APOLLO

I've never suffered from baggage theft or loss (touch wood) but a few years ago our Qantas flight from Bangkok (QF001 no less) was late into LHR. We were met at the gate by staff anxious to get us and others on their respective connecting flights, which they did for us very efficiently indeed. I remember running down to the Manchester aircraft with 3 kids, last to board, out of breath, door closed behind us and nasty looks all round - bloody hell I said - we've just come 1/3 the way across the world - not our fault !!!!  Anyway on arrival at M/CR - no bags and we were called to the counter - "They're not lost, just delayed and they will be on a later flight and delivered to your home later this evening" - and so they were, by Taxi, intact and OK. Well done that day to BA , Heathrow and the baggage handlers at M/CR.

Travelling by air as a family we always split our belongings throughout our baggage so if one goes astray it's not a disaster. We travel as light as possible and don't take anything of value (laptops etc). Old cheap phones are taken and we buy cheap pay as you go sim cards in Bangkok, etc. A cheap tablet is very useful these days, Thailand has quite good internet connections everywhere, most are free.

Just a note on travel money. I always used AMEX travellers cheques in the past but the encashment fee in Thailand is now huge, and some banks etc don't like them anymore.. I take some cash (UK £) and get a good rate over there (NOT at airports though - non touristy shopping mall money exchangers give the best rates). For cash from machines I found the Halifax Clarity credit card cheapest and most convenient (no charges by Halifax but the Thai bank does) However Halifax start to charge interest straight away on cash withdrawals so pay it off as soon as you get home, or earlier if you can. Again rates vary so shop around. 

I can only state the case for Thailand, I go every 2 years or so and have family there.

Brit15

My first ever flight was back in 1989, Manchester to Los Angeles with Caledonian (remember them ?), on a 747. My mother, concerned at the length of the flight packed me a bag of sandwiches, which I ate on board along with a gin and tonic !!!  I remember the in flight movie projected onto screens from overhead projectors was Rain Man. My mate and I had a wonderful time driving round California & Nevada (hence the Las Vegas - Grand canyon trip). Happy flying days back then.

I can't say I've ever had a bad flight, though some were better than others. I remember my dads sister emigrating to Australia when I was very young - and it was weeks on a boat back then - now that journey can be done on a non stop flight London - Perth in under 24 hours - not by me though !!. We shouldn't really grumble as we are fed, watered and entertained for a few hours in relative comfort to destinations thousands of miles away. Our antecedents would be enthralled at our easily accessible and affordable travel options these days. Enjoy flying till the oil runs out !!!!!!

Brit15

Rough rides ain't the aeroplanes fault - it's turbulence caused by wind weather etc.

I'd rather be on a big heavy A380 riding thru a rough patch than a smaller craft any day !!. I remember a trip with Scenic airlines from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon back in 1989. A nice trip out in a twin engined 20 seat Cessna flying lowish & slowish above & along the canyon. Then a nice bus tour, imax cinema "rubber raft" ride along the river !!, buffet meal etc, around 4pm the flight back to Vegas - high & fast through a developing hot dessert thunderstorm - talk about rock & roll !!

On our recent Thailand trip we had a bit of turbulence over "The mouths of the Irrawaddy" (Burma) - nothing much though some folks alongside were spewing up their just eaten breakfasts - me, I just listened to Pink Floyd on the A380's inflight entertainment.

Good turbulence music is Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domaine turn up loud to drown out the barfing !!!!

Brit15

I think that Emirates are living on a reputation, I think they are not in the same class as either Etihad or Qatar.

I flew Etihad a few years ago and found the experience very good. I've never flown Qatar - there's a bit of a falling out "over there" between Emirates & Qatar - the countries that is. It's Emirates for me as Manchester is my local airport (I avoid Heathrow like the plague) and there are 3 A380's to Dubai out of Manchester every day - so a good choice and fares are competitive, superb entertainment, 30kg luggage allowance, and food is OK also.

Best airline on this route years ago was Qantas (via Heathrow or Frankfurt) - woken up over Calcutta with "Would you like champagne with your breakfast sir ? - and that was in economy !! Thai airlines via Copenhagen a couple of years ago was also very good - Copenhagen is a very nice airport to travel through.

For kids though nothing beats Munich airport - have young kids and change aircraft at five in the morning ? - no problem - the kids have plenty to keep them occupied - a huge LEGO pit !!!! (beats shopping !!!)

