GlenPudzeoch

Unlikley to change from the outside, can only chjange from within. Does anyone know how many members voted? And how many voted for the status quo and how many voted for change? Remembering the new members who joined the Labour party to vote for Jeremy Corbyn, or the new members who joined building societies in the 1990s with the express intention of changing them into plc banks - oops sorry to get the free £4000 or so conversion payment - well that worked out well didn't it?

Sad to relay the news of Ronnie Cockburn, owner of the Bearsden Wagon Works, passed away at the beginning of August. Ronnie started his career in engineering as an apprentice with Babcock and Wilcox in Renfrew, then sailed with the Furness Withy line as a junior engineer. He returned to ABbcocks initially in Renfrew before moving to Dalmuir and into their Cranes division. His main railway interest was private traders wagons and this led to him forming the Bearsden Wagon Works initially in OO building and painting to corrctly reflect the companies and clours of Scottish private owner wagons. Despite his best efforts to try to encourage and educate some ready to run manufacturers followed a different drum.. Ronnie like many moved from OO to O gauge and continued the Bearsden Wagon works in 7mm, continuing with the same degree of accuracy and detail. Keen to advocate the importance of the Scottish cupboard door style intead of the more Anglicised drop flap he was well known in Caledonian Railway Association and Glasgow and South Western Railway Association circles and attended meetings as long as he was able. Ronnie looked after his wife before her passing and his own illness. Rest in Peace Ronnie.

Chester Draws?

You could carry the platforms to the wall and put a mirror there to make the station look longer too.

I appreciate that it is all very well to say "someone should " and the inevitable reply is " well volunteered", and it is necessary to get a suitably qualified volunteer, but it would be useful if a scale-devoted organisation such as the Guild considered "succession Planning" for small manufacturers. We may all love Joes Loco Kits, but Joe aint gonna live forever. and Mrs Joe or the Joeettes probably dont want to take over the buisness, so if and when Joe goes what happens to a popular range of Kits or widgets? Sold off, binned or given away. And the hobby loses a worthwhile source. We dont think about what happens when we are not around and sometimes the unexpected happens, but if an organisation was able to have a discussion with an owner about helping in a future transition, it may stop the loss of a much appreciated resource.

Welcome to the Infinite monkey cage that is RMweb. Plank modelliing is perfectly acceptable - and if you ahve not seen Steve Fay's work then it's well worth checking out. Welcome! GlenP

I would have expected any Auditor to report on a large sum in Mescellaneous Expenses or Sundries - good accounting practice is to have such items as a minimum and book headings with as much detail as possible for anyone looking at the accounts to see clearly and transparently what the enspenses are. In reality not many members look at, or disect Accounts of railway clubs. There are few "lower deck lawyers" than there used to be, but they exist. It s after all their money. If the Guild were a Charity is is likley that this would be highlighted. Perhaps check the 2.30 at Haydock to see if "Miscellaneous Expenses " is running. Or if it's berthed in Port Solent Marina! Glen P

I've been a member twice. the Gazette is good, and has encouraged me to spend money, which is good. I first joined just after a big issue in the politics about which I know little, but sounds to have been a bitter exchange. There were some members who were fireproof and any hint of critisim or challenge of comments resulted in a significant number of supporters rallying to them - this incuded defending comments which would now be seen as offensive, possibly anti-semitic and possibly homophobic. I felt the comments about one member being asked to review a rtr brass A3 was very much - well, its ready to run, I really don't know, we've never had this before- do we actually do reviews of rtr? They did. In fairness not a bad review. A review of a loco kit by a member - did mention issues but a very aggressive response from the manufactuer. equally a review of a kit by a member also a professional builder who had made alterations to the kit outwith the plans and the review was disparaging. The manufacturer had to persuaded to not withdraw the kit he did withdraw from attending shows - not a good result. A fried and I did not get our Gazettes. He phoned and sorted his issue it - he asked if there was an isue with GlenPudzeoch's magazine too. He was given by address details by the person on the phone and was told I was no longer a paid up member of the Guild. I could get very unhappy about this breach of data protection security. I have been to several O gauge clubs in Scotland and England, At one I was asked to show my Gauge O card. The Guild may not have associated clubs, but some clubs clearly associate with it - this may not be within the Guild's control, but if it is against their rules they need t make clubs listing with them know. One club memntione dthey had built a test track with money from the Guild. When I went to a different club who had issues with a test track needing replaced they advised that they had been told the Guild did not give money to clubs etc for building things.... I asked in their online forum when new about whether the Guild arranged discounst on sales items from traders. I was slapped down - how dare I not know that the aim of the Guild was to show the trade that there was a market for them selling O gauge items. Well it didnt work for Just Like the Real Thing It didn't work for JM Models It didn't work for Bachmann brass It has not worked for Tower Models Can the Guild list their successes? Competitions - it's nice for the builders and if they produce models or build professionally great advertising but ....? Telford and Kettering great foer the midlands, but useless for Scotland or the south. (I know there are shows in Pollokshaws and Linlithgow but they are not Guild organised ones. If there is a clause saying a member has to have been a member for 10 years before they can seek office it would be liable to legal challenge for age discrimination and would make an interesting case. A scale organisation which covers fine scale, narrow gauge, coarse scale and live steam, electric and radio control has a lot on its plate - I wish them well, but my experiences above suggest they have a long way to convince me to rejoin. Convince me, and I'll happily rejoin. Glen P

