ianathompson

Another batch of photos is now available. They take some time to load. There are around thirty of them. I actually have more images than this at the moment but it takes so long to upload them that it impacts on modelling time. As per usual, when I start writing the captions, it feels more and more as though I am writing a novel! I suppose that it beats having an anodyne model that does not inspire interest! Anyhow you should meet a few more characters in these photos, even though there are no models of them (yet). With my well known dislike of figure painting we could be waiting some time for physical manifestations! 78. The 06.53 from Bitrano which acts as the CFS schools’ train runs into a strangely deserted Merkatubaxu, on time, at 07.48. The AFK equivalent will arrive shortly to tow the train down to Rivabordo so that the electric railcar can avoid running round the trailer and leave for Nordabordo, as the CFS station is colloquially known, although the official name is Orbonakliffo. The locals prefer to refer to it as Norŏourbakki or ‘Bakki in Marranĝaccan. 82. As the crew reverse the loco back into the spur there is some mystification at the empty van’s priority status. There has been an administrative error somewhere because it is only going to take a load of rabbit skins and these certainly don’t merit priority. The gunsights, meanwhile, which are a priority, are still lost in the maw of the coal sidings. The crew are more concerned at the time eating necessity of shunting this rough, remote twisty siding in the middle of nowhere with their large rigid wheelbase engine. Why couldn’t this have been done by the Urteno pilot? Mutterings, mutterings. There are always mutterings about perceived extra work! What it boils down to is that there is no chance of a nice relaxing coffee and pastry at the station restaurant/bar whilst the engine stands on the mainline! 100. The local pulls into Boursson having made the climb from Glissent without issues. It accelerated smoothly away from the Sojonno stop and effortlessly rounded wet leaves curve. The additional weights chucked into the tender after the previous travails seem to have done their job. As an aside the typically heterogeneous nature of an AFK secondary service is epitomised here as the train sways over the back road level crossing at the south end of the station. Ian T

I seem to have had a poor medical start to the year. I will spare you the details but little operating has taken place recently, so the next report may have to wait for a while. https://myafk.net/operating-session-12 46. The shunting at Boursson is soon curtailed by the approach of the railcar which sees the distant at the enirasignalo, the yellow diamond, and slows down. The approach signals are (theoretically) interlocked with the points and forirasignalo (starter) and cannot display an unrestricted speed indication as the railcar has to pass through the loop. Oyach, the elderly curate, is still crossing that rickety bridge as he does his rounds every morning. I am not about to ascribe anthropomorphic attributes to these characters (well not too many) but I thought more of them should be named so I consulted a random name generator on the net. The impressionistic, or is it just ‘awful,’ trees mark a point where the backscene painting was restarted after a break. It certainly would not stand comparison with the best examples but it does its job in a low key way. 58. There is little traffic at the moment but that is likely to change when the fishing fleet comes in. The crew leave the engine alongside the water crane and walk across the road to the Steamboat to get their breakfast. The Ancient Mariner is a more popular choice for many of the summer daytrippers. The rickety railway bus provides connections to the Thalnian railways at Partanzo, thereby avoiding any need to board an AFK train. 66. It is now time to turn attention elsewhere to roughly synchronise the layout. Breĉo de Glissent has fallen behind, as usual, and so the ‘shunter’ is fired up. The shunting here is mostly done by the railcar that lays over between turns on the branch. The running was a little erratic and the wheels were cleaned. This is becoming an evermore frequent occurrence with certain locos because the nickel silver plating has worn through to the brass underneath. As Andy remarked, they were not designed for a layout where they put in such mileages. To be fair to the Fleischmann power unit it was bought second hand in the late 70s, when I was an impecunious Post-Grad, and is formed of the ’entry level’ generic shunter. I don’t suppose that it owes me anything. It has also lasted much longer than the contemporary 2-6-2T chassis which spent most of its time in bits before being replaced by a modern version. The railcar backs down onto a bulk grain wagon in the Co-op siding. This we be discharged at Eromarbordo. Hopefully I should be back befroe too long! Ian T

