Gwiwer

Very much looking forward to my 71 arriving. Or possibly, if it's ready, being collected from Camborne next weekend. The order was a late one as I have very limited use for a 71 and indeed nowhere to run anything at all for a couple of months. I saw it as an investment in the hobby and a stepping stone to getting the 74 which I am rather interested in. And there is always Rule 1. From the pictures above it would seem that Dave has captured in precision model form everything that has eluded Hornby. I never had any doubts about which would prove the better-looking model. And which should prove also to be the best runner.

Posting from 11000m above the Indian Ocean there are few apposite responses to that. I'll gave to take a new vector, Victor VICTORIA

Not even ERs gets posts from mid-air very often. So enjoy this one, made from 11000m above the Indian Ocean whilst on my way home. An upgrade to business class means I am flying in about as much luxury and comfort (not to mention the unlimited free alcohol) as is available commercially. And after dinner I shall be able to sleep in a flat bed privately fron others and knowing that the cat is on the next aircraft some 90 minutes behind me. Farewell Australia. I'm coming home.

In honour of my departure from the land of the Drop Bear and imminent arrival upon home shores. HEATHROW TERMINALS 2&3

It speaks volumes for this quite modest event, the level of interest shown and the camaraderie among seemingly all who have had any involvement that this topic continues to generate high posting rates and very favourable reviews. I missed a good one this year. I plan to be back next year. If I can bring a layout from Australia in my travel bag and persuade it to (mostly) work in Taunton once then I am very sure I can do something similar a second time. On the subject of which I have finally today received word that my application to have "Boghouses" journey considered a world record for farthest-travelled model railway has been declined by Guinness. Not because any other layout gas travelled farther (we still believe none has) but because it fails their criteria tests. Unless anyone can show me a working layout which has travelled farther from home to exhibition and back I shall continue to consider the record mine by default.

Speak for yourself Jeff! The 71 will now cost me a contribution to the UK Tax Machine.

Many thanks to Peter for the chance to watch Llanbourne in action one more time. And may I also take this opportunity of thanking Peter, Leanne, Abbie and the various furry members of their family for hosting and refreshing all of us who have visited. Peter has also proved to be a good friend beyond little trains for which thanks are also due from Sharon and myself.

You can go off some people, you know Not only the day our 71s should land but also the day I saw my worldly goods, including the model collection, off in a London-bound container.

They are on British soil (subject only to Dave posting confirmation) and I acknowedge Dave's thanks posted above. May I return thanks to Dave for believing in us when he could have taken an easier path in allowing a competitor to take the glory and the sales by abandoning and concentrating scarce time and funds on non-contested projects. Thank you, Dave, for all you bring to this hobby and for delivering the definitive class 71.

Of course the rivet-counters will argue that in Southampton they should be 74s not 71s My return ticket to Camborne is already booked.

They were unreliable along with many of their contemporaries. That is one reason they became confined largely to Cornwall. That also eliminated the need for many crews to sign them and cut the need for multiple depots to stock spares and maintain expertise for a small class which might or might not ever require attention there. In common with other early diesel classes, some of which were even smaller, they have gained a following, largely since their demise, resulting in this project being launched. Both Cornwall and diesel-hydraulics with large cast nameplates remain popular with modellers. I was lucky to have seen them all and ridden behind at least one. For London-based spotters and those from other parts of the country I can understand the frustration of never being able to find them, or the enthusiasm with which one might have been sighted as a rarity. Just as might have been the case for those living away from the Brighton main line with the Raworth Boosters for example.

My bad. Corrected. It's been a very long week packing and painting. Moving to another country can cause a slip of the electronic tongue.

None of use here knows the full story, with the possible exception of a couple of members who have privacy, respect and commercial confidence to consider before making any statement. The material for public consumption is all contained within this topic as regards the 600s. As I understand it a perfectly reasonable business arrangement was entered into whereby Kernow MRC commissioned Dapol to produce the 600s. That was in line with Kernow's other commissions many of which have featured items with strong Cornish connections. The project was announced and all went rather quiet for a long time despite occasional glimmers of hope. Kernow MRC, which is as Ian Hargrave notes a small business which happens to commission models and definitely not one of the big players in terms of turnover, seemed to grow impatient and sensed nothing was happening with the 600s and other items commissioned from Dapol. It would, after all, be their money at risk not ours and potentially placing the family business (for such it effectively is) in jeopardy. Months turned into years and the project was recommissioned elsewhere but I suspect not without some sniping back from Dapol and perhaps a reluctance to release research (not) being used to develop the models. The 600s have moved forwards with DJModels and are now in tooling. OK it has taken years longer than any of us hoped to get this far. Some of those years were lost by Dapol sitting on the project ant not doing anything significant. That is clearly laid at their doorstep. Working from drawings and photos when no survivor is extant for scanning will always mean a project takes longer. Light is visible at the end of a long, long tunnel. Quite when we have these locos no-one yet knows for sure but this year is still a reasonable bet. And how a business the size of Dapol can afford to do next to nothing for years with several valuable commissions is for them and them alone to explain. i understand some people's patience runs out before mine. Only today I have broken up the layout the locos were bought for. But the orders stand as I can still enjoy and make use of them when they do finally arrive.

