chrisf

I concur. I have "Operation Torbay", which is great for the overall picture and much of the detail but has some curious errors. Apart from referring, perhaps nostalgically, to third class which was abolished in 1956, it suggests that the restaurant cars were the only BR standard coaches in the named trains apart from the Devonian. Not so: when chocolate and cream was reintroduced, also in 1956, the named trains were given new sets of Mk 1s in choc-cream livery. However, as the BR restaurant cars had yet to arrive, some GW design diners were also reliveried and were not finally displaced until 1962. Chris

I hope so ... Chris

Good morning one and all Strepsils have just been added to the list for the fodder run. I do hate being on less than full power and subjecting myself to chemical warfare but waking up with a sore throat was not what I had in mind for today. Once the shopping expedition has been completed I plan to spend the day quietly, probably working on the cards. Tonight I will watch as much of Children In Need as I can face before retiring early. Tomorrow I intend to be at Portsmouth show. I may or may not be the one with the face mask. JohnDMJ, I'm up for the Sunday 'Spoons meet at Warley but I fear gravely that it may be just thee and me. I know that many devout RMwebbers will be busy working on layouts, demo tables and the like and I know that Warley is too big to have a snowballs of seeing everything but it is sadly the case that, as a breed, they seem less and less inclined to meet one another and swap cordial greetings [blackcurrant for me, please]. The first time I met 'our' Flavio was at a Warley RMweb meet and we spent 45 minutes discussing the finer points of GW auto trailers! Going out of the show to the 'Spoons was my idea because the beer inside the show was not very good. Increasingly the same is true of the 'Spoons. Hmmm. Let me think about that. Best wishes to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Snuffle. Chris

Be careful what you wish for ... Chris

Good morning one and all The Area Group meeting was good but the journey there and back was not. Junction 13 was snarled but for those coming from the Bedford direction there is a simple way round it that necessity made me discover. What should have been a 45 minute journey took just shy of an hour. Coming back was even worse. I wish I had known in advance of the plan to close the M1 north of Junction 11 and would have used the A6 instead. The 45 minute journey was accomplished in 80 minutes. Just for the hell of it I made chicken korma for lunch. So far there are no ill effects. Hitherto I have maintained that I don't like curry and it doesn't like me but the discovery that I can cope with a mild one has the potential to unlock all sorts of social opportunities. There will be more home-cooked korma, not last because the contents of the jar of sauce are supposed to serve 4 and I do do hate waste. The impulsive creature in me decided that I needed a haircut yesterday morning. My barnet had got to the stage where it was like trying to comb a brillo pad. Such major surgery is best accomplished first thing in the morning. The only downside is that the salon staff insist on having the radio tuned to Chris Evans but a shampoo and style does not take very long. After that experience I bought the stamps for the C******mas cards. Today I plan to print the address labels and finish the text of the round robin before trotting off to the copy bureau with it. All plans are subject to disruption! It is nearly time for breakfast and laundry, oh happy day. Best wishes to all. Chris

I will have a look on the RCTS database but I do not think so. Chris

The Collett [pictured] and Hawksworth ones, which were the last ones actually working as slips, were. Most of them worked out of Taunton on branch lines to Ilfracombe/Torrington and Chard. After those lines closed the slips were either sent elsewhere or withdrawn. At least one ended up on the Somerset and Dorset and one of the Hawksworths [7375] went to Bodmin circa 1963. The Colletts which had been chocolate and cream regained lined maroon but the Hawksworths retained chocolate and cream for a bit longer. Chris

Look closely at the train. The first coach is a former slip coach. Chris

Good morning one and all I have run out of tomato ketchup. I could have sworn that I bought one on a recent fodder run but there is no sign of it. How the memory plays tricks. Fortunately the last gasp in the squeezy bottle was just enough to provide the necessary garnish of the fish cakes I had for tea. Oh well, guess what is already top of the shopping list for Friday. Leaving aside such trivia, it's Area Group tonight. Once again the faithful will gather in the pub hoping to goodness that there is no football on TV and therefore no supporters clad in lurid garb and making tribal noises. Being able to hear oneself and the others speak is a salient part of group meetings after all. I did a bit more work on the C*****mas message yesterday after I had remembered something that needed to be included. With any luck it will be ready by this afternoon but this should not be taken as a binding contract! Both the friends who have moved have kindly supplied their new addresses. One is now just round the corner. Whoopee, I save a stamp. Amid all this I will be agonising over whether and how to inquire about the non-arrival of my new membership card for Friends of Pendon. The old one expired at the end of October. The absence of the new one will not be significant until Good Friday when I next plan to visit Pendon Museum but peace of mind can be so important, can't it? Best wishes to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Chris

