Mountain Goat

The best looking dashboard that I have seen is in the Renault 15. (I think the 17 may have the same dashboard). It was the coolest looking dashboard that I have seen. My last car had a digital speed thingie (Citroen C2 GT) and to be honest, though I didn't like it though it was a million percent better then todays flat screen computer dashboards that look more like a view of a computer games console pretend dials then a car. I don't like the dial location on that Maseratti. They should have put the rev counter and the speedometer behind the steering wheel and moved the other dials elsewhere. It just looks too crammed in and annoying. The Maestro is better but it reminds me of the Volvo 480ES I once had which after coming off those lovely Volvo 360GLT's, the 480 was dissapointing. It was however, unbelievably good in snow and the handling for high speed sharp corners was brilliant. It was the not knowing how much petrol one had when the LCD played up on the console, and averaging just 17mpg from the 1.7 Renault engine in sich a light weight sports car was stupid. My 2.0 360GLT used to get 43mpg towing a solid wooden planked floored and proper glassed windowed old caravan from South Wales to North Wales and back, but that did have the proper Volvo engine.

Something I want car manufacturers to take note. I don't mind computers being on cars but I HATE computerized electronic screen dials and gauges. I will never ever want to buy a car new or secondhand that has a tablet screen main display of speed, revcounter etc. A small seperate little computerized display screen to the centre of the car, if it is not too bright is ok. But my speed, rev counter, fuel gauge and a few other things HAVE to be MANUAL gauges. By placing a little computer to the side which is foe non essential information, it does not matter if it packs in as I still have my main reliable and proper instruments. But even if these screens they seem to fit today last 100 years I still would not buy them. They are just distracting to me and I would have to put a piece of card over the screen to drive and guess my speed etc. I just don't get on with electronic information in my main view as I am driving. It is just too bright and distracting even if it is turned down low, and it makes the car look so cheap and tacky.

I can't go in coaches with air conditioning for long. Somehow I struggle. Occasionally I will find air conditioning that I get on with. It is like cars. Though my current cars air conditioning does not work and I have not te funds to get it looked at. (Never worked since I bought the car secondhand but it was well looked after and serviced apart from that and a few things which needed changing through lack of use e.g. tyres etc). Only one car I have had had air conditioning that I got on with and that was an Audi, and even then I often just preferred to open the windows instead. The strange thing is with that car is whatever I did to it and however I drove it, it always gave me exactly 35mpg.

Two men were on opposite sides of a river. First man shouts "I need you to help me get to the other side". Second man replies "But you are on the other side!"

Thank you for the replies everybody. I have only just seen them. I was not expecting so many. I am quite touched.

Uhmmm. Too late! I have been in the hobby since about a year old onwards, and I am now in my 40's. I think in trains. I dream in trains! My life revolves around trains! Haha!

Actually scrub that. My favourite train to work and travel in was and is the class 143 when they had the thinner floors and the bus type seating. They were fast and thrilling to ride! Never tried a 144. Also worked 142's but they lacked the character of the 143 and I found 142's too soft and bouncy. I know this was supposed to be about coaches... But 143's are sort of coaches!

A Mk1 corridor coach.

Not easy to tell colour in the picture. Wasp stripes are difficult to get right. Yellow is easier.

