jamie92208

Good moaning from a windy and wet Charente. I managed to tile the boxing in the bathroom yesterday and even visited the shed to inspect the contents of the shelves of shame where the unbuilt kits are stored. Things do seem to be looking up and the ground anchors seem to be holding. Slept in this morning apart from a trip to the bathroom at 6am. Breakfast has been taken and the day remains to be carped. The plan is to grout the tiles that were done yesterday. As some of these are underneath the si k this will have to be done lying full length on the floor. Nothing else major has been mentioned yet so I will try to remain inconspicuous. Regards to all. Jamie

A Scots friend of mine used to describe her as thec'wee numpty', when she became leader the description changed to 'the First numpty'. Jamie

But makes sure you have your head skimmed before it's refitted. Jamie

I know that Johnstons make one that decoratorscused for painting smokey pubs with yellow walls. I was told about it by a friend who works at the factory. It worked a treat on the cieling of our lounge in France 5 years ago and hasn't shown any signs of discolouration since. Perhaps it helps that we don't smoke. If you are interested I'll dig a tin out and try and find a stock code. Jamie

I thought that for a Hippo, any repair would have to be at least a Heavy General. Jamie

Good morning. A bit of a mixed bag here to bring 2015 to a close. We start in Edinburgh still on the 17th September. After our visit to the Quintinshill Memorial we rode the Edinburgh tram system which was well worth doing. We then move on the the 14th November. I had a trip up to the Dales and took the opportunity to photograph the new siding being laid at the Arcow Granite quarry near Helwith bridge. This used to be rail connected via a triangular junction near the village. the branch originally served two quarries, Arcow and Foredale. They rail connection was lost on the 60's and Foredale closed but Arcow and nearby Dry Rigg are still in production producing some highly sought after granite that is ideal for making anti skid road surfaces. There had been various attempt over the years to revive rail traffic including one scheme that had a loader installed at Hellifield. However there was opposition to that as lorries would still have to use narrow roads from the quarries down to the A65 at Settle. Eventually a scheme was worked out that laid a siding into the Arcow quarry from a trailing connection with the northbound down main on the S & C. Here is is under construction on a rather grey and damp day. And a closer view of the loading sidings. As you can see it is not the driest of places. Behind where I was taking the photos runs the trace of the self acting incline that used to bring limestone down to the kilns from Foredale at the top of the hill. This was quite an extensive system that had another overhead rope worked incline within the quarry. The kilns were at the bottom of the incline with a lift to take coal up to the top of the kilns in narrow gauge tubs. Some of the incline has now gone after a landslip in, I think the 80's. On my way home I called at Long Preston to take some photos and got this one of part of my old layout that's on display there. I had done a lot of research into the Private Owner wagons that worked into the dales quarries and that would have run through Long Preston. I then commissioned half a dozen sets of different transfers from Powsides. This was the one for the village coal merchant who had 3 wagons at various times. The livery was obtained by interviewing a couple of old guys in the village using a wagon model as a prop then sketching what they told me. Swinden limeworks featured a few days ago. The sister quarry is at Giggleswick and it's output used to go out through Giggleswick station via an overhead ropeway that was taken down in the 50's. Thus livery was found in a book of PO liveries, one of a series of 3 volumes produced in the 60's. Finally Tot Lord, as he was known, was a local entrepreneur in Settle, I went to school with his grandson, who was also known as Tot. I was aware that they had some wagons from the registers at Kew and eventually found a sketch of the wagon sides in an advert on the local Wesleyan Methodist church newsletter from the 1920's that another schoolfriend's father dug out for me. The research was interesting and rewarding. We'll move on to 2016 next time. The title of the thread does warn that the pictures are random. Jamie

Good moaning to all and Sundry. It's still windy and probably wet round here. We had an excellent meal at a friends yesterday then did not a lot when we got back. The step dragon in law rang to say that shevus finally moving to Bedford in about 12 days time, so Chrisf is going to have a new neighbour. That means that Beth's family home has been sold so some mixed emotions are around. We were supposed to have some furniture items from the house delivered by now but the B word has mucked things up. They may arrive by the end of the month. Sister Drac is due to appear about 8.30 to extract precious liquid from both of us. After that I suspect that the ironing will need attention. Regards to all. Jamie

