Dick Turpin

You are dead right there, we are very fortunate in the variety and quality of kits for the region. It would be nice therefore, if anything RTR was of items which save time, like wooden 20T hoppers, so we could get to building kits of the more rare items.

here's one I remember the great Ken Dodd telling some time ago. The wife and I had been in the local play, as a pantomime cow, and we had gone down pretty well. I was in the head, she was in the rear. However,at the end of the show, when we wanted to get dressed, we discovered that the zip had broken and we couldn't get out. As nobody at the show had any scissors or pliers, we decided the best thing was to just nip home, which was only nearby, still in the costume and sort it out when we got there. So off we went, the back way out of the hall, over a style and were just taking a short cut through a field when we noticed we had company. Alarmed, my wife informed me in a hoarse whisper, 'There's a bull approaching! What are we going to do!' 'Well I'm going to nibble grass,' I replied, 'I suggest you brace yourself!'

some vigorous self-abuse - (euphemism*) *(amazing what you can't type)

Batch, as in batch loaf. No, cobs it is. Though a true cob should murder the roof of your mouth with its hard crust, though you do get used to it. A bacon and egg cob is a timeless classic and no mistake!

Yeah, Budgie were an odd phenomenon in the '70s.early '80s, with a very diverse mix of songs, from mindblowingly amazing, to yeah well, mmm OK. I first saw them supporting Ozzy Osbourne around 1981 and was amazed. I particularly remembered 'Breaking all the House Rules', and 'Napoleon Bona', part 1, and 2 - ho ho, you have gotta laugh, though the song was amazingly catchy and very metal for the time. Then there was 'Breadfan', a really up tempo number that really lifted the roof, and later memorably covered by Metallica. I later caught them a couple of times at quite small venues, though they were as entertaining as always.

She Painted Fire Across the Skyline - Agalloch

You have a point there - I can't recall Falcon Brass and supply issues being featured on News at Ten lately, though I bet a lot of folks might prefer it to Brexit!

Green Manalishi - Fleetwood Mac/Judas Priest

Thought so. Question is, would it sell?

LNWR DX Goods - 943 built?

Easy Livin' - Uriah Heep

Pills Against the Ageless Ills - Solefald

In the Shadow of our Pale Companion - Agalloch

I tend to like all types of whisky providing whoever made it has lavished plenty of care and attention on their product. However, If I were to compile a personal 'top ten', they would all be from Scotland.

Wine of Aluqah - Therion

You could always try reading around the subject to get a feel for the period in general, such as social and economic history texts and anything that takes your fancy which was actually written in the period. I like to consider the political undercurrents and social trends of the time I'm trying to model as a backdrop too, as well as just what merchandise the railway was transporting to and from where, as well as the kind of people who may have had a hand in producing it,their lives and their living conditions. I also periodically wonder exactly where my forebears would have been living then and what they might have been doing at this time as well as how I'd have felt if I were with them. As an aside, whenever I try to think back to the railways in the late Victorian period, I tend to imagine Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson travelling in their compartment and discussing their current case. That's the lasting power of literature for you!

I once came across a reference to an ancient gunpowder recipe, which referred to one ingredient as 'the p*ss of an alcohol drinker', and given that the clergy have never been famous for being teetotal, you are probably right.

Infernal Summer - Primordial

And goes some way to mitigating the disappointment following their recent announcement to do a pointless (to me) rail cannon!

That's interesting. I never thought that Thomas might be so important in helping to further the hobby. We had Thomas the Tank Engine saturation in our house for what seemed to be ages, as four boys successively passed through that age range. So far, none of them have become railway enthusiasts, though most of them have developed an interest in science and engineering, so maybe childhood memories might work their magic in future. Who knows.

Indeed. Then throw a clerestory or two to modern standards into the mix and you would have it. A train like that would look spot on heading down the Great Central behind a Bachmann C1 Ivatt Atlantic!

Interestingly, when I was younger i disliked the transition period because I found it dirty, depressing and moribund, but these days I rather like it for exactly the same reasons. It seems the further back in time those days become, the more the period appeals to my sense of sadness and loss.

I always use the shank end of 5mm drills as dowels if I need to, but any diameter would do. They are hardened and ground at 5mm diameter, and if needed to be permanent, you can always use ones that have seen better days, glued in place.

Still Life - Iron Maiden

I have no doubt that 'big four' layouts are less popular than they once were, and precisely for the reason you suggest. However, as we move forward, and the period moves further from living memory, it begins to become just another historical railway period, along with the pre-grouping, but when new modellers just taking up the hobby cast an eye over their options looking for inspiration, guess which one will always stand head and shoulders above the rest for sheer spectacle, glamour and good old railway excitement!