Paul H Vigor

West Midland Railway Company: Records | The National ... discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk › details Records of the West Midland Railway Company, notably Board minutes, Parliamentary Bill papers, contracts, ... Business history records held by other archives ...

Hi John, Can this process be dated? When did modellers start to use etch-resist? Paul.

I'm a 3rd generation railway modeller ('Model railways are strong in my family, my grandfather had them; my father had them; now I have them.') so, no train set for me! I was brought up with layouts from the start! Christmas, birthday and pocket money saved up and invested in locos and rolling stock, initially from The Pooh Shop in Lymington (alas, now long gone).

Are they etched or has all the raised detail been cut from sheet as well?

I'm interested in the concept of 'scale colour' - how the perceived colour of a model changes depending on at what distance the model is viewed. The further you get from a painted object, the lighter the colour appears?

After 1940 (?) the GWR converted some former cattle wagons into Ale Wagons for beer transport.

"I see a red door and I want it painted black No colors anymore, I want them to turn black I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes I have to turn my head until my darkness goes"

I guess it's a useful, throw-away TV comment? Impossible to prove? Meaning that there are quite a few of us out there? "How many railway modellers does it take to change a lightbulb?"

Can't lay my hands on my copy at the mo but there might be a couple of photos in 'Industrial Railways of the South East', Middleton Press?

A Jam factory, perchance? Loads of fruit and sugar in; finished jam out. The Vale of Evesham alone supplied many thousands of tons of fruit for Tiptree jam.

I'd take paint advice from The Rolling Stones!

Talking of spiders populating model railways, does anyone else remember reading 'The Model Railway Men' series of books by Ray Pope?

"Titter ye not!"

Hi Andy, I've had a look at a LIDAR scan of Porthmadog. There is a very minor earthwork following the curve of the proposed siding/branch alignment. I would hazard a guess that said earthwork was a low bank associated with a boundary fence line? It looks like land for a siding/branch was acquired and fenced (as shown on your map). However, it seems the proposed siding/branch was never built. You might contact the Gwynedd County Record Office (archifau@gwynedd.llyw.cymru)? They might have a Deposited Plan of the proposed siding/branch in their archive. They may have other info that may be of use to you. Worth a punt! All the best, Paul

Apparently, the River Lew flows into the River Torridge?

India Pale Ale?

Small locos running through tight radius pointwork tend to look more convincing? Just saying!

"In Cornwall we don't have rain, we have liquid sunshine." Cornwall: Land of the midnight cream [tea]!?

I love a cheerful chimp!

I had a tin of the camouflage paint. The camouflage was so good that now I can't find the tin!

Does SWMBO know you've got it??

Must say, I find old model railway catalogues quite a poignant read. On one hand they transport one back to one's modelling youth. And on the other, they confirm what we have lost? Recently I acquired a 1978, 009 Society Sales catalogue. I received my first copy of this publication through the post in 1978! Reading it through brought a tear to my eye.

Just a thought, but might a similar effect be achieved using a cut down, redundant bamboo roller blind?

Google: 'egg-end boiler High Gameshill farm images'

Redundant industrial 'egg-end'-type boilers were sometimes adaptively reused as loco water tanks in industrial locations.