Tim H

Judas Priest - Nostradamus. I love this album; completely over the top combination of metal and musical theatre that shouldn't work but somehow does.

Frank Zappa - You Can't Do That On Stage Any More, Vol 2 (The Helsinki Concert). Excellent 1974 live album with a jazz-fusion band that included George Duke, Ruth Underwood and Chester Thompson. Mantra Vega - The Illusion's Reckoning. Fantastic to hear The Heather Findlay Band play the whole album live;last week. Opeth - Pale Communion. An interesting change of direction when it first came out, but a couple of years on I find myself preferring the older, heavier albums. Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud. One of the best metal albums to come out last year. What is it about Finland? Is there something in the water? Jodie Marie - Trouble in Mind. Blues singer-songwriter who got Boaty McBoatfaced by The Guardian by disqualifying the album from their Reader's Poll on a spurious-looking techncality. The actual album is very good.

Panic Room - Skin Still their best album, and has to be in my top ten for any band from the past decade.

I *think* these wagons were used on a short-term flow from Falmouth carrying lead ship's ballast in the mid-90s, using two 20' Bin Liner style containers.per wagon (because lead is heavy) Anyone got photos of that flow?

Iain Jennings - My Dark Surprise Rather excellent solo album by Mostly Autumn's keyboard player that came out a couple of years ago.

District 97 - Thr Trouble with Machines District 97 - In Vaults Homework for tomorrow night's gig at The Borderline

Purson - The Circle and the Blue Door. While writing up their electrifying gig at the 100 Club last week.

ELP - Brain Salad Surgery RIP Keith Emerson

Wytch Hazel, Prelude Sounds like a cross between Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull and Praying Mantis.

Interesting detective work there. I wonder what the third vehicle will be? The missing Mk2a FK? The GUV in the Night Mail train set is unique to the set too.

Not listened to that album for *years*. It's a great one, though. Karnataka - Secrets of Angels. Worthy winner of Album of the Year at the CRS Awards this year.

Kim Seviour - Fantasise to Realise. Single from the former Touchstone singer, combines dance beats and rock guitars.

Mk1 NSEs (presumably the earlier lighter blue) very welcome. Would have liked the CK as well, but you can make up a representative Thames & Chiltern set with the coaches available. I see the 25/2 is one of the Laira batch too.

Wolves of Avalon, Across Corpses Grey. Pagan black metal meets folk, with a 30 minute title track. Rebecca Downes, Believe. Rather excellent blues-rock with a touch of soul and funk. Wytch Hazel, Prelude Retro hard rock with a touch of Jethro Tull and Wishbone Ash. John Mitchell, The Nostalgia Factory. Rather excellent EP with covers of songs by Porcupine Tree, Justin Heywood, Phil Collins and ELP. The version of "C'est La Vie" is a thing of beauty. Blue Öyster Cult, Curse of the Hidden Mirror. Their most recent album, recorded back in 2001.

Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves. Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine The sudden and unexpected death of guitarist Piotr Grudzinski hasn't really sunk in yet.

Brand-new models (including variations on existing) 117 DMU (since they're doing it in 00) 25/3 as many people are suggesting Refurbished 31 in Banger Blue (31/4), Dutch, Original Railfreight Grey and Regional Railways colours. GWR Large Prairie VDA or retooled VAA Retooled and upgraded PGA Mk2a BFK Reliveries: 47 in Railfreight Distribution, RES and Inter-City Swallow 37/4 in Regional Railways and Mainline-style Inter-City Mk2s in Regional Railways Mk1 stock in original NSE with the lighter blue Hawksworths in BR maroon. 150 in Wessex Trains maroon with tourist advertising 450 in South-West Trains VGA with red ends but no "Speedlink" boards

Kiama - Sign of IV Supergroup with present and past members of Magenta, The Reasoning and Maschine that has its moments but doesn't quite live up to the sum of its parts.

Steeleye Span - Wintersmith Suede - Night Thoughts. More than a little in common with Marillion's "Brave" in theme and mood. Dream Theater - The Astonishing. Which sadly fails to astonish. Steven Wilson - 4-and-a-half David Bowie - Blackstar

Mantra Vega - The Illusions Reckoning. New album by Heather Findlay & Dave Kerzner.

The large prarie gets overlooked. That's one remaining old Farish model that hasn't either been retoooled or done by Dapol.

Let's see Mk2a BFK? Bodyshell is essentially the same as the BSO, only the roof vents and interior are different. Shrink-ray on the 2-EPB. Especially if Hornby follow up their 5-BEL by putting their 4-VEP in the shrink-ray too. LMS/BR Highfit and BR Vanwide are obvious gaps in the BR Steam/Transition/Blue Diesel wagon fleet. VDA or a retooled VAA, since the Poole-era VAA is getting long in the tooth now. More liveries for the retooled 47. They haven't done Intercity Swallow, RES, Virgin, Railfreight grey or triple grey yet. Mk1 stock in NSE (original lighter blue). See as how rapidly the NSE Mk2s sold out I'd have thought they'd sell too. BSK, TSO, SK, FK and CK all carried the livery. Mk1 FO declassified to SO in Blue/Grey.

I like that rather better than "The Endless River", which never really managed to rise above its origin as a collection of outtakes and leftovers.

Mantra Vega - The Illusion's Reckoning. Interesting collaboration between former Mostly Autumn singer Heather Findlay and Sound of Contact keyboard player Dave Kerzner.

Rebecca Downes - Believe. Rather excellent blues album I'm reviewing, out in March Jodie Marie - Trouble in Mind. Another blues singer-songwriter, the record The Guardian didn't want you to hear Aghast Afterglow - Imagine. Italian symphonic goth-metal. Somewhat in the vein of Nightwish but without their production budget, so it has to rely on good songs instead. Resurrection Kings. Self-titled album by a supergroup made of other people's sidesmen; rather generic 80s hard rock by numbers, and not very good. Motorhead, Bad Magic. They went out on a high, this one rocks like a bastard. RIP Lemmy. There are reviews of Jodie Marie and Aghast Afterglow on my blog

Motorhead - Bad Magic