burgundy

I think it is now known as the Joint Aviation Command (until very recently the Joint Helicopter Command) - specifically to avoid single service ownership! Best wishes Eric

I think the term that my cousins in the Hebrides would use would be sassenach. Best wishes Eric

These pictures are from Ochsenfurt, on the river Main in Germany. When the local railway company wanted to build a branch to the harbour, they seem to have used the medieval town walls for the track bed - nobody seemed to be using them at the time. Now, it has reverted to a walk along the town walls, but with the rails still embedded. Best wishes Eric

I have a mental image of one of these loaded with spare parts for one of their locos. Not necessarily the greatest advert. 🤔 Can anyone suggest what they might reasonably be loaded with? Best wishes Eric

My MP is Sir Liam Fox. Last election, he polled more votes than LibDem and Labour combined. This time there is a good chance that in future he will be able to enjoy more time with his family. Best wishes Eric

I am sorry, but I think there is a law which states that any model of a Saxon railway has to include a narrow gauge section, with a IV K Meyer 0-4-4-0. Unfortunately, the photos in a thread on a visit to Saxony in 2011 all disappeared in the great meltdown. Best wishes Eric

Do ANA and the Japanese Coast Guard share the same paintshop? Best wishes Eric

How much more concise can you be than replacing five words with one? Best wishes Eric PS Just think how many options a German Scrabble player could open up by putting down "Maschine".

We have just returned from a week’s cruise from Nuremberg to Mainz, initially down the Main-Donau Kanal to Bamberg and then down the river Main. The theme of the cruise was medieval Germany (lots of half timbered buildings). One feature of the cruise was the frequency of low bridges, for which the upper deck is cleared and the whole bridge structure is lowered. The port bridge wing is visible on the left and the ship is being steered from the console on the port side as we go through a lock. The mast also lowers – with the additional benefit that the sun can be over the yardarm at any time of day. We passed this rather impressive crane as we left Würzberg. The traffic on the river is pretty steady with ships from the Netherlands from one direction, Bulgaria from the other and most points in between. On board transport has gone up in the world since the days of slinging a push bike behind the bridge. Can anyone advise on the correct terminology please? This is a pusher “tug”, but with nothing to push. I imagine that German has a suitably concise, compound word that explains it precisely. This one caught my attention with the very large barge and the very small pusher. At first sight, this looked like a sailing barge, but, on closer inspection, it is a workboat with a largish derrick. (apologies for the way in which the orientation of the photo has been "corrected"). The large cruise ships carry about 140 passengers, but this rather smaller Dutch vessel seemed to be designed for a niche market, with a line of bike racks on the foredeck. Finally, we spent the last night at Mainz on the Rhein, moored directly opposite the confluence of the Rhein and Main. With the light failing (hence the need to fiddle with the settings for these images), this powered barge, pushing a dumb barge, came down the Rhein to do a 135 degree turn to starboard to enter the Main. The length of the combined units must have taken up much of the navigable channel, so timing to cut through other traffic must have been “interesting”. As far as I was able to see, the actual manoeuvre seemed to involve a complete 180 degree turn to starboard, immediately followed by a 45 degree turn to port. It must have made for an exciting few minutes on the bridge of the barge. Best wishes Eric

Richard The only photo that comes to mind shows a Terrier with some rather twee little snow brooms attached to the guard irons. I don't think that is going to be adequate somehow! I imagine that there must have been something bigger, as I think Stroudley built some pretty substantial ploughs when he was on the Highland. Best wishes Eric

Very impressive. I imagine that the Norwegian winter might require a rather larger snowplough than those used on the Southern. Best wishes Eric

I understand that the Chief Engineer required that they be confined to the two major yards for which they were designed. On that basis, a standard radial tank was a better proposition, with wider availability. I can't imagine that there was much difference in the weight, so presumably it was the fixed wheelbase that caused the problem. Best wishes Eric

For those who would like another episode of Rusper Road, it features in LB&SCR Modellers' Digest Issue 19. Best wishes Eric

After years of trying to make aircraft look sleek and streamlined, someone gave the youth opportunities boy the job of designing the new livery. Unaccountably, also available in a colour that looks very like Stroudley's Improved Engine Green. Best wishes Eric

For those who like historical, imaginary locomotives, there is a feature on a Brighton 0-8-0 tank engine in the latest LB&SCR Modellers' Digest. Best wishes Eric