tomparryharry

Newport-Southampton is a real eye-opener. I booked my ticket, and my seat. No less than 12 people tried to 'claim' my seat, included others who 'supposedly' had tickets & reservations. I pity the poor bu66er who tried to take my seat on the return, it had been a long meeting & trying day. "You! Out of my seat!" For little old ladies, I'll always make the exception, but seat dodgers (for which there are numerous between Soton & BTM) get my goat. Grrr. Rant over. Ian.

On occasion, I need to travel to Southampton, from South Wales. Mrs Smith will come along. The normal route is M4-A34-M3-M27. ... So.... I'll use the A36 route. For over half of the journey, the request is "Please turn around where possible". Mrs Smith doesn't really like it, but she's got wise to it finally. I do like a screwed-up Sat Nav. Ian.

An excellent diversion:- "Quiet dear, the SatNav is talking". Brownie points all round! Ian.

In situations like this, restoration versus conservation drives you to the knife edge. I'm currently looking at a business plan with just this situation. It's easier and cheaper to conserve the original artefact as a direct historical contact, and use it as a reference point. The other avenue is to restore the artefact, and alter or lose many original concepts (not parts) in the process. My mind is very firmly fixed in the 'new' model, allowing the original item to continue to remain with as much dignity as possible. Cheers, Ian.

You and me both. I thought the word was 'Corona'... A well-known brand of pop from the 60's. Ian.

Ratio did do a kit of some Midland/LMS locomotives. My first one was a bit of a failure. Nowadays, I'd have another go, but I'd be better prepared now. Romfords, etc, instead of the plastic ones. They do come up on e-bay, and fetch good money, so I'm told. Cheers, Ian.

La Villa Strangiato. The guitar work is worthy of repeated listening. Seeing this topic on the forum is a trip to Youtube, or the CD. Happy listening! Ian.

Quality sells. If it's a good product, it will sell. Even rounded up to your price to £2:00, your nominal rake of 50 wagons is still only £100:, far less than the going rate. Put me down for the first 50 wagons. You can put me down for 100 underframes as well. How do you want the money? Cheers, Ian.

I've just ordered a couple of Cambrian 9' underframe kits. I've not used them before. Ian.

Oooh, let's see... a Baccy 16t mineral, with it's unique 10' wheelbase, or a POWsides private owner, which is pretty good in all respects. £16-odd for the Baccy, £12-odd for the POWside. Mind made up. It's slightly cheaper and I get the wagon rake I'd want. Cheers folks, Ian.

That is an interesting thought:- "Rivet Counter and Operator versions". Is there any further information to expound this? Cheers, Ian.

Heading east on the M4 has this same situation. For some reason, the traffic after J13 (A34) has a 3 mile flow, then a jam of rolling traffic, all at about 50-ish, until you reach Jct 12 (Reading West). Of course, that has its own problems.... Ian. Edited because I didn't proof read my post. Sorry!

Working 1988 Swan microwave. Working 1950's dishwasher. ... Me. Cheers, Ian.

For me personally, the kits meet a rather large gap in the railway model market. Yes, I do have RTR, and I enjoy it. However, there was a time in recent past where RTR couldn't cover the gap, with kits being the 'only show in town'. I've got some many & varied kits, all in various stages of storage. Some will be done sooner, some later. I know that if I choose, I can come back to them. The RTR is more the 'finished article'. I would like to finish my 42xx tank: weighing over a kilo in weight, it's geared to pull a house down. I know I will spend far more than the Hornby version, but the Cotswold model appeared sooner. Cheers, Ian.

Wow! What a coincidence! My sister used to run the Brewers Arms in Brightlingsea. At first glance, I thought it was the place. Only the door placing and the windows gave it away. Uncanny. Ian.