"Y" Y? - coz it's the army!

"At the end of the day" it's night.

I wonder if they will do them in O gauge? That would be good.

Really enjoying all episodes - but what trains would go to Wolverton from St Pancras ? Surely Liverpool Street? Then again, I get nosebleeds when I go south of the Tweed.

Great to see that model shops are opening, but is this throughout the Uk or just in England? I dont recall hearing about shops in Scotland opening. Perhaps the title could be reworded.

As a NHS worker, well GP medical practice worker and exRN officer the clapping ais appreciated, but even more so the Thank you from the checkout staff at security guards at the local supermarket etc, of from those who know what my team does. It makes up for the years of politicing. I see similarites in the approach to clapping/not clapping and the wearing of poppies by some and I repeat SOME individuials and media representatives.

There are some very inspiring proejcts being worked on here - well done to all, and in World of Model Railaays some great ideas including Hornby's lockdown introduction to model railways, and other newsworthy items. i woudl post this there but it seems comments are not open). My suggestion is that the writers or BRM editors put these articles to eithert the Press association or to media outlets. This could be a way to introduce individuals to the hobby or at the least let people know that a hobby is an exprememnt good way to deal with lockdown. I am surprised this has not been done earlier by any source, including Hornby or any of the other manufacturers. No doubt there will be naysayers who delight in advising "not everyone can afford a model train" - true, but would you rather the repetative droning we are getting about the situation or the revving of the current outrage bus?

That was the only reason I could think of, but could find nothing to back it up. Many thanks

Hi, The three LNWR staff awarded the Victoria Cross in WW1 who were honoured by having Claughton locomotives were Private W Woods, Lance corporal J Christie and Private E Sykes. The first and last were honoured by having a Patriot named after them. My question is, why did Lance Corporal Christie not have a Patriot named after him? He did not die until 1967, and is very likely to still have been employed by the LMS, successor to the LNWR where he was a parcel clerk in 1914? GlenP

Network maps, red star parcels, a lot of cigarette adverts, local adverts - invest in (I recall the Peterborough is going up - on the south part of the ECML) the sort of suggestive sexist ads they could not get away with now, ones with Rolf Harris (litter) and Jimmy Saville - what coudl possibly go wrong?

I remember the mail trains in Glasgow Central. A good variety of locos - i recall some of the Western region class 47s in the 1980s. On the subject of Glasgow Central, what used the wee stumpy lines around the top end of platform 11 or so (before the new Canal line bays) and off the olf platform 13? GlenP

Pheasant - we have at least three males who come, leave deposits, eat any seeds, fatballs etc and flow away, noisily. We do live near to an estate where they are raised for shooting, so a number do escape and we are happy to enjoy them ( I'm filling raisins with sleeping powder as I type a la Danny Champion of the World). The hen phesants are making nests by the railway line which, as no trimming, weedkilling or other engineering work is going on manage quite well, as long as they avoid the hourly emu flying in!

I've settled for my local railway bridge - Anthony Road, Largs, Ayrshire on the former G&SWR. Not the most beutiful of edifices, but I see it several times a day. A good opportunity to use the skills outined in Bob Alderman's fantastic book on Building Rmodel Railway Bridges, curiously enough. Getting the flattened arch is extremely helpful, and the figures for minimum/best bractice clearances helps a lot. Photos will follow. GlenP

It seems mocking Trump is ok by moderators, but former members of the Labour party is not....

Of course the Northon Fitzwarren accident in WW2 was on a line which was/is UUDD and the driver misread the signals (much mitigating factors) . Always a hazard with UUDD.

The traffic you mention sounds quite reasonable, perhaps cattle as well. Presflos - I'm not sure about Lossiemouth, but a lot of stations saw presflo for ccement traffic in Scotland in the 1960s. The Kyle line, West Kilbride station on the G&SWR all featured presflos in photos. Dont forget the deliveries to and from HMS Fulmar - the base was RN until the early seventies, so no need for lots of long leave trains unless you are running it under RAF control! (ex-matlot)

A good article and amazing photos.