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When is the Vogon Constructor Fleet expected? I fear it's actually going to be a relief when it arrives.... Andy G

I'm also slowly moving over to 'coroline' (Onduline is the same but different!), again put over the top of existing good felt, works really well. The key with coroline/onduline is to have it supported by something underneath over its whole length, or it goes saggy very quickly... My repair to the garage roof is a quick and dirty fix which keeps things a bit more watertight for a couple of months until I can strip the whole lot and replace with new. The garage has been a bit of a pest, timber with lots of rot, but now its sat on concrete blocks to keep it out of the ground and a lot of new timber and nice SWMBO tinted cement board weather boarding. A bit like Triggers broom! Andy G

Funny you mention leaking roofs, I spent yesterday patching a leaking roof on my garage, pending a full replacement in warmer (drier?) weather later in the year. I discovered that roofing felt can be staple-gunned into position on to OSB (which is the under roof of my garage). I'm interested to see how long it will last like that though! I do suggest getting up there and getting the roof repaired as soon as possible, as the under roof will rot quite quickly. Andy G

You seem to be being deliberately provocative for the sake of it again. Its as if you have an axe to grind against Network Rail..... There are things that have to be done for an operational incident that has been said above, and you seem to think that TOC's have train crew all over the place ready to take over at the drop of a hat, this simply isn't true. With knowledge of how these things work, getting them moving again in 4 hours seems pretty slick to me (don't forget that the Bobby in the box also probably had to piss in a bottle too). Again it brings up WCRC's driver standards again though doesn't it? Andy G

And before that the asbestos lagging was often made up into 'mattresses' for putting around the boiler (there are photos about that show locos in the '30's without their cladding sheets on that show these mattresses. Some however were of felt). I believe that the asbestos mattresses were superseded by sprayed 'limpit' asbestos (thats asbestos fibres mixed with a cement slurry), before the use of fibreglass. There are stories told of when asbestos was first used to lag boilers, there were problems getting it to stay put, men would chew the raw fibres (hence getting them wet) and then throw it at the boiler to which is would then stick. I seem to recall that was where Turners (or Roberts) got the idea for Limpit asbestos from). Andy G

I've used one to make pre-grouping carriages, so don't see any reason why EMU's couldn't be done with one. Andy G

The rule book is quite clear that small animals don't need to be cautioned for (that includes dogs), but what every bobby I know (me included) do is to caution for the owner that is probably somewhere nearby looking for said dog. Andy G

No. The guard at the rear of the train would communicate (lamp signals/flags etc) to the driver to indicate when clear, and when to set back. Andy G

If you are talking about the bits for the rocking bar that transfers the drive from the post to the front of the platform to the dolls, then those bits are tiny things on the white sprue, above the ladder. The double holer goes in the middle to support both drives, and then you use the angled single holers at each end of the platform, one pointing upwards, one pointing down. The two bits above I think are the bits that go on the end of the rod, but there should be another two somewhere, which I can't see. Andy G

What are you struggling with? Its a balanced doll type bracket, so the post to the ground goes in the middle of the 'deck', with the two dolls evenly spaced either side, as shown in the drawing bottom left. Andy G

Possibly with something as simple as a tuning fork.... We used to use tuning forks with 'shutters' on them to check the speed of pulsing machines in telephone exchanges... Andy G

Asbestolux and supalux were both Cape Asbestos products. UAM plastics doesn't come up in a google search... Andy G

Why would the distant be fixed because of a tunnel? There are reasons why it would be fixed, but just because there is a tunnel is not one of them. The wire run would normally be as per a platform face, pulleys cleated into the brickwork (with provision around recesses so the P-way don't fall over them). The distant could of, course be motor worked, so just a pair of wires in the cablework through the tunnel. Andy G

The way I do rainstrips is to use 0.45mm brass wire (yes I know its round, but once the roof is painted you don't notice). Work out the top of the rainstrip arc, and put a dab of superglue there. Put the centre of the length of brass wire into place on this and let set. After it has set you can then do the same at the outer ends, which will then give you a lovely smooth curve to the rainstrip. When that has set you can run some superglue along th w hole length of the strip to hold it there. I would also use some 0.45mm wire in the horizontal score marks you have made to the body to act as the beading, as it is obviously proud of the body on the real things... Andy G

I too have signed the OSA (compulsory when you worked for BT) but what doesn't seem to be understood is that every person has to comply with it, even if you haven't signed it, the act of signing is effectively a reminder that you are already bound by it. Andy G

Looks like the Ostrich at CA is about to close: https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24005567.ostrich-pub-castle-acre-sale-greene-king/ Know any landlords? Merry New Year to all. Andy G

Lots of bits on Bob's telephone pages, heres some highlights: https://www.britishtelephones.com/pacolours.htm https://www.britishtelephones.com/pakiosk.htm https://www.britishtelephones.com/lanterpa1.htm (which defines the colour of the glass as amber on the pillars, which will be correct, Bob only uses references from GPO official sources, I've inherited loads of paperwork from him in the past!) Andy G Edit: Lamps were only clear on the Met boxes, amber everywhere else.

Whats Morale? Not seen that round these parts for a long time... Andy G

In the last place I worked, we never PAT tested anything (Even though I have a PAT testing qually), but then again its quite tricky PAT testing DML's... That Dangerous Mains Leads, we had a whole selection of mains leads with the outer insulation removed in sections before the connector that plugged into the item that you were testing, so that we could get quick and easy current readings to see how they needed to be balanced on our mains supply.... Andy G

Also very similar to BT's CSS (customer service system, I think it stands for) system, and being familiar with that was a help when I first came into the signalbox where I got to play with TRUST. From a signalmans point of view, there is a woeful lack of training provided for the use of TRUST (actually its worse than that, you aren't given any at all!), so the only computer system that you have for seeing what trains are coming (there's no printed Working Timetable now), you have no training on at all, you have to pick up the bits that others in the box have learnt over time. So in effect you only really get to know a tiny amount of what is available to you. Andy G Edit: Don't forget that BT didn't come into existance until 1980, it being the GPO telephone department until 1969, then Post Office Telephones.

More likely to be a BA size. Something like 8 or 10 BA.

I wonder if its re-surfaced as a way of getting some HS2 cash? Andy G

This advert actually shows something that few people actually know, that is that there is fibreglass out there that is heavily contaminated with asbestos. I've got the LTC Rolt book on Turners Asbestos (It was published without his name on it), and it shows the development of fibreglass by Turners using asbestos as a filler medium, or as the main strength component. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of fibreglass boats, cars, and surfaces from the late '50s and '60s aren't actually made with Roberts/Turners asbestos.... Andy G

Yes the old 'universal service' of yore, is now a thing of the past thanks to the limpness of OFCOM..... The storms of a couple of years back brought a brief halt to the full viop roll out, as there was a shortlived scandle about the fact no-one could call 999 from the voip areas, and that the mobile signal died 4 hours in with the loss of the mains supply and then the batteries dying. Interestingly this all died down and is forgotten about until the next time... Exchanges have back-up gennys, but base stations don't neither do the fibre cabinets, only batteries. So make sure you supply some sort of standby that can last 4 hours to your fibre line! Andy G

Good old System X still allows loop-dis dialling, so until our local unit goes I'll be ok. Then I'll dig out one of my Signalling Unit 43A's and put it into the line to BT, but I'll still need a 'pocket dialler' to get Octothorpe and Star.... Andy G