Binky

I think I've found another one, currently being converted for "glamping" on a campsite and with a few extra windows added it seems?

It's Tony Hawkes, Tony Hawk is a professional skateboarder but it's a very common mix up. Appearently they used to both have links on their websites saying "If you were looking for the American skateboarder, click here" and "If you were looking for the British writer and comedian, click here"

Great photo. I love the smoke from the signal box and the snowy landscape.

I used to rescue unwanted pallets from work to burn in an outdoor chiminea. My breaking up technique was to put the prongs of the pallet truck between the top and bottom slats with the wheels on the bottom slat so that when I pumped it up to lift the pallet it would actually split it apart, usually a rookie error in pallet truck operation but for this purpose it was deliberate. I'd then finish the job with a crowbar. The only issue was that you couldn't guarantee where the pallet would split/break. No problem for firewood but if you wanted to save the wood for re-use there was a risk you might ruin some pieces.

I've had a couple of calls recently from someone claiming to be from Microsoft or an internet provider that I don't use. I once knew of someone who made a note of some premium rate adult phone lines and when spammers called he would tell them the person they needed to speak to had "moved offices" and would helpfully give them the "new" number and tell them to update their records!

The Cholsey and Wallingford railway is within walking distance of a campsite just over the bridge at Crowmarsh Gifford. Wallingford is also a short bus journey from Didcot Railway Centre.

The band "55 Deltic" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koWU8iCSnEQ&list=OLAK5uy_nfxu0fZ2Ma4RmqElF32Cilbr4dXVGGi48

I remember a great article in an old Model Railroader where someone used real rusty metal that fell out the wheelarch of his Pontiac as scrap metal loads. Any steel cans could be chopped up and left to rust for a while to produce the same effect and I believe there are a few tricks to accelerate the rusting process if needs be. The ridged sides of some food cans could work as scrap corrugated sheets and I've seen aluminium foil screwed up and pressed into cubes to make scale bales of crushed metal. It seems model scrapyards and their traffic are ideal for metal recycling, just like the purpose of the prototype!

I remember seeing a layout set on the Woodhead Line at an exhibition when I was a youngster which gave off a bleak vibe. The layout was mostly a dark grimy cutting with Class 76s under the wires, I seem to remember some comedian had placed a vulture on the catenary for visitors to spot!

I'd thought of the Scalescenes one but it seems the modeller I'm talking to is unable to make international payments (He's in Brazil). I might look into gifting him the kit as long as it doesn't go against Scalesenes terms.

Hi all, I'm trying to help out a new modeller on a budget and am hoping I can point him towards plate girder bridge sides in OO/HO that he can print off and glue to the wooden sides of a bridge he is building to give a more realistic appearance. Does anyone know of something like this that he may be able to use? Thanks

A plan to add more housing and a small supermarket to my village in Oxfordshire (which hasn't yet gone ahead) got me thinking about where a railway could go to serve both the new supermarket (for deliveries), existing industries and provide passenger services for a growing population in a village which currently has no public transport. The resulting branch line could make an interesting model with a few "what ifs". It would leave a nearby mainline, follow alongside an existing cycle route and stream (crossing both via a bridge and level crossing), then do some street running to reach a passenger halt where supermarket deliveries could be unloaded beofre continuing to some small industries at the other end of the village. The Cholsey and Wallingford railway had an American Alco S2 switcher stored there for a while before it was sadly scrapped. If modelled in HO we could imagine this loco was saved for use on the new branch line and could power a mixed service consisting of a passenger coach and wagons.

When I was studying for my astronomy exam my tutor advised me: "You don't have to learn all the constellations to pass, just make sure you know Ursa Minor. That's the bear, minimum."

I was browsing Ebay and noticed The Vatican are auctioning off some of the Pope's old robes. I was going to bid.... But it's Papal only!

Interviewer: "What skills can you bring to this job?" Me: "I'm good at performing under pressure" Interviewer: "Can you give me an example of this?" Me: "dum dum dum da-da daa dum.. dum dum dum da-da daa dum.. Pressure, Pushing down on me Pressing down on you...."

I've been assaulted by some people who decided they didn't like the look of me. However as someone who doesn't appear to be any kind of minority I don't worry about leaving the house through fear of it happening again. Someone was drunk and wanted a fight and I was just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are no facebook pages or newspaper articles questioning my validity as a human being or trying to stir up hate against me. This is different to the experiences of minorities who are aware that bigoted views and campaigns against them exist and who see such hateful views being passed off as legitimate opinion online, in social media and sometimes in the press, leading to a society where the chance of descrimination or violence against them is higher. The concept of "woke agenda" (a made up concept) eroding free speech is a nonsense. It seems there are just some people trying to push this concept beause they are worried they can't get away with saying certain stuff any more without being rightly called out on it, namely bigotry or outdated jokes that should have been left in the 1970s.

Cut it into OO chassis width strips and sell some on ebay!

Good job there. I have a couple of the tanker wagons which I'd bought second hand and had been repainted in matt black. I've never been sure what to do with them.

I've only just discovered this thread. I lived in Moulsford for a while and now work in Wallingford so have been reading this thread with interest.

Growing up with a father who already had a layout in the shed (and later a garden railway, O-16.5 so I could also run OO on it) I never had a first train set so to speak. But I remember a BR blue Hornby Class 25 and Intercity 125 set being what I mostly played with until I got my own loco, a good old Smokey Joe! ..and yes, like a lot of them it ended up being converted into a narrow gauge loco!

I remember hearing a story that people in the know would aim to get on the carriage with the whitest roof when boarding a train, as a coach with newer roof paint was likely to be the most recently overhauled and in better condition!

I once worked with a guy who'd lived in Japan with his Japanese girlfriend. He said there were drinks vending machines that would sell different size cans for the same price. People would happily only buy the amount of drink they felt they needed. Only a little bit thirsty on your way to work? Just buy a small can. We both agreed that it wouldn't work over here. People would buy as much drink as they could if it was the same price then throw the can away half full when they'd had enough!

This is looking really good. I look forward to seeing more of this.

If someone wants to sit at home surrounded by toilet roll and pasta then that's frustrating enough but I hope we don't see overflowing food recycling bins again in a few weeks time when all the hoarded uneaten food starts to go off. I think I'm going to get even more angry at panic buyers this time around, if they didn't learn from the first time then it shows just how selfish/stupid they are.

Butchers shops with dead animals in the window are gross, but the shops with fruit and veg in the window are grocer!