Who remembers Sturmey Archer.

I have long held the belief that OO gauge finescale modelling could really do with a half decent representation of a pushbike,,,, the black plastic offering that we all use has it's Merit's but for me that is part of the problem every pushbike on just about every model looks exactly the same and having taken a measuring stick to one recently it appears that in OO land all adults ride a kids bike anyway as it is definitely on the small side.

I do remember seeing an LMS layout based around an inland port/waterway that had a "proper" pushbike leaning against a shed and it was one of the finest pieces of modelling I have seen,,, ever,,, the layout was wonderful but the pushbike casually leaning against a shed was even better.

Now this may transpire to be compete madness but I have offered myself a challenge to make a pushbike which will hopefully look better than the one's I already have and I am already toying with the idea of it having spokes, as after playing about on the workbench in my lunch hour recently I reckon it can be done!!

Not without the usual assistance from my Joe 90 magnifying helmet,,, the milk bottle was a challenge, so were the spectacles in the opticians window, but we shall see,,, I will also keep you abreast of developments,,[that's more like it],,, but this is something else to keep the old grey matter confused and it is also a little project I can fiddle with on the kitchen table,, in the warm.

Another bit of good exhibiting news is we have been invited to the Steam Open Day at Barrow Hill in September,, ho ho,,, all them chuffs and puffs wandering about to give it all a bit of 12" to 1' scale realism,, and the beer in that part of the world is more than half decent as well!!!!

If you don't hear from me again the little men in their white coats have probably taken me off to meet Messr's Sturmey and Archer,,, who apparently sold out in the 1980's to some Egg Noodle manufacturing company in Taiwan!!!!! Is nothing sacred. 

  

N.U.J,,,,,,He look's sort of familiar!!!!

Was it something I blogged???,,, I do hope I haven't upset anybody at the AuntieBeeb.
After my light hearted rant last week on the "Weather Forecast plus some Blog" we appear to have hit a raw nerve!!!
All them autoqueue readers,,, sorry journalists,,, have thrown their toys out of the mineral wagon and gone on strike.

Doubtless it's all about a fair day's pay for a fair day's autoqueue reading,,, we have no idea how hard it is sitting on the sofa reading a hard days night,, especially at 6am,,, "they have no idea have they Billie".

Journalist's,,,, mmm,,, Banker-W's,,,, Estate agents,,,,politicians,,,, they are all in the same pontoon as far as we are concerned,,,,, wasn't the same in George's day,, now he was a proper journalist,,, had his own pencil's and sharpener on him at all times,,, and he knew how to use a them,,, he got that good at it the NUJ named a river after him,,, those were the days,,, black and white characters,,, smokey scene's,, factory's,, canals,, and L.S Lowery scribbling away on an old envelope in the middle distance.

I wonder if anyone ever told him he looked like Oswald Mosley

That's more like it.

Shot's like this I find quite emotional,,, silly old sod,, but click on the pic please.

What a lovely scene,,, and I know exactly where this shot was taken,,, in fact my brother in law was brought up in one of those houses in the background, progress has seen fit to demolish all these atmospheric dwellings to make way for a synthetic ski slope!!!!! Come the revolution brother's someone will pay!!!

A D9 on it's home shed,,, Sheffield Neepsend I guess mid 1930's,, wonderful.

I am hoping my efforts do the original proud and we are even more pleased to announce that due to the sudden rise in shed temperature:
the gorilla has replaced his private's back in their fur lined box,,,
the cat has returned and taken up it's favoured and relaxed position in front of the heater,,,
I have been soldering with fingers that have a new found sense of the infamous touchy feely.

This weekends efforts have seen a complete set of reversing rod apparatus appear,, we are well on the way to having some safety valves, and a smokebox door, and a large steam pipe down one side of the boiler, and after a quick rummage through one of my many bit's boxes I have found a chimney and dome which after some judicious fettling should add to the general Gortonaura of well being.

I also occasioned upon an Alexander kit for a GC 4000 gallon tender which with many of my other projects has been gathering dust in the office for a considerable number of years,,, but it has now most definitely shot past the,, "will come in handy one day"  category.

This is what can happen when we have a working temperature and perhaps more importantly there is no rugby on the box at the weekend,,, still don't really believe what I saw from Dublin last weekend.

As mentioned on one of last weeks epistles [just thought I'd drop that one in,, 2 entry's in one week] the management have now committed in public that both the D9 and Valour will be on show at future exhibitions,, not necessarily finished but they will be on show!!!!

Also found out last year that attempting to spray paint in damp murky sheds is not conducive to acceptable paintwork,,, which is a bit of a mystery really co's when I was gainfully employed in the the motor trade just about every body shop I visited worked out of a damp and murky shed,,,, but I don't have the benefit of one of those industrial heaters that when turned up to regulo 5 look like the blast pipe of a BAC Lightning on take off with reheat fully engaged,,, those were the days,,, 56 Sqdn Akrotiri,,, taking off at dusk,,, a sight and sound I will never forget.

