Horsetan

I have exhumed the few scans of the Chatham gig. It was in late Spring 2002. I had been called in at fairly short notice so it was straight from the office in Shepherds Bush on Friday evening, driving direct to Chatham to help set up - I think it took the best part of three hours - then back to the hotel for dinner and drink. To my horror I had left my toothbrush and toothpaste at home, so woke up on the Saturday with distinctly furry teeth. That was the year the rain really came down, making the show tents a humid place to be. Unfortunately one tent roof partly collapsed under the collected volume of rainwater, and a trading stand was underneath it - I understand a substantial insurance claim had to be made. Note that Tony's eyesight appeared to be not as good as it used to be..... He sent me a letter of thanks after, and I'm happy to post it up here if you want a look.

Sometimes 'tis better that way.

I do. I was on the operating team for Adavoyle at Chatham one year, and still have a few non-digital photos from then.

It does seem as though coach rakes were more a matter of "whatever stock was available to form a train"

Will she be looking to flog 'em on eBay? Or are they family heirlooms to be passed down the generations?

The German SWR railway broadcast service on YouTube is just after posting a tribute film for Noel:

....but I only wanted the one!

Busáras Busarse!

The first one looks a bit like Galway Station goods yard.... Second one, no idea. Third one: is there anywhere on the Dublin-Cork route that had what looks like a full crossover?

Almost as many Prods as there are in Ulster.

In other words, be like China.

May not happen in our lifetimes. Kicking cans down the road is easier.

Hurty feelz.

Well, he's set a pretty high bar....

Seems the cyclist has previous form for other offences.... Google search for George Caraska brings up a quite extensive list. It does seem as though he's mentally unwell.

Just look at the size of it in HO: https://www.fotocommunity.de/photo/anhalter-bahnhof-ii-modell-technik-mu-guenterfrisch/40770772 Did you know that, back in 2003/4, Märklin released a kit to build the entire structure including the admin offices? It was in 1:220 scale (Z-gauge), and still managed to look gigantic.

'Tis not even a half-complete facade, but part of the lower two-thirds of the entrance wall/portico and a fragment of one side. That's it. That's all that's left. Even that is massive. Have a look round on Google Maps. The word "grandiose" doesn't even begin to cover the original structure.

Crazy ambitious modelling of a crazy ambitious station. Today's remains in Berlin are a tiny part of what was a gigantic structure

A NSFW expression of gratitude from a pensioner: An oul favourite

Is there nothing to be said for another Mass?

Stoke-on-Trent has particular resonance for me since, every time I've gone there, I've come back with a car... I tend to give the place a wide berth now. You can never be too careful.

That's a hard one. Driver of the artic may have either not been aware of, or underestimated, the overall length of his load. On the other hand, he may have been very unlucky, crossing the railway but then getting stopped at the traffic lights situated after the crossing. Either way, his trailing load was still obstructing the line, and neither he, nor the train driver, had anywhere to run. The insurance claims are going to be interesting, not to mention the eventual accident investigation report.

At the age of 5, Hornby's "Freightmaster" train set, containing an oval of Super-4 track, a Triang Class 31 A1A-A1A and five wagons plus brake van. The controller wasn't a mains one, but had to be mounted on top of two bulky Ever-Ready 6-volt batteries. These: https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjHjInBq4v8AhUKnu0KHVKYBAUYABAVGgJkZw&ae=2&sig=AOD64_18jd7aTg96-Q_NJQa0zrYMsxAz9w&adurl&ctype=5&ved=0CAIQz7YHKApqFwoTCPiu38Sri_wCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD The control lever lifted out from the hub of it. The rest, as they say, is hysterical.

The other thing I'm reminded of is that the K1a variant with the 6' driving wheels kept the same wheelbase as the K1, unlike the British "U"/U1s that had a slightly shorter wheelbase, so technically you could rewheel a Bachmann K1 into a K1a with small splashers and not too much extra work.

Thing about the Bachmann Woolwiches is that they are a touch narrow over the footplate - I think they scale out at 8'4" wide, rather than the MGW/GSR/CIE's 8'10". The difference is purely because of the frames being spaced to suit Irish rather than standard; all the extra is in the middle. They never did widen the cabs, though!