mike morley

A 275 mile round trip for me and worth every yard. I never thought Partington was as bad as some made out but this venue is undeniably and considerably better (and rather more convenient for the M1 than Partington was for the M6). One comment re the catering that I don't think has already been made concerns the generous size of the portions. Every plate I saw had enough to feed two on it! Could this be why some dishes ran out early? With regard to the layouts, all were as superb as is to be expected of an ExpoEM. For me, South Pelaw stole the show. I knew it was going to be big and a friend who visited on Saturday messaged me with the words "Its Huge!" but even so, I was still unprepared for the sheer size of the thing! Quality modelling on a (literally as well as figuratively!) grand scale.

Had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon at the Olney show but was surprised - nay, shocked - to find that Mr Tailby has not only turned to 7mm scale but also come dangerously close to actually finishing a layout! He confessed that he is considering going to ExpoEM in Wakefield tomorrow. If he does, I feel those on the doors should check his credentials carefully and if he is no longer able to produce a valid EMGS membership card, charge him accordingly for entry.

What happened to the MPV-based timber trains that were trialed between Aberystwyth and Chirk a decade or so ago? I vaguely recall a discussion on a previous incarnation of RMweb that suggested one purpose of the trial was to see if the MPV's could be used for other varieties of freight traffic elsewhere on the Cambrian system. Were the trials simply not a success or what?

The DJH Barclay tank is sold specifically as a beginners kit. Avoid the Mercian Barclay kit like the plague! I'm three-quarters of the way through building one and it has fought me every inch of the way. To describe it as a scratch-aid would be extravagantly generous!

In 'Behind the Steam', the autobiography of Bill Morgan who began as a cleaner at Neyland in 1916, he describes loading crates of mackerel at the fish dock and being paid a penny for every four crates loaded. He thought it was a nice little earner until he discovered that each fish-packer was allocated their own wagon and that his was right down the far end of the fish dock.

Tim V. Please help me orientate myself with your picture of Bedford. Were you standing on the bridge that now shelters the tiny platform of Bedford St Johns when you took that picture? The building on the left looks right but I'm struggling to reconcile the straight track in front of it with the flange-squealing hairpin bend that today's trains from Bletchley have to negotiate.

I'm afraid Terry is rather more than merely "not well".

Geoff. I made the mistake of building what was intended to be a home layout that was exhibitable. What it actually turned out to be was an exhibition layout that could be operated at home. Sounds to me like you have made the same mistake. I've learned a lot from the mistakes I made and am making sure I learn from them so as not to make them again. It's proving difficult - a lot of the problem being the desire to build a layout that is better than its predecessor - but I will not give up.

Are we talking 007 here? If so, did you notice how he has the ability to pick up the controls of a layout he hasn't seen in donkey's years and promptly commence operating it better than those who live with it every day? Glad to hear the day went well.

Yes please!

I met Penny Steam at a Foxfield Autumn Gala a few years ago (When Penny was still alive). I was amazed at how self-effacing someone that talented can be.

GEM did/does re-railing jacks

Found it

I have a CSP Trojan and a friend of mine has the old Centre Models version of Trojan, but put them side by side and you'd think one was in 4mm scale and the other was in 3.5, so different is their size. It made me wonder if one of them was actually of a close relative of the SS Class (of which Trojan is a member) but researching the subject at the time revealed that the SS Class does not have that close a relative. I'd say, therefore, that the upper Avonside in your pictures is also an SS. My guess is that the original customer specified a higher tank capacity than was supplied on the "standard" model. It could also be an earlier/later version of the SS, resulting in the front end of the frames being a slightly different shape. With regard to the CSP kit, it is indeed derived from the original Agenoria kit. The body remains pure Agenoria but the chassis was redesigned during the scaling-down process and is not as good as the original 7mm scale version. It doesnt help that when the chassis was redesigned, the instructions were merely altered, rather than given the complete revamp that was merited. There is a thread on an older incarnation of RMweb about the quirks and foibles of the kit.

Be careful! I discovered the hard way that quite brief exposure to brake fluid can make some - repeat some - plastics very brittle.

Here's mine to illustrate what I mean. The loco's entire weight is taken by the pivots for the compensation beams.

TBG. What are your thoughts on the IKB chassis? It really is a lovely looking thing but no description of it could be considered complete if it failed to use the word 'delicate'. I would imagine the warnings about it being too fragile for exhibition use focus on the way the axle bushes are mounted.

A quick Google finds just this picture. No 36 was r/h drive with a screw reverse. The l/h drive loco was no 34 and had lever reverse. https://www.rail-online.co.uk/p469896013/h3CAC7E77#h3cac7e77 The Cambrian bought six altogether but the other four were considered to be too far gone to be worth converting. One ended up as station pilot at Aberystwyth. I have a vague recollection that another became works pilot at Oswestry. It is often stated that none of them lasted long enough to carry their Great Western numbers, Wrong! The first proper picture in CC Greens Cam Rys II features ex Metropolitan number 11, Latona, later Cambrian number 12, half hidden behind an ex-Lambourn Valley tank but with what is quite clearly its GWR rectangular plate on the tank.

I'm not aware of any on-line pictures of the Cambrian conversions, but its a rare book on the Cambrian that doesnt contain a piccie or few. The conversions are quite interesting, one being right-hand drive, the other left, with all sorts of other differences. They came about because as tank engines they were too heavy to operate on the lightly-laid branches but lacked sufficient fuel and water capacity to go far on the main line (they were tried as bankers on the climb to Talerddig but kept on running out of water) I once planned to have a go at building one of the tender conversions using an IKB kit , but abandoned the idea when it became apparent just how little of the kit would be needed. The smokebox, chimney, dome, cylinders and front buffer-beam were about it, IIRCC. I was also warned that the IKB chassis, although exquisite, is not man enough for the hurly-burly of exhibition life.

The Cambrian's were bought second-hand from the Met. They got Beyer Peacock to convert one to a tender loco and converted a second themselves.

To add to the comments made about the High Peak and Tissington Trails, a couple of years ago I did the triangle, starting and finishing at Ashbourne, and found the most challenging leg was the non-railway one along the B5035 from Ashbourne to Cromford Wharf. Its a switchback road, with several steep climbs and descents, and carries more traffic than you'd expect of a minor road. It didnt help that when I did it the road had only just been resurfaced, so every passing car shot-blasted me with loose chippings. It made the sharp drop into Kniveton interesting, too, because the surface was so loose I hardly dared touch the brakes!

I cannot now remember why, but a few years ago I did some research into the O/S framed Toads and realised then that there was considerable variation in the position of the chimney. I do, however, find myself looking doubtfully at the position of the chimney in the Atkins etc. drawing above. If the stove it served was immediately below it (which I realise wasn't always the case) it would have been very much in the way of anyone negotiating the doorway to the balcony. At best it would have been a nuisance, but on a cold winters night, with the stove stoked up until it was nearly glowing and demanding a wide berth, it would have been downright hazardous to any guard who needed to make a hasty exit in order to man the brake standard.

Every year I go this show with high expectations and every year my expectation are surpassed. However, never before have they been surpassed by as much as they were today. Superb show! Already I'm thinking of next year and wondering how on earth you follow this up.

Is, unlike last year, the overflow car park across the other side of the roundabout going to be available again?

My understanding is that the kit was originally ABS, then became D&S, then, when Danny Pinnock retired, reverted to ABS. Source of info was Adrian Swain, not long after he had resumed manufacture, which would have been about 2013. I was purchasing my second one at the time and would like a third to convert to a Liskeard and Caradon version.