I seem to have had a poor medical start to the year. I will spare you the details but little operating has taken place recently, so the next report may have to wait for a while. Fortunately a nimber of new photos are currently available. 46. The shunting at Boursson is soon curtailed by the approach of the railcar which sees the distant at the enirasignalo, the yellow diamond, and slows down. The approach signals are (theoretically) interlocked with the points and forirasignalo (starter) and cannot display an unrestricted speed indication as the railcar has to pass through the loop. Oyach, the elderly curate, is still crossing that rickety bridge as he does his rounds every morning. I am not about to ascribe anthropomorphic attributes to these characters (well not too many) but I thought more of them should be named so I consulted a random name generator on the net. The impressionistic, or is it just ‘awful,’ trees mark a point where the backscene painting was restarted after a break. It certainly would not stand comparison with the best examples but it does its job in a low key way . 58. There is little traffic at the moment but that is likely to change when the fishing fleet comes in. The crew leave the engine alongside the water crane and walk across the road to the Steamboat to get their breakfast. The Ancient Mariner is a more popular choice for many of the summer daytrippers. The rickety railway bus provides connections to the Thalnian railways at Partanzo, thereby avoiding any need to board an AFK train. 66. It is now time to turn attention elsewhere to roughly synchronise the layout. Breĉo de Glissent has fallen behind, as usual, and so the ‘shunter’ is fired up. The shunting here is mostly done by the railcar that lays over between turns on the branch. The running was a little erratic and the wheels were cleaned. This is becoming an evermore frequent occurrence with certain locos because the nickel silver plating has worn through to the brass underneath. As Andy remarked, they were not designed for a layout where they put in such mileages. To be fair to the Fleischmann power unit it was bought second hand in the late 70s, when I was an impecunious Post-Grad, and is formed of the ’entry level’ generic shunter. I don’t suppose that it owes me anything. It has also lasted much longer than the contemporary 2-6-2T chassis which spent most of its time in bits before being replaced by a modern version. The railcar backs down onto a bulk grain wagon in the Co-op siding. This we be discharged at Eromarbordo. Hopefully I should be back before too long! Ian T

Unfortunately dental issues rather impinged upon operating the railway this week. The latest photos are here, as the sessiion continues. 16. Unfortunately I discovered that I had put the Fenditavalat freight out in front of the Urteno freight. I suppose that this might merit a Form 1 on the real thing but I decided to recess the Fenditavalat train at Boursson. It could have gone into the yard at Lacono but this would create as many problems as it solved. The crew were prevented from getting a line clear flag on the block instrument by Lacono and were told to go into the loop. (There are some inconsistencies here, on my Form 1, but that’s my story boss and I am sticking to it!) The Urteno train steams past the home and distant, which have both been cleared, to overtake the errant train. A little more weight seems to be needed over the rear engine (the only one that is powered). 30. The Fenditavalat pilot pulls a couple of vans from the blanket factory. Quite how this fits into the urban fabric of the ancient city has never been determined but it provides another traffic source for the railway. The market hall is undergoing incremental development. 41. The FDV-RFK goods train does not often find too much work in the upper reaches of its run. Today is an exception and an empty van is deposited beside the goods landing for the seasonal cattle traffic at Ospicio. It will be prepared by the station mistress to receive its load. The loco then picks up a wagon of gravel from the quarry siding before reforming the train to continue on its way. The timings are sufficiently slack that the lost time has now been regained. Ian T

Unfortunately dental issues rather impinged upon operating the railway this week. The latest photos are here, as the sessiion continues. 16. Unfortunately I discovered that I had put the Fenditavalat freight out in front of the Urteno freight. I suppose that this might merit a Form 1 on the real thing but I decided to recess the Fenditavalat train at Boursson. It could have gone into the yard at Lacono but this would create as many problems as it solved. The crew were prevented from getting a line clear flag on the block instrument by Lacono and were told to go into the loop. (There are some inconsistencies here, on my Form 1, but that’s my story boss and I am sticking to it!) The Urteno train steams past the home and distant, which have both been cleared, to overtake the errant train. A little more weight seems to be needed over the rear engine (the only one that is powered). 30. The Fenditavalat pilot pulls a couple of vans from the blanket factory. Quite how this fits into the urban fabric of the ancient city has never been determined but it provides another traffic source for the railway. The market hall is undergoing incremental development. 41. The FDV-RFK goods train does not often find too much work in the upper reaches of its run. Today is an exception and an empty van is deposited beside the goods landing for the seasonal cattle traffic at Ospicio. It will be prepared by the station mistress to receive its load. The loco then picks up a wagon of gravel from the quarry siding before reforming the train to continue on its way. The timings are sufficiently slack that the lost time has now been regained. Ian T

