Broithe

When I take over, all smoking restrictions will be suspended on every February 29th, just to remind people every four years of just what it was like. I was probably smoking the equivalent of about five or six a day, but at least I didn't have to actually pay for them.

There is this odd one near me, where the southbound side has about five feet more height than the northbound carriageway - both sides were originally the standard 'full-height', hence there being no height indications. The southbound side was dropped to allow transformer transporters to use it - usually in the middle of rush hours... https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9019984,-2.1585535,3a,75y,173.07h,93.34t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sa_zuu1gSdHEmK59GYfdaxw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 We also have this one - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.7895133,-1.9951013,3a,75y,44.29h,93.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBXb9onOlxXhGlhtr9fAlJw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 - which, entertainingly, is actually on a bus route.

You would imagine so, on both accounts. I understand that you can, at a price, use a satnav that has a height allowance function - it may be that not everybody wants to pay for it. Also, the 'height' of some bridges, with an arch shape, is based on passing through it between marks, if the marks are there. The demolition of the motorway bridge in Kent a couple of years ago happened because the truck was on the hard shoulder, it would have passed under, if it had been on the main carriageway. For a 'standard' truck, the height may be fairly well known, but, if you've just nipped out to pick up a digger or a loaded skip, it may be a bit more work - or a guess. Another possible problem for some people is the imperial/metric confusion that can occur on these islands. There can even be problems where the height, where the road dips below the bridge, may be based on a vehicle length that can be shorter than the odd thing venturing through it.

Quadruple engine failures do also occur, although rarely, of course. The World's Biggest Glider incident must have been quite exciting at the time... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 Nothing is certain.

As much as I spent my early years surrounded by aircraft, I've never seen a 747 close to - the nearest would have been around 1980, when I ventured to the lofty summit of Arderin and one sauntered over fairly low, presumably running into Shannon, perhaps? Other than that, I may never have seen one under 25,000 feet. Maybe I never will now... They were a massive leap forward when they first arrived on the scene, but that is fifty years ago now - nearly half-way back to the Wright brothers..

We shall see - or not... https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/1008/1170210-bridges-lorries/

Well, I've decided to give up waiting for the clearance sale on these now... No need to rush posting them, I won't be there until Tuesday next week.

More pictures have come back from the chemist. And he's found this video.

Done. There is no No Preference box for the O Gauge loco category - and then it let me vote more than once in the 00 wagon section...

It's easily done - I recently had a job to stop two doors clashing - the handles were chipping the paint - one was a fire door, so the closer actually stopped that hitting the other door, when it was closed, but the other door was 'free' and kept knocking the paint off the fire door. All it needed was something like one of those sliding bar things you sometimes see on cupboard doors and folding bureau desks, but a bit more substantial. Luckily for both of us, as it turned out, the elderly customer didn't have the internet on hand in her new flat, so I had to wait until I got home to search for a suitable item. I decided to Google an image search, to find a strong-looking one, but I couldn't think of what the 'official' term might be. My first guess was 'door restraint' - this was a mistake. About a quarter of the images involve young ladies tied to doors, definitely without adequate PPE...

This - https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/rolling-road.html - ?

If you're local, or have access to a local 'agent', there may be an 'evacuation plan' on display somewhere - this is the one at Ballybrophy - it'll be based on a current layout plan and, thus, could be expected to be using a fairly recent layout. That one is from 2009...

To be honest - Phew! I can eat again for a while....

Widespread rumours have started that it's not just the UK at risk, but the entire world. Expect announcements shortly along the following lines. Elon Musk to run Locomotive Drive Train Development. Bill Gates overseeing DCC matters. Jeff Bezos controlling Distribution. People weren't too concerned about Genghis Khan when he first started out with a few mates - but, once he got going...

I'm not at all attracted. In fact, I think the concept is a bit repulsive...

Beware of those who have lured you in here. They are known to be dealers and rely on the addictions that they create in their innocent victims.

Welcome. I'm sure I've seen Thorne Yard - probably in a magazine, but possibly even in 'real life'.

I thought it looked sort of familiar - I think this was at Warley the time I went - possibly 2011?

More shots have arrived.

To be honest, I don't actually know his real name, but I'm fairly sure that isn't one of them.

A friend, with a more-than-amateur interest in railways, has been on holiday in Devon. He's just posted some pictures, so I have stolen them. They might be of interest to anyone with an L&B obsession? Apparently, there may be some more to come - I think he's waiting to get the film back from the chemist.

Try not to park on a level crossing - especially if you actually opened the line... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54234207

Reminds me of a project that I got roped into years ago - a Duple Commander IV on a Leopard. It was in a barn just outside Dover and we had a couple of trips down to work on it for a few days, getting it in a fit state for the 200 mile trip back here. I remain amazed that we got away with it. In the end, he didn't proceed very far with the project and it was moved on. I last saw it when we left it in a local haulage yard, as seen in the last picture. He may have had a soft spot for this sort of thing, as the one on the left was already there, but I don't know anything about that one I will always remember changing the radiator hoses....

Mention in "Exhibition Memories" of Sidro's allotment has reminded me of another thing about him. Strange traditions could become very important, yet remain mysterious to outsiders. In those days, smoking in the workshops was still normal and Sidro, being the elegant Spaniard that he was, always used a cigarette holder, to avoid possible nicotine stains. These holders were hand-carved by himself, from a suitable branch - he kept a small supply seasoning for future use. He had a new one every year and it would appear about half-way through Lent. The day of Sidro's new cigarette holder was defined to be The First Day of Spring and word would soon get round when it appeared. One year, I happened to mention to someone that the Great Event had been witnessed earlier that day (it was the chap with the hydraulic pump above) and he seemed very disappointed and depressed by this news. I asked him why and he told me that he still had to finish fixing his lawn mower. This confused me until he told me that he was obliged to cut his grass on The First Day of Spring - actually obliged to, although he couldn't really explain why...