Gwiwer

Busy reading the posts actually And contemplating turning the heater on for the first time since summer. It's actually cold tonight with the temperature only just holding double figures. Plus several windows are open because I was painting earlier and they cannot be closed tonight.

Morning all. Lunch today was with a dear friend who used to work alongside me in our previous job. She was then going through hell and back with a messy home situation and, five years since we last saw each other, things have only progressed but not altogether improved. She is made of remarkable stuff - strong enough to walk away from a husband who took to socially popular substances while their family was still in first school taking the kids with her. Now very happily remarried to a chap who brought three more kids with him from his own failed marriage his former wife seems to have taken it upon herself to be as obnoxious as possible and has managed to obtain custody of the three children he brought to the "Brady Bunch" family. Friend is still being put through the wringer emotionally having successfully fused two single-parent-plus-three-children families into one unit only to have three children removed by the appropriate government department ...... By the by we enjoyed a lovely lunch with the conversation feeling as though the years between had simply rolled away and we chatted for a good two hours at the cafe table long after the dishes were cleared. Many hugs were exchanged as we finally went our ways for the time being. We intend to catch up again when and where we can but true friends know that distance and time is no object - we shall always be there for each other. I returned by way of the hardware warehouse where some semi-gloss paint was acquired for the ongoing renovations. The afternoon was spent applying same to woodwork. The evening has begun by sacrificing some cluckbird and pig-chops on the BBQ accompanied by an ice-cold pale-yellow beer and to the sounds of blues and then Jamaican ska from the computer. It all seemed quite a civilised and rather Australian way to end my five days off. It's back to the Palace tomorrow after lunch. Best Sunday wishes to all.

Maybe they were tipped off that it's a replica "The train now arriving at platform 2 is Stephenson's Rocket. We apologise to any surviving passengers for the delay to your service."

Thanks Don. We tried using Tesco online but they have an allergy to overseas bank cards and will only accept UK ones it seems. Further to that the attempt to use an Australian card on their site resulted in it being blocked as a suspicious transaction requiring an international phone call to have it unblocked. We currently use Sainsburys delivery service and they have a decent-sized store close enough to Kingston station that I can walk it with a few bags. The videos will be uploaded and posted later. There are some trains I didn't catch in still mode still to show.

Welcome to Kipper Wars!!! Slappage at arm's length to commence at dawn. Winner to be decided by the most complete kipper after all-comers have been slapped down.

Today's final public running session theme was "Anything Goes". It certainly did. Rule 1 was stretched to the limit. A selection of still pictures shows some of the action. There are also video clips which take longer to upload and process. Nothing very unusual about a Beattie well-tank at Ponsangwyn shed except that the gantry crane isn't usually there. The shot has been set up to resemble views captured at Wadebridge shed in the final days of the well-tanks. Likewise there's nothing particularly unusual about the class 03 shunter parked beside the goods shed other than the fact of it not being a very frequent visitor Two GWR pannier tanks prepare to depart with the milk train. The lead loco is one of those sold to London Transport and wears its smart maroon livery Up at Treheligan station the St. Agnes branch was operated for a time by a Southern Region 2EPB unit which would normally require third-rail electric power. Very unexpected was the use of an engineer's trolley to haul a parcel working. Even more out of place was the Australian train waiting at Carreglyp Dries with a rake of open bogies wagons led by a GM-class loco in the short-lived Great Northern livery (no link to the former British company of that name and rather surprising because they were based in Melbourne - the most southerly mainland city) On the main line another Aussie loco, a 1952-built Victorian A-class, leads a rake of elderly carriages over Darras Viaduct. Loco and coaches are owned by friends and were visiting for the day. A star performer was Stephenson's Rocket also brought along by a friend. The loco is a plastic Airfix kit which has been skilfully built to run freely and is pushed by a Black Beetle motor mounted beneath the carriage which is a Hornby item. Rocket was unable to complete a circuit of the layout owing to issues with structure gauging!!! It did however manage several trips up and down parts of the layout without such problems. Perhaps the most unexpected visitor to run - and it ran perfectly - was a working model of a Melbourne W5-class tram. Normally powered from the overhead this too must have been draining its batteries to run on a two-rail system! Finally back at Ponsangwyn the West Country which spent several hours working hard on a freight train which will feature in the videos rested beside a class 22 and the well-tanks. Somehow the gantry crane has managed to vanish and the shed is back to relative normality.

