Danemouth

Well bathrooms - Castell Danemouth has a typical 1930s bathroom 6' 6" square previously redone about 1990 before we bought the property. This summer we had a complete refit - two weeks going from this via this to this SWMBO and I are both in our seventies and wanted to have a bath as well as the shower over it. So the new bath is 70mm lower than the previous bath and we've had a grab rail fitted to the wall behind the bath - works great for us! Cheers, Dave

It's a GWR Siphon. Have a look here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_Siphon Incidentally Accurascale have recently introduced a superb 00 model of it in various liveries seen here on Danemouth Dave

Talking of ties I worked on an office for all 48 years of my working life and wore a suit and tie every day. I liked to look smart and as a manager for much of that time it was expected of me. When I retired 11 years ago I thought no more ties - looked in my wardrobe at the over 30 ties - that got thinned down to half a dozen and other than the funerals black tie I can count on one hand the number of times I have worn a tie since retirement 😀 Dave

You didn't mention my favourite - Popeye 😁 Dave

Am I the only person who as a youngster found Monty Python unfunny, an opinion that hasn't changed over the years! Dave

In my case Number 46 from Rumney to West Grove - Fitzalan Technical High School was in Howard Gardens. The year I entered form 5 it moved to Leckwith. Dave

My parents first car, a 1959 Standard10 saloon had the heater as an optional extra. When they purchased it in 1963 it had no heater but after the first winter one was fitted - luckily my mother ran the accounts office of the main dealer so had staff discount! Dave

Like the orange liveried Cardiff double decker 😁 Trouble is I remember the earlier liveries that I travelled to school on! Dave

Like many on RMWeb I've bought rolling stock that is now surplus to requirements, as it happens I have nine coaches in this category. At one time I was going to run Danemouth as two separate periods, early crest and late crest. I also envisaged trains longer than the two coaches & NPCS that I now run. So today I thought I would give a couple of Carmine and Cream coaches a run. Lets assume that it's a busy bank holiday and all sorts of coaches have been dragged out from the back of carriage sidings 😁 Here they are behind pannier 9479 Run round & depart Here's the other side of them Incidentally Danemouth has not one but two busses on the bridge and here's a Hymek with a couple of coaches detached from an express at the junction Cheers, Dave

We moved into our current house 26 years ago the longest I've lived anywhere. Our previous house bought when we married was on a busy road and took twelve months to sell. Then there were delays of several weeks due to a c0ck up by the building society. After we moved in I made it clear to SWMBO that my next change of address would involve an undertaker 😁 Dave

Fat Controller surely? Dave

Well my layout Danemouth is a fictional seaside town in the Agatha Christie novel Body in the Library with a rather nice TV adaption starring Joan Hickson. I was looking for a suitable south coast name for a layout when I saw the programme - as they say the rest is history. It was only years afterwards that I discovered that Agatha Christie had based it on Bournemouth which was not a GWR station 😁 Dave

Little Johnny and Fred saw 11 of Danemouth's 21 locos on their holiday. This is because Danemouth operates under: Rule 1 (Modified) This rule states that any rolling stiock that appeared on BR(W) between 1956 and 1964 can appear at Danemouth whether or not appropriate. Incidentally the Dukedog hadn't been run for some time and was a little reluctant - it has since spent an hour on the rolling road 😁 Dave

Well Little Johnny and Fred holiday is now over and it's time to go home, by train naturally. They have persuaded their parents to come to the station a little early to see the goods train that runs immediately before their train. They have a surprise, Dukedog 9022 with a couple of PMVs which it will exchange for the Siphon in the loading bay. 9022 runs over the run around crossover and picks up the Siphon and returns to its train Having drawn out from the station it pushes the PMVs into the loading siding Meanwhile their train arrives pulled by Class 22 6326 - two corridor coaches that will be added to the London express at the junction. The Dukedog departs and 6326 runs around its train Their holiday is over as the train departs However they may well return to Danemouth, their parents liked the place and Dad who works for a bank is thinking of asking for a transfer to the Danemouth branch. Dave

My family history goes back further. My paternal grandmother was born in 1887 but her father was born in 1825 which makes him 62 when she was born. She was from his second marriage and he went on to a third marriage after that dying on Christmas Eve 1915, Dave

Well Little Johnny, his brother Fred together with their Dad have returned to Danemouth Station to watch trains - it's more interesting than building sandcastles and paddling 😁 First to arrive is Collet 2259 with non corridor carriages It runs around the train and couples up having visited the turntable Oh look Dad here's a Class 121 DMU arriving and 2259 departs Mogul 7310 arrives with a coach and Siphon, the latter will be exchanged with a GUV in the loading siding The 121 departs whilst 7310 goes off to the turntable 7310 picks up the GUV and returns to the train to pick up the Siphon Just as 6412 arrives with an autocoach and 7310 departs D823 Hermes arrives with a couple of coaches detached from an express Runs around its train whilst 6412 departs Rapidly followed by D823 It's almost time for the boys to have their tea but look W23W is arriving and then departing and peace returns to Danemouth Cheers, Dave

Little Johnny and his brother Fred are having a fortnights holiday in Danemouth with their parents and have persuaded their Dad to taking them trainspotting one afternoon - Mummy is glad of the break 😁 The first train arriving is 6412 with an autocoach Then the pickup goods with 1504 arrives with a few vans The Toad is detached from the rear and placed in the runaround loop The three vans currently in the Goods shed are pulled back into the headshunt and then pushed to the brake van Meanwhile the Autocoach leaves 1504 gets the incoming vans and shunts them into the goods shed Just then Little Johnny get excited as a Class 117 DMU arrives and 1504 departs with the pickup goods Further excitement - 3711 arrives with a couple of non corridor coaches runs around it's train The 117 departs Followed by 3711 and its train With the station quiet once more Dad takes the boys home to tea but promises them a mornong train spotting later in the week Dave

And now something to brighten @Happy Hippos day Danemouth now has another Pannier, a 15xx bringing the toal number to six After all you can't have too many of them. Cheers, Dave

Bought the Late Crest version with sound - superb slow running. Here it is shunting the Toad More images here Dave

The addition of the Manor and 15xx serves to highlight a problem I have mentioned before - the lack of standardisation with the sound function. To get around this I have an A3+ sized table which is in the fiddleyard. This is the latest version: Danemouth Loco Roster.pdf I notice I tend not to bother with some function e.g. Safety valve, shovelling coal etc. I also find that after about 30 minutes I tend to turn the sound off, especially when wearing my new hearing aids! The thing I do like is the inertia in the sound locos, it makes driving the more like the real thing. Dave

Well the 15xx brings the number of Panniers on Danemouth up to six - you can't have too many Panniers 😁 Dave

Danemouth has another new loco a Rapido 15xx - the black late crest sound version 1504. I've given it an hour on the rolling road and I must say the slow running is absolutely superb and here it shunts a Rapido Toad Cheers, Dave

You certainly had an interesting time 😟 The accident with the loco is something we all dread and i will admit to having a near escape on a couple of occasions. Still it was a valuable learning experience - don't let it put you off exhibiting. Dave

Oh look 7812 Earlstoke Manor has appeared at Danemouth with a Siphon in tow More pictures here Dave

Well my mojo has been in hibernation for many months but woke up a few weeks back resulting in me giving the layout a thorough clean and minor alterations to the station platform - originally it had more people which was annoying me. I purchased an Accurascale Siphon and to round things off a new loco just outshopped from Swindon appeared at Danemouth hauling a Siphon and carriage detached from an express at "The Junction". Oh look it's 7812 Earlstoke Manor 😁 Cheers, Dave