Seemed to be what most Roster Clerks thought "normal" when I went on the railways in 2000! Ian T

It is some time since I posted on this particular thread but activity has continued with the layout. There was even an undocumneted (on here) operating session. A new operating session has now begun. The photos can be found here. There are not too many of them at the moment but that will doubtlessly change with time. 4. The following train is bound for the cement works at Lyddatyl on the CFS and will be handed off at Fenditavalat. It has to wait for the preceding train to clear the section even though the line is split by an IBS. With a glut of traffic on hand at Relforka this train has also been loaded to the maximum which could see a repeat performance at the cattle arch. Although the loco is ten coupled it is a little light on its feet and is viewed as class I/II. Loading trains over the weight limit was not that an uncommon scenario, at least from the anecdotes that I read in the press about US railroads. 13. The cement train leaves at 04.15. The goods shed shunt has taken around 90 minutes but the wagons are now roughly blocked to go forward. The goods shed, at the left, is now almost clear for incoming traffic and the local goods stands in the next road with the brake attached. It looks as though it will be short today. Ian T

A new operating session has begun. The photos can be found here. There are not too many of them at the moment but that will doubtlessly change with time. 4. The following train is bound for the cement works at Lyddatyl on the CFS and will be handed off at Fenditavalat. It has to wait for the preceding train to clear the section even though the line is split by an IBS. With a glut of traffic on hand at Relforka this train has also been loaded to the maximum which could see a repeat performance at the cattle arch. Although the loco is ten coupled it is a little light on its feet and is viewed as class I/II. Loading trains over the weight limit was not that an uncommon scenario, at least from the anecdotes that I read in the press about US railroads. 13. The cement train leaves at 04.15. The goods shed shunt has taken around 90 minutes but the wagons are now roughly blocked to go forward. The goods shed, at the left, is now almost clear for incoming traffic and the local goods stands in the next road with the brake attached. It looks as though it will be short today. Ian T

Might query the bright lighting in the box. Most signalmen, including myself for that matter, preferred to keep the lighting down so that we could see outside whenever a train passed. Otherwise really atmospheric. Ian T

Seems relatively mild compared to some of the shenanigans that I saw! No names, no pack drill! Ian T

Altonia is a canton in the province of Marrongaco. Marrongaco is one of the six provinces of Thalnia. The national flag is therefore the Thalnian one. It is flying from the mast head on the VS Spegulalaguno, the train ferry across the lake of the same name. I have deliberately left the picture at the largest size so that it can be seen. I post on other sites and obviously neglected to post on here. It is the red white and blue flag. Red white and blue seems to be a common combination of colours on national flags. As far as I can tell it does not clash with any other flag. The cantonal flag, below it, is four vertical bands of white, bue, green and brown. These represent the snow, lakes, forests and soil of Altonia. Just as an aside the ferry is now completed and in position. The right foreground also shows the prototype of the searchlight signals. This was discussed in the signalling thread. Ian T

Just a few photos of Fenditavalat, where a little more work has been carried out. The backscene shops have now been added behind Steep Street and the back of the Merkatubaxu (Lower Market) has been filled in. Its the usual story I suppose. I need to spend more time on a pet hate ~ painting figures. The AFK "station" has also been added. It is difficult to find room for facilities in a crowded Mediaeval city so the AFK makes do with this small waiting room below the Opera House. The upper tiers of the building hold a concert hall and some of the practice rooms for the Music department. In actuality this flat screens the wagons hiding just behind the daubing. As with the other photos this is a cruel enlargement but its shortcomings are not too visible as it lurks in the shadows. I think that this view might have been seen before. Anyway it shows one of the student refectories and a young under grad leaving her lodgings on the upper floors. The mirrors are positioned so that people can see whether it is safe to step out whenever shunting is taking place. The plastic ice cream cone is a source of much delight to the more mischievous students as it can easily be placed in the middle of the road! Bet you never did anything like that when you were a student or on a rugby/cricket tour! The facilities of the Scolari Vallisfissurae (the University) are dotted piecemal about the small city hence the number of refectories. The institution receives rents from many groundfloor users, such as the railway waiting room and the bakers seen here. Ian T