You have the option of asking for no "refund" (technically I believe it's called a charge-back because you still end up paying for and receiving the item) and paying in full at the time of ordering. That option exists largely for the benefit of overseas customers who might incur hefty bank charges through currency conversion not once but three times. Local to Sterling, Sterling back to local and local back to Sterling again. I once calculated that an order charged-back like this would cost me an extra £9 for a £50 order and have since then opted to pay in full in advance or await items arriving in the shop. The system is a requirement of their cybertill operator and not of their own making. They are aware that it has a potential to disadvantage overseas customers which is why they offer the pay-now option.

Pinch punch white rabbits, you fools!!! Greetings. Today marks the Good Lady's Halfth Century. In an ideal world we would be together and celebrating it according to her wishes. Instead circumstances dictate that we are in opposite hemispheres and 10 hours apart in time zone which makes even the most basic of communication less than easy. It has long been her choice to spend this day in Cornwall. As I write this she is aboard 1C99, The Night Riviera, hopefully rocked soundly to sleep as she often claims the slight movement of the sleeping cars reminds her of being rocked to sleep as a baby. She usually sleeps like on on board our favourite train. In the morning she will alight at Snozzle to spend the weekend with friends before returning on Sunday night's up train to arrive in London early Monday morning in good time to return to work. That train shall be represented later today as the curtain falls on the layout so far as the general community is concerned. I have a few more days until Easter to grab last-minute photo opportunities before moving in with spanners, cutters and other implements of a sharp and terminal nature. From the last day of our summer before the clocks go back, and from the last public running day at Penhayle Bay - good day, good night and good morning after.

I can certainly agree with that sentiment. I am not alone by any means in running the occasional "unusual" or "Rule 1" train on the layout either. The full set of five 600s is coming here. They were no strangers to me in Penzance - daily visitors rather than unusual. Originally ordered for the layout of course where they would have been a perfect fit they will miss its closure by some months I'm afraid. Though they will still be posed on the small retained section for effect and will no doubt make forays onto the future somewhat smaller layout.

The final Open House at Penhayle Bay got under way tonight. The "web-cam" captured some very unusual movements indeed ..... First up was a Garratt running tender first with a decent freight in tow. Despite the power of the loco and the fitted head two 20-ton brake vans were felt necessary. Legomanbiffo Olivias sound fitted loco running successfully on DC and sounding good. As if that wasn't odd enough the next train down must have suffered a very serious diversion. The Adelaide - Melbourne "Overland" led by one of the ubiquitous NR-class locos, NR41, in its original livery, eases through the curves. This loco has, incidentally, already been twice around the world and is about to embark on its third trip, has appeared at two exhibitions in the UK and on numerous layouts there not all of them HO/OO scale! The Garratt sustained a sheared coupler and was replaced by a class 23 "Baby Deltic" While someone in authority must have had a word as the Australian loco was exchanged for a British class 45 "Peak" which coped well with its most unusual train.

Not quite that simple I'm afraid It took a lot of money, persuasion and goodwill to redouble through Axminster. While that allows an hourly service it offers precious little in the way of diversionary paths should GWR request them. There is probably no case to provide any more loops between Yeovil and Wilton as those which exist permit the existing perfectly adequate timetable. The only case to be made might be farther west and that would be based upon a demonstrated business case for more trains between Honiton and Exeter. I doubt any case could be made to re-double any length simply to facilitate GWR diversions which are seldom needed anyway.

