tomparryharry

Anything above & to the right of Watford is North Eastern. I went Norwich once. That was close enough....... Ian.

North Eastern doesn't sell? There must be a lot of hype over those Gresley Pacifics then.

"Quote".... "There is only something worse about being talked about, and that is not being talked about...." Oscar Wilde, perhaps?

I used to collect money. More importantly, £10 & 20 pound notes. It used to have quite an extensive collection, but the wife sold it off..... Now I play a broken drum. You can't beat it....... Now I pursue a harmless hobby; number spotting. If I can find 37 & 961, I'll have the set!

It's ok, you've got the wrong Barry, that's all. Barry used to be a railway ticket collector from Porth. Miners using Mabons Day (look it up) would take the train down to Cardiff. "let's use Barrys'railway" came the phrase, and it stuck. It's the same about the Cardiff Railway. The architects on Cardiff Docks called in the 3rd marquis for his opinion. "It's a beaut" came the reply. Remember, you heard it here first. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

I ordered a 48xx as soon as it was available to order. I wanted to have a non-topfeed locomotive, because all of the photos I have show both 4871 & 4821 without top feed. As with such a long-lived class of locomotives, there were a lot of detail differences, such to make the forum fairly lively at times. My model did about an hour on the rolling road, and very smooth it is. I will probably get another (4825), but it only depends on my eventual layout design. As such, the loco fills the need for an auto tank very well. Having the 0-4-2 chassis (or, if you like, 2-4-0) leads into possible forays into Metros, 36xx,, and Stellas. Hmm..... Ian.

It's a Skaledale fishermans hut.

Some years ago, I took a contract in Lampeter, Dyfed. To approach the site, you needed to drive through Lladdewi Breddi, of well-known television fame. The signpost was well situated about 12 foot up, with 2 whacking great posts. Clearly there to dissuade collectors of Little Britain!

I'm going out on a pool of froth here, my 2018 predictions for next year. A 8750 pannier A Great Western brake van, with 'new' branding. A 'new' 64xx pannier, with new numbers. A bogie brake van And..... A Mumbles tram. There! You didn't expect that one, did you? (Frankly no, I didn't expect that one, either). The outside chance is a 2021 pannier, for delivery in 2063. Ian.

Brains didn't need to travel that far. By Walnut Tree, the barrel started to run dry. You'd have to go back and get another one!

There used to be a pub down there. Golden Cross? Top of Bute Street? Just down the road was an army surplus store down there, where I first bought my first pair of parade boots. Many years later, I was in charge of craning out the pannier 9629, at Holiday Inn.

Your view remains the same, regardless of which region or company you favour. Little wonder, that producers eke out their available pool of historical examples. Some boxes will be closed forever. Once you hit the definitive example, where do you go from there? Some producers will never release models, in the forlorn hope that some commercial existence will continue beyond the last of the Beames 0-8-4 tank. There is, or will be, a trade -off between 'the market', and the life expectancy of available purchasers. Ian.

Well, you can address problems with people concerned, without affronting them. The pen is mightier than the sword. In the right hands, it's like a scalpel, performing delicate, life-saving surgery. In the wrong hands, it will kill you, and those about you. Any points raised should be polite, and backed up with documentary evidence. You can't expect to always be on parity with you, vis-a- vis the producer & expectant buyer. The chances are we know a great deal more than any producer. Merely highlighting the 'faults', however many, will lead to cross words & recrimination. Experience allows education. It's far easier to lead a horse, than push. Cheers, Ian.

So, it's that time of year again..... Mass panic! Oh dear, Oh Dear! It's no different in Smith Towers. So, Mrs Smith sent me on my way. "Get everything! Be inventive!" She said..... A plastic inflatable parrot, 4 dozen wooden pegs, pink fibreglass chopsticks, a ceramic bust of Lenin, and a CD in Arabic, where Roy Hattersley addresses the TUC in 1971... S.C. Rooge.

To be perfectly honest, rail weight per yard varies across the range, so you can have 75, 80, 85, 90 & 95 lbs per yard. Great Western switches were a nominal 100 lbs per yard. If you can determine that to a finite degree of accuracy, you're doing very well indeed. I guess what your trying to achieve, is to 'capture the feel' of the track; how it looks, how it interacts with the rest of the layout, or diorama. 10 microns (look it up) over a metre viewing distance is quite small, and your ballast is probably 3-4 times thicker than the actual material. Cheers, Ian.

It's true in real life as well. It's a real PITA to get it in upside down, as the 'head' is mostly slightly wider than the lower part. If it goes in 'ar$e up' it should cant over, and trying to get the keys in normally gives the game away. Ian.

Your population census is a little bit 'off' in your scenario. The headcount is accurate, but this falls down against the disposable income' demographic. You could argue that there are more A's & B's than Z10's north of Carlisle, than south of it. Some more spending power research is called for, methinks. Equally however, is the same scenario for anything west of Paddington. H&B? Hull & Barnsley Railway? Cheers, Ian.

Clarks pie, chips, yes, I remember....

Cambrian? Never to be left out. It's a large element of an even larger segment of Welsh railways, of both rolling stock, locomotive & working practices. As we all know, the Cambrian ran some pretty extensive services, with some impressive coaching stock to boot. The pre-grouping scene was a vast scenario of diversity, and the present day modelling is a very niche market indeed. However, all is not lost. I strongly believe that polite, informal discussion on the forum about this sort of thing will open doors to some of the niche element, and take it to the mainstream market. After all, if reputable model producers can release a 'single' coach (which, let's be honest, is a niche-niche market), then why not a Midland & South Western 4-4-0? Or, a 26xx Aberdare? Cheers, Ian

I seem to remember that you were well on your way yourself. Perhaps it should be 'me asking 'you'.

Well.... Easy really. It's easier for those 'linguistically challenged' to say Caroline Street, than it is to properly pronounce Ynysybwl. Penrhriwceiber is close to Ynysyboeth, but you'd be damned clever to tell them apart. Then, over the tump, there's Llanwonno. Further west you go, you go past Ystradgynlais. There's proper twang down there, there is! Dai the Shunt.

Go on Johnster, you know you want to.....

Addressing the problem is simple. Every morning, the design department sit on the top of a Great Western safety valve, pointing towards Caerphilly. The mantra is issued thus:-" Bless me oh lord, that I may worship the Port Talbot Railway 0-8-2 tanks, , and deliver me from the twin evils of the LNWR, and Midland". Defaulters of the chosen path will need to pronounce the word Penrhiwceiber. Non-believers will need to attend a beginners course in Caroline Street, Cardiff. Ian.

You are quite correct. However, it does bring it's own problems. There are only about 6 locomotives in total that represent anything pre-grouping 'Western, and the major players already have the principal pre-grouping models, and none of the amalgamated companies. The variation is quite extensive, but it's very, very niche indeed. No M&SWJR, Barry, Rhymney, B&M (who's that?) A&NDJR (again, who's that?) and the Taff Vale Railway. Not much of a Railway really. When the mighty Great Western were paying dividends of 2%, the Taff were paying 10 1/4% in the same year. But, I digress. The hardest part for any producer, would be to accurately reproduce the original subject, with any degree of fidelity. The subject matter is such that getting even rivets out of line would bring down howls of "shame" upon the hapless designer, as the parent subject is so well known. A tough game indeed. Ian

And, around the back of East Moors, North East Junction slumbers, awaiting the call....... Cardiff Railway 153, anybody?