Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

Mornin' all, Yet another good to be alive blue sky sunny misty cool start in The Moorlands....can't have too many.... An electronically expensive year so far (digital still camera and laptop being the other two) with the camcorder the latest gadget to be beyond economic repair....it has had some real use in the 8 years though. Replacement ordered. Church duties beckon Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

....why not just savour ERs for what it is Gordon and continue your modelling webcontent wherever you feel most comfortable....those who move regularly between forums never seem to have roots in any. Dave

Mornin' all, Classic blue sky misty cool dawn in The Moorlands... A one hour circuit becomes two by the time that the numerous stops to study the flora & fauna have been made....oh and one or two pictures have been composed and taken. Enjoy what you do Dave

....we haven't mentioned Jim Bob. Are you there Jim Bob? Dave

....night John boy. Dave

Hi Justin, Between myself and Richard Oldfield at Barrowmore we will need 25 underframe kits for Presflos. Is that a reasonable incentive? If you want the cash up front then just say. Dave

....maybe the site uses VW software. Dave

Mornin' all, Happy birthday to Ian for yesterday I'm not expecting to find cultivated maple leaf colour such as this garden variety whilst out on the constitutionals..... ....but it would be good to think that the golds and oranges of the countryside trees could become somewhat more impressive than they are just now, before the wind and rain lash them to the ground. Is seems better with chemo 4 than 3, she cooked/ate a bacon & egg lunch yesterday, though tired but still pain free. Now music by KT Tunstall....Feel it all Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

Hi Justin, I'm hearing that you have underframes for Presflos on the way. Any idea of timescale? I assume that an accurate underframe will need to take the more accurate Airfix/Dapol hopper to make the most convincing end result? I've not forgotten about the Plate kits but have a bit of unexpected expense just now. Dave

.....I had heard that it was just one engine variant in the diesel range Larry....has that changed? Dave

Mornin' all, Blue sky sunny good to be alive start in The Moorlands.... ....a few nice gold and orange tints appearing on the trees. Is had chemo 4 yesterday and was also given a range of supplements to replace those minerals etc affected/depleted by the chemo. She was pain free and tired when I got in from work, otherwise in good heart...just two treatments left, hopefully. Now music by Creedence Clearwater revival...Bad moon rising Best wishes to all with ailments of any kind Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

.....this is another case in point and yes I am aware that this is not a grain hopper... http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/presfloslate/h1a1d1bce#h1a1d1bce ....I am currently modelling two Presflo ex ICI salt, as later Delabole slate powder hoppers. Yes I will use a very weathered ICI blue shade on the upper end parts of the models as per the prototype but the rest of the models will not display any blue shade. Dave

.....you are entitled to your opinion John but that is all it will ever be. Dave

Mornin' all, When modelling wagons I weather them to the appearance of the prototype. I don't mind whether the finish of the prototype is due to the shade of the undercoat/the original topcoat thinning or being faded/altered by sunlight/product carried over time, or whether the vehicle is washed/painted so infrequently that dirt build up/weathering have rendered it difficult to tell the shade that it is meant to be. I encountered ex works vac braked/unfitted wagons so rarely in BR days that I find it almost a waste of time considering using the so called authentic paint shade....far more accurate (to me) to mix around a dozen weathered shades of approximate colour(s) to what I observe on the prototype and apply them in a way which replicates the appearance of such. This is a scan of Paul's image (used when I modelled the wagon in question), the green of the grass and the white of the handwheel suggest that any colour cast is marginal, also flat matte paintwork will reflect only marginal amounts of sky colour, therefore the colours contained in this picture are likely to be very close to the shades carried by the wagon on the day..... .....juxtaposed for direct comparison. Dave

Mornin' all, Waiting for enough daylight for the constitutional....looks like a clear sky so a 7am start is on the cards. I'll take the camera.....just in case. Is had issues with her red/white blood cell count in the pre chemo 4 blood test yesterday....apparently the white cell count is ok but the red cell count is low (anemia) due to the effects of the chemo, however, this won't stop chemo 4 happening today. More important is she is still pain free, has a good quality of life....if a little isolated socially and is usually in good spirits. Best wishes to all in physical discomfort of any kind A classic Moorland Autumn morn..... .....low cloud clearing from the South West and giving way to brighter blue sky conditions.... ....interesting cloudscapes.... ....the reservoir 'fields' will be inundated as the Autumn rains swell the amount of run off entering..... ......the water level is slowly heading back towards the causeway....various councils would have given planning permission to build on these 'fields'. ....the low cloud snagging the peaks of The Roaches... Enjoy what you do Dave