Either way that is well over half the production run pre-sold. Which - again for such a small and short-lived class - is remarkable and proves that Kernow MRC was right to go ahead with the project. And to persist through all its trials, tribulations and delays.

Good news then and easily sorted after all. There has never been any hint of "secret" emails or offers as suggested and now you have it from the source. They are simply working through a huge volume of orders chronologically. And it is most encouraging to hear there are so many advance orders for a small short-lived class of locomotive.

After numerous hours and three coats to all areas I have achieved enwhitenment of the master bedroom and its associated en-suite facilities. The previous scheme was a pale mushroom which we had endured for the 14 years we have lived here so was well and truly due for replacement. Sufficient of the house cleaned and tidied in advance of guests tonight and tomorrow. Now to ready the outside "entertainment area" Lunch with a former work friend arranged on Sunday. We haven't seen each other in a bout seven years since she left our then place of employment. We have however kept in contact through the ups and downs of life and this will not be the last time we meet I'm sure. Clocks are put back at 3am on Sunday morning meaning it is our turn for a lie-in. They sometimes wait until Easter for this but that is very late this year so will fall in "winter" and not "summer" time. That will then mean the time difference between myself and Sharon will reduce to 9 hours.

And may I add mine to the list too. Congratulations on der / die kleine Straßenbahnfahrer Took my first out on a fixed 12.5% rate and watched the market rate climb to 15% then, for a few hours, 19% before falling back to around the 13 mark. I was laughing at the time though as many of us find it was still a challenge to actually make the payments. I won't get another. Any future purchase will have to be cash based on the value of the house in Australia (quite reasonable and rising fast) and the share of my parents' joint estate which will in due course be passed down to me. As thing stand those two combined would purchase a smaller house in a good area of SW London - assuming we are still in that area - without a loan. Or a modernised stone-built property in a scenic area of west Cornwall. Something I now have to deal with In fact something I have been reviewing regularly over the past several years. My former BR pension os quite small and with UK - Australia transfer arrangements would be taxed out of meaningful existence. I am better off retiring in the UK. I can draw that pension a few days after I arrive and shall do so in order to use the lump sum to defray relocation costs and the monthly income to top up what I hope will be a reasonable part-time income. I should remain well clear of the 40% tax band notwithstanding. That's called making your money work for you. The boot is on the other foot when Sharon retires which is not for another 10 - 12 years. Her pension is all with Australian providers and will be substantial. She would be better off retiring there. Another bridge to cross when we get a little closer to it. But if she thinks I'm doing this whole relocation thing again when I'm in my seventies and with no income available to me in Australia ....... Painting beckons. Then a swift clean-up of enough of the house to offer comfort to those coming tonight and tomorrow for Penhayle Bay's final running sessions. It's Friday. It's almost beer o'clock. Avagoodun.

If the SWT fleet is viewed from an engineering or accountancy perspective then it is a hotch-potch of all sorts. Three varieties of 455, all inter-operable but all different, smallish fleets of 456 and 458 and the untried 707 yet to enter service but incompatible with anything else. On the main lines we have 444 and 450 with two variations of the latter internally, plus the 158 and 159 fleet for non-electrified routes. In an age where management would love one size to fit all this fleet clearly doesn't do that. The 455s hark back to BR days and some include class 508 trailers; one even has a class 210 trailer. Such a diverse fleet requires stockholding of parts (whether maintained by the operator or under contract), staff training and knowledge retention and hence the costs escalate. Stagecoach has apparently managed to keep these costs under control and run a good service almost despite rather than because of the diversity of the fleet.

