What Railway related presents did YOU receive?

Well, that says it all, doesn't it?

It made me muse on railway modelling. Unless you are an active Club member (unlikely in the current climate) then for most of it is a 'solitary' hobby if you don't have a partner who models beside you or models for a joint layout.

Early in our marriage I persuaded SWMBO to start fishing, a callow error. It signalled the end of illicit pork pies bought en route, equally sinful bottles of Guiness and seemingly plausible excuses for a dry net.

With books 'Life on the Lines-RHM Hardy',  which is simply packed with steam photographs from 1924 onwards, 'Hornby - The First One Hundred Years', 'The Galloping Sausage and other Train Curiosities' and a bottle of posh S.L.W. I shan't be straying very far from my armchair for a while…..

Keep very safe, and I wish you all the very best of health and fortune for 2021.

Chubber

I have had one of those shirts for quite some time now.  In black.  I bought it myself.

 Not a single railway / modelling-related gift this Christmas which was perfect because I prefer to choose my own!  The Amazon voucher was used to obtain some pre-soldered LEDs and resistors however.  

Liz bought me - or at least "is going to buy me" a Zimo sound chip and project for my recently acquired Crab loco.
The problem is, my regular supplier hasn't got any suitable decoders in stock at present and now, after the horrible "B" word on December 31st, I suspect there could be a few problems trading with UK until the dust settles ………….

In addition, I too got some half decent SLW - fortunately, no socks or handkerchiefs but the chocolates will be/have been nice……….

I was lucky this year…. some paints (including a set for adding rust effects and some water colours for weathering) a piercing saw (and, thankfully, spare blades!) for hacking perfectly good model vehicles, and a cradle for working on locomotives.  The beauty of sharing an amazon "wish list"!
Michael

Ever the romantic, I bought Mrs M a wooden 12ft x 8ft garage.

It went up just before xmas allowing me to clear some of the stuff out of the (my) railway shed ahead of getting something looked at come the Spring.  Covid restrictions threaten to delay the completion of the house renovation for a couple of months but I am hoping to find some tools and get something done.

Happy Xmas wife!!!

As mentioned earlier, Santa brought me a stocking full of detailing parts and Kits





Then in what must have been a second sleigh run a parcel from Dart Castings brought me even more goodies. Now I've everything I need for my various projects and more

 :doublethumb

I got a mug from son No.2 which bears the inscription 'RAILWAY MODELLING WAN*ER'!
(I have removed the letter K from the description so as not to upset those of a nervous disposition).

You feed and clothe your kids, nurture them, set them on the straight and narrow, and this is how they repay you.

Where did I go wrong?

Terry

Ps - I can post a photo if required!

Where did you go wrong ?  You went wrong the minute they were born Terry - there's no hope for parents nowadays !!

My son took delivery of something from Hattons for me - for onward postage to me which was much cheaper than courier delivery.  He's now been added to their mailing list !  He asked how he was ever going to live down the fact that he was on a model railway mailing list ………………….

I'd love to see a photo of the "K" …………………….

I got nothing at all.

We decided years ago to stop buying each other presents at Christmas (bah humbug) we just buy what we want when we want now.

Picked up 4 second hand diesels from my local model shop in October so I guess that could be classed as a present.

4 diesels - second hand or not - can't be considered a bad present Andy……………………

As we both like opening "packages", we still buy Christmas presents, a legacy of when we were allowed to visit children/grandchildren I suppose. 

You should see the excitement in our house when the man from Amazon arrives …………….. :Happy

A late but very welcome, railway related present today!

A Covid test 'negative' result…

'Railway' because I have been accepted as a Fitter [volunteer] in the C&W Workshops at Buckfastleigh and do my first 0800-1630 shift alongside the salaried staff on Tues 12th.

Classed as Commercial Essential work I shall now have to do weekly repeat (home) test. :c as they couldn't get a Mk 1 carriage in the post as home-working!

[user=312]Chubber[/user] wrote:

A late but very welcome, railway related present today!

A Covid test 'negative' result…

 'Railway' because I have been accepted as a Fitter [volunteer] in the C&W Workshops at Buckfastleigh and do my first 0800-1630 shift alongside the salaried staff on Tues 12th.

Classed as Commercial Essential work I shall now have to do weekly repeat (home) test. :c as they couldn't get a Mk 1 carriage in the post as home-working!

That's good news for you. It provides an interesting insight into the definitions of essential, there and here.

 Here in Victoria in August with less rampant COVID than presently in the UK, just about everything was shut down and essential services like Post Office were put on ~50% working density so that risk of transmission in sorting offices was minimised. They even went as far as rerouting much parcel mail via Sydney sorting offices causing a 1600km round trip for one item we bought on line! Time critical items e.g my moon-boot just had to go via courier.

 Similarly abbatoirs and the like were cut back to bare bones operations  :twisted:

Medical except for emergency almost entirely "tele-consultations".

The commercial sector was in uproar demanding easing all along but with eradication achieved by late October they came over to accepting it was for the best after all.

[user=2170]Colin W[/user] wrote:

…………

 Similarly abbatoirs and the like were cut back to bare bones operations  :twisted:

……………..

 :hmm

That is indeