Huw Griffiths

Just to confirm - does this mean that this challenge is now closed to new entries - or just that anyone submitting entries needs to "get things moving"? This question isn't quite as stupid as it might sound - as some further people are likely to be working on entries, but deliberately keeping quiet until they're close to finishing. Some people might also have definite reasons for adopting this approach (like having had to abandon entries to previous challenges, due to unexpected calls on their time). This is certainly the case for me (with an entry at the "90 - 95% completed" stage - and a thread just about to be started - assuming that I can remember how to post all my build photos without using Flash ...). I very much doubt if I'm alone in this regard. Whatever the score, it should be interesting to see how all the different entries fare. Huw.

... But, if they're smoking a pipe, how can they possibly be described as "average enthusiasts"?

That reminds me of one rail replacement bus I was a passenger on a number of years back - between Gloucester and Swindon - when the driver asked me for directions, from Swindon's "Magic Roundabout" (which I'd never seen before) to the nearby railway station. Thankfully, we both managed to "muddle through" OK (it might also have helped that I'm generally very good at navigation). It turned out that the driver was from another part of the country (and he hadn't been given any info on where he had to go). In fact, during the years I faced long distance commuting to and from my last job (officially by train), I often encountered replacement buses - and I was rarely impressed by them, for various reasons. At the time, the "Train Operating" Companies in question often seemed to wait inordinate lengths of time before even attempting to get hold of one of these buses. When they finally "pulled their fingers out", the things rarely seemed to be worth the wait. They frequently used firms from outside the area - who'd probably send some totally unsuitable (and often rough looking) vehicle, which would wait ages before a TOC official finally got round to letting passengers board. Of course, there'd be loads more messing about - before the bus got moving, a few seconds before the next incoming train arrived (so the whole cycle repeated itself). At the other end of the journey, there'd be a high probability of seeing the tail lights of an onward train vanishing into the distance - with a long wait for the next one. Needless to say, the "help" desk at this station would either be unmanned, or be manned by some jobsworth who only seemed to know 3 words: "Next available train." Despite this, the TOCs concerned still expected their long suffering passengers to pay their normal "expense account distress purchase" fares to travel - with no hope of any recompense for all this messing about. Somehow, I don't see myself ever being a fan of rail replacement buses - even if I'm reckoning on one of the things featuring in a "CBC" entry ... . Regards, Huw.

I wish … ! Let's face it - Cwmbran's only a few km inland from Newport - and I don't have to go far to be reminded of this. At the junction between Ty Canol Way and Henllys Way, I can often get a clear view of Newport Transporter Bridge - and those 2 "bird shredders" between Nash College and Llanwern are also visible from the same spot. (Before anyone suggests I "should be keeping my eyes on the road", I'd better point out that this view is from a passenger seat on a local service bus. Although I've had a clean car driving licence for more than a quarter of a century, I don't own a car - so any driving I do involves hire cars.) By the way, I know exactly what you mean about "getting up" and staggering over to the fridge - an exercise which often seems to involve various beverages rapidly disappearing … . Anyway, I might need to find lots of energy in the next few weeks - to get to some events in the area: * This weekend, there's a show in Penarth. * A fortnight Sunday, Newport MRC have rescheduled their open day. I had been intending to take an ongoing project along to the Newport event, in the hope of getting some advice. Unfortunately, with the weather as hot as it's been (and me as tired as I've been), I can't see this happening. However, I still reckon I'll enjoy both of these events. Regards, Huw.

Certainly no "real" modelling being done here - not hard to work out why. However, I have finally made some progress on a "cakebox challenge" entry. That's right - I've emptied a cakebox ... . On another note, I've also been experimenting with cutting up and sticking together various types of foam - albeit types not normally associated with modelmaking. Meanwhile, I'm beginning to wonder if, in certain parts of the country, some trainspotters might be turning their attention to rail replacement buses. Seriously though, you didn't really expect me to concentrate on building model trains in this heat, did you? Huw.

