Owd Bob

Thank the wife for me Phil' i'll go get the scissors out cos i think they've gone a bit leggy, then i'll put them out under a plastic sheet in the yard.

Sad to think that a lot of preserved railways and other organisations who depend heavily on volunteers will now suffer badly, the ELR at Bury is already asking for help in donations. I have a lot of veg' seedlings and other plants on the go in trays on the window ledge which are doing fine up to now but do's anybody know how high sweet-pea seedlings should get before you pinch out the tops to make them branch out? Cheers.

Things must be really bad, cos' i actually watched a George Formby film the other day Nowt like an old British comedy film to relieve the stress, and thank God for the 'Talking Pictures channel. I'll go stick a DVD of the old TV series 'Nearest And Dearest' on this afternoon, i've not seen it for years, there's nowt like seeing Eli & Nellie Pledge arguing and taking the wee-wee out of each other....."Have you been Walter"

Sunshine Superman. Donovan

Wigan SP. 08 815 again, but now with the name 'Brenda' i wonder who Brenda was?

What a shame I do hope you build another with the same amount of charm.

Long while since i posted owt different on here so i'm pleased to say and show you that another loco' has at last been ticked off my short wanted list this week with the purchase of the later version of the Dapol 08. After making a few minor changes to the un-numbered Inverness version by painting the buffer beams yellow, followed by stripping off a few bits and adding a few extra handrails, i've also started on the weathering. Up to now i've given it a dirty brown coating in all the cracks, crevices and on top of all boxes and running boards by brush, then a thin matt black coating was added using the air-brush. Just another couple of evenings work in toning some bits down and adding a bit more detail in places. It's a good start so far, and leaves me just eleven weeks, three days and four hours of isolation time to fill.

One Way or Another. Blondie

Pretty Vacant. Sex Pistols

SP depot and Ince moss Sidings Wigan in the 1980's . Early 80's 08 815 with black buffer beams and depot sticker above number. Mid' '80's 08 817 worn and faded blue but with a red stripe. Late 80's 08 815 again but now with white roof and red buffs

Cheers M. I don't think anyone i ever told about my personal NHS woes would believe how really bad the NHS was before this horrible thing came along, if it was running has it should have been in the first place then there would'nt be a need for half the measures that are in place now. Yes its a bad time, but time to knuckle down and carry on regardless. I've made a list of jobs around the house and garden to keep us both busy, but both of us not being fit enough to do half of 'em means it will take some time trying, but at least we'll give it a try, but who's in a rush now! Managed to get one railway related project started last eve' as last week i finally got myself the later version Dapol 08 shunter to fettle with.

Springs branch in the early 1980's.

Yes it will Alaistairq! For now anyway, to go any further on gets too near and in the open range of the anti social idiots next door, it would be easy to see us and for them to take the wee-wee, it's a real shame 'cos beyond the water container it go's on and back around for at another 25ft-30.ft. Hopefully the left turn before it which will fork off through the garage can be completed one day by installing a point, most of this is already hidden and can be easily hidden more by planting a couple of big Laurel bushes in just the right spots. My only hope is knowing how they already act, and that in this current climate of isolation the scum will go' stir crazy' and kill each other.

OK! So no back op' again for me for a while, its just been cancelled, fair enough i can understand why for once. So sod the rain i thought, and in a moody moment of madness i went out and got the penultimate track section bolted up and ballasted down and my frustrations spent. The dark area behind the garage was cleared out yesterday and is now all leveled and is awaiting the last piece of track!

I got a new Clarke turbo mig 145 amp, i had no troubles at all rebuilding cars for nearly 20 years with my old machine mart mig welder and it was a 90 amp, it just got old, very well used and well worn out. Gas or no gas it'll weld up to 4mm thick metal with ease, it's plenty strong enough for a loco' chassis or any future sit on wagons. Fiats! i just scrapped any that ever needed welding, Panda's and Unos...they just were'nt worth bothering with.

Yep! Phil' I'm hoping that it should keep my mind well busy, i'm still working it all out and collecting bits before actually building something that favors a loco' and hopefully i'll be finishing other stuff i've already half built or started over the coming summer months, i have another thread for it all Phil' in the 'Ride on Railways section'Apollo! I could smell the Santos factory in the air yesterday and i'm nine miles away! Are 'Uncle Joes' working overtime on a miracle cure?

Cheers CME Sorry to hear about your health woes, its been much the same here and i'm supposed to be in for a major back op' tomorrow but i can easily see it being cancelled again and that would make it for the sixth time. In a way this time they'll have a good enough excuse to cancel it, and if they do i've plenty railway stuff to keep me busy here in happy self isolation, mind you i've been in self isolation for years already so whats the flippin' change Phil! It's seven and a quarter inch, every extra inch and a bit counts you know Hope you are well phil ? It seems fate will never give me a chance to come round to yours with my 32mm stuff and have a play day, lets hope it's sooner rather than later. Mike! I even added another full metre length of track at the far end just in case it 'accidentally on purpose' extends through the white fence one day When the rain stops this afternoon i'll stick the repaired station shelter and a signal back out and add more pics' later....but whilst i'm here .....some owd stuff.

I gave the 20ft of remaining track a good clean with a wire brush and spread a bit of new ballast along it, i only did it as i had a bucket full of concrete left over from putting in a new post, so i used it up and made another platform/station area out of the leftovers. The old platform shelter building was pressed into the wet concrete and can go back outside after a make-over and minor repairs sometime this week. The viaduct was dug back out and uncovered and makes a nice garden feature i suppose, main reason for digging it out though was that i needed the soil for elsewhere.

Thanks Mike, you're probably right 'cos from this weekend all in this household have to so called self isolate for three months As we all have and as they now keep repeating 'underlying health probs' We've almost been self isolated for years around here anyway, and i suppose working from home If i can get out and get some materials bought today we'll have enough to keep us busy, and i've a lot more railway modeling projects still to work on, even with three months of fettling i bet not one will get fully finished......also i still have the new welder to test out, and an MOT due soon. At least the weather is getting drier.

With the new upright posts now set solid and holding the old garage roof up we finally removed the old (White) corner post that was in the middle of the track alignment. The two new posts now have an old gate hung between them to stop the Dogs getting access, and the rest is meshed off thanks to 'Aldi's special buy' green coated chicken wire. The return loop track bed branching off to the left through the gate is only a footpath and a future project for now, the hardcore is leveling out just right to converge with all the existing garden levels both behind the old garage and back towards the house and start of the future loop. It needs the old branches and debri clearing out, then the last 10ft. length of track can be laid. If we do have to go into self isolation then at least we've plenty to keep us very busy around here. Must get some building materials in today or tomorrow, i don't think white ballast and granite dust is in short supply yet.

Newton Le Willows station. 10.16am.11-3-20. 67 001 Man' Picc' to Holyhead.

I've just one more cheap TPE return ticket left in early April up to Carlisle from Wigan NW. ...and with a Yorkshire Wife i can't afford to be seen paying proper or full fares, so i'll wait for another sale I'll be hibernating in Hospital again next week, but i would'nt bet on the appointment being canceled yet again! Good job the railway interests stop me from going ga-ga.

I could'nt find a thread for the class 67's, so please let me know if there is one elsewhere. 11-3-20. Newton le Willows station. 67 001 arrives at 10.15am with the Man Picc' to Holyhead.

A few at York 11-3-20.

11-3-20. I had a cheap day out £4 return to York yesterday thanks to the recent TPE ticket sale. Nice to hear the 68's and see them so close up at last. I had a full afternoon on the station and managed to see 68's 020, 023, 028.