo gives a whole new perspective on "The #### hitting the fan"! I'm afraid the loosened soil of your veggie plot will attract 'em S.E.

One thing that worth mentioning is "Olbas Oil". Apparently most cats detest the smell of it (and remember, their sense of smell is much more sensitive than ours), and if you save up your used tea bags and allow them to dry out, you can put several drops of Olbas Oil on them and place them strategically around the garden and its border. I'm with Dava on this one as far as "not being horrid", being a 'cat person' myself (we have three).

Like you Jon, I'm no gardener, and if it wasn't for the railway it would be a "wildlife haven" apart from a small patio area where I could enjoy a beverage in the summer months The RSPB is just one of your friends as far as deterirng cats from the garden is concerned - https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/community-and-advice/garden-advice/unwantedvisitors/cats/catdeterrents.aspx and there are plenty more on the interweb The first step though would be to reclaim ownership of the garden, the local cat population obviously think it's theirs at the moment and treat it as such. Get rid of all the "cover" they enjoy and it'll be instantly less appealing. You'll never completely stop 'em (and there are other nuisances out there - get rid of the cats and Blackbirds become a menace, and don't get me started on Hedgehogs!!), but you can work around 'em

The Caradoc is a perfect "everyday workhorse" for my line - it'll take some of the duties from the Bertie, so it's striking the right balance looks-wise

I'm undecided about the lining Idris. The original plan was to copy the previous incarnation, but while my lining pen is "away" I've got time to think about it.

Excellent progress on what looks like a huge job - do you have a "target date" for completion of the civils?

Dagnabbit - I'm going to have to dig out some old SMT magazines now Oh for a better memory!

I'm pretty sure that "Grindling Spode" was a character created by Peter Jones (of Compton Down fame) and I'd certainly like to see "the collected works" !

He also wrote this......... which I'd definitely list in my "Top Ten" recommended books to add to any garden railway library