...and the political will - on both sides of the border. Please note, I'm studiously avoiding expressing a view for, or against, Brexit. However, what happens with cross-border rail services is bound to be affected by what happens with the negotiations - what's said - what's agreed - and how much spirit of cooperation still exists when the negotiations conclude. I can only hope things work out for the best. Huw.

It's also within walking distance of the London Transport Museum. However, I don't visit the LTM these days - it got ridiculously expensive when they did away with 1 day admission and made everyone buy "annual admission" tickets instead, at quite a few times the (already high) daily rate. I am not sure about Sidcup being in London - I always thought it was in Kent - but I certainly wouldn't start an argument over it. All I know is that it's covered by PAYG Oysters - and certain Travelcard zones. It's also quite a pleasant (and not too long) journey out to Sidcup. When you get there, you walk down the ramp at the road bridge end of the station - turn right - and Invicta are a few metres along on your right. I can also add that I've found the people at Invicta a real pleasure to deal with. As for Jane's Trains (a few doors along from Tooting railway station), I like them as well - however their main stock in trade seems to be secondhand (of which they generally seem to have a good, changing, selection). I'd agree with other people here - if you are after model shops, central London seems to be very much of a desert. The only other model shop in London that I tend to have much to do with is 4D (just off Leman St.) - but they mainly cater for architectural modelmakers, so they are mainly about raw materials (especially ones that nobody else seems to stock), so unlikely to be what you are looking for. Regards, Huw.

It does work - up to a point. Certainly, the P800 model can cut through plain copper clad SRBP board - albeit with a number of "passes" - but initially you need to take care to ensure the blade doesn't wander. FR4 (fibreglass) is a lot harder - and would quickly blunt the blade. As for matric boards, most of them are made of one of these materials (most seem to be SRBP) - but the lines of holes mean that you're constantly having to restart the cut - and it can be difficult to stop the blade jumping out. While I think of it, I suspect it might not be too long before somebody comes along with some dire health & safety warning about manually cutting the materials used in these boards. I don't pretend to be an expert on this stuff - but I suspect the key issue here is probably to exercise the usual caution and common sense here. Huw.

Those Bachmann / Spectrum On30 coaches offer lots of potential for conversion projects - and not just the chassis, either (although they are rather good). I'm currently looking at using the domed clerestory roof from one of them, in a standard gauge "kitbash" project - very loosely based on a real railbus. (The lack of readily available information on my chosen prototype allows me plenty of scope for "homebrew" adaptations - this should make life easier for me ... .) I also reckon the chassis from some basic OO gauge models might be useful for O-16.5 / Oe / On30 conversions: Hornby's (ex-Lima) BR Mk1 CCT chassis has appeared as "models" and as "Thomas" themed toys. It's a very similar length to Fleischmann Magic Train coaches - and would be easy to adapt for "homebrew" conversions. Lima also produced a basic BR Mk1 coach - which is sometimes available cheaply secondhand. A few years ago, a similar model was also offered with the (cheap) first part of a "partwork" - and some people said at the time that they were stockpiling them for conversion projects. (The ones mentioned at the time were "OO" standard gauge.) Actually, either of these models (and some others, if they're cheap) could be very useful for conversion into "O" narrow gauge bogie coaches and multiple units. As for your planned 3 car DMU, I'm looking forward to this - it's likely to be very good. I'll be watching this topic with interest. Regards, Huw.

For me, there are a number of factors. Certainly, I don't think anyone here would want a "photo-rich" mag printed on the sort of paper normally found on rolls in restrooms. I've already made it clear what I think about paying full price for a "package" with "something missing" (let's not get into arguments about semantics - the perception's there and it's not going anywhere). As long as I am getting all the content everyone else is getting, I'm not too worried about DVDs. If there's a reason for them being there, then great - if not, well you get the idea … . There's also the little matter of this site - which company pays the bills - so I am definitely not anti- Warners. How about the content itself? Well, I buy magazines for a mixture of inspiration and prototype info. I like scale drawings (though preferably not ones that look like they came out of an 80 dpi dot matrix printer - so I might not be about to buy one book of electric multiple unit drawings). I also like seeing how people have solved various difficulties in their modelmaking. Hardly surprising, really - as an engineer, this is one of my favourite aspects of the hobby. It might also explain a current kitbashing project - bodging a brake van kit and sundry other items into something vaguely resembling a pioneer petrol railcar. However, I can't see this being of interest to anyone else round here, so don't worry - I won't keep you any longer. Regards, Huw.