At times taking things a bit to literal has got me into situations which are embarissing. Here is such an example I remember from my past. (I origionally wrote this in reply to something else so I just copied and pasted it to put it in here). For me it has to be when I worked for a sports store as a bike mechanic/sales assistant. We started working in the retail chain store and they were still finishing off building it. I put my hands on a freshly painted surface... Which had to be repainted... That's how new it all was. We were all newly employed staff and speciffically chosen for the departments we were going to work in. We were shown around. Part of this tour involved looking at the managers office where we were shown a phone which would dial out the store (Of all the phones in the store only three could dial externally). Near the phone was a fax machine which was about 2ft x 2ft by about 1 1/2ft high. It looked the size of the old desktop photocopiers they used to make in the 1980's. I had heard of fax machines but didn't actually know what they did, so rather then make myself seem stupid in front of everyone, I waited and then I asked a co-worker. He was a little younger then me but he seemed to know as he said "You can fax things to people". Well, I had done computer studies at school which involved either Commodore Pets or the then new in BBC Micro...(Which we had to program in basic) And then in college I used the early forms of CAD CAM as by then technology was growing soo fast, and then I did a couple of years in a bike shop and then half a year as a postman... So in the four or so years I had been outside of the technical advances... Well. This fax machine seemed to have taken things to a new level! I absolutely marvelled at how advanced technology had become! "Wow! I just have to try this!" I thought to myself... I quickly found myself being promoted to being in charge of the bicycle department as the lady who was in charge didn't know much about the mechanical side, but she was great at organizing, and she was promoted to be the new deputy manager which really suited her tallents. Now in my new position, I quickly discovered that not only was our store new, but right round the country all the other stores on my list were also new, and so was our head office who also didn't really know what they were doing either! However, my nearest store on the list had taken advice from one store in Bristol about 100 miles away where they used to do the exact same thing and were the only store to be taken over , and the guys there found themselves doing the same things, even dealing with most of the same suppliers so they basically knew the ropes. The guy on the bike department was friendly so I was able to ask a few things... Anyway. For another reason I had phoned the head office and the guy there asked me a question to see if I knew something as he was learning... So I said I would try to find out. I phoned the Bristol store and asked and they had the answer, so I told the guy in charge of bikes the answer... And then it started to become hillarious. I had not told the head office I had rung the Bristol store to ask, so any questions the new 150+ stores located right round Britain and Northern Ireland had to the head office... They would pass on my store details and my name etc, and I would say I would phone them back... Ask Bristol... Phone them back with answers... I was speaking to so many different stores like this that I hardly had time to do my own work... I heard so many different accents from right round the UK... Haha! Eventually I thought it was much easier if they phones Bristol direct, but by then half the answers I knew the answers to... So things started to ease a little. Now as we carried very few spare parts in store, any new bicycles which came in from the manufacturers with a damaged or broken part, I would choose a single bike that was the hardest to repair and take parts off that bike as it was far easier as a temporary measure. Now my manager asked about rhis bike and I said what I had done. It was an LTS which were made by Universal Cycles. My manager said to phone them up. This was my first phone call in my official position as head of the bike department to one of the manufacturers, and I had it in my head that I should act professional on the phone, and besides, I wanted to give a good impression of myself as I will be contacting companies like this quite often in times to come. So I rang them up full of confidence (Masking as I actually tend to shy away from phones!.. So I had my "Official" mask on!) and was put through to the gentleman who was in charge of supplying parts. I explained the situation in my new found official voice... (Hehe! I chuckle thinking about it!) and the man said "Ok, I will send a lorry out to collect the bike"... Well. I really wanted to impress and he had just given me an excuse to try something and impress the man at the same time... so I replied "No worries. We have a FAX machine! I can "FAX" it to you!" Well, you know when you get those silences on the other end of the phone where you have said or done something but can't quite make out what you have said or done....? Well, I had one of them untill the guy said "Ok. You do that then". I then politely said my goodbyes and with hjs fax number in hand, I started wheeling the bike to the managers office. Once I got the bike in the managers office, there wasn't a great deal of room. I picked the bike up in my hands and I stood there holding it in front of the fax machine. No sooner had I thought "How the... How are my going to fit this big adults bike inside that fax machine?" when the door opened and in came my manager who rather surprized said something that in a polite way means "What are you doing with that bike in my office?" I told him I was faxing it to Universal cycles... "You have not used a fax machine before have you?" he said... While I so wanted to say otherwize so I didn't feel stupid, but I had to admit that I had not used one before. He then spent the next fifteen minutes explaining what it does and how to use it. Then it dawned on me.. I asked my manager "Umm. You couldn't phone Universal Cycles up for me to explain?". He smiled and said "No, that's your job!" Wow. What an embarissing phonecall I then had to make.. I forgot about all the official masking.. I got through. "Ummm. Tell you what. I think we're going to need that lorry after all!" I said and quickly ended the conversation! I was soo embarised!

