Lambton58

Photographed from a Canberra (according to RAF Luton... ) The Siskin was a repeat of one I did in my teens. Lovely little kit.

Agreed. I've recently done an Armstrong Whitworth Siskin and Churchill AVRE bridgelayer. The latter was particularly well moulded and went together quite well for a small and complicated kit. "Current Airfix seems very well engineered, lots of detail, fits together well, quality decals. That Vampire looked good. Oh dear... " Quite - the new ones are good. I finished a late mark Spitfire last year - really nice model. I now have a Mustang, PRU Spit, Typhoon and a Wildcat (amongst other kits!) calling for attention. No wonder progress on the railway is slow!

Absolutely! The box art made the kits seem so exiting - still does! Ahhh, Matchbox kits. I really liked them as a kid. Not all were perfect by any stretch of the imagination but they took on some very interesting prototypes and many were as good if not better than the contemporary Airfix offerings. I particularly liked the 1:76 military models and still buy / build them if I seem them or the re-released Revell boxed versions. As for the programme, I'm quite enjoying it. It has it's faults (if that's what you want to call them) but I'm finding the design and development aspects interesting. The Playtrains range is interesting and I think will work for the target age range. There's much fun and play value there. It's brightly coloured, has stickers, sound and movement and a simple infrared(?) controller. Perhaps it's the 21st century equivalent of the clockwork train sets many of us started with and look where we are now. Ralph Lambton58

Oh that's nice, they'll match the Porterbrook livery...

Collected mine from AGR in Leighton Buzzard last week - thanks Anthony! - and I'm pretty pleased with her. All parts attached and not bent. I needed to do a little fettling of the tender wheels and pick-ups as she didn't like reversing over the points on my layout, but she runs fine now. I'll blacken the wheel rims and axles in due course and may add some more weight to the tender. Longer term some weathering will be called for; from what I've seen Sunderland engines were anything but pristine in the late 1950s/ early 1960s. Actually looking at the photo, I realise I really must put a hold on building tanks and aircraft and get back to some serious railway modelling. My layout was started for the first RM Web challenge and one day I'll finish it. @AY Mod Andy - I suppose it's a bit too late to enter now? Ralph

Bullhead Slips? Wasn't he one of Chuffer Dandridge's old friends from his touring music hall days? Probably had a novelty act juggling fishplates whilst balancing on a signal box lever and singing 'Oh Mr Porter'

What a superb looking model! And jeeuussst within my chosen timeframe. Tempting. What I hadn't realised that some of the wagons were individually named, as above. Will future releases cover other names? Perhaps a boxed set covering all of the BeeGees?? Ralph

That's looking very good. I'm definitely interested. Ralph Lambton58

Express Dairies?

Unpleasant thoughts of line blockages come to mind

Well I rather like the Class 24. The internal detailing is very good; I mean they've even modelled the steering wheel Ralph

Just wondering what these would be classified as - V W O (Very Wet Open) maybe?

TBH I didn't know the early ones were finished in red. Thought they were all green.

Well I guess it's a good thing that there's some funding coming East West Rail. Bletchley to Bedford is my local line and I look forward to catching a train to either Oxford or Cambridge. I just wish they'd stop faffing about and get on with it! We're not expecting to see services to Oxford until 2025. Goodness only knows when we can get to Cambridge. I can see the logic of electrifying the line now but the cost is no doubt off-putting in the current climate, so I guess that's why alternative green technologies like hydrogen fuels cells or battery power look attractive. Either way, I would be surprised to see anything different to the current Class 230s for quite some time. I guess we might get something along the lines of the 777s for longer trips than Bletchley to Bedford. Ralph

Well I wasn't far off when I suggested it might be "an open or closed wagon of some sort and will have 4 or more wheels" ! ;-) It's an interesting and good choice of wagon and would look good behind a Deltic - KOYLI perhaps??? I'll get me coat Ralph

Oh dear I've just read " ICI caustic soda TTAs" as " ICI custard soda TTAs"... perhaps Accurascale might do some Banana vans?

Why aye Marra!

My guess is that it's either going to be an open or closed wagon of some sort and will have 4 or more wheels.

Just the memory of the trail... but where did it go???

Mrs Lambton58 says "Euurrgh!!!"

This is such a pretty engine and very, very tempting. Seen at Boat of Garton on 22 Aug 2018.

I've just bought a couple of narrow gauge kits and some bearings from Dundas Models . Order placed on Tuesday afternoon and delivered today. Will definitely be using them again in the future. Ralph

60028 alive and well today passing Woburn Sands (Bedford to Bletchley line) on the 6Z18 Chaddesden Sidings to Willesden DC Rail Sidings.

As well... I wonder if there were any other settlements called Pity Me / Pityme in the old mining areas?

Ah! Missed that! Pity Me (which is in Durham :-) )