Where is the GGGGRRRRRRRRRRR shaky-fist button And considering the final running day at Penhayle Bay is tomorrow as well ........ you can go off some people! . On the other hand if the lottery delivers tomorrow night everything else becomes academic

Oh well played Sir. What an outstanding first move and correctly omitting Terminal 1 to boot.In view of that I shall have to apply Cryer's Transverse (1973(ii)) and take us to LEYTON

First Group is also selectively dropping its corporate branding from the bus empire. "The Buses of Somerset" shows no outward signs of being a First Group company. Neither will the Cornish operations by the time its current rebranding exercise is complete. In both areas many years of decline, neglect and lack of investment had tarnished the First name very badly. We do not know to what extent MTR might wish to be the public face of SWT. I remain convinced they are the key financier and will be the major financial beneficiary. As such they might well call some (or all) of the shots over livery, branding and other matters.

Before cancelling anything might I suggest phoning Kernow MRC just to check they have your email address correctly on file? You won't receive much correspondence if that has been recorded wrongly, what ever the reason might be.

I had completely missed that Neil so thanks for drawing it to my attention. I did note that KMRC made a comment to the effect that they "would not be bullied into giving away .... " details of something and I interpreted that as meaning "Bulleid" not "bullied". However given the amount on my plate right now in the midst of an international removal it's hardly surprising that I missed that post!

I shall stand corrected on that point. I had thought the loyalty scheme was only for UK customers.

313s are not supposed to run west of Portcreek / Farlington Junctions but on rare occasions have done so which I suspect has arisen from displaced stock working. It isn't so long ago that EPB stock was used for a number of London - Gillingham turns which were extended to the Thanet coast during summer. Gillingham would be far enough without a lavatory following Friday drinks in a City pub but taking the family to Margate with the nippers wriggling and screaming for the loo would not have been fun. Trying to head back to the topic and because SWT run Salisbury - Bristol workings it bears remembering that for some years the Portsmouth - Bristol services offered no toilet for several hours to the majority of passengers. One would need to change carriage at a station stop in order to effect relief and back again at the next stop (so long as Dilton Marsh was not one of them) when the service was operated with Thumpers. There is no requirement to make use of a 313 at any point. All routes they work are also covered by 377 duties though a change of train may be required. Those who cannot manage to wait 20 minutes or so on the late-night returns from Brighton have only themselves to blame. The urgency of need to misuse the gangway as a lavatory is in direct proportion to the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed earlier. By the by and TUPE notwithstanding I am hearing suggestions which might or might not have any basis in fact that some of the quieter SWT stations which are currently staffed will cease to be staffed. I have already wondered just how the staff member at Strawberry Hill is justified on a Sunday for example, with just an hourly morning service (at much the same time in both directions giving 50+ minute intervals to contemplate the scenery) and few passengers about. That much said it is nonetheless encouraging to find suburban stations staffed at all never mind before dawn on a Sunday.

Methinks the Member for Llandysul hath been listening to his Pink Floyd again. Accordingly I shall visit SHEPHERD'S BUSH MARKET and Wish You Were Here

Additiionally, and as Kernow MRC stated when they finalised the pricing of the D6xx, the upfront payments will mean the goods can be produced sooner and the business would carry a smaller loan - if any at all - for their production. It is an option. It was done to mitigate the price rise which had to be imposed as the original was set under the old regime when everything coming out of China cost a lot less. If you have pre-ordered a 600 and have received an email from Kernow advising of payment options then if you wish to take advantage of prepayment you may only be out of pocket an extra £5 overall. The actual cost of the loco has risen £30 of which £10 is offered as a discount for pre-paid orders and £15-worth of credit applied in addition to your loyalty account (for UK customers only) mitigating the rise very considerably. Kernow are to be commended for this and for supporting their very patient customers who have waited a long time for these locos. If you wish to pay in the more usual way namely full payment once the locos arrive then you are of course at liberty to do so though you will then pay the full shelf price. The Bulleid locos have not been caught up in a change of manufacturer but as with the 600s they have to be created from drawings and photos as no survivor exists to scan. This takes a lot longer than a project which can be laser-scanned so they are still some way off yet.