Out of interest which regulation are you referring to? The wagon and tail lamp are of a modern design and the wagon is air brake fitted. My rules and regs were last updated in 2017 when I retired. I can find no instruction in TS1 (General Signalling Instructions) or TS2 (Track Circuit Block) about tail lmaps on intermediate wagons. I don't remember seeing a Cognisco question on this either. Has this recently been added? The intermediate tail lamp shown in the photo also seems to be on an engineering wagon. As amy-one who has worked on the railways will know they are a law unto themselves. It would seem likely to me, in a modern environment, that if the train divided the air brake would apply. Secondly, hardly an ideal situation I must admit, but the rear section of the divided train would have a tail lamp on its rear. If the front part somehow continued, and if it divided at exactly the point where the intermediate tail lamp was placed, there would be a problem. The rear tail lamp on the detached section would still stop a following train running in to it unless it was on a single line. The only freights that I ever dealt with ran in a fixed formation. It would thus seem unlikely that a tail lamp would be placed on an intermediate wagon in a complete rake. On the mainly single line branch where I worked the trains would be roughly the same length every day. If a "short" train went past a phone call to the previous box could have ascertained whether it was still in one piece or not. Alternatively a quick query of TOPS would achieve the same result. (I forget the exact DoS command at this remove. (TRJC?)) Which boxes do you work? I checked the trains as they left the terminus but at some of the intermedaite boxes (I was a relief) they could fly past at 70 mph. That makes it difficult to observe an intermedaite tail light, especially where large wagons interfere with the line of sight and you are hard up against the line in the box. In addition, as I noted, I was often working equipment behind the train to free up the single line for a train in the opposite direction. TDA were quick to ring up, even about a 1 minute delay to a crossing train. Perhaps they are more relaxed wherever you work. I would accept the underlying argument more readily in the steam era when there was no automatic brake. It would seem likely that a goods train in these circumstances would be running more slowly and there was more chance of the error being spotted. Timetables were not so tight and no-one would likely query a minute or two's delay in putting a train out. Look forward to some-one correcting my (now sketchy) knowledge of rules and reds! Ian T

I can't see that having a light on a vehicle in the middle of a train is a massive problem. I have stopped trains before now for not running with a lit tail lamp. This is rather more important because, if by some disastrous set of circumstances, another train comes up behind it then it gives a final warning. In any case how easy would it be to see that light in the middle of a train from a box? The adjacent wagon is loaded as well, thereby cutting the sight lines. In my experience you are usually operating equipment behind the train. such as signals and crossing barriers, and simply check the final wagon as it passes. Ian T

