Dan Randall

As regards MRJ 279’s content, I must say, this advertisement got my interest.... Looking forward to adding this to my already groaning bookshelves. Regards Dan

I had the same problem when I got married and bought my first house many moons ago. First DIY job was a new front door with an extra wide letter box, specifically to accommodate the MRJ. When the next issue arrived, the Postie still folded it lengthways and rammed it through the letterbox! Personally, I prefer the card backed envelope and would gladly pay a small premium for it to continue, as my copy of 279 arrived this morning with a crease down one side.... Regards Dan

Modern Outline Kits do one, that might fit the bill.... http://www.modernoutline.co.uk/modern_outline_026.html Regards Dan

That looks decidedly odd, without the usual Pullman gangway! Regards Dan

Good find! Regards Dan

Hi Simon Just had a read of the above and saw your reference to Barry Norman’s ’Designing a Layout” book, where you said ”This 1997 book has an interesting section on small stations that featured industrial sidings, with a splendid unidentified photograph (page 10) of a small dairy siding that I have never managed to identify”. I can put you out of your misery and tell you dairy in the picture was the Express Dairy at the London end of Frome Station, in Somerset. The site occupied by the dairy is a branch of Jewsons these days. Good luck with the new shop - I look forward to paying a visit once the lockdown is over. Regards Dan

Yes it does! I noticed that yesterday, when looking at the stills again on “Reelstreets” - I think the top of the sign was out of sight on my TV screen. Regards Dan

I watched an episode of Armchair Theatre (called “A Bit of a Lift”, from 1973), last night on Talking Pictures TV, which featured some nice blue DMU action (at Marylebone), at the end. This was immediately followed by a film I’d never seen before, called “Take a Girl Like You” (1970), starring Hayley Mills and Oliver Reed. The title sequence featured Ms Mills travelling in a blue/grey Mk1 coach, an outside shot showing a blue Class 47 at the head. As the titles finished, the train (now hauled by a blue Hymek!), pulled into a station, but not any old station - it was my “home town” station at Slough and amazingly, the train was pulling into the Windsor bay platform! Ms Mills then leaves the train and walks along the platform towards the exit, via the original pre-modernisation booking hall and through some lovely wooden doors, to the station forecourt, where she gets into a taxi. The “Slough” part of SLOUGH STATION, is obscured by a movie prop sign, but I got such a thrill, seeing “my” station, as I remember it from the 60s & 70s and it’s a top quality colour film too. I looked it up on ‘Reelstreets”, a web site that pinpoints locations used in movies and though not all the stills are railway related, it’s a brilliant snapshot of Britain as it was in 1970.... https://www.reelstreets.com/films/take-a-girl-like-you/ Regards Dan (With apologies, if either of the above have already been mentioned).

I’d say Simon Castens at Titfield books, would be a good option.... https://www.titfield.co.uk/ Like many retail outlets, the shop is currently closed, but he may well be sending stuff out still. Regards Dan

Blimey, that was quick! Thank you Phil. Regards Dan

I assume availability from yesterday via Pocketmags applies to the digital version? If so, when will the printed version be available in the shops please? Regards Dan

I was cursing Keith, the Postman last week for not bringing me the latest issue of MRJ. It then dawned on me that I’d forgotten to send off the subscription renewal form enclosed with the previous issue - sorry about that Keith! I’ve now made a plasticine effigy of myself and will be administering some suitable voodoo on it, until such time as I get my mitts on said MRJ. Oh, I’ll also be getting my subscription renewal in the post this week.... Regards Dan

Hi Ian I'm sorry "Trefolwen" is not what you're looking for, but I'd be interested to see the layout in your sketch myself! Regards Dan

Terry Onslows "Trefolwen" was a Welsh terminus, with an incline to a low-level goods yard, though I'm not sure about sidings over the fiddle yard. It featured in the May 1982 Model Railway Constructor (image from Ebay, but unable to post link!)... I can't find my copy to post the track plan, but someone else may be able to. Regards Dan

That looks interesting Jon, but are replacement blades easy enough to obtain please, or are they just conventional "Stanley Knife" blades? Regards Dan

Did you hear about the Judge with no thumbs? "Justice Fingers".....

Dave - I was chatting to you when it was announced, so must apologise again for preventing you from hearing the news 1st hand! A very well deserved award though, in my opinion and if I had the same amount of space at my disposal, I suspect I'd be working on a BR era clone of it right now, to be populated with Dapol's forthcoming Class 121 & 122 single car units and numerous, grotty 16T mineral wagons! Regards Dan

Makes a change from having hares ruining your paint job.... Regards Dan

Yesterday, 10:00 Westbury - Paddington, air-con not working. Today, 12:13 Bath Spa - Paddington, air-con not working. What a pile of sh*te these things are - bring back HSTs! Regards Dan

Michael - I've used TurboCAD V14 Professional for several years for my etching needs. I save my drawings, by default, as .tcw (TurboCAD for Windows), as I work on them and when finished, save them as .dxf and email them to PPD. I submit a top and bottom layer (both black & white), with black being etch and white, no etch. Regards Dan

You're not wrong John - see my previous post. Many thanks for your reply. Regards Dan

I emailed Craig Tiley this morning before setting off for work and received a very comprehensive response soon after. In case any others are interested in the content of the advertisement, Craig has kindly allowed me to share his response here.... "Dan Thank you for your email. In short, you’ve rumbled me! I am indeed the builder of the model illustrated in the Peco advert, but the layout doesn’t actually exist, or at least not as a ‘finished’ layout as the picture suggests. The scenic module was created primarily as a vehicle for showing how to use the bullhead track; it formed the basis of a three-part track laying feature in the May, June and July 2018 issues. There was also a feature about timber-faced platform construction in the November 2018 issue, which also used the same module. In the picture used for the advert, the track work was all completed, but the station building, hedgerows, trees and hills were all placed temporarily for the photo; the point of view of the camera and the coach on the left and side were carefully positioned to disguise that the model was very incomplete! The track plan I used as the basis of the model was actually inspired by Llanastr, which featured in issue No.4 of Model Railway Journal. The scenic board measure just 42” x 15” and the other end of the station-run-round will be served by an off-scene sector plate fiddle yard. (The fiddle yard doesn’t exist either, yet!). It is my intention to complete the layout over time, using the construction as the basis of further articles in RM, as and when required. The station building is based on the one that existed at Longwitton; it was scratch built by former Peco modelmaker Bob Phelps; its construction was described in the April 2014 issue of RM. I hope this answers your questions, and points you towards the relevant articles if you wish to find out more. I hope you aren’t too disappointed by the the ’smoke and mirrors’ reality of the layout! Kind regards Craig Tiley" Many thanks to Craig Tiley for his rapid and informative response and to Kevin, Wheatley and John for their input. Regards Dan

Hi Wheatley I only buy RM when there's some content of interest to me (in this particular issue, "Arun Quay" and "Hebble Vale Goods"). I don't recall seeing the Peco layout (or diorama), in any of the previous issues I've bought. If it does appear in an earlier issue, I'd certainly try to obtain a back number, once I know which issue it is. Regards Dan

Hi Kevin I did take look at the Pecorama web site, but if the layout was featured there, I must have missed it. Regards Dan

In the April 2019 Railway Modeller (flip back a page from the Editorial on page 265), there's an advertisement for Peco's Bullhead track. I'm rather taken with the picture of a BR Standard tank running round its train and of the station building - does anyone know if it's a diorama to advertise the track, or an actual layout, that maybe features on RMweb? Edit: Just had an idea - I'll send an email to Craig Tiley at Peco, as he took the photograph! Regards Dan