BoD

A few years ago a friend and I were cycling the Yorkshire Dales Cycleway. We were heading through Dentdale, from the viaduct down to the town when we came across the most picturesque little cottage and garden you could imagine. Roses climbing around the door. Trellis arches over the path down to wooden gate in a drystone wall. . Standing at the gate was a smiling grey haired, bespectacled, old lady complete with shawl over her shoulder. Bees were buzzing, butterflies fluttering, it was like something straight from a chocolate box or jigsaw. At this point a delivery van arrived and pulled up at the cottage, coming the other way was one of your large Chelsea Tractors, brand new out of the box. Never seen a bit of mud in its life. Those of you who know the dales will be aware of how narrow and enclosed some of the roads are. This was one of those. The Chelsea Tractor driver was obviously loath to pass the delivery van but had no alternative. This was going to take some time and might prove amusing, so we turned our bikes toward the cottage wall and just watched. The ‘tractor diver edged ever so slowly past the van, stopping every so often, reversing a bit, edging forward a bit more, not wanting to introduce his tyres to the muddy verge or his car to the grass and hedge on the side of the road. We, the van driver and the dear old lady watched all of this with increasing incredulity. Eventually, after what seemed an age, the Chelsea tractor drew clear of the van. The driver wound his window down and gave a sheepish wave. The dear old lady put her head to one side and in a broad Yorkshire accent said “ If you can’t fook*** drive the thing, you shouldn’t have f****** well bought it.

We have discussed unusual crisp flavours before. This has got to take the biscuit though...

Funnily enough that was the photo that came to my mind too. My recent driving ‘experiences’ haven’t been with speed merchants … quite the opposite. On our recent holiday up to the North West I was driving from the Kyle of Lochalsh road over to Stromeferry. It’s not a bad road by any means but it’s on a bit of an incline. I came across a ‘convoy of three Citroen 2CVs. All red. All with French number plates. All struggling. At one point I really did think I was going to have to pretend to be a banker and give them a push.

Stay dry, stay safe, @tigerburnie

I often 'surprise' people when I plumb things. Not your modern push fit stuff either - the real deal. I obviously can't (and wouldnt) touch gas, but probably could.

No, but my dad was and he taught me.

It would have been a fair way to travel for you and your Dad to shoot all those wonderful photographs of yours.

I couldn’t agree more. After years of inserting screws with a hammer I decided to invest in a screwdriver. However, nobody told me that they came in different sizes and with differently shaped ends. What’s that all about? I decided buying a bigger hammer was the answer and it proved your point… the correct tool makes the job a lot easier.

That was because some members of the Northern Hemisphere, British, I mean English press had confidently forecast an all Northern Hemisphere semi-final line up. Idiots.

Can I echo your thanks to Jeremy. Very interesting. I too will have to change the way I operate when in ‘manual mode’. Setting the layout to run automatically under computer control (just to watch trains go by) is going to take some thinking about.

Green. That sums up my knowledge, I’m afraid. I’m hoping that someone can ID them for you too.

I misunderstood, sorry. I though your photograph and comments about Peco’s micrometer were showing that there was a dead section of exactly the same length as the wheelbase.

On a unifrog point the frog can be wired and switched to change its polarity. This would solve your problem with the short wheelbase loco. Had you thought about this and rejected it for some reason? Also, it is harder to do this in retrospect once the track is laid, but not impossible.

I have been under the baseboard doing some re-wrangling and just did a 'grandadbob'. Actually, I'm quite jealous. I wish i was famous and had something named after me.

Morning all. It is raining at the moment. Matches the mood as we are off to purchase paint for the kitchen and associated lobby/utility room. Given the fixed colour of the kitchen units and splashbacks there will be a limited choice of pallete. Do we go for a specially mixed up esoteric shade like ‘Autumn Cornfield Yellow suffused with Honey Orchid White’ or stick with Magnolia or something similar off the shelf. Decisions, decisions.

You did Chile? Do you know Slartibartfast? He does fjords.

Fixed it for you...

That looks absolutely awful Rick. Can’t understand what you see in it.

We’re you at Model Rail Scotland earlier this year. If so, we had a chat without me realising it was you.

That’s the one. By some of the Hull lot I believe.

We used to call them fritters. We didn’t even have to specify that they were potato fritters, we couldn’t afford anything posh like spam.

Im sure there was a layout depicting the Great Train Robbery in a tent like that. To be fair, it was more than just a layout it was an informative display. There was an odd shaped narrow gauge one too, although I think the black drapes were as much to control the viewpoints as much as the lighting. Very popular on the circuit at one time, so popular in fact, that I’ve forgotten its name.

Happy anniversary Mr & Mrs Gwiwer.

Drivers (and secondmen) that can walk from one end of a diesel loco to the other when necessary. Or at least disappear from one cab and reappear in the other. Why have I suddenly started thinking about Scott and Virgil in Thunderbirds?

I hope England don’t meet any of the ‘big boys’ in this tournament. It will all be rather embarrassing.