Some people will - some won't. However, I could imagine issues like this distorting the market research data. Some people might have been wondering why I expressed strong views regarding small, independent, local newsagents. About 10 years back, I found myself without one for about 6 months. OK - the reasons for this had little to do with magazine sales - but it was a bit of a nuisance. For various reasons, this would be even more of a nuisance if it were to happen again in my area. I have noticed that some of these places only get specific magazines in if the previous month's one has sold (preferably not "last minute") - so I really don't want significant parts of the magazine "package" to be missing only from newsstand editions (or anything else which might turn people off buying their copy from them). If people refuse to buy their regular copy from some of these shops, they won't find the next edition there in a few weeks' time. I know that certain people would suggest that "the DVD isn't missing from the newsstand version - it's just a different package". Well, I'm not trying to stop anyone arguing this - but a number of people (here and elsewhere) would beg to differ - and these are some of the people who normally buy this magazine. Some people would refuse to buy a magazine if they (quite reasonably) feel that they're getting an incomplete package, which fails to include content commented on in this thread - no amount of telling people that this is not the case will change these people's minds. Of course, how many of these people would actively choose to buy a magazine because it comes with a DVD is another matter completely. However, the reasonable perception of missing content - and an incomplete package - was why I sought an assurance that all this month's DVD content would be made available to all BRM readers in some form and in due course. (Please note, I was not saying when, or in which form.) Whether or not certain people happened to like this question, there was nothing unreasonable about it. More to the point, a simple statement to the effect that this content would be made available in due course would have been enough to avoid any hostilities - hostilities which, I'm sure, nobody here wants. Anyway, returning to the newsagents, I'm not exactly worried about WHS - nobody would be able to push them about - they're big enough to take care of themselves - and they're more than capable of looking after their own interests. No, WHS are not an issue as far as I'm concerned. Small "independents" probably have rather less "clout" than much larger companies - and I don't want to lose them. As it happens, my local newsagent's current proprietor actually stocks a number of model railway titles (several of which I often buy) - from a number of publishers. If they were to stop "doing" BRM, I could always buy ModelRail, or Hornby Magazine, or ... . OK - so the content's different - but I can usually find something of interest as, I'm sure, could the other people in my part of Cwmbran who just happen to be interested in model railways. As for subscriptions, it's not going to happen - not round here, anyway - so I'm sure I'm not alone in not wanting anything that might alienate newsstand customers. Whether or not any of us happen to be in favour of the current piece of "market research" - well, that's likely to come down to personal opinions (and possibly other factors). I guess that a number of people here will just need to "agree to disagree" on this stuff. Anyway, time to move on - my "kitbash" project won't build itself ... . Regards, Huw.

Well, I could tell you - but you probably wouldn't like what would happen next ... . Huw.

:nono: :nono: As I've already made clear, I've never liked "fireworks" / arguments - I never set out to cause them - and I'm desperate to avoid them here. After all, if there were to be arguments, there'd be no winners and plenty of losers. Let's not go there. Let's face it - I've never been a trouble maker - and I've got no plans to become one. For this reason, I think we'll just have to agree to disagree on certain issues here. Regards, Huw.

