R A Watson

Tis simple realy, he turned right instead of left coming out of the old goods yard, went up through the Tramway Centre until the flyover by the Post Building, round the roundabout and back down the other way. Us simple lads from Plimuff aren't used to the big cities.

Once,after one of the Bus Rallies at Cannons Marsh, the gentleman driving our ex Plymouth Corporation Leyland PD2 took a wrong turn (he said at the time that he always took his car that way and just forgot what he was driving!) and sailed over the "tin flyover". I in our other vehicle, a Bristol L type single decker was obliged to follow him. It was somewhat alarmng to see how close the lamp posts were to the roof of the high bridge (14' 3") bodied double decker. We never took that route again.

This is a section done with the Woodland Scenics Realistic Water. I wanted the look of a china clay stream and between the many layers of medium each one was dusted over with a mist of matt white acrylic paint from the airbrush. This has, I think, reproduced the "suspended particles" effect you get on the prototype as the grains of clay do not completely dissolve.

Isn't this the normal way Italians travel? I seem to remember that the Legions adopted a similar method any time they met hostile natives in a strange country.

On the road that body was used on the SC4LK lightweight model, in fact it was designed as a light weight, one man, front entrance bus, that did not realy catch on for country routes. Both E C W (Lowestoft) and Bristol ( at Brislington Works) built bodies for the Tilling Group and the easy way to tell the difference was E C W used flat headed countersunk screws to fix the external beading but Bristol used dome headed ones! Guess who has rebuilt both types of body in preservation.

At about that time (1998) I was selling Toyota bits in the local dealership and the 2E type engine (which I suspect is in your car) was in the Corola's, over here, and we were changing complete cylinder head assemblies together with selected pistons and conrods under warranty after belt snapping incidents. I suggest that you change the belt, it will be cheaper in the long run.

Looking through my copy of "Steaming through the Cheddar Valley" it seems as though all of the sheds on the line followed the same pattern. Yes your windows appear somewhat strange and most probably too large. On the prototype the distance between the edge of the window and the corner of the building is larger than the distance between windows. I believe the shed at Lodge Hill is still standing and may be available for measuring, we demolished the station building and took it to Cranmore many years ago but were not allowed to touch the shed as it was still occupied! Wally

No, but, I know a man who was a member and will try to get some details for you when I see him tomorrow.

Mention of the Vulcan sound being incorporated in the layout brings me to a point I raised when discussing the layout at Truro. Having spent two days sitting not too far from some gentlemen demonstrating D C C diesels, at the Plymouth show the previous weekend, it was pleasant to hear the St Blazey stock emitting a "scale" sound and not the vast volume which destroys the total impression of the loco found elsewhere. Now how can you tone down the aircraft sound?

I worked for a Datsun/Nissan dealer on the parts side from 1976 - 1986 the main problem was the importer (Nissan U K) was not allowed under their contract with Japan to stock parts for vehicles they did not import, or suport warranty unless the vehicle owner could prove that they purchased the vehicle new in the country of original import. This meant that support for the "greys" was virtually impossible through the franchised network. This situation was only altered with the imposition of E U competition legislation

I will not tell anyone if you save me one! Hope to meet you tomorrow.

Whilst walking home from work this afternoon I passed over the A38, just one mile on the English side of the Tamar Bridge, I noticed a white van leaking gravy from the rear doors. Does any one on here think they can help identify the driver?

What, you ran to Bittaford from Bickliegh? In which case the pub would have been the "House of Gloom" AKA The Horse and Groom which is visible from the train passing over Bittaford Viaduct, or do you mean, as I suspect the shorter journey to Princetown to the Plume of Feathers. If this is the fact were the Pheasant Pluckers or Porridge playing?

Books are like buses, for a long time there's none; then along they all come! Many thanks for the tip on this one, insolvency is getting closer.

There is more information out there than you think! seeking info on a proposed Killybegs layout I have accumulated; Irish railways In Colour By Tom Ferris ISBN 1-85780-000-1 The Irish Narrow Gauge Vol 1 also by Tom Ferris ISBN -85780-010-9 Irish Railways in Colour (A second glance) another from T F ISBN1-85780-019-2 Narrow Gauge Rolling Stock By Desmond Coakham ISBN 978-0-7110-3149-4 The County Donegal Companion By Roger Crombleholme ISBN 1-85780-205-5 The Last Years of the Wee Donegal By Robert Robotham ISBN 1-898392-42-0 And last but not least The County Donegal Railway - A Visitors Guide By the C D R Restoration Society ISBN 1-874518-04-1 Lots of late bedtime reading there, and pending bankruptcy if you're not careful!

Many thanks for the link, When I sober up, or tomorrow, which ever is the soonest, I will do that!

No dis-respect to to your wagon, but can we see more of the layout it is posed on, PLEASE!

Puddle and rotted fence post on the embankment at the top of Cann Incline on the Lee Moor Tramway.

Here's a more detailed picture of the same wagon in use. Note the novel way of applying the weathering powder!

Further to my previous ramble about the problems of rebuilding Meldon viaduct can we also consider the fact that it is of a metal construction. mainly wrought iron I believe, but I open to correction on this, and it was the main reason why the Merchant Navies never came past Exeter. They were considered too heavy from their introduction and therefore banned from the line. I advise anyone advocating strengthening to look at the pictures of the undersde of the structure and then work out a scheme to reinforce it. Wally

Well under the E U ruling announced this week the things are made in Cornwall (at one of the Callington factories) and conform to the physical specifications. But, I did once, as an agency worker, spend a night in their Launceston factory packing "Yorkshire Puddings". It's strange world! Wally

There should be no theoretical reason to stop the rebuilding of the line between Bere Alston and Okehampton excepting the replacement of a couple of bridges, but, the one at Tavi that passed over the main Gunnislake road was a very low height and obstructed the passage of large vehicles, this fact lead to it's removal many years ago. Any reopening would entail raising the track level many feet to give the required clearance, given that one end is on an embankment and the other is in a cutting this would be an engineering challenge (and don't forget the viaduct just a few hundred yards back down the line). This is the reason that the regularly re-appearing proposals to rebuild the line always put the new station on the Plymouth side of the former bridge. A line following the Southern route from the former junction at Lydford to Launceston is feasable excepting that it would have to pass through the A30 at right angles just outside Launceston and also the demolition of the creamery at Lifton leading to a world shortage of Ambrosia Creamed Rice! Any further expansion into North Corwall will entail the removal of the Launceston Stean Railway which is still expanding and is the only tourist attraction in the area. The line from Lydford to Okehanpton is a simple matter until you get to Meldon, the cost of strengthening the viaduct was one of the main reasons for the orginal line closure. A further problem is that this is not a single viaduct but two interlaced structures (up and down lines) which is/are a listed structure with no space available to build a replacement alongside, even if you were able to get permission, remember to allow for a listed structure in a National Park with the immediate valley being a registered Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty in your applcation to the planners. Sorry, but yet again the enthusiasm of the press is raising expectations rather too high. Wally

Leat is the old westcountry miners name for a man made waterway. They are widely used in all forms of mining and originally carried water to, or away from, tin streaming (panning) works, also used to provide power to water wheels at stamps or processing works. The age of the saying can be gauged from the fact that Sir Francis Drake (the well known sailor and friend of Elizabeth 1) constructed the Plymouth Leat from Dartmoor to the city as the first public water supply. Wally