Broithe

On returning to the car, I discovered that I hadn't posted my voting slip for the Best In Show, so I had to nip back in and post it, obviously I voted for Bantry, but only because the Lemon Drizzle Cake was not on the list for some inexplicable reason...

Market Deeping turned up with their Cannon Street, which survived the destruction by not being selected for this year's home exhibition... And a few other things... A few stray Bantry pictures. And the outdoor exhibit. A Ruston - obviously...

There were some other layouts, too....

So, the annual pilgrimage to the Far East occurred today. Obviously, the principal reason was to inspect the progress on Bantry, and I found @banntry and his glamorous assistants coping well, though operating under great strain, due to unauthorised staff absence. From here on, any leave requests which may impact upon core activities need to be on my desk by the end of the preceding financial year.

I'm not at all interested in gravity, I just don't see the attraction.

Apologies - I'll try to be more down to earth.

That's a bit old, don't you think? Can't we have some more current jokes?

Soldering is generally more successful with as small a gap as possible, you may find the time and trouble to lift the thin sleepers worthwhile in the end, I suspect. And it will 'look' better, too.

Tell her that you've now switched your direction towards the railways of Sweden, as a result of her influence. Then you will have an alibi for Googling "Swedish models"....

Order some bubble bath as a treat for her and hope they arrive on the same day. "The bubble stuff is here, Dearest" She won't notice the other box in her excitement and you won't actually have lied to her.

The Drumm revitalised....

We had one where I worked, it was yellow, but not quite as bright as the picture above implies. There was a generally accepted "crane yellow" that was applied to lifting machines of all types. The driver, Tommy Long, had a real 'feel' for his various machines and could move items that were way over the officially allowable weight. He would often move things by quickly raising them a foot or so, turning and putting them down quickly, a yard or two away, and repeating - with the overload bell clattering and the rear wheels just lifting. I often saw daylight under the wheels, but he never had an incident of over-ambition...

Of course, humans are apes. The internet has failed to throw up a case of non-human apes vandalising a railway exhibition. In general, non-human apes are fairly innocuous chaps - monkeys are much more easily led astray.

Sadly, Cyril Knowles has not been available for long time, he would have been a nice one to tighten up the defence.

Jimmy Greaves may not be currently available for selection, but Martin Chivers could probably find the time to fill any gaps up front.

Really? I'm sure I saw one next to a signal box once.

Stafford, on the WCML, has five platforms -1, 3, 4, 5 & 6. Originally, 1 was a bay platform, now disused for passenger trains, and they just renumbered the through Platform 2 as Platform 1, leaving all the others the same as before. As often as the opportunity presents itself, I tell people that I will meet them on Platform 2...

I understand that there might be some other match coming up at some point, where they might still win something or other?

The only major recent development is the unauthorised installation of a beehive in the roof space. The Hanging Gardens are starting to emerge again for this season. There was some activity whilst I was there.

What - one for everybody in the audience..?

Looks like it - you'll get them for a bit less than that. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dremel-accessories-Multi-Chuck-Keyless-Drill-Bit/263449229438?hash=item3d56cc387e&enc=AQADAAAC4FjVrDbVsZ8oH%2F8PNHtt9VX4%2Fw7FZcmMuqsX8uaFEduVC96IKUZ6xIrjNpblUnuM7oSf3OZp1XFlTSjljtS2OYIvHEWoDs2a4lig%2Bo1p8Z%2B2lT6BqTKw84U5dhYQl0F4cC6w9LIDotNKXG%2BG%2FIZ7y2wELWdjircYdbrO2t6WTbTtQHz64VyFFp9TTb6seLj0n6eEHAhYBPvzo2SXS2fGwcIjwWm77BO7inhYKIPMdFyHr3BbyaCx1bg1BO1d4hbRfE5qlfeKOPmrZ5fUYtdM7JUWwCQDw8yubIGy1R62%2F%2FAuqmZYzA2pwczOPYWrmdPN3m%2F2UmBKYbooWwHUja3QFBHBsWIdBgwejrmpkVbYJI86dO2XnUZy5wL64ziSXl3zJMaq5qZ31lxQrA81lvVa8VDf719MOFDqo481GBErX42kbRT%2B3CEb1O7T%2BMKoX8KKXA1F6l4Dd9xuH7XpOjwyFShA9zC09TfXGez20TJHHJ%2BwJf%2FS29nuyQJPvSs35O5nbo6QFr2SBvXfAqgzRyByAiV5g7Sk%2FAFg7G6z1nfTPQj5PaTYAvwbTDPylgX4ErGTIOcKX4hjNKSKShMAvSM94xSSjb6VjISHEEKE3oSaCqp8y8D7M5plmWpIkYMCjn%2FFit0uWJxL4jv7ndsF%2BGw6MfLHozTtZ6UntbAY3k27sa46Yi7yLYjm3KXc6Al30oG6ryIOz2U1G448Hu7rZhnrwzunkALOmLv9NBv6KUX8IAm3WJeh18aUaA7XL1c3uX0TTdA%2BeqLGrvjnHpvg%2BOqIZzPrehiMUQDcu7ByYZ2%2BinuuYDINiFNqaeXRuGdxGjO10X3Z8rHayoGjgIPinQph9tmPHyqE4POFL356Zq06DagCdY1mNaluApeQ6jSj1abhdEbVGiNOfGXFyNLv2yEuLQfSyqvAOOQK2khuIauPmoxLfNl2JzRcSSGhccfLv3x9PX132AgJdi7X56C9ldcC34c%3D&checksum=263449229438cb2c20b81cc54a1ea611e110ab946df2

If, as it probably does, it has the same spindle as their cordless ones, then the Dremel chuck will fit it - handy to avoid collet-changing when using stuff that's not on the 'standard' spindle size. Obtainable for a few quid via eBay.

And individual slates give you just that little bit of realistic unevenness. Of all the stuff that Slaters produce, you might have thought that their slates would be better....

It's a slippery slope...