Nick Gough

It's a shame you need to redo the pillars because they do look good. The building definitely looks Cambrian with all its obvious features and style.

This Wiki page shews the fates of the Barry (originally) 10: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Ten

"They make very good cars them Germans, and parachutes, and binoculars, and cameras, and ropes. " "Where did Mr Jones hit him, verger?" "Right across the gargoyles. " "That's not in the Geneva Convention."

They must have used a lot of filler on those side tanks.

We were lucky to get a 'native' Zillertal loco for our trip. I think there was only one engine in steam each day. That tender loco was the one in use a couple of days later, when we did our Achenseebahn trip.

It's nineteen years since I travelled on the OBB. We travelled, by train, from Waterloo International for a week at Jenbach in the Austrian Tyrol: Our, then teenage son, was impressed by the musical notes that the electric locos made when starting and stopping: Jenbach is the terminus for the Zillertalbahn, so that was one day taken care of: With the sort of coach that wouldn't be approved of back home: Jenbach is also the terminus of the Achenseebahn: Part of which is a rack railway:

Teutonic efficiency?

There is an official GWR drawing for a concrete coal bin, in Great Western Journal 103, dated 9th July 1945. That one is 2'x5'x3'. The GWR's Taunton concrete works opened, IIRC, between the wars, so there may well have been an earlier, smaller version.

You could even put the bridge on a hill - like at High Wycombe:

The eldest one is doing quite well already. He was full of questions on Saturday; "What came before the Castles? - " - Stars?" etc. "What came after the Castles? Was it the Kings?" "Why hasn't that one got a Castle name?"

I have made a small wooden shelf: That will sit in this space on the corner mainline baseboard: The two blocks, at the back, will support the stripwood joists: Then another piece of MDF to sit on top: Taking a short section of 20mm plastic, domestic pipe and splitting it lengthways: The inside painted dark grey: Then slid under the top layer of MDF to form a culvert: For the stream to pass under the main line, with the pedestrian tunnel above. Linked into the stream on the branch curve board:

Does it play a tune when you walk?

Nice bit of recycling Paul! Have you considered a steel girder bridge? There were quite a lot of them on the GW&GCJR. Might also be a bit easier to build if your having a skew bridge.

That's a loaded question! Especially since the McD had a soft play area, run by a person in a very convincing Spiderman costume.

Just before 3pm we returned to the station to see 5043 & 7029 shunt the stock out of the sidings, onto the up relief: Before drawing forward, into platform 4, for the return journey: This time with 5043 leading. There was a half hour stop at Banbury, on the return, with a chance to view the locos again: Before a noisy and lively climb of Hatton Bank and return to Widney Manor, where we saw another rapid departure on the final leg to Snow Hill: The younger generation enjoyed their day: Which was topped off by a visit to one of Mr McDonald's restaurants on the way home.

4144 also managed to get in on the act as it was giving passenger rides on the demonstration line: After lunch 4079 moved to one of the turntable spurs, alongside the fifth 'Castle' on site: 18000 'Kerosene Castle' 7029 was turned for the return journey: 5043 next left the front of the shed to do the same: 7029 being serviced for the return: And joined by 5043: Meanwhile 4079 provides a classic 1930s view: Despite first seeing 4079 at Didcot, in 1970, this is the first occasion I have seen it in steam! 5051 is the only one of the quartet without a current boiler ticket: With fresh paint, 'shirtbutton' on the tender and 'Drysllywn Castle' nameplates it looks as though it has just left Swindon, as new, in 1936. Nice to see it outside the shed for a change.

On Saturday I took my two grandsons to the 'Four Castles' event at Didcot. We arrived in style aboard the train bringing two of the Castles from Tyseley, for the day. 7029 & 5043 slowing to pick us up at Widney Manor station: An hour and a half later we arrived at Didcot: The empty train drew forward then set back to leave the coaching stock in the sidings next to the railway centre before the two locos uncoupled and moved into the railway centre. 4079 & 5051 waiting for the Tyseley pair: All four Castles in place at the front of the engine shed: The four Castles were positioned in number order: It was busier than i have seen at Didcot for some time:

A few of my photos from yesterday's 'Four Candles Castles' event. 7029 & 5043 slowing to pick us up at Widney Manor: After arrival at Didcot: The line-up: Notice the locos were lined up in number order: 4079 with the fifth 'Castle' on the turntable spurs: Classic 1930s Castles: 5043 & 7029 turned, serviced and ready to depart from the railway centre: Our train ready to depart from Didcot - this time with 5043 leading: A spirited departure after our drop off back at Widney Manor:

And nice and cheap too!

A little bit of terraforming underway. Thank goodness for cat food and breakfast cereal boxes:

Looks like the Ghost Train is running through Fal Vale Junction tonight - though the couple on the platform don't appear too perturbed. I hope Ted Holmes manages to close the bridge this time! Nice progress on the Metro Neal.

Which trip did you do? We went on the Welsh Marches in March and Cardiff and back in June.

I have glued two pieces of ply, vertically to the baseboard, to form the abutments of the bridge that carries the branch line over one of the streams: An odd shaped piece of MDF, also for the bridge: As well as the stream a footpath passes beneath the bridge: With the footpath carried on a concrete 'raft', above the water, to the other side: Using stripwood to form the channel below the concrete: The MDF 'raft' in place: With the trackbed above: I am not sure whether the concrete 'raft' is original. Apparently, according to locals reminiscing on the web, part of the channel was concreted back in the 1950/60s - does the 'raft' date from then? However, the shape of the 'raft' matches the extract from the 1911 trackplan, five posts up. Something must have been there for the footpath at that time.

Will do. 5043 undertook a couple of mainline test runs on Friday, having recently returned from overhaul:

I am looking forward to arriving at this event behind 5043 & 7029.