I have not been assessed yet. But something I will say is that it is very much a hidden condition, and it is also a condition that unless it is extremely obvious because the person does not have the ability to mask the symptoms, the person may not know that he or she may have it. I know I mask. I have spent a lifetime of masking! I also know I am different but before I found out about what autism (Aspergers is now classed as autism) actually is, I always assumed that I thought in the same ways but had a different upbringing that made me different. It never really crossed my mind that my mind could work in different ways to other people, but in regards to masking. I masked just to be able to connect with people and I always marvelled at others who seemed to be so good at masking that they could make friends just like that with hardly any effort... I thought that everybody masked. Little did I realize that most people don't mask! I never knew it was called masking until recently though... But I did know what it was as I have been masking for years!

That kind of looks to have a similar pattern to Pembrey. Pembrey was said to be able to run totally independently as it had everything it needed to fuction within its grounds from a complete powerstation to its own sewerage farm, water pump house, reservoir etc.

It is funny how our minds work. I know my mind works very well in pictures. I do maths in pictures of dots. I always did workings out in exams after I had the answer and I had to work backwards to do the workings out. I come from a family of designers on my mothers side. I am wondering if they had visual minds as well? I am also wondering if the way our minds work could effect the way we view our hobby.

Smallbrook Studios open waggon. This kit comes in two parts. The bottom part had to be shortened a little to match the body on top. Easy to do. The kit is designed to fit a Dapol chassis, but at the time I did not have a Dapol chassis, so I used some of my resin cast axleboxes and smaller 10.5mm Romford wheels. If I had packed the axleboxes up I could have used 12.5mm wheels. It actually looks great as it is. I fitted my drop loop style buffer couplings and it is ready to use. The only thing I have not done yet is give it a number as I need to work out a number sequence. I have only numbered a few waggons as yet.

I am on a list for an assessment. It has been quite a journey to reach this stage and find out after 47 years that what I have been having are shutdowns, partial shutdowns and several burnouts in the last few years (Shutdowns and partial shutdowns I have had since the age of about six). I never knew what they were or how to describe them and have had years of tests until doctors labelled me as some sort of hyper condriact where I was only allow3d one 3 minute visit per year and the doctor would sit there ignoring me looking at his watch and then "Next"... Eventually a few years ago I took the decision to change doctors and though that was not how I found out about autism (As I knew nothing!) and actually as I clam up with mindblank when seeing doctors, my current doctors hardly know anytjing as yet, but the change of doctors was like coming out of a 3rd world and coming into a modern world if that makes sense? I can get appointments. They take me seriously. Also, the old doctors "Lost" my medical history and so my new doctors had to start from scratch (So after well over 20 years of asking and asking foe an allergy test and never getting one as drs had said it was "Some sort of allergy" that I had... I asked these new doctors and straight away for the first time in my life I had the basic six point allergy test. Came up clear. I then knew it was something else... It is a long story how I realized I may be on the spectrum, and it took me two years to ask a doctor (Current doctors) as I kept clamming up with mind blank. But anyway. Here I am waiting to be assessed.

Something to add to that is that there is a lot of debate about speed of a locomotive and to me, I believe this idea about scale speed is all out of proportion and does not look right in model form. What I mean by this is that if one watches a real express locomotive zoom past at speed, even a diesel or an electric locomotive makes quite an impression as one watches it while being fairly close to it (E.g. while standing at a level crossing). To me, this element needs to be captured in model form and this means that scaled down, we need to increase the speed at least double (Maybe even triple) to achieve a similar effect. Rarely have I ever been able to capture this effect like running one of my Dads (Now mine) old Hornby Dublo 3 rail locomotives with a rake of tinplate coaches flat out... The sound and the feel of the moment is something which replicates the sound and feel of a real steam locomotive express running at speeds above 90mph. Yet DCC sound, as good as it is seems lacking as it is too realistic in the sound it makes so ones mind is less able to fill in the gaps to let ones imagination take over. It is hard for me to describe what it is that makes one thing seem and fewl real where another somehow screams "Model". And I am not saying not to go for DCC sound or a highly accurate and detailed finescale model as they are excellent in their own right. But I have noticed, that to go down that route, the finer and more detailed the models are, the more one has to do the same to the scenery and everything else on the layout to match before one has the effect consistent enough to make it believable. Consistency is not easy to achieve, but get it right and one has made something fantastic!

One thing I can say is there have been thousands of delighted adults and children who have cherished these little Hornby 4 wheel coaches in the same way that we love these little Hornby 0-4-0's.