Many thanks folks, just the info I needed. Next stop is an order for some transfers. Rogerstone is but a short trip down to Maesglas, which I'm told was one of the largest toad allocations on the Western. having lived in Pontypridd, it would be rude not to also include Coke Ovens, just up the Rhondda in Hopkinstown. Cheers folks, Ian

Oh dear me! A Troll! Back to the hole where I can hide! Goodbye!

Well, I am also guilty, to a lesser or greater degree. I think what we've found is that polite, informal & sometimes educational discussion on the subjects should, in most cases, lead us to where we want to be. If for some reason, you don't like what you're offered, don't buy it. You can politely explain why you're not buying it. You're not baying for blood, although it sometimes look like that! Any producer worth his salt should have cottoned on over the last few years, and realised that the upper end of the market is where it's at. sales will ably demonstrate that, because you're paying for it, ultimately. I'm quite prepared to hang on for what 'floats my boat'. No? Then the wallet stays shut. Simples.... Cheers, Ian.

Mrs Smith tries to limit my time at Lord & Butler. Never, ever enough time for me. On the odd time I've got the time, she comes along 'for the ride'. Gadzooks! Ian.

Some years back, I rescued a 30-inch vernier from the skips in work. Test measurement. just fine. A little later, we needed a extremely fine measurement between 2 rollers. Out came the big vernier, to gasps of "hells teeth, where did you buy (Buy?) that"? "Oh, it's just one of the toys I have from time to time...." Next question (and, from a graduate engineer) "How do you read it?" Finally, my multi-meter cost 1 penny to buy. The transport cost £6.99. Still works a treat. Ian.

As a small child, I remember being held up to look over the wall at Crystal Palace High Level station, then recently disused. Between that, it was anywhere between Forest Hill, Brighton, & South Wales. I'm sure I saw my first Blue Pullman at Reading, working through the main lines. Year escapes me. Cheers, Ian.

Hi Folks, it's question and advice time! I'd like to re-brand one of my Hornby Toads, and ask if you have any advice for getting the old branding off. Naturally, any helps or tips will be gratefully received & acknowledged. Cheers, Ian.

One problem is some drivers get scared when on the M25. You can't really blame them, especially if you're not used to the sheer volume of traffic. Part of the problem is the 'Reginald Molehusband' approach to motorway driving. You should, ideally, travel at a top speed of 70mph. But, if you're going at 65 mph ("I'm going sufficiently fast, thank you very much!) will result in a tailback within 5 minutes, with a length about 2 miles. It's not speed, it's volume. Of course, every tailback increases the Exchequer, because you'll pay taxes on all of that fuel.... Ian.

I used to commute from Newport (South Wales) to Southend. I'd set off about 03:30 on the M4. It's only HGV traffic. Then , about 04:30, it's contractors vans, all heading east. Just after that, about 05:00, we start to get the first of the cars, all the way down to the M25 junctions. Arrival at 07:45 would mean a good day, because you could get more done. Leaving Southend any time after 13:00 was a waste of time as the M25-M4 to Reading was a nightmare, and took about 3 hours. From there, through to Swindon, took all of the traffic going to Gloucester on the A417. Finally, here's the M32, at Bristol! Little wonder it was sometimes cheaper to have a kip in the van, and leave some 3 hours later. Slightly slower speed, and less fuel, to boot. Cheers, Ian.

I'd respectfully suggest that the degree of interest/froth may have a direct correlation to how many interested people are modelling in any of the era, locations that they might be interested. I'll hazard a guess that Western modellers outnumber the others by quite a few percentage point. There is a historical point to this. In the past, you could make any old tat, and stick a GWR sticker on it, and it would sell. Apart from the older R52 Jinty, it's the only tank locomotive in town. The numbers alone make sense. There has been some really questionable stuff heaped upon us, to the point that the customer base replied "not good enough, we want better". Little wonder that in recent years, the quality & fidelity has shot up. At last, producers are starting to cotton on. Finally, in the highly unlikely event that Bachmann produce a lemon, then the customers money won't be forthcoming. Cheers, Ian.