Broithe

Just spotted this - have you surfaced yet..?

I came back after Christmas to find that a new model railway shop had opened just a mile away from me - Topp Trains - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Topp-Trains/289396587829410 - can't be bad. I been in and it all seems very good. Five minutes off the M6, junction 14, if you're going by and need to stretch your legs - and your wallet...

There's some distant shots in here - around 40 minutes.. There might be more. Edit - There is, have a look at 24 minutes in, too.

Some pictures of the similar one at Leconfield here - http://www.cbfsim.co.uk/cbfs_bb/viewtopic.php?nomobile=1&f=8&t=15509 -. 56 Squadron were at Akrotiri with F6s at the time*. The graphics were by colour television from a giant 3D landscape on a wall - essentially like a model layout - that's how I flew through the (plastic) tree. A camera on a travelling bridge was regulated by the path the plane was taking and transmitted the pictures to what must have been the world's only Baird-style 3-colour spinning disc projector. The effect was sufficiently realistic though, I was quite unhappy as I could see the tree approaching... It had only a minimal hydraulic movement, probably no more than a foot, but it did add to the fear. There is talk of a publicly accessible one, in a modernised form, becoming available at Tangmere. *They seem to have left this one behind..

I had a few goes in the Lightning simulator at Akrotiri - have we not spoken about it before? I did manage to fly it through a tree.

Ah, no - it was Boskonay's 'Stuck' post...

By my reckoning, that was the 20,000th post on this Forum!

If you like well-done documentaries, then any of Johnathan Meades' stuff is worth a look - https://www.youtube.com/user/MeadesShrine - I especially like Off Kilter..

There is another part of it on there, too. The whole programme was on RTÉ one night a few years ago and is all available on DVD now. Availability has definitely faltered in recent years - maybe austerity will drive the market again...? Next year, just invite the better behaved guests..

Probably best to come in disguise, then...

Some great period detail in here...

Bang on - there it is - http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20D/Durrow/slides/Durrow_20080422_002_CC_JA.html .

This is the most 'end-on' that I can find - http://flickriver-lb-1710691658.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com/photos/kilmac/8009350952/ - it does look single..

Excellent!

This one's not bad. Practice on an old bit of track and you'll soon be OK.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zUnhdLxxsw

Did you spot this highly instructional documentary on RTÉ a couple of years ago?

I've never managed to watch it through in one go. I can just do this one..

That's how high this would be if you modelled it on an 00 gauge layout...

That's why it's green...

Original Star Wars parody, I'ld love to see the whole film done like this..

I did cheat a bit. I'm supposed to be learning Czech, but I've let it go for a while now...

These can be had for eleven or twelve quid. They come with four, or sometimes eight, pins that will fit in the many holes in the top face, to hold objects of various shapes and sizes - much like a miniature WorkMate. The handle will unscrew so that the head could be mounted directly in a vice to give you both hands free. The pins are a loose fit in the holes and will disappear quickly if you're not careful. I arrange the pins and clamp a rubber tap-washer with them so that they don't fall out.

I picked up one of these cordless soldering irons for €8.99 - http://www.lidl-ni.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/SID-B734DA78-4191D5B0/lidl_ni_ie/hs.xsl/index_26485.htm - we had a super-expensive one where I used to work and it was dead handy for giving something a quick dab, especially if you were up a ladder. With three AAs in it you should get a good 30/45 minutes of use. One of the great benefits is not having the lead dragging about behind you. The cap is supposed to prevent any possibility of it being inadvertently turned on, but it doesn't clip on too tightly, so I modified mine to have a wire loop to make accidental cap removal impossible.

I think people should be careful piling drink into him - he might not be called 'loco' for nothing... Could all be coming back in a Garda bus...