Would you rather have congratulations or condolences? Chris

Good morning one and all I had an e-mail from my friend Ben last month. He is in New Zealand and wrote: “I’ve started working for the Earthquake Commission in Wellington which is a very pleasant change from [a firm of accountants] but not as inherently exciting as it might sound.” This was, of course, before the earth moved. I hope he is safe, and busy. Much of my C*****mas message is drafted. I hope to finish it today after the fodder run. It is as good a way as any to keep in tenuous touch with old friends and relatives that I do not see as often as I would like. Some are kind enough to say that they enjoy reading it. They are not all noted for politeness. I watched the tribute to Sir Terry Wogan on BBC1 last night. What an atmosphere it must have been in the Albert Hall! I thought that Take That’s rendering of ‘Never Forget’ was a blinder but it paled into insignificance compared with what Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, the Brighouse and Rastrick Band and the entire hall did with ‘Floral Dance’ – raised the roof by a good few metres, I guess. I am reminded of a visit to a nearby pub many years ago. Having bought my pint I put some coins in the jukebox, as you do. When one of my selections, 'Floral Dance', came on one of the guys playing pool growled “who the **** put that on?” For some inexplicable reason I remained silent. Clearly some people have no taste. Best wishes to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing Chris

Good morning one and all Lunch with an old friend yesterday was most enjoyable. We dined on roast beef and the trimmings but both of us cannot stand cauliflower cheese and left that particular joy for others - not on the side of the plate, you understand, but back on the kitchen having asked the barlady to ensure that it was not included in the meal. Earlier, I did not get to grips with the C*****mas message as I had hoped but did complete the ironing, at last. It's all go here. The fodder run will return to its normal slot tomorrow as I am satisfied that my dwindling supplies of Horlicks and Ovaltine will last for one more night. Stocks of other commodities are good with the exception of tinned rice pudding, to the last can of which I succumbed at teatime yesterday. It is a useful standby. Wednesday evening will see Chris versus the M1 once more as I head for Harpenden and the Area Group meeting. A more sensible time for using that particular highway to hell is first thing in the morning on Saturday, which I will need to do if I am to reach the Portsmouth show in time to park near the venue. Best wishes, then, to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers [not that I am at all self-interested!] and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Chris

Good morning one and all Much of yesterday was spent either at Tolworth or trying to get there or get away. All was OK until the appointed time for the shuttle bus came and went. A taxi pulled up and the driver told the multitude that the bus had failed. His advice was to take the 281 but wiser counsel prevailed and we all piled aboard a 71, followed by a brisk walk in the rain along the Kingston Bypass to the show. On the bus I found myself sitting beside RMwebber Chris116 who I had not met for over 40 years! At the show I admired Banbury for a while but sorry, Roundhouse, you were not there to greet. Getting away was precipitated by incoming news of a signal failure at Walton on Thames which turned out to be less than beneficial to the smooth running of South West Trains. At Surbiton station a train for Waterloo, non-stop, cleared quite a multitude. This is not where I wanted to go but in London it is easy to spin an alternative route. Today I am due to have lunch out with an old friend. Before that the choice will be between two lots of ironing and starting to write my C*****mas message. What, already? Yes, I know, but since 1979 I have managed to get the cards out at the beginning of December. This stems from having been off work for a week and a half after having had my wisdom teeth out and with nothing better to do. File under sad. What of the rest of the week? Area Group on Wednesday evening, Portsmouth show on Saturday and not a lot else. Best wishes to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers [pick a train company, any train company] and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing Chris

Good morning one and all, a bit earlier than usual as I'm off to Suburbiton today for Tolworth Showtrain. As others have said, there was an enjoyable gathering of ERs yesterday. The venue was the Princess of Shoreditch, which used to be a Whitbread pub but has now shaken off that stigma. Getting there had its moments. Thameslink was not very well yesterday morning. The 08.54 from Bedford left at 9.45 following many contradictory loudspeaker announcements. It ran fast to Luton Airport Parkway then non-stop to St Pancras. By contrast the 09.40 left punctually and had extra stops inserted to compensate for a missing Luton - Sutton service. The seats in the 700 were hard but not so hard as to prevent me nodding off between Harpenden and Cricklewood. Around Kings Cross were lots of men in kilts whose presence may have been connected with a game of association football later in the day. The two minutes silence was sort of observed on a stationary 214 bus with throbbing engine and the inevitable dork on mobile phone. The homeward run was on the 15.29 EMT Meridian from St Pancras which despite being minus one coach managed to lose two minutes between St Pancras and Bedford. At Bedford I bought my Travelcard for today to save faffing around this morning when, let's face it, mental alertness can be at a premium. Best wishes to all who need and deserve them Chris