....I don't have my instructors notes any more Jim otherwise I would pass them on...I was based at the Crewe training school as a full time traction instructor. I also worked with the Derby test centre engineers as a driver when the 60s were new and the driver manual/driving technique instructions were being worked out. The Peak Forest to Bletchley stone working was used for 5 consecutive week days....27x102T JGAs from a standing start on a 1 in 100 uphill grade....no banker. One test simply involved opening the power handle to max, letting the brakes off and allowing the loco to work it all out for itself. At Peak Forest summit one of the white coated technicians emerged from the engine room and announced that a 60 couldn't get any closer to electronic stall than that without it happening....thus the 33056 instruction written dictated a low power setting up to 15mph, before opening the power handle wide. Dave

Mornin' all, Dodge the precipitation games for the constitutional earlier....head down calorie burn throughout. The school sign project has reached the stencil making stage, ready for outlining all sign content to assess balance/spacings etc. Galvanised steel strips collected from a local manufacturer yesterday to strap the water butt to the gazebo in an attempt to prevent trespassing youngsters in the school grounds from moving the butt and damaging the downspouts etc. Best wishes to all in physical discomfort of any kind Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

Evenin' all, As promised, the highlights of the SVR gala from Friday..... Enjoy what you do Dave

....just long thin September daffodils Andy. Dave

Mornin' all, Rain stopped constitutional play in The Moorlands today....an attempt to sneak out before the drops started to fall was thwarted seemingly as soon as I opened the back door. Back to work this afternoon after three and a half weeks off...oh well. Plenty of errands to run before setting out. Best wishes to all with ailments of any kind Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

Evenin' all, My raiding of our garden on Thursday morning to provide a contribution for the decoration of our church at harvest-time led to Is taking the foliage along and helping to arrange it. I'll let the efforts of the ladies involved speak for themselves..... Enjoy what you do Dave

.....chemo 4/6 on Wed if all is well with the blood test on Tue Jock, thank you. We've just had friends from church spend a couple of hours chatting and sharing tea & cake with us.....a lovely slice of normality. Rgds Dave

....and yet the variety of images from ERs around the world make the value of the thread greater than the sum of the individual parts Dom. Dave

The ebb & flow of Autumn was there to be found in The Moorlands early this morn..... ....as the sun broke the horizon and the mist began to flee.... .....each glimpse there a moment then gone forever.... ....the fall sea..... ....eyelash dew-forming cool damp fingers of Autumn wrap around on the descent to Cheddleton.... ....the Cheddleton locks on the Froghall arm of the Caldon canal.... ....the gloom of the Autumn morn around the waterwheels of the flint mill.... ....in the depths of the fall sea the sunlight struggles to pierce..... .....climbing back into the light the vapours soften the edges of the seasonal tints and blend all into one..... ....in tunnel pool the workmens boats..... .....the quiet reflectiveness at the end of the Leek arm Sorry to hear of your pain Jock....I can only hope that these images provide a brief distraction. Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

Evenin' all, All steamed out this weekend following a smashing coach outing to the Llangollen railway today. Plenty of cash handed over to the steam railway and each of the churches for which we raise funds. Here are a few visuals..... Coffee stop by the water at Ellesmere.... Our chara for the day...... 3802 running round at Llangollen prior to watering. The propelling end of the coaches visible on the right.... Corwen East looking towards the buffer stops.... Carrog with 3802 about to run round after propelling us from Corwen East..... Won't say what Sylvia threatened to do if I published this pic..... Good to see the suspension bridge at Berwyn in use again and the adj. hotel open for business.... Time for a leg stretch....a stroll along the canal to the horseshoe falls.... Savouring a couple of bottles of Welsh beer from Llangollen......cheers Enjoy what you do Dave