Brit15

We flew with two low cost Asian carriers a couple of months ago - Nok Air Bangkok to Phuket and Air Asia on the return. My son did the booking and (I think used Booking.com) cheapest and convenient flights came up with different airlines out & home. Both flights were excellent and on time, service at cost if you wanted it, Nok air has all their planes painted and named after birds (a Nok is a bird in Thai !!).

I wasn't looking forward to these flights, but enjoyed both. We will use them again.

I've never used any other lo cost airlines, and we normally use Emirates Manchester - Dubai - Bangkok. Those A380's are simply superb wherever your seat is !!

Manchester airport gets crappier every year, new passenger drop off fees, arrogant security, duty free rip offs (where's your boarding card so the shop can reclaim the VAT - duty free my ****). Dubai is not so bad, as it's half way there it's good to have a leg stretch and walk around for a hour or two. We used both Bangkok airports, the new one is good, and the old Don-Muang is used mainly for internal / low cost flights - very nice airport experience at Don Muang these days, the security checks are conducted quite efficiently (plenty of staff) and with a smile at both !!!!

Brit15

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/delivering-the-first-major-digital-railway-network-rail-procurement-launched-to-find-train-control-partner-for-route-digital-transformation

ERTMS for ECML

Will the lineside signals disappear with this work ?

Brit15

In today's "This is money"

• Model train makers have moved focus to 'doing more with less' to save money 
• The company blame excess stock and less discounting for dive in sales
• Full-year performance will be dependent on critical Christmas trading period 

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-6209635/A-focus-frugality-set-Hornby-track-despite-troubled-toymakers-slipping-sales.html

Brit15

Brit15

A very interesting and well illustrated book is British Rail at Work - East Midlands by John Gough published by Ian Allan ISBN No 0-7110-1521-X.

A4 Hardback, nearly all photos are 1970 / 80's BR Blue, with comment maps and diagrams, it covers the area from Bedford north up to Sheffield , and Derby across to Skegness.

An interesting area and timeframe, best wishes for your layout.

Brit15

The Wigan - Atherton - Manchester line was once a 4 track high speed line - the pride of the Lancashire & Yorkshire railway - downgraded to a Tram ? - that's progress !!!!!

Still I suppose the punters today couldn't give a rats - too busy tapping on their precious iphones !!!!

Brit15

Exactly as the title states - superbly made modern day Hobo rides. Some absolutely wonderful HD photography, no narration but major locations are subtitled.

YES - It's both a highly illegal and dangerous.adventure, as is mentioned in the many comments, but also it's an opportunity to ride a freight train across the USA whilst sitting in the comfort of your own home thousands of miles away.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8XCmWXE2J5dF7wXkzUVHtw

His scenes show the vastness of the USA, from the desserts to the mountains and the flat lush coastal plains of Florida and on to St Louis.

Looks uncomfortable on those double stacks though - an empty gon or the end of a covered hopper seem far better !!

Brit15

Thanks for that E3109

realtime trains here  http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U55433/2018/09/23/advanced

Brit15

I worked in the Gas industry all my life, starting with The North western Gas Board at Wigan Gas Works in Sept 1969. We were privatised in 1986 but still had a good boss at the helm (Sir Denis Rooke). Things were OK till around 1996 when the company was split three ways, and went "down the grid" (for us) in 2002 when Transco was merged into National Grid. I took voluntary redundancy in 2003 - never looked back.

Its now gone a lot worse (for employees & customers) as networks have been sold off to Cadent - owned by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, Allianz Capital Partners, Hermes Investment Management, CIC Capital Corporation, Qatar Investment Authority, Dalmore Capital and Amber Infrastructure Limited/International Public Partnerships

God knows who that lot are !!!

As E3109 did with BR, I thoroughly enjoyed my years with "The Gas Board" and British Gas. Happy days (most of em !!).

Best wishes to the future of our railways, employees and customers.

Brit15

Ah the Dawlish storm test - these trains pass with flying colours - (the photographer deserves a medal also !!)

https://youtu.be/7HD744RbrGg

Brit15

Just read this

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45609604

Don't know wether to laugh or cry !!!!!

Brit15

Trouble with a station at Golborne is what service(s) would stop there ? Perhaps the Man Airport - Blackpool service The Trans Pennines don't now stop at Wigan and will divert via Bolton when electrification is complete. Present trains to Warrington etc passing Golborne are all Expresses - Pendolinos & Voyagers - I doubt they will stop - however it would be nice to see more stations in our general area, and an extension of the Tram network Manchester - Leigh - Hindley - Wigan, getting rid of that (mis) guided busway !!

Brit15

Far too many, my collection goes back to around 1960, first being a Tri-ang TT gauge Jinty (which I still have and still works !!)