I'm not sure, she was mentioned briefly some pages back so she may well appear later. It appeals to me on many levels, particularly as it deals with many places that I know well. I've identified that his parents moved to Clapham from Leeds. I did live in Clapham for 9 months in 58 and 59. Similarly his Leeds childhood deals with many places that I know well. Reading seems to be better than screen time at the moment. Jamie

Plus a couple of dioramas of part cut locos. However you could be accurate and have rakes of 16T mineral wagons being shunted in to meet Gertie and lots of rusting tenderless locos daubed with graffitti as a backdrop. Plus loaded 16 T wagons going out with the mortal remains of their relatives in them. Jamie

Good moaning, it's getting light here. A fly has just been defeated by chemical warfare. We seem to get the odd one every couple of days. We think they come in with the logs. Anyway today's one got into the lampshade where I couldn't swzt it so a spray was succeffully deployed. Such passes fot amusement here at the moment. Not a great deal got done yesterday but the room stayed anchored. Much reading got done. I'm reading an autobiographical book called Untold Stories by Alan Bennett and thoroughly enjoying it. He was a great friend of Russell Harty, who attempted to teach me English and once dropped me from playing Brutus in Julius Caesar because I chose to go to the model railway club rather than his rehearsal. We are off out for lunch at a friends later but another quiet day was decreed last night, whether or not that changes has yet to be seen. Regards to all. Jamie

LGA ise set in 1923 ish. This gives me the excuse to run mostbof it as pure Midland but to have interlopers from the L&Y, LNWR, Furness etc as I like the colour variations plus LMS wagons.. I have made one out of time concession. The turntable is a 60' one which wasn't fitted till 1933 ish. This allows me to turn the Settle and Carlisle Claugton that currently occupies a space on the shelves of shame. AlsonI mightbone day build the Patriot, Giggleswick for obvious reasons. However quite how I will service City of Carlisle I know nor care not. Rule one applies. It also stetches a bit the other waybas the Baldwin 2-6-0 was gone by 1915. Jamie

I think that there is a connection to the classic lines in the Hunslet area where the Leeds leg runs in the same cutting as the conventional line. Classic compatible trains could possibly headinto Leeds City an then head north. However it might well be quicker for them to reverse then turn north to Church Fenton. Jamie

Good afternoon from a rather wet and windy corner of France. Here are some more from 2015. 11th September I headed south the London for a pub lunch and general chat with several other members of ER's which for some unfathomable reason got christened the Brains Trust. Anyway the pub didn't open till 12 so I spent a pleasant hour on the south end of Blackfriars Station watching trains. 377's and 387's passing in front of me along with some mobile ironing boards. 6 days later, Keith and I headed north on a Cross Country service to Edinburgh to sample some new trackage, namely the Borders Railway. What a fantastic project. I had never expected to see this sign at Waverley. A 158 ws waiting to take us south to Tweedbank. Along the way the line follow a curve round Borthwick Castle. Some 10 years previously I'd attended a nephew's wedding there. Late that night, with several measures of Scottish Medicine on board I had stood outside the doorway that can be seen and in the moonlight had seen the overgrown trackbed and mused of seeing a hard working A3 heading south with the intermittent glow as the fireman kept the firebox full. I dreamed that one day a train would run again but never expected to be able to take this photo. We got to Tweedbank to find that a special was there with Union of South Africa in command. A great sight, And there the view back north. When we got back to Edinburgh, our first task was to get a bus down to the cemetery where the Quintinshill memorial is to all the soldiers killed in the disaster. Well kept and very poignant. Hopefully some more in due course. In the period between the last photos being taken and this set we had a holiday in France and made the momentous decision to move out here and also found a house. Jamie

