John-Miles

For those of us who have spent years burning our fingers with soldering irons, gluing said digits together with super glue, cursing when the quartering of loco wheels isn't right, stripping off bad paint jobs and trying again, etc the last thing we need is RTR Midland. Every exhibition you'll get the same comment - is that a Bachmann mister. I like the fact we have to do a bit of work to build our models but maybe I am a masochist?

I have only just got around to reading the latest MRJ, we were away in early December and I am just catching up. Dave deserves a big pat on the back for a job well done and well done Stephen (despite the typo - generally only people who do things make mistakes and are criticized by those who do nothing)

I was raised in North Derbyshire, another coal mining area, and when a seam was being worked, you could see its progress on the surface as the line of subsidence worked its way along a road, with the houses cracking and in some cases having their window and door openings propped to avoid collapse while the subsidence took place. The NCB would come along later and put things right but it can't have done the buildings much good. You would also get a dip in the road surface which would progressively move along as the seam moved forward.

Davenports were famous for Beer at Home - they ran a series of TV adverts which the proprietor made himself and he appeared at the end with glass of beer and said cheers. They were rather amateurish adverts but charming.

I moved from Brum to Cardiff in 1980 and it wasn't open then. I suspect it opened early 1980s. Cardiff was also once blessed with an Ian Allan bookshop.

Both my parents used to talk about the L&Y carriages and the horsehair. They were born and raised in Nelson, Lancs and much preferred the Midland. So it would be tram to Colne, train to Skipton, change and then off to tropical Morecambe.

Don't forget Morecambe. My dad always maintained his family were posh because they went there for their holidays rather than Blackpool.

Like many of that generation (e.g. D.F. Tee and George Dow) he was very generous and helpful to us lesser mortals. A truly great man.

I used to use steel guitar strings but after a while they get metal fatigue and break. Have since used phosphor bronze.

My brother did a thesis on the trams of Brum and the steam trams were relatively underpowered which resulted in the Bristol Road trams originally stopping at Bournbrook because the hill into Selly Oak was beyond their capabilities. When the electric trams appeared their greater power allowed the tracks to be extended to Rednal so Brummies could have a day out on the Lickey Hills.

Anthracite wagons from South Wales were found all over England and Wales. The anthracite coalfield extended from Pembrokeshire in the west to Glynn Neath in Glamorgan. The only other UK source of Anthracite was in Scotland so no South Wales wagons there.The below is from the Roy Burrows / Midland Railway Society collection. It shows Wigston yard and right in the middle is a Blaen Cae Gurwen wagon from a colliery between Brynamman and Cwmllynfell on the Swansea Vale Railway. There are lots of other photographs which show anthracite wagons well away from South Wales.

My neighbour has an E type. It doesn't look like the above.

The following is taken from a book Bygone Days in the Amman Valley. It's Brynamman looking north west across the sidings of Panytcelyn colliery The date is early 20th century. The reason for posting? These are Cann and Glass wagons. Cann and Glass were coal factors and it would seem that at this time they had the contract for transporting Pantycelyn's anthracite. Brynamman Midland station is in the middle distance.. Apologies for the poor quality.

I am told that sometimes Jubilees put in an appearance.

I did get a certificate at Junior School for swimming a width of the local baths (I still treasure it). Doesn't sound that impressive but the baths were unheated and outdoors. You deserved a prize for just jumping in.

I never won a school prize, they didn't think I was worth it and eventually I left and did my A levels at Tech College Emeritus Professor John Miles, BSc, MSc, PhD, CEng, MICE, MBCS, MASCE - so that's one up to me.

Why have a pump above the tank? Usually, but not always, pumps are at the lowest possible level so you don't have to prime them. It's interesting what you miss as a traveller. The tank is over the main up departure line, so far as I can judge, which I have used many times and I don't remember the tank at all. The houses behind are now replaced by a tram stop and the infamous Park Hill flats.

Stanier chimney and a reduced height dome??? Is that an LNWR box in the background?

Churchward models do an etched brass Midland signal box which can be used to make most variants. See Phoenix Precision website.

Why wouldn't this traffic use the direct line via Wennington? If it went to Carnforth it would have to be shuttled across the WC main line. I had a distant relative who was in charge of the refreshment room at Carnforth. Sadly she wasn't in the film (Brief Encounters).

If the above doesn't work check the commutator, it could just be dirt.

Raising the bridge will help but it will only require a tree to get caught on the central pier and there will again be a danger of the bridge acting as a dam. I was once called out to a flooding incident where a house which was about 5 metres above a small river was flooded due to a shopping trolley getting stuck in a culvert.

I have seen a rumour somewhere (sadly can't remember where) that the Midland courted the Bristol and Exeter, which might explain the investment in the South Devon. I asked Brian Arman about the B&E interest and he knows nothing about it and he thought it was unlikely.

I remember in the late 1960s catching trains from Lime Street to Manchester Central. One Sunday diversion went via Tyldesly (hope I spelt that right) and I was concerned about getting my onward connection.

Pryce-Jones of Newtown Mid-Wales is generally quoted as being the first company to have a substantial mail order business. The railway arrived in Newtown in 1859 but as it only went to Llanidloes it almost certainly required the opening of the Oswestry and Newtown before the business could expand. Pryce-Jones is also credited with inventing the sleeping bag. For more see Wiki.