Who knows? There might have been "leaves on the line" somewhere - albeit about 6 months ago. I'm afraid this does nothing to change my opinion of the standard of "journalism" in a certain "snoozepaper" (and various other ones, for that matter). This reminds me of when, as an electrical engineering student, I visited a nuclear power station. One of the guys who was showing us around commented about the general standard of tabloid journalism - with the suggestion that, if there were to be a chip pan fire in the catering block (which got sorted out by chucking a fire blanket over the pan), certain elements of the press would probably have enormous front page headlines, along the lines of: "Blaze at nuke plant!" I reckon he probably had a point - one which reminds me of one comment sometimes attributed to some understandably cynical Russians: "There is no truth in the News - and no news in the Truth." Well, "there's many a true word spoken in jest" - and it would certainly sound like fair comment here. I had similar experiences when I commuted to and from my last job - although the train I remember "pulling up sharply" had been diverted via Dr. Days Junction and Bristol Temple Meads. As for a South Wales - London train being diverted via Gloucester (before rejoining the Badminton line at Bristol Parkway), I often encountered that, too. I could, however, imagine the route via Chepstow, Lydney, Gloucester, Yate and Westerleigh Junction being a scary proposition for any train driver not used to it. Let's face it - by Lydney, there's an enormous yard full of old buses - some for component recovery - some for further use. They might be worried that one of said old buses might end up being used to convey all the train passengers - standing all the way to Swindon - just in time to see an onward connection disappear as they approach the station. :jester: Seriously though, the railways aren't in the habit of sending loaded trains over routes their drivers don't have current knowledge of - and I've got no issue with this, however inconvenient it might be for already delayed passengers. However, I do wish the rail industry would take steps to improve their contingency planning - to reduce the impact of stuff like this on their long-suffering cash machines "customers". Incidentally, I personally encountered the sort of nonsense I've described with rail replacement buses - so I think I'm qualified to make comments like this - and I also think it's fair comment. Regards, Huw.

Andy, No intention to cause offence / generate "fireworks" - just an observation about the difference in what's included in different versions - and some people feeling cheated if certain content is missing and not made available to them in due course. I suspect you might be right about how many people actually do anything with their DVDs - as opposed to just wanting to ensure that they don't miss out on something they might want to be able to watch at a later date. Thankfully, I'm glad that, in future, we won't get anyone prominently posting detailed instructions on how to get round copyright protection measures with magazine / website content ... .* (* I also wouldn't dream of being cynical - perish the thought ... .) As for the best way to deliver additional content, my gut feeling would be online / download links - especially since a lot of people have access to broadband these days. Of course, this assumes that ISPs provide something resembling the speeds claimed in their adverts - something which certainly was a problem in the days when fibre broadband wasn't available to as many areas as now (and ISPs were also allowed to be slightly more "imaginative" in their adverts). Huw.

Absolutely. I've never been keen on any moves by any magazine publisher to shaft the newsagents who help to provide them with customers - often previously loyal customers, like me. I was also not amused when Kalmbach (publishers of Model Railroader) made all manner of online content available - but only to direct subscribers - not to those of us who make a point of supporting our local newsagents (or, in my case, live in another country anyway). Likewise this current nonsense - which was why I made a point of inviting somebody from Warners to confirm that all the DVD content would, in time, be made available to everyone who pays for our regular copy, wherever we buy it from. I wasn't too worried how this material would be made available - whether as part of future issues' DVDs - or even as a download link. As far as I'm concerned, making blanket statements to the effect that loyal customers like me - people who pay the full price for our magazine and full contents - somehow don't qualify for the complete package is simply not acceptable - never has been - never shall be. I accept that some people might be less than comfortable with my question - fair enough. However, I was still asking a perfectly reasonable question - the answer to which might lead to some regular readers making perfectly reasonable decisions about whether or not to continue buying this magazine. Absolutely. I've never had any wish to start - or get involved in any "flaming", or other "pleasantries". I've also never had any personal issues with any of the people I've encountered who work or have worked) for Warners. Far from it, in fact - all the people concerned come across as decent people, with whom I enjoy having a chat at various model exhibitions. I hate to be the bearer of bad news - especially to people whom I happen to like - but I have no plans to take out a subscription. Even if I had been considering taking one out, this move would have been guaranteed to ensure I never do. Just for information, I've never been known for backing down on matters of principle. Yes - yes - I know: "Never underestimate the determination of a quiet man." The fact that I don't happen to be a fan of a certain political party doesn't matter here - this soundbite has always struck me as fair comment. Anyway, this particular quiet man has every intention of being here to stay (certainly on this site). It's probably best if I let you guess what might be about to happen to the volume ... . Anyway, my issue is not about politics - far from it, in fact. My issue here relates solely to a decision which is extremely likely to alienate a number of the loyal BRM readers Warners rely on - and a lot of the newsagents and model shops they also rely on to deliver new customers. Not again, please. :nono: :nono: It's a shame I'm never likely to find out - either what was said in this interview - or how enjoyable it might be to demonstrate (or otherwise exhibit) at these events. In fact, even though I like BRM as a magazine, I'm now in the position of having to decide whether to buy the magazine in future. I'm willing to be convinced - but decisions like this are not the way to convince me. Nothing personal, you understand - just business (or potential lack of it). Regards, Huw.