I am making this post in an attempt to clear up some of the points raised by my response to the video. Although the video shows a Serbian box the hardware is of German origin, or more specifically, the signals are the Austrian type. As I noted in the last post I am most definitely not an expert in German block systems. I do have a couple of German language books covering this subject, however, and have watched various videos and used simulations ,on the subject across the years. Unfortunately I don’t speak or read German very well (selbslernst as they say). I put one relevant section of my books into Google translate and then translated the gobbledegook that came out. The AFK (my model railway) nominally uses the German system although I do not doubt that there are a number of errors in the operating procedures. These are actually specified in the AFK Rule Book in an attempt to prevent too many liberties being taken, but unsurprisingly this has never been published on my website. One final point, before we start out. There is more than one way to skin a cat. The German systems, like their British counterparts, used alternative methods and hardware to operate their (pre-Grouping) systems. There are at least three mechanical point operating systems, two major alternatives for signal levers, and the Bavarian signals themselves are at variance with other systems. I don’t doubt that there are many other subtle variations, particularly in regard to block instruments. The German block system differed from the British system. The nearest equivalent that I am aware of in a British context was the system used by the Highland Railway. This differed from the British norm because in effect the stationmaster was in control of the block section between him and the adjacent station (Streckenblock in German). A similar system was used by the Great North of Scotland and also, I suspect, given the accident at Abermule, the Cambrian. All three lines were characterised by long station loops on single track main lines which called for modifications to the standard British arrangement. This was the standard system on German railways. A larger German station usually had at least one subsidiary points cabin which controlled arrivals and departures from one end of the station. On the Highland the block instruments were in the centrally located station building and there was a points cabin at either end of the long loop. The pointsman worked the two cabins as directed by the station master (and was usually provided with a bike to shuttle between the two!) I am not sure whether there were necessarily two cabins on the German system because one end of the station could possibly be worked from the station building if it was sited at that end of the loop. Under the Bahnhofsblock system the stationmaster, for want of a better term, worked the block instruments and gave releases for the arrival or departure signals to the pointscabin. This could be done mechanically over short distances but DC or AC systems were used over longer ones. The pointsman could not therefore authorise any movement unless a slot was released by the stationmaster. German block instruments were very different from British block instruments. The main block instrument at Sebesic is shown at 10.12. They were extremely robust metal cabinets mechanically interlocked with the points and signals. Amongst the differences from British practice was the requirement to select a road (such as main or loop) for the arriving train. This effectively checked the point positions before releasing the signals and the block instrument. I suspect that these are the levers at either end of the brass station layout diagram, although I have not seen this particular arrangement before. It was more normal to have levers moving vertically under the block cabinet. Rather than showing the state of the line with a pointer on a dial (which is what the British system generally boiled down to) the German block section instruments used “flags”. These were red and white discs visible through an aperture in the block instrument case. The operator depressed the lever above the flag (which effectively was a push to make switch) and wound the handle which activated a magneto to give low voltage current to change the flag. This simultaneously changed the flag in the instrument at the other end of the section. To run a train between one station and another it was necessary to manipulate three such flags. (Some earlier systems needed seven flags.) The system was interlocked with the starter signal and the departure signal at the other end of the section to prevent two trains getting onto the line together. The stationmaster could now reverse the lever to clear the signal if he had direct control or alternatively to give the release to the points cabin operator. This would usually be accompanied by an audible warning from the buzzer. The points cabin contains an instrument that appears similar to the main instrument. It is a Bahnhofsblock instrument for internal communication within the station. It CANNOT act as the Streckensblock instrument because it has no communication with the next station. If you watch the sequence where the passenger train is accepted (17.45) the pointsman consults the timetable and sets up the road for the next train before it is coming. (German working timetables usually specify which road a train will take.) The buzzer sounds informing the pointsman that a train has been accepted (from Sombora) and that he needs to clear the signals. A slot on the points and the signals will have been released at the same time. The pointsman winds the magneto handle to confirm that the road is set (PUT VOZJNE). I suspect that this repeats this information to the main panel by a flag and it also releases the signals. The “road set” flag goes from green (free) to white, (locked?) and I suspect that the flags in the signals flip to “released” but we do not see this. He then pulls the lever which clears the home signal, ULAZNL (entrance). Significantly he only has two other flags because he is restricted to operating one end of the layout. One of these reads ILZAZNI (exit) which is the section signal towards Sombora. Having obtained the PUT VOZJNE flag, the locking for the signal lever is released and the pointsman pulls it, putting the signal to clear. There is a complication here because a train taking the loop will see two arms (langsam or slow) whereas one taking the straight loop will see a single arm (fahrt frei or clear). With a winding handle, NOT used here, the handle was given an extra turn for the more restrictive aspect. The pointsman tries to pull the lever 2 at around 4.30 but finds it locked. He flips a little latch, which as I recall engages the second arm, and pulls lever into the clear position. It is also noticeable that there are two winding drums on this lever, for the extra arm, but that there is only one on the other levers. Another little latch seems to provide the locking for the barriers. He cannot move the signal lever until this is flicked across and he has difficulty at one point getting this release. I suspect that the little latch is operating a bar within the instrument case to provide this locking. As in a British box the gate release will only be obtained by placing the signal to danger. Once the train has passed he ‘winds out’ the fourth flag showing RAZRENJE which translates as “dismissal”. This clears off the “road set” window allowing him to deal with another train. With regards to the yellow wheel, I have no idea what this does. Yellow is not used for distant signals in German frames. Most distant signals appear to be worked from the same lever as the home signal. It is noticeable that there are no colours on the levers at Sebesic presumably reflecting their age. Hope some of these ramblings are of interest. Ian T