Thank you. I struggle to manage to reply to just a few emails! Haha. That is incredible. No wonder things have been difficult! I have to say that the Unimat 1 Classic I ordered from you several years ago, which started me off with the Unimat tool system has been very useful. And the Peco coaches? Here is a photo of one of them in its new livery. (I realize why I had a hunch that my ordering would be difficult. When the crises subsides, and things are back to being less hectic, no doubt I will be needing some more bits and pieces so I will place an order or two then. (I need to do a little saving first!)) Something I will say is that as modellers, we do appreciate you being there. We have a moan at times as we can be a grumpy lot (Especially when we don't see both sides of the picture). But without you guys we would be stuck.

Yes, but their little worlds are believeable. The limits are ones own imagination. A concept tI will explore on another thread in the future.

That is majorly impressive. Sometimes someone can be very tallented and make a perfect scene and yet somehow it is lacking something as ones mind does not "Fill the gaps" to make it come to life. There are times when fine detailed models detract from an otherwize perfect modelled scene, and there are times when a fine detailed scene detract from lovely fine models. Somehow there is a balance. Somehow, exact miniturizations of the real world lack creative character. 3D printing scanned and scaled down from the real thing can lack the character that the creator builds into it. Somehow a model railway made of the latest scenery using all the latest technology can miss the element of character which brings the scene to life. When I was younger in my late teens, my Mum ordered me a surprize Christmas present. Brian Sheriff backscenes. Not many used them when I first had them, and they had real character. I poved them! But when they became popular ane every other layout had them, the mind was no longer able to picture the scene. Ones mind was thinking "Brian Sheriff backscenes". One could no longer look at the scene but was picking out manufacturers in ones mind. "That's Hornby. That's Lima. That's Bachmann etc... Ones mind was unable to seperate itself to see the "Painted" scene set before it.

MOD railways were varied compared to the tasks they needed to do and the enviroment they needed to work in. They could end up with several different gauges, and have various buildings and tunnels depending on their use. Obviously much of the work was secretive as were the locations as any country right around the world needs to protest itself from potential threats, and each country will have its own requirements, but delving into the past in the UK and we have a fascinating subject to model in. Now for obvious reasons, quite a lot of information even today is not available so, if one wants to model such a site, it is better to model a representation of buildings and possibly the odd tunnel (Ideal place to enter a backscene) and even locomotives and stock can be guesswork, though some information sometimes springs up on some sites from old photographs. An idea would be to use covered vans as these would have been used for explosives in both narrow and standard gauges. The great thing about vans (I am referring to railway waggons and not road transport) is that one does not need to model what was inside them. So what sort of track plan would one need? The good thing is that track plans can be in the form of a basic oval but extended and various loops and sidings coming out of it. Take a look at this more complicated track plan. It started off as an explosives works from pre WW1 when owned by Nobels Explosives, was enlarged in WW1 and was further expanded in haste just before WW2 where it played a vital part in the war effort. It then spent the next decade or so after WW2 in decomissioning which was also done on a large scale, so it wasn't until the late 60's that things came to an end and the site was no longer needed. On this track plan, there are both standard and narrow gauges. The railway system top left and the associated tracks linking to it were narrow gauge of 1' 11 1/2" which was quite common for such a line. Much if this track was ex WW1 sectional track which was concreted into position on the more vunerable sections. The standard gauge are the lines in at the bottom of the map, and they link with the Great Western Railways main line. Things here were done very secretively and on a massive scale, such was the need of such places at the time.. The advantage of this site was that it was partly hidden from the air. Due to this only part of the complex was visible, and that looked like an ordinary factory, which was just about everywhere in South Wales at the time! No doubt there were many other places similar dotted around the country.

Those little Hornby coaches are nice. Ideal for small layouts. The only thing they could do with is make a break coach version of them, which would be easy to do.

What about this for a Nellie bash ? (The chassis is a mix of Nellie and Smokey Joe).

I can see where he is coming from. I am wondering, that if one is clever, could one create a convincing scene with contrasting colours but retain consistency?

About that man who was caught trying to blow up a bus. He was rushed to hospital as he burnt his lips on the exhaust pipe.