Good morning one and all Getting to London today could be fun, depending on whether the railway has been mended at Luton. It will be fun trying and the prospect of lunching with certain others is enticing. Bill, I've done some sums to facilitate our discussion. Tomorrow is my visit to Tolworth Showtrain, for which an early start may mean missing my visit here. I'm sorry that a previous engagement prevents me attending on Sunday. Tonight I had hoped to go to the Stevenage MRC event at Datchworth but, hey ho, can't be everywhere [fun trying though]. My bath awaits. Best wishes to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers [especially those braving the Govia empire] and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Chris

Good morning one and all Let us now return to normal. With any luck the BBC has got over its bout of Aspergers, by which I mean its insistence on telling us stuff repeatedly whether or not we want to know. The signs are encouraging as many subjects were covered in the 5 am bulletin on 5Live. For all the good it will do I submitted a complaint about he unnecessary duplication of the Trump coverage on BBC1 when there is a perfectly viewable news channel. I expect the complaint will be put with all the others but nothing will happen if nobody complains. I need to do another fodder run this morning, making two in as many days. The chief reason is the belated realisation that I will need sandwiches on Saturday, assuming that the railway at Luton is mended and I can get to and from London for Tolworth Showtrain. I have an appointment in the capital city tomorrow too, of course, but there will be no need for sarnies then. After that day and a half with no hot water the laundry is finally up-to-date but, alas, not the ironing. Another discovery from Monday's tidying needs to be reported, to wit a pair of socks embroidered 'Sunday'. These had been missing since late July but are now safely reunited with the set of socks labelled with the other days of the week. Before you say anything, they were a Christmas present and will be ideal for the Swiss trip to help me know what day it is. Best wishes to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers and to the ailing, recovering supporting, grieving and missing. Today we should also think of those affected by that dreadful accident in Croydon. Chris

Quite. I can't help wondering why those who actually want to watch news specials are not directed to the news channel which is surely where they belong. The clue is in the name! The afternoon schedule on BBC1 is now in ruins ... Chris

Greetings. It is outside the limits of deviation to call it a good morning. God bless America. Chris

Good morning one and all While I was awaiting the arrival of the gas engineer yesterday I occupied myself by trying to make the hovel a little less untidy. In two hours of mucking out I managed to find some lost etches, a Christmas pudding [best before March 2015], a lanyard which went AWOL after my return from Sidmouth in August and a whitemetal cow, purchased with n eye to conversion to a bull. Whilst rejoicing at their resurfacing I do wonder why I put things where I do. The engineer did not appear until after 2 pm but when he did it was a simple job to unblock the condensate pipe. All is now well except that I have developed a cold. The Lockets which I hoped would relieve the symptoms have degraded in the pack and consumption is difficult. Today I will be visiting Poorly Pal. He requested chicken for lunch and he shall have it. Tonight sees the first meeting at the new home of RCTS Hitchin and the talk looks good. Last night the quiz was, as usual, an endurance test. LCGB Bedford failed to regain the Ashes [long story]. It is best that I do not comment on the passing of Sir Jimmy Young, save to remark that I would have preferred someone else to present the housewives slot on Radio 1 when it began - Tony Windsor or Keith Skues come to mind. I do recall that when asked his age circa 1968 he replied: "My publicist says I'm 39". Yeah, plus VAT. Best wishes to the depressed and lonely, to all travellers and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Today, surely, we should also spare a thought for the voters of the USA who have a choice akin to that between measles and chicken pox. Chris

Good morning one and all Yesterday my gas boiler developed a fault. An engineer has been summoned and will be here between 8 and 1 according to Call Centre Lady. There was an emergency fodder run to procure the supplies for Tuesday's lunch with Poorly Pal and I remembered why I avoid supermarkets on Sundays: bedlam comes nowhere near. Back home, a hunt for woolly pullies yielded sufficient to stave off the worst of the chill factor but the process of hand-washing a few smalls has been halted. Never have I yearned so much for a long hot bath. Tonight I go to RCTS Northampton for the quiz. I expect it will focus on the minutiae of long gone steam engines and that as a result I shall feel most uncomfortable. On Wednesday I will have a lot of catching up to do. Friday sees a visit to London to meet with Flavio et al. Other things may happen. It seems that this week's prison riot was in Bedford. 15 more minutes of fame ... My porridge is calling so best wishes to all travellers, to the lonely and depressed and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, missing and grieving. Today we also think of gas engineers. Chris