Fair enough ... . I guess that makes things clear.

Please could you confirm that the contents of this month's DVD shall also be made available to those of us who buy our copy of BRM through a newsagent? Thanks. I suspect that some people on this site might prefer the contents of a full cakebox - especially if it contains a hand iced carrot cake*. (*Other "health foods" are also available from various retailers. Of course, there's a very compelling reason for these products being known as "health foods" - they make people feel good.) Anyway, this reminds me that I might need to think about building my entry. In my case, ideas don't seem to be in short supply. As for the chance to build them, that seems to be a completely different matter. Regards, Huw.

It's got rather more to do with certain "news"papers - their "incisive" take on "journalism" - and the way that certain people (especially politicians, of varying persuasions) pander to them. Point taken - it's "thread drift" - especially the reference to Eric Blair (aka "George Orwell") - but I thought it could be seen as fair comment, in view of what had already been said in this thread. As for whether I'm "for" or "against" the line extension, I'm not sure how much weight my opinion should carry here. I don't live or work in the area - I don't even live in England - so I don't think I should be trying to force my personal opinions on this matter onto anybody else. When there have been moves to reopen / extend railways in my part of the world, I've wanted them to go ahead - but I'd probably be rather less keen if this involved felling Ancient Woodlands, ruining Sites of Special Scientific Interest, destroying Scheduled Ancient Monuments, or taking a wrecking ball to Listed buildings (unless they're "Brutalist" - in which case I'd probably wish to ask if I could be of any assistance ...). When it comes to motorways and their ilk, I really don't like those things. Huw.

Some people might suggest that such a country might have sounded familiar to a certain Mr. Blair. Of course, I'm not talking about Tony Blair - but Eric Blair … .

Well, in fairness, some people might argue that this particular "snoozepaper"* did，before anyone picked up a copy. They printed a masthead, with the words "Daily Mail" on it. (* In case anyone's puzzled by the reference to a "snoozepaper", the Mail have only themselves to blame. A number of years back, the Mail on Sunday were widely advertised using the strapline: "a newspaper, not a "snoozepaper".) Turning to the Mail's track record on checking all sides of their facts BEFORE PUBLICATION, to make sure they are 100% true / reliable, well it would be fair to point out that they have, occasionally, been known to get things wrong. OK, I'm sure there have been more recent examples than this - but I can remember them devoting a number of multipage spreads, over a number of days, to publicizing somebody's crackpot theory about some "coded prophecies" reputed to be contained in some ancient scrolls - "prophecies" with no basis in fact and later clearly proved to be somewhat wide of the mark. However, this proof would be well in the future at the time of publication. Never mind - they presented this guy's nonsense in a way that made it appear like established fact - even to the extent of publishing a mocked-up photo of a "terrorist" with a rocket launcher over his shoulder - and headlines along the lines of "how, where and when this guy will start World War 3". Strangely enough, their projected date for things to kick off has been and gone - several years back, actually - and, thankfully, we are all still here. Incredibly, I'm not a Mail reader - I don't trust the Mail. To be brutally honest, I find it extremely difficult to trust any "news"paper. I guess I must be getting cynical. Perhaps. Of course, having been through (and later worked in) Higher Education, I've been trained to look past the headlines - read between the lines - and be generally wary about the accuracy and bias of anything I read or hear. I'm aware of such "noble" concepts as "spin doctors", "conspiracy theories", "doublespeak" and just blatant propaganda. Whilst I'm studiously avoiding expressing any political opinion, I'm as aware as many of us of other examples of "political art" which reared their ugly heads about 2 years ago. Here, I'm referring to the Brexit "debate" and subsequent referendum - with both sides trading slogans and neither side making any real effort to engage in real discussion, based on facts (or anything resembling facts). Anyone remember "Project Fear"? Anyone remember that big (imported) "battle bus", with its "£350 million a week for the NHS" slogan? I remember both. I also remember people being swayed by both - or so cynical about both that they didn't bother voting. Even now, I'm not sure that either side is telling us the real truth - and publications like the Mail continue to weigh in on their chosen sides - force feeding yet more noisome propaganda down the throats of a public that probably already feels like throwing up. I seem to recall hearing about one country - where the (state controlled) "rags" have really "inspiring" names - like "News" and "Truth". A country where a jaded public have taken to observing that: "There's no truth in the News - and no news in the Truth." I wonder if similar comments might also be true in other countries … . Huw.