Good moaning. I'm even earler than Chrisf, though not through choice. A mixed day yesterday, logs were cut and later stacked. Beth helped so a general tidy up of the woodshed ensued. We certainly don't need to buy any this year, but if offered some at the rightbprice will probably get it. I then cut the tiles fir the bathroom. I onlybsnapped one but fortunately have plenty of spares. In the afternoon I got some photos taken to illustrate an article. However later after stacking logs, the rooms started revolving again. I really must put groundcanchors on the house. Another 2 episodes took me to bed rather early so I'm awake rather early no. At least the anchors seem to be working despite the wind and rain. Not a lot on the agenda today but of coursecwe will have our hour talking to Emily and her Mums. I believe that Macron has announced some new restrictions so I'm off to research that. Regards to all. Jamie

Without knowing the full facts, not murder but possibly manslaughter. As to any i juries the charge wouldcagain depend on the severity and circumstances. Jamie

Why not get some enterprising love sick swain to set up a jet ski service. Jamie

My late MiL was quite a character, lovely person who droveca succession of fast cars and had a lovely turn of of phrase and a liking for red wine. One Sunday when Fil had askked for a whisky, I brought him some Glenlivet. He asked me to put some ginger ale in it. I refused and Bessy grabbed the glass and said, "I know how to drink whisky properly". Fil was then brought some Bells that was at the back of the cupboard, with some ginger ale in it. Jamie

I would agree with that. However not all my locos have such motors, some are quite power hungry, especially a 2-4-0 with a white metal body, namedcafter my late mother in law. Jamie

That was sort of my problem. When we decided to reinstall a bath, the only feasible path for water and waste pipes was across to the bath from the cupboard under the washbasin. Also it turns out said cupboard ended up a tile height (250mm) above the floor so the sink piping us still exposed. I've now made a box that will cover the whole lot. Tile cutting to start soon, they are already marked up. Personal needs break of scones and coffee being taken after we cut and stacked a week or so's worth of logs. Jamie

I think that descoping phase 2, especially the eastern leg will cause huge political difficulties especially for a goverment reliant on a large contingentbof newly elected northern MP's. However lets tryband keep politics out of here. I'm living seeing the photos of actual work taking place. Jamie

Good moaning from windy corner, or that's how it was last night. It rained most of yesterday and I did not a lot, but did manage to finish off and email an article. Rain had corrupted the TV recording of The Bay so we watched some Netflix instead. That was after fish and chips from thevmobile chippy. The stew has been postponed till tonight. I'm going to have a go at some tile cutting today to try and do some boxing in of pipes in the bathroom. I've made the box out of ply but need to tile it, then fix it in place with silicon. After that there will no doubt be some unspecified potterring. The question of postage etc is difficult. We can get and send letters to and from the UK and magazine delivery seems to be fine, even from the US. However parcels are an unknown quantity at the moment. Fortunately I don't need much modelling stuff in the short term. The shelves of shame contain enough boxes to keep me busy for many years. However, odds and ends such as paint or tools could be tricky with the new customs regs. Fortunately again, a friend and I stocked up on BA nuts and bolts in November with a joint purchase. With the customs boorder that now exists, the purchase of a new loco kit could be awkward. When we do eventually get over to the UK, currently booked for May, we will have to be careful what we bring back, food wise. Anyway, I'll keep taking the tablets and hope that real duty free prices on Scottish Medecine will be available. If all else fails there is always plenty of M Balluets Excellent Cognac. Regards to all. Jamie

Good news about the X ray except no mention of where the secret cake stache is located or the composition of the heart though. I've used Gaugemaster hand held W's a lot at exhibitions. With continual heavy use they can get quite warm, so we always had a spare to swap out. However they are fine for intermittent use with 7mm stuff. Jamie

Simples, get a Duette, I use one on LGA with qnother as backup. If q clipper lasts 50 years the Duette should last 100. Jamie

And thst was his story and he was sticking to it . Jamie

It's brand name is Tanganil, I think the active ingredient is Acétylleucine. So far so good. Perhaps a passing Heron had been raiding someone's pond and lost it. Jamie