eastglosmog

The remains of a bridge over the East Gloucestershire Railway at Alvescot. The bridge structure and the hump in the road remains, although infilled some 10-15 years ago. The fill settled a bit, though, and voids had to be infilled with foam concrete last May - hence the new patch of tarmac.

Rant mode on.. Darell Huff's "How to lie with statistics" should be compulsory reading for all secondary school pupils. Unfortunately, as relevant today as it was when written some 79 years ago (which would be a disappointment to its author). Far more use than all this Shakespere/Thomas Hardy stuff. Rant mode off.

Only if they can't do subtraction, otherwise its only 2! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64158179

Will this be the consequence of Mr Sunak insisting children do Maths until they are 18?

Sound advice, as the gate is shut and padlocked.

I am not the best person to ask about such things - the slightest sign of damage to Tilly and I am off to the Vets with her!

The far track for the buffers at Fawley (SR) in 1967 had proper fishplates and the nearest set were on a substantial length of track .

One of the best parts of becoming (semi) retired last September was relinquishing my post at the top of the call out list when the office fire/burglar alarm was activated.

Limerick Junction in Ireland? All trains had to reverse into that before 1967.

And the social exclusion of dissenters was arguably the force starting the railways and modern iron making with coke, as both the Pease's and Darby's were Quakers, so spent their money on more useful projects than social climbing.

Aargh! Just been to visit my mother. Local brass band playing Christmas carols flat and slow. Made "O little town of Bethlehem" sound like a funeral dirge. They all must have cloth ears.

150+ years of public education and people still can't read what is printed on the box?

No aqueduct, but how about Oxford? Two stations, canal, Castle and a river thrown in for good measure!

The Lyddle End thing does have a prototype in the steam powered Fellows Moreton and Clayton boats used principally on the Grand Union canal, towing an unpowered Butty boat. The forward cabin of the pair contains the steam engine and the rear one was living accommodation . See here for what one actually looks like: https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/55/president When worked intensively pulling a butty or two, and with the low pay and long hours that barge people endured, they did pay their way in the 1910-1939 period. However, Diesel engines made steam totally uneconomic, taking up far less space that could be used for cargo and doing the job better. On bad models of canals, I remember many years ago that Mike Sharman (who really should have known better) made a model of a canal lock with a railway tunnel passing through it!

Frankly, I wouldn't give 10p for it. Its an appallingly inaccurate model. Would ruin any canal scene.

I think it is small enough to pick up and port to the metal recycling bin where it belongs!

Just to be pedantic, should we tell him it is a stationary or portable engine, not a locomotive (or even traction) engine. Like it does not have any driven wheels that could propel it anywhere.

"Please view all photographs. The photograph is the actual item you will be purchasing." So all you will be getting is a photograph of the model, not the model itself?

That would be non-lead based white paint. There was plenty of white lead based paint before that - most railway companies plastered their carriage and wagon roofs with it - which then turned dark grey in the sulphurous atmosphere.

Happy Christmas everyone

I wonder if he has got the tenders mixed up? This one is said to be a runner but has no visible gear wheel on loco or tender! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304736918858

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304736920309 If I was bashing an 0-6-0 into a Fowler 0-6-0, a GWR Collet 0-6-0 is not where I would start from!

Thanks for organizing the poll again. Indulged my wish list, which is mainly more open wagons. The Adams T3 is just there because I just love that loco. If it was actually produced, I would have to find some excuse to run it on a GWR layout set in the upper Thames valley in 1946/8!

It would have to have "Great Western" on the tender to be that.

My cat has given up the contest and gone back to bed!