I've been collecting (for use on my many layouts over the years), a mix of new / secondhand, TT, OO, O (American) and a bit og Bachmann G scale for the garden loop.

They don't all work. some are occasionally robbed for parts to keep others working, some relegated to the scrapyard scene, but I don't think I've ever sold any - I've gifted one or two though over the years. I don't buy to collect, I buy to run - though some I just buy because I like them - like the wonderful Hornby P2

Brit15

Brit15

Brit15

I like the new site - easy to find things.

Well done Hattons

Brit15

Again some interesting points raised.

I just bought (quite cheaply on Ebay) a set of bound 1970's Modern railways mags - which I find very interesting indeed (I can understand 1970's engineering !!!).

Saturated market ? Probably. As Ouroburus asked Too Much ? - maybe for most - definitely for me (RRP).

I buy very little OO these days (this year just one bargain Heljan O2 from Hattons. I have however bought several s/hand (practically new) North American O scale locos, all at very good prices. £200 for a brand new boxed never run twin motor lighted Atlas F unit with DC sound !!, a GP38-2 twin motor job is in the post , less than the cost of two Bachmann DC non sound diesels.. I've also found quite a few freight cars for around £20 - £30, some superbly made kits, some Atlas and mostly Weaver, all in good or new condition. A set of trucks and Kadee couplers would set you back £20 these days. Some of the new release prices are just (for me) simply not value for money.

I try to use local model shops for bits (they don't stock American O - indeed hardly anyone does these days), but my nearest local shop is 10 miles away, 

We have heard of Peak Oil - I think we are now at a time of Peak Model Railways - enjoy it while you can. As to Lima - wonderful locos - I still run mine - they're like cockroaches - indestructible - no scrappage for mine !!

Brit15

Lord and Lady had a nice view of Top Place blast furnaces at Kirkless Wigan !!

Bottom left in this view

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/index.cfm#zoom=17&lat=53.5528&lon=-2.5968&layers=168&b=1

Not quite Consett, but very industrial back in the days of the Wigan Coal & Iron Company

Brit15

Hmm, have you visited Waitrose lately?  As a result of having to reduce prices and offer more 'value' or 'essentials' level products they have made severe cuts elsewhere in their business resulting, most noticeably in our part of the world in an overstrained internal logistics operation which has led to empty or poorly stocked shelves in their supermarkets.  Same old story - cut the prices, cut the costs (I know how they did some of that in their logistics operation as it happens) and the customer suffers - net result we could not buty any pork fillet when we visited our usual branch last Thursday = sale & revenue lost.

 

And Phil has already drawn attention to what has happened with overall John  Lewis profits this year - down to price matching (i.e. price cutting) according to their Chief Exec.

 

By the way I thoroughly approved of what amounted to price fixing in respect of milk, but then one of my grandfathers was a dairy farmer.  And of course the end of that arrangement through the MMB has resulted in the disappearance of numerous dairy herds so one is left wondering quite where some of our milk and milk products comes from because it sure as heck isn't the three dairy farms which once existed within a 4 mile radius of where I'm sitting typing this; race to the bottom once again. 

 

Waitrose ? Pork Fillet ? - It's Aldi's basics beans (no sausages) on dry toast for me - (I'm sure I saw Andy Y in there recently !!!!!!) it's the only way I can save for Hornbys new stuff !!!.

But I agree, the whole world of retail from is in turmoil and change these days. It's getting to be dog eat dog for survival out there. Tesco Jacks isn't the only new entrant. I went to our local Sainsburys yesterday, close nearby is a small Asda (was once Netto). Alongside sharing the same vast car park is a large B&M (mainly food) and just opened next door is a new food store - The Food Warehouse by Iceland. I called in the Asda first (as some basics are consistently & considerably cheaper). The new Iceland store had some bargains, I noticed Sainsburys had a load of completely empty shelves (unusual). There is a new Argos recently built into Sainsburys. (we have two Argosses 2 miles apart, neither are in the town centre).

This lot won't survive I reckon.

Our once vibrant town centre with its nearly new £ multi million shopping centre sees major closures almost weekly - Marks & Spencers (in the new centre) is to close.

Hornby will the least of anyone's problems soon.

Reasons - Not enough (spending) money around - inflation - rising cost of living (housing mainly) - frozen wages (or under inflation rises) - poor working terms and conditions for many jobs - etc etc etc. Where this will lead to I just don't know. I don't know where our milk comes from (geographically !!!) either.

Brit15

Brit15