Thanks for that. I really enjoyed it, especially the point movement and locking section. I suspect that the film only tells half the story of train working though. The man featured would seem to only be operating the signals at one end of the station. The leverframe names have all beeen translated into Serbian, of course, but the pause button and Google translate shows that they are the equivalent of their German forbears. The Cyrillic script signs were interesting. I understand that Croatia uses the Roman alphabet and Serbian uses the Cyrillic alphabet for the same language, although I await correction on that! (Edit: changed in accordance with response below. Thanks! What appears to be the main panel (the green one) is in the station building and this is probably where trains are offered and accepted. The panel in the little hut would seem to be consistent with Bahnhofsblock, in that it seems to be a subsidiary panel releasing slots to the main panel. The system, as I understand it, (which is not thoroughly, so I wait to be corrected by one more knowlegeable) is akin to that used on the Highland Railway. There the block instruments were in the station building, under the control of the stationmaster, and the entry frames at each end of the station were worked by 'pointsmen'. I was intrigued to see the Austrian/German handsignal for "stop" in use as the train had entered the loop and the holding of the flag in the upright position seems to be similar to the old Zp9 signal in Germany which basically means "depart". I was not familiar with what appears to be the "take siding" (?) handsignal, or is it "slow down"? Tecnically speaking the home signal's two arm aspect is not a route indicator, it is a speed adviser, as in "slow down". These aspects allowed drivers without route knowledge to work over an unfamiliar section of line. The system simply advised the driver of the speed to travel. I suspect that this system had roots in the militaristic Prussian culture of 19th century Germany. Drivers would then be able to drive over conquered territory, if necessary, without having to know where they were going. Ian T

Having dealt with various S&T members, well one in particular, during my working days....! Ian T

Would that I had recourse to that solution! Ian T

Referring back a page or so, just an interested query/observation. The beam on the buffer stop appears to be whitemetal so does this transmit electricity across both rails? I note, from the installation photos, that the bufferstop is electrically separated from the siding so there should not be any shorts in theory. However, if you park a wagon with its wheels exactly on the rail joint it seems likely that a short will occur, providing the points are set into the siding. I only raise this point because I sometimes have this problem on my own layout (the AFK). There are not too many buffer stops on the main station's design but many of the sidings are split into different electrical circuits. This was unavoidable due to the baseboard configuration. I often have the problem that a correctly functioning station suddenly "locks up" with a mystery short. This occurs where the adjacent baseboard has a circuit switched by a point crossing set against the siding concernecd. Experience has taught me to shove the wagons alongside the goods shed forward or backwards slightly and I am "live" again. I just wondered whether a similar phenomenon might happen in your sidings. Ian T

What goes on "behind the scenes". The photo looks like one shown in the recently finished operating session but it isn't. This is a re-run of what proved to be a problematic move. The loco stalled for lack of power, the cathedral toppled over and the rear coach also derailed. Obviously these problems needed addressing and so.... The loco has had lead weights added which seemed to have solved the problem. In the process it was noted that one of the tender to loco wires had come loose so this was replaced. The loco seems to run better so I am left wondering how long the pick up wire had been missing. The coupling between the two 'regular' coaches has been replaced by another one. The regular centre buffer couplings used to disengage due to the length of the carriages. The piece of wire that replaced them needed a longer version. Even so the rear coach persisted in derailing and needed a lot of fiddly attention on the bench. It seems to be okay now but I am not holding my breath! The "cathedral" has a weight issue (like a lot of us!) I finally realised that the two pull out sections were causing it to heel to one side and added an asymmetric weight to counter balance them. The major problem, however, has been the bogie pivots. I use a crude form of three point suspension. One bogie is 'floppy'and can move in any direction to allow for track level changes. The companion bogie is kept rigid "across" the body by acouple of shaped styrene 'stabilisers'. This maintains the vertical trim and works fine with standard bogies. Unfortunately the middle axle of the six wheel bogies fouls the 'trim stabilisers'. After much fiddling the thing has been persuaded to run without capsizing. It still leans alarmingly on certain stretches of track so I think that speed will have to be restricted when it is in the consist. Next up for attention is the observation car. The seating at one end seems to have moved and needs looking at. Ian T