Fair enough - but please be aware of one potential beartrap: Do you know which company actually makes these solder stations - which model it is - and where (if at all) you'll be able to get spare parts in future? These might sound like crazy questions - but I speak as somebody who used to use a soldering station a number of times every day in a job, over a number of years. I also knew colleagues in other departments (at a university) who'd acquired various solder stations for work use - "hammered" the things - then couldn't get hold of spare tips and elements after a couple of years. It's because of this that I've only ever bought 2 makes of soldering iron - Antex and Weller - both of which I've been able to get spares for when I've needed them. Huw.

Errm ... yes ... I wonder which established train supplier Class 155 (many later converted to Class 153) came from. That idea sounds scarily familiar. I'm not completely sure why * ... . (* Perhaps, I might be - but who's worried?) All I know is that I'm not exactly a fan of either design - even less of Hornby's models of them, especially at anything like list price. However, in fairness, secondhand chassis from them do have their uses - as long as they're cheap enough. Huw.

Cwmbran is a classic example of this sort of stuff - with the A4051 "Cwmbran Drive" being built on two different rail alignments. Although the alignment between Malpas and Old Cwmbran had long since ceased to be used by through trains (and even the last part of that bit, between Ty Coch and Old Cwmbran had last been used for industrial purposes - then lifted - long before I moved to Cwmbran in 1967), road bridges were built to clear it. From Old Cwmbran to Pontyhydyrun, the Eastern Valley line was only lifted in the 1980s - after 6 bus passengers had been killed, when a "double decker" went under the low bridge at Grove Park. The stretch of the Eastern Valley line between Pontypool and Blaenafon ended up being converted into the A4043 - but I believe the former station site near the Clarence was used for a Tesco hypermarket. Of course, I'm not 100% sure about some of this stuff - but then I've never been an expert on history. Huw

Mmmmm … please don't tempt me … oh, OK then … ! Seriously though, I'm sure lots of people here have heard the expression: "There's many a true word spoken in jest." Well, it's certainly true here - for me, anyway. Although I've never made any secret of me liking trams - especially of the articulated "LRV" variety - I also happen to be rather keen on multiple units, railbuses and the like (just how keen, I've been struggling to keep "under wraps" recently - but I have my reasons). Some people might know that, a number of years back, I saw "Rivendell" at a show in Cardiff. Well, I say "saw" - perhaps I should say "found it difficult to tear my eyes away from", as a model of a similar railbus seemed to have that effect on me. Although I haven't built a similar model, it's something I wouldn't mind building some time. Right now, the idea's filed along with a "boxcab", a LRV, various overhead powered EMUs various versions of the GWR "razor edge" railcar - and one or more of those experimental petrol railbuses the NER / LNER tried about a century ago. You never know - I might even get round to building one of these things - especially if RTR manufacturers insist on goading us with drawings for models they appear to have no intention of producing. I guess somebody might just have to suggest a similarly themed challenge to Andy. No - I don't mean a "Wombles" challenge - what I'd really like is "build a railcar" (preferably with rules loose enough to allow LRVs) - or how about a rolling "motive power" challenge? Will this ever happen? Don't ask me - it's not for me to say - and I don't call the shots - but, "If I Can Dream" … . Huw.