Tim V

What3words ///umbrellas.grew.shed Downstairs was their museum - these pictures date from July 1978. There was a large model railway to the right of these pictures - I took no photos of it. Upstairs was the shop - a long room, I think it still had the dais at the end from its school days. I remember looking at some Stephen Poole wheels but didn't buy them.

BA11 3LN, look for the 'Old School House'

Just been reading 'Old Mendip' - Robin Atthill - The Chantry was built by James Fussell V, later it became a school then the Dimmock shop. Went there quite a few times - you may have accompanied me some of them. It was open on Sunday - very useful in those far off days. First time I've thought about that shop in years! Had a look on Google street view - changed a lot since those days ...

Agree, K's 70s series No. L18. It's in my K's catalogue. Agree about the motor, the K's motors were mostly poor, unless you got a good one. The ECM motors weren't a lot better, I've got a couple of scrap ones kicking about somewhere.

I originally wasn't going to go, but a friend embarrassed me into going. To put this into context, I stopped going to the Thornbury show about ten years ago. The layouts were very samey, and of poor quality. Significant that the winning layout of the Bristol Buffer (what happened to that award) was invariably won by the visiting layout, never by one of the association layouts. So I didn't plan to go, but decided - last minute to go. And I'm glad I did. How many others saw the radio controlled battery operated Wickham Trolley in 4mm scale, or the radio controlled bus? Plus there were some very good layouts - in a different league to the layouts of old. I'm not going to name them, because you can't please all the people all of the time, lots I just walked past, but some just drew me in. Will I go next year? I think so.

Proper? I was working under instruction ...

Cracking show as always, highlight for me was Drys-y-Nant, a station I visited near 50 years ago. Catering is the high point - school dinners - but couldn't take cards. Then I remembered - kids don't have cards!

All gone by this morning!

A wagon repair out-station, I haven't seen it mentioned at Cheddar. There was an out-station of Marcrofts at Sandford & Banwell.

That is not a ground signal by the blades but is called a rotating point disc, indicating the lie of the blades. It is not normally worked by a separate lever. Up close it looks like this - seen at Didcot. Note the red/green faces. It is directly connected to the stretcher (tie bar in other terminology).

You could be right - this from April 1984. Max Williams a few yards to the right.

Bit less foliage in this shot from 1983 - that's 40 years ago!

Some people dismiss it, but actually Pecorama (south Devon) is worth a visit. Contrasts well with Pendon. Although I work in P4, I found it was a good day out, and there was also sufficient there to entertain partners.

By 1959, the timetable had been curtailed, and the 6.6pm off Frome ran under B headlamps. The 5.55pm ran under A lamps. This from the 15/6/59 - 13/9/59 timetable.

The connection to Bristol for the Channel Island express was to stop at Frome, change trains then via Radstock (in a B set!). This ceased when that line shut in 1959.