jetmorgan

We have just had 2 of the oak trees chopped down behind my flat and the timber has been made available to the locals for firewood but I decided a better use for some of it and I've made 3 low level bird tables for those birds that prefer to be feeding on or near the ground and I've already had a new visitor to the garden...first Greenfinch I've seen in the garden.

Radio 4 Extra seem to be having some railway related programmes on this week http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00y35ys http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00m69ws

Just catching up with this on youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ttKX46nJxUeXZ0aoD4Q5g I think the best advert for Britain's railways and using them as much as possible Add to that the Londonist youtube channel this chap has which does a lot of reports on things happening on Crossrail among other things

Just come across this little story on the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-41445860 Now why can't we buy that building and stick in place of the Euston station we have today!!!

Enjoying your detailing of the much older models for the tight budget...that is right up my street as I don't have the money to spend on the more recent releases over the past 10 years or so. Also enjoying the class 126 build...although the Scottish region isn't my cuppa tea it does get me thinking about doing the same for a class 123

Now gone to a good home

Many apologies...you are quite right....obviously I was more iffy in the head than normal that evening.

Also try to find copies of Railway Modeller March 1972 for plans and notes. Also Railway Modeller September 1983 for a detailing article by Monty Wells and Model Railway Constructor October 1979 for a detailing article by Steven Kazmierczak (of this parish). I have PDF scans of these that I can send you it interested

I'm glad to hear that as I had a look today, as it was payday and hoping to spend a bit of money. It was a bit of a surprise to see most of the stuff had gone missing. Sadly the money got spent elsewhere so perhaps next months payday. And we all know why it's a big job but quite fun...you all start playing trains with the stock don't you...come on admit it!!!

I can't see that this has been advertised anywhere on here so in case anyone is interested. http://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/15556007.Bracknell_train_club_to_put_on_model_railway_exhibition/

I have just recently had a box of VHS video tapes arrive from an Ebay purchase. Some of the tapes I'll be keeping for myself as they are about British railway subjects but there were some on overseas subjects. Notably Canadian & American steam. These aren't of any interest to me and if there is anyone out there who has an interest in steam from that side of the pond and still has a video tape machine then these are available if they want them. You can either have the lot in one go or just one or two. Give me a message....otherwise they will probably be going into the rubbish bin...a pity there isn't a recycling service for video tapes!!

In case you haven't been scanning the TV schedules for BBC 4. On Monday at 10.50pm is Cold War, Hot Jets, episode 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03h8r3y Also before that for the militaria fan are 2 programmes on the Vietnam war covering from the 1958 to 1963

Looking forward to it

Just came across this on the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-cambridgeshire-41268817/museum-in-bid-to-preserve-1960s-uk-hovertrain

Train-spotting, plane-spotting and even bus-spotting I'll go for...but really radar spotting is stretching the anorak to large Wish I could make the show but I've run out of money...hope it's a good show

Really like some of the recent pictures...very Don Breckon looking some of them

Browsing through some old 1980's editions of Model Railway Constructor, a recent Ebay aquisition, I've come across a layout building project called the Black Dog Project written by Chris Leigh. Having a quick scan through the articles and the pictures has got my creative juices flowing...unless that's the curry I had last night. Unfortunately the project hit a dead end when in June 1987 the last MRC was published but I would like to know if the project ever got finished and if it is still around somewhere. Were other articles published about it in other publications.

One thing I forgot to mention is also you have to take into account how hard the real loco with it's train is going to be working. One 0-4-2 tank with a single auto trailer is not likely to be too strained getting the train going. Where as a Prairie with 4-6 coaches is likely to work hard so the exhaust will have a lot more solidity to it where you have the dark grey/black areas that are steam, smoke & soot and the areas that are mostly steam and white in shade. You then have to taken into account that exhaust is likely to be very tall as it's forced out of the chimney. I'll have to dig out the photos I have of a preserved loco leaving Loughborough GCR some years back working really hard and the height and shades of the exhaust.

Cone of silence often gets repeated on Talking Pictures TV which I get on my freesat. I think some freeview and other satellite areas get it as well. There is another film but I can't remember the name of it now but has loads of Bristol Freighters in it. About a company trying to sell the aircraft and a test flight goes wrong so the pilot has to fly around the airfield for hours to get the weight down for landing.

Just poking my oar into the conversation about the smoke pictures I have to say of any of them the very first picture is about the best...just a bit of smoke and you can see through it to the background, perhaps add some of the wisps of steam around the boiler and wheels from the later pics. I have to say that I find any smoke added to pictures of model railways unconvincing when I've seen them in the magazines, being honest a bit gimmicky (being brutally honest, much like sound is gimmicky...there's a bit of controversy!!!) You also have to consider that if your layout is supposed to be set in those high days and holidays of summer you won't get much steam at all out of a locomotive. Perhaps the odd little puff ball but you will get an greater amount of heat haze from the chimney. But in winter yes you will get big clouds of white steam as the hot air condenses but it usually looks rather soft and fluffy with no look of substance. I'd stick to just the standard pics of the models without the steam as they are perfect as they are.

Just had a delivery of Model Railway Constructor magazines arrive from an Ebay purchase. Among them were a couple of specials under the same name. I have no1. Planning and basic data & no3. Basebaords and trackwork. I've been trying to find out how many editions of this special series were done but having no luck...I assume I'm not asking google the right way. Can anyone tell me how many of these specials were done and if they got all done before MRC went out of print

This been the first times when these butterflies have actually settled anywhere but to not disturb them I use a 300mm zoom lens. I really do need some new camera equipment though as I'm using a 10plus year old digital SLR but the lens is a lot older for the old film versions SLR

Large White...I believe. We've had 3 of these fluttering about the past couple of weeks and today is the first time I've seen them settle down on anything. Includes a completely flukey...but not very good...shot of one taking off from one of the garden plants

Caught on the way home by my delivery driver at Clacket Lane services on Thursday 17th. Looks like it's also been through a hedgerow from the shrubbery on the front buffer beam.

Out taking pics of a butterfly yesterday evening when I got back from work. Just need a bit of identification. Is this a Meadow Brown as the colours look slightly different from the other Meadow Brown's I've seen in the garden.