John Besley

How about this... just a quick shot... Fred D having a final check up while the fire dies down - the fire bed is a 'toasted' orange CD case (part of) with some strategic placed lumps of genuine welsh steam coal, this is backlit along with the ashpan, both the ashpan door and firehole door open And a daylight picture to compare. My steam loco build No34 has a large flywheel directly behind the firehole door (which doesn't open) I've drilled air holes for the secondary air in ghe firehole door then painted the flywheel red / orange. When I get the DCC set up for No34 I intend fitting a small bulb inside the firebox

And in other news .... the chassis and decoders are back from Digitrains, now working fine, although every now and again the sound decoder stops the sound clips and will only restart after the power is removed - by taking the loco off the track and re selecting the loco again... not sure what that's all about. I've done the first part of wiring adaptions to Exhill to get DCC up and running, next need to wire up some jumpers to keep power to a couple of sidings. But otherwise pleased with the result, Only part of the NCE Powercab I don't like is the long trailing cable from the front plate to the hand held controller, just wish they provided a coiled cable like they do for the cab link modules. I could also do with a spare track connection block so I can plug into a bench programing track, maybe when Exhill Mk2 is built I can incorporate this into the build process

Well the transfers have arrived... Thoughts please ...

At the risk of upsetting those lovers of Panniers you can't beat a 4575 variant, always loved 4588 shame the DVR sold her as she was my adopted loco at Paignton, many happy days spent on her

Is it an optical illustration but the A1 looks head and shoulders higher than the Mk1...

WHAT EVER YOU DO DONT LET IT GO ITS 100% RARE... I'd never have guessed, thanks for warning us

When you zoom in on the above picture the scene just goes on for ever.... That's class 👏

Like my drive... At one point looked like the leakage from the Torrey Canyon

What can be done about the mould seam on the smokebox and boiler...

Landrovers are the same - well I am talking about Real ones not today's do called cars

Ok I'd forgotten that

I do agree with the above and before I spend a hand full of the folding stuff on my steam engine - the others are diesel so different set ups, would want it so the exhaust shuts off when coasting, on my loco I'd want a 2 cylinder 0-8-0 due to the wheel diameter so an 8F would do but want a Bulleid whistle, For my own amusement i am putting together a video of Exhill and for the opening and closing credits have created a sound clip of Manston pulling away from Corfe Castle but added in a couple of nice long whistles. Anyone who has been behind one will know the bit I've used is just as she picks up at the top of the climb before dropping down to Harmens Cross while my clip lasts 30 seconds I could listen to it on a loop for some time.... maybe I am sad!

On Exhill Works I am gradually going over to DCC with sound with a couple of locos first, then once I set these up will convert the track etc to DCC. I have also set up a separate ambient background sound system comprising bird sound along with workshop sounds in the background, angle grinder, hammers etc. And the odd distant passing car, these play through a couple of speakers placed each end of the layout, still early days but you get the idea

Shame no B17 was preserved...

Sorry I am lost ...

I thought it was something that got stuck in the U bend and had to be fished out....

Paignton of my childhood... Delles Cafe and the Regent Cinema, (not that I went in them but they where always there,) until they destroyed Delles Cafe and the run of shops there... remember May's Bakery almost underneath the footbridge, and Woolies beside the signal box... the old footbridge... you could look right into the box off the footbridge... The queue of traffic backing up into Hyde Road past Waycotts corner, my old Doctors above their untill it burnt down and they moved to Bishops Place...

I thought it was still owned by Carnforth and hired out to Warners.... but I could be wrong

And genuine biscuit crumbs in the wagons?

Going back to the Auto train... back in 1997 when on a photo charter on the SDR in the middle of the day we had to break off and run with just the auto trailer and 1420 to cover an OAP outing one trip to Totnes and back... So down trip was as normal, going back my driver went in the drivers cabin end leaving myself on the footplate to fire as required - which wasn't much anyway, we hadn't bothered to set up the auto couplings etc he just did the brake and I drove for him instead ... we both knew what we where doing, the only thing we connected up was the whistle chain so he could whistle for the crossings etc as they came up, I kept watch for his hand signals from the footplate and all went well, no drama, the punters enjoyed their branchline experience, We enjoyed the day, and the photographers got extra pictures so all good... Happy days, I got pictures somewhere as 1420 was running as 1470 the old Ashburton branch engine and ex Brixham branch loco as well

15 now including me ... I must admit the concept is clever

Yes and why does a tooth brush have Bluetooth fitted... or is that something to discuss with my dentist

You can't educate pork

Colin Gifford...? I well remember a picture of an A1 or A2 he took in the pouring rain with a schoolboy spotter running past but looking back at the loco - classic shot

Exactly... When I was researching the 82xxx in the early days of the 82045 project I interviewed a couple of ex Newton Abbot fireman as I wanted to get to the bottom of the much trumped myth that they where poor steamers... both of them said the same that the issue was down to them not being 'proper WR' engines despite all being built at Swindon... One of their issues was the self cleaning smokeboxes as once they had been cleaned out they steamed well and were capable engines, when the SC boxes where let go you ended up with 'birds nest' on the tube ends that restricted the hot gasses through the tubes. At Newton Abbot there was a sump to collect river water for the works coupled up to a pump in the sump was a sieve to strain out unwanted 'extras' ... every now and again it was the job of a cleaner or two to take a flare lamp and shovel down at low tide and knock the heads off the conger eels that had got wedged in the sieve .... and some of those 'water snakes' where viscous bu66ers with big heads and eyes