1. South West Trains reach London Waterloo 2. 'bout seventeen 'undred pasty-throws

Ladies and gents. This is the last evening (or day, for those up top) I shall have access to the computer until perhaps mid-July. It has to be packed with everything else. I still have the phone but only with limited service away from the house wifi. On 11th May the number will change from Australian to British as I always swap the SIM cards mid-flight. In order to prevent overloading my phone with messages I have to turn off notifications otherwise every reply to ER (and other topics of course) generates a separate email unlike the computer which tells me how many replies I have but only generates one message. A few of you are already on my Farcebook friends list and will be able to follow me there. I can post here while the phone is in wifi range (anywhere) but may not be aware of replies nor of significant events among our community. I shall endeavour to keep you updated with the relocation but as the container isn't due into London until the end of June and we don't expect to have our things, including the computer, delivered for a few weeks beyond that it may be well into the summer before I am an active member here again. You will all be in my thoughts during this intermission. Best wishes.

Andyram, Baz and others - thank you. The final pack is going well. The viaduct from the layout lifted out without too much drama, just a small repair needed to the rails at some future time. The news on the rest of the layout is not so good. I had always hoped to bring at least one section. Cutting out a representative scene has proved too damaging. The station area which I hoped would come away nicely enough as it sits on a single board has stubbornly refused to budge. It seems the whole thing was built too well. The upshot of that is that I only have the viaduct surviving. The farm scene was sold to a fellow modeller and lives on elsewhere. But everything else - which was built very firmly glued and screwed together and to the house - can only be removed by the application of brute force. Of course I am sad to see it go and go this way. But it demonstrates to me that I built things to last outdoors and could do so again. Over the coming days once the container has gone and I have more time I can unbolt the remaining fixings and apply a large sledge-hammer as required. In fairness I had my suspicions all along that the layout wasn't going to play nice when it came time to dismantle and so it has proved. To each and all I wish a Happy May Day whether or not you are taking it as a holiday. The rain is lashing down once more making a mockery of the old saying "Hooray, hooray the First of May; outdoor sex begins today". Not here it won't

Good morning all. The trains are all packed. Tomorrow they board the container for another trip around the world. Most have already travelled from China to the UK to Australia ......... This afternoon sees final demolition of the layout. The house feel empty. Everything we are keeping is now piled in two rooms. The remaining items are going to charity outlets or into the skip. Nine days left in the Land of Oz.

Which still exists, having made the full round trip, and is about to depart for England once more ..... Guinness Records have still not processed my application for "World's farthest-travelled model railway". Who knows what I might be able to offer a year from now. It's too early to commit myself though the intent is there. 2017 looks to have been every bit the success that the "CK Years" were so full marks to the entire team for picking up the reins and delivering. I know some folk might feel Bristol or the like is more central. Staplegrove has become the home of the SWAG Member's Day and is more or less central when one considers the south-west as a region. I look forward to being a part of it once more in 2018.

Too late. The Bakelite Railway is in spoon for this round according to Barry. Maintaining the ecclesiastical connection however brings us to Southwark

You only rent beer. In and out in far too short a time

As it's Sunday and we were already at Temple I'll play the Archbishop's Gambit and head for Lambeth North

Almost all of my earlier pictures were taken as 126 format monochrome prints which I cannot successfully scan without a fair amount of work. Therefore I shall have to enter this topic with some more recent views. Ealing Broadway in 2007 showing D-stock on the District Line and 1992 tube stock on the Central Line. A good spot for those unfamiliar with the two "scales" used by the underground network. The old order changeth. 1858 was one of the few 4Cig units to have been repainted into Southern livery coupled with an unidentified 4Vep retaining its Connex style. Taken from Norwood Junction with the train using the Selhurst Depot headshunt. To date Limehouse remains the only station I have been chased from and threatened with arrest for taking photos. One of the photos in question is this of a class 357/2 unit arriving from the coast bound for Fenchurch Street in plain white livery. The operator never apologised for the disgraceful attitude of their staff member, somewhat bigger than me and clearly throwing his weight around, who was set to frog-march me away himself if I didn't go quietly. And for doing nothing wrong whatsoever. In 2007 Clapham Junction is full of South West Trains. 4-car 458s long before they were strengthened to 5-car sets, a 450, a pair of 444s and some 455s This 2010 view shows a class 395 Javelin high speed set in the seemingly unlikely setting of Strood. Bound for St. Pancras rather than Charing Cross and having to endure the same speed restrictions at both ends of the station as its Networker and Electrostar cousins on the "regular" services. In 2005 one motor coach of preserved 4Cor 3142 was open for display at Horsted Keynes at weekends. S11201S is now, or soon will be, at the Sellindge site which is not open to the public, for further restoration and may join its sisters at Shepherdswell in the future. Finally an arty view incorporating that tower and a class 377 Electrostar at Portsmouth Harbour. 2010.

Good luck to those using GWR trains to get there. Delays of over SIX hours on Saturday with the Berks & Hants out for track works and a loss of signal power between Didcot and Swindon closing the only alternative. Compounded by a trespasser at Marazion during the morning which delayed Cornish services by an extra 90 minutes or so. The hapless souls aboard the 10.00 Penzance - Paddington found themselves terminated at Bristol TM 93 minutes late at 15.49 then delayed another 4 hours until 19.30 which was the next departure to London. And which arrived on time at 21.13. Almost 12 hours end to end. No the railway's finest day.

Grass skirt Stilts Pink sou'wester Plastic daisy

As I have always said I am open to correction on any matter of fact. Thank you.