Our world in miniature, hobbies

Oh yes Helen. Our London office, on tel. Whitehall 1212 are in charge of bookings. Your discount code is 54995.

It's all in the mind. The single span bridge is all that remains of a pre-war railway viaduct, that was dismantled in 1947. The bridge was restored by Hancox & Partners, for Hounds Hill district council. It provides foot access to the abbey ruins via a stairway. To maintain historical authenticity, where roads or railways have gone on our model, I make sure that the infrastructure is correct. The gap in the houses is where the railway once travelled. The same applies to other areas, like the line to the former power station & gas works. It has to sit right in my mind, just as if I was doing a painting. ********************************************************* Friday evening just gone, a family group of us enjoyed a fish & chip (from shop) supper, in our arbor. In conversations reflecting on past happy days when Friday evenings at home were play trains evening. Days that we thought would never end, not realising that my grandchildren would grow up. So, whereas my comfort zones would in the past (or at least pre-lockdown) be my favourite train spot locations, our railway room is now such a delight, the walls resounding to the past noises similar to a model railway club room. So I hope that gives a hint of how a model, a toy, call it whatever, becomes real, because the memories are real.

How clever you are Philip. I believe that's the best part of growing older, to relive our memories via sounds and visuals. I love it when my family say 'remember when' and fortunately I can still do remember when. I hope you and Pam can spend many more hours in your arbor and make more memories together. Take care both.

People dream of a garden or a view, Philip. You've got an entire village.

As your legal advisor - I would caution against co-operating with the forces of law and order

An indoor weather day sees our first three aspect distant light signal.

Will you be erecting catenary and wires so that you can run some electric locos into the area?

Since adding third rail conductor to the Bishops Heath, to Curzon St. line, the only electric locomotives would be class 73s. When our Sean was modelling, I did consider overhead wires for that same route, for his interest, but that would have needed much longer platforms.

Hi all, A British brand in serious trouble. Only speculation at present. Poor performance, business as well as poor production quality, Hornby may be hitting the buffer stops. The management have moved from crisis to crisis, most of it maybe of their own making.

Hornby Hornby are taking a lesson from Amazon. Be your own dealer. Why would any manufacturer supply a dealership with a huge resale discount to simply mail stuff to customers. They might as well employ their own mail order staff to do that. Shops where face to face sales are prevalent, no issue, as they give repairs & service, whereas the big conglomerate dealers cannot do that without a lot of onky-ponky post & packaging arrangements. So this is the direction that Hornby & Bachmann may both go down. Hornby need to improve their production quality control, struggling as they are, but I can see the logic of their new business plan.

Well there is an alternative Philip. I don't know who the gentleman is but he is doing a grand job. Obviously he has read your posts.

Hi all, Our railway continues to perform well, in spite of little or no maintaining. No new stuff either. I still enjoy wandering into the railway room & move the sequence on a few turns, with musical interludes from the cinema organ. I like the hedge design. I'm just the little boy, playing trains as though it was 1953, the year that Journey into Space was first broadcast on wireless. Weeknights at midnight, I'm glued to my wireless as the twenty episodes are re-broadcasted. I want a space base on our railway somewhere. MR, I think the van is coming.

If the UK can have a space port, I don't see why it can't be in Hall Brooks.

I think you've scared off the men in white coats