Anyway enough of all this sentimental cobblers,,, I would have included a picture of the aformentioned model but for some reason my digital box brownie has hit a phase of not wanting to play,,,,, hope it isn't temperature related???

I know I know we are lagging behind target.

This should come in handy especially at a future bash,,, somewhere "south west" of the capital.

It's the board from that well known party game  Swinedonometer,,, a favourite of all the RCTS lads from down Wiltshire way.

What you do in a quiet corner of the exhibition is stand 7' 9" away from the board,, which has been previously mounted at 58" from the centre of the bull to floor level, and you throw darts at it,,, now this is where it get's quite complicated.

If you hit a 14 you have to shoot round all the layouts and take the numbers of class 2251's you can see.

If you hit a 20 it's King's,,, 19 is Castle's,,,, 18 is Hall's,,,  17 is Grange's,,, 16's is Manor's and so on and so on and so on.
Now it all gets a little bit hyper and arguments usually ensue because by the time you have worked down to 12 or 13 people are getting a bit confused primarily because it has suddenly dawned on them than without a magnifying glass they all look pretty much the same,,, excluding the weathering of course.

Still it keeps them entertained and is certainly better than modelling in a cold shed.

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY!!!!

Are we back on track yet?? Please let me know.

This game is the copyright of Salmon Pastures Wind-Up Productions Limited.

Time for a rant

You know who this is I'm sure,,, it's the dotty blonde caledonian autoqueue aritiste from the early morning BBC weather forecasts and she has a lot to answer for,,,, she gave me her personal assurance last week that it was going to start warming up.

I'm not her biggest fan,,, far from it,,, and it's not because she's caledonian,,, BUT,,, I do remember her from about 3 years ago on some early evening chat show rambling on about hobby's,,, another guest was Pete Waterman,,,, now you don't need to be a genius to identify what Pete was going to talk about,,, her reaction was very predictable,,, she scornfully announced she prefers rugby players, he-men and anything muscular,,, probably or preferably by the name of Billie!!!! and she thought Pete should grow up and get a life!!!!

What a muppet.

Another thing I could easily have a good rant about is why have the BBC decided to turn the early morning news programmes into some informative hybrid youth club,,,, it's all so predictable,,, here's the sports geezer,,, before he or she tells us what he's got to offer they have a little light hearted banter with Billie or Soozie,,, get on with it fer chrisakes,, me porridge is congealing,,, oh and here's the business geezess,,
EY-UP playmates,,, tha'll never guess whats 'appened to thee shares,,, they've plummeted,,, bloody plummeted,,, I'll be avin a gass wi some fella from't BP just after break,,, well I'll gu to foot of our stairs,, ee seems to gnu wat he's onabout but I can't tell abloddy word he's saying!!!

I'm not surprise dear,,, I'm from north of the trent myself,,, but,,, what are we trying to achieve with all this appeasement now we have moved everyone to Manchester,,, Andy Capp was and is a cartoon character,,, not an accurate image of your typical north country working chap.

I feel much better now,,, I really do.

Anyway back to Jockina's inaccurate forecast,, Ha ha,,, I ventured up't shed and she was right,,, the ice was slowly melting on the inside of the windies [after about half an hour of me having my gas bottle heater on regulo 3],,,, but it was still cold enough to affect the gorilla's privates,,, so I donned my steptoe modelling gloves and the only reason I knew I was soldering something was due to the acrid aroma of burning flesh,,, I certainly couldn't feel anything.

The cat who is a seasoned campaigner in arctic modelling came in,, rooted about under the workbench for about 3 minutes and then even she cleared off,,, the next time I saw her she was relaxing on top of the fridge with that "you must be mad working up their look".

I called it a day and so not much to report on the modelling front at the moment..

STOP PRESS,,, Oh yes we have,,, we have been invited to Trainwest Exhibition in Melksham Wiltshire. Only about 20 miles from Swinedon,,,,, I hope it's not contagious.
Which year??? to be confirmed,,, that's always a good sign when they don't know which year they can fit you in.

I am assured security will be adequate to tight but I'll be taking my aluminium underpants just in case,,, they are a strange bunch these types that are instinctively attracted to Swinedon,,, I've already got a visa but I may need professional help in ironing out any wrinkles in translation.
 I can also see I may have to invest in some corporate flat caps for this one!!!!!
Just hope I don't end up next to the Morris Dancers!!!! Only joking Geoff,, only joking.

Anyway when I know when I'll let you know,,, we will have to start saving though,,,, I'm sure by 2015/6 my mate Max will be treading the boards again and as it's a 2 day bash I'm bound to upset somebody and I may  need his help,, and from what I've heard he don't come cheap!!