Broithe

I finally got around to going here last Monday - well worth a look. http://stradballyrailway.webs.com/ - steaming again on the Sunday Monday for the May Bank Holiday - 3rd & 4th. Ex-Bord na Mona steam loco - in lovely condition.

A new sign (of the times) at Ballybrophy. A new ticket machine, too. And an old sign...

I recall some crash reports in the '70s from Wales - one involved some Jordanian Hunter pilots being trained on ground strikes. The general idea was to fly at a 'gun-pit' containing a cine-camera and some observers, pulling up as late as possible, so that their own (camera)gun-fire suppressed the pretend gunfire from the pit. The first pilots were roundly criticised for pulling up too early (Jordan not being very hilly for the most part). Successive flights got steadily better and the final pilot decided that he would be the best of them all. He was a little too late in pulling up and took the top two rows of sandbags off, burying the camera and the observers. The report contained an eye-witness account along the lines of "I determined that the aircraft was at risk of a collision, but I failed to observe the actual strike as I was lying face down on the bottom of the emplacement when the impact occurred."

I'm surprised you're allowed back in...

Always possible that it's one of 'us' - or somebody we know - spread the word.

I grew up seeing the Arrows, back in the Gnat days, five days a week - you got a bit blasé about it all, but I still got off my bike when one buzzed me as a cycled across a football pitch once - went home reeking of paraffin. Could have been the man himself.

Just one Spitfire, but a little bit lower.... Ray Hanna flying it - a real pilot.

We have to be nice to you now and then - we might even make it an annual event.

A marvellous image - two views when I saw it, but I've spread it round over here, too...

That's the one Broithe, cheers! Oooh, great! What have I won?

Lavistown?

I understand that was actually a double celebration available.

Ah, that's 1910, apparently...

Not this one?

They seem to be in various locations - there's a list here - http://www.swindonsotherrailway.co.uk/photos.html - that might help in searching for particular ones.

Free Nelson (the scholar)...... ..that's what I say..

It's the thought that counts - and you obviously need supervision....

You see, if it was further away, I would make more effort.

To my eternal shame, I live about 25 miles away and I've never been on the SVR - I can always go some other time.....

Spectacular bus fire in London today - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31998937 .

Good man - tell 'her' I said you could have an extra shilling this week. It might help somebody find it in the future - like me, for instance....

I doubt they would even let you in. I've had it a few times, but not with actual coppers (yet). One of the problems is that the definition of 'public place' is very woolly here - it can depend upon whether they think it's public or not. It can be impossible for the ordinary person to know if they are in a public place or not, or whether it is a highway or private land - and the 'security' person hassling them often doesn't really know either. I had a part in a film and we accidentally filmed in a non-public part of a shopping area - the bouncer got very agitated about it - we got him to define where the boundary was and filmed on the edge of it - there was no real issue, just him being a jobsworth. I had a bloke run out of a school and tell me that I couldn't take a photograph of it without paying for the right. I was on the highway and he was talking rubbish. I suggested that he write down his (illegal) demand for money from me, whilst I explained the law on obstruction of the highway. This went on for a while - I still have a picture somewhere of him trying to jump in the way of my picture of the building.

This will be very useful to anybody going this route - it might be worth somebody with access correcting the typo in the title heading, for when this gets searched for, as I'm sure that it will for some time to come.

You can find yourself in this situation - it's often about them "being seen to be doing something" and then being reluctant to back down when their lack of lawful authority is challenged. You've probably got rather less of this sort of problem over there. It can be a lot worse than this.

You can get quite a lot of interference over here, in all sorts of situations, from people who will decide that you can be treated as a potential terrorist - http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/04/14/photographers-rights-the-ultimate-guide/ - you can't even directly ring a station here, just national call-centres. It's dropped off a bit in recent years, but you do need to know the real rules and stand your ground.