KeithMacdonald

I had to look twice before I realised what's happening. No, he's not having a pee on the wall, it's an Ordnance Survey field surveyor, marking a reference point on a GWR Stock Shed for the updating of the definitive maps. Lots more OS "A Man with a Stick" pics here, most aren't railway-related, but may appeal to people interested in maps and map-making.

Ah yes, they look like Hornby cranes.

Just found in Swindon Central Library album on Flickr.

The Great Bear, suspended between two cranes, somewhere at Swindon Works. But why?

What were they smoking?

I know this is not the current Kernow GWR steam rail motor, but perhaps a future variation? Found in Swindon Central Library album on Flickr. Found some notes on it here: https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/zrailmotor93/history/pictures/sub_gubbins.html

Or used to make charcoal?

I concur. Basic sea-skills training does use the new-fangled GPS and electronic charts, but it also insists on olde-worlde manual skills and knowing how to do manual navigation with eyeballs, compass and paper charts. Which is a good thing for the rare (but real) ocassions when the electronics goes titsup. It matters if you are navigating by GPS and using a marked location as a way-point. There are already urban myths (sorry, make that sailors' tales) of boats having head-on collisions at some frequently-used GPS way-points. While the crews of both boats were relying on the electronics and dozing instead of keeping a proper lookout.

...and cables. Although the depth on Admiralty charts has been in metres since c.1967. What your depth sounder measures in may be set to read in metres, feet, or maybe even fathoms. But the nautical mile is still a thing, based on 1/60th of one degree of latitude at the equator, and the knot (defined as one nautical mile per hour) is still used for speed on water. Ten cables in one nautical mile.

Steam Museum, English Heritage or Historic England?

Using caravans as track-end buffers? What could possiby go wrong? Or is this a remake of that Top Gear episode, with the caravan trains?

It's big. Very big. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.3&lat=51.07190&lon=-1.80624&layers=178&b=1&o=100

Who knows about the "coal famine"?

I dare you to turn up at an exhibition with your RTR Castle altered to match this....

Going on holiday.

1943: GWR (Wilts) Home Guard Training

Don't often see mixed gauge?

More bananas...

Glad to read that your eldest is aware. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-unit-spin-off-comment/

Any connection to Blaster Bates?

Was it called Carlsberg? Probably the most aggressive Great Dane in the world.

It's models of models of models ... all the way down .. for 140+ pages!