Good morning one and all Yesterday was a 19 hour day. Fortunately I slept well last night. Wycrail was good but apologies for somehow not knowingly bumping into Duncan. Thank you, Mike Stationmaster, for the cuppa. There was no bread pudding but then he who expects nothing is rarely disappointed. Reassuringly after the nonsense of a few days ago, the avatar still works and an introduction was effected. Later, the concert at Haddenham was also good. It is unusual to see a 22 year old playing a banjo but Jimmy Grayburn, for it is he, extracts a pleasing sound from it to complement his fine powerful voice. We will hear more of him and that's a fact. There were melting moments too. Oh joy, oh nostalgia. A CD of hammered dulcimer music from 2002 was procured and joins the queue of albums waiting their turn for the in-car player. Today will see a few necessary chores [if that is not a tautology] and perhaps reading my purchases from yesterday. Lunch will be sirloin steak and, as is so often the case, I need to move the car nearer when a space becomes available for it needs to be loaded tomorrow afternoon. The central heating has just been re-ignited. Brrrr. Best wishes to the lonely and depressed [not necessarily the same], to all travellres and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. I have a gnawing feeling of having omitted someone. Chris

Good morning one and all I'm off to Wycrail too. On the way I will stop for breakfast and have made some sandwiches for later in the day. In the car park eventually will be a weathered white Polo from which can be heard Sounds of the 60s. Who knows, I may find some stunning scenery on the way. If not, there is always the Chilterns. There is little to report from yesterday except that I chose another slab of sirloin for lunch tomorrow. One has to live a little. Oh, and I renewed my subscription to the Royal Corps of Train Spotters. Best wishes to all travellers, the lonely and missing, the ailing, recovering and supporting, the grieving and the depressed. Chris

Good morning one and all Grandad Bob, it is who you think it is. I have been insufficiently oblique. Drat. We move on. Yesterday I went for a blood test. The results will enable Professor Oncologist to tell me next month whether or not I am well. While I was waiting a small girl was making the most appalling noise. What was upsetting her I know not but neither mum, who was also waiting for a blood test, nor dad, who wasn't, could restore tranquillity. It was a lot more than grizzling aand far more fearsome than the kind of din which makes me murmur "another satisfied customer" if I hear it in the supermarket. I longed for someone to invent a silencer. Today there will be a modest fodder run. I need inspiration for Sunday lunch and, now I come to think of it, sandwiches for tomorrow. I will be at Wycrail during the day, complete with RMweb name badge in case the 11 year old avatar does not work again. The photo, by the way, was cropped from one taken on the beach at Port Shepstone, South Africa, with the placid Indian Ocean in the background, the furthest south I have ever been. In the evening, sort of on the way home, I will divert to Haddenham near Aylesbury where there is a ceilidh in the village hall. For those who prefer not to dance there are songs from Jim Causley, supported by Jimmy Grayburn. Such an interesting double bill is not to be missed. Last time I was there melting moments were on sale, evoking memories of childhood when my mum used to make them and let me plonk the cherry on top! Sentimental? Moi? Best wishes to the ailing, recovering, supporting, missing, lonely, grieving and depressed and to all travellers. Today let us also think of those who have got themselves into another fine mess. Chris

IIRC Mr Stedman of S&B died and GEM took over the range. Chris

Good morning one and all A fellow RMwebber who I will not identify except as X is building a layout depicting a bygone station near where he used to live and so far is making a cracking job of it. A year or so back I PM’d him about a forthcoming talk that I thought he would find helpful because the speaker is an expert on the line on which the station stood. Great, I’ll be there. A few weeks ago I reminded him. Yes, it’s in the diary. Come the meeting, on Tuesday, where is he? Oh well. When I got home a PM was sent: you missed a good evening. Back came a PM yesterday: I was there! That was the good news. The bad news is that neither of us recognised the other by our avatars in what is quite a small hall. The worse news is that I never thought to stand up at tea break time and say “Is X here? Come and make yourself known”. Neither, for that matter, did X. It’s daft enough to be true. One day I will see the funny side of this but do not ask me which day. Somehow this nonsense made me forget to take my prescription request to the surgery yesterday so I had better do it today. I try and keep a fortnight's meds in hand so all is not crucial but it is something that I should have remembered. At least I remembered to put my recycling bin out last night. We are now asked to have bins available for emptying by 6 am! I bet there are adult literacy cases in the street who had not noticed. Best wishes to the lonely, missing, all travellers, ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and depressed. I suppose I ought to add the shy but I'm not sure. Chris