Yes but unfortunately it disgraced itself by rolling over on the exit! I think that this is partly down to the use of six wheel bogies. These interfere with my usual rudimentary set up for the three point suspension. They will receive more attention, as will the vehicle's weighting. Having said that it seems happy in most places. I suspect that some of the problems lie in the cant of the track at the northern exit of Ospicio. Ian T

It has been a while since I last posted but you know how it is. Football, singing and a revival of interest in the Donegal three footers account for some of the lost time. I often wonder what could have been achieved in my space using OOn3 but it is not to be. The Sunday session has now reached its conclusion. There are almost as many photos in the latest section as there are in the rest of the session. They can be found here. A small selection is appended. 65. The 2-8-2T has magically reached the Narnian exclave where it traverses the snow scene. A lot of effort was called for at Ospicio to correct minor issues and to install a replacement socket. The loco is standing beside the home signal for Caladonno, an area that has been vacuumed to remove the evidence left behind by track cleaning blocks. This revealed just how much dust had settled on the “snow” which then also demanded cleaning. I don’t suppose that many modellers have this particular problem. The snow, incidentally, has a simple plaster base but it is then coated with Woodland Scenics snow mixed with “sparkly silver bits” from the local craft store. These catch the light to suggest ice crystals are forming in the snow. 76. The scenic excursion stops on Akvalando viaduct, which springs from the vertical mouintain side, to allow passengers a clear view of the Carramassco Gorge. Any similarities with a well known Swiss location, albeit inverted, are not entirely coincidental. The lower parts of the gorge, visible behind the viaduct support, are a good couple of feet below the line. As I have commented before I would not like to speculate upon the crashworthiness of the observation car which was based upon a Swiss vehicle. 79. The cathedral coach has finally been set up in all its glory for evensong at Ospicio d’Helcaraxë. The dome has been pushed up and the pull out sections which enlarge the nave and give a covered entry with steps are also ready. What is not quite so apparent is that this is counterbalanced by a pull out weight which is blocking the main running line behind the vehicle. The statue of the Aŭkeratuo riding his winged unicorn has also been added to the dome. Don’t ask for a logical explanation of how this is achieved. Ian T

When I took my O level, way back in the early seventies, we studied a new course. There was a much greater emphasis upon speaking French rather than just reading or writing it. We had to give a five minute talk upon a chosen subject picked from a list of around half a dozen subjects. The axtual topic was drawn at random to give a choice of one from two, or something like that. I suspect that the thing was rigged because, surprise, surprise I drew 'Transport'. The master was astute enough to ask a question about French railway signalling systems amd just let me go! Good look to the (non technical examiner) bloke who found out that "rappel de relantissment" was the French equivalent of a "splitting distant". Or that the flashing green "pre-annonce" (no acute accents available) was used where signal sections were short. I am convinced that I passed because of this. A few years later, out in France on a University Geography degree field trip, I was one of the few uindergrads that could speak any French at all. I could tell plenty of tales about that but this is not really the place! Suffice to say that most of my mates' vocabulary only stretched as far as "deux pressions" even when they left. Ian T

The last time that I went to Mallaig by rail was in the 2010s. Throughout the western Highlands, as might have been noted, and sorry if I am repeating well known info, the place was known as Mallig. More frighteningly my extremely broad West Riding accent was totally mis-interpreted. I genuinely got asked, at the bar, which island I had caught the ferry in from! They thought that I was a dyed in the wool Gaellic speaker strugglig with English. Probably not relevant but I still enjoy the anecdote even now! Still most people in West Norfolk are of the same opinion today. Heathen! Ian T

Impressed. I have one of these things lurking somewhere or other on my own layout. David Jenkinson, I believe, referred to them as a "funny". I.e. totally out of contect with the area/period beeing modelled. The problem with this particular model seems to be that the overhang on the rear makes them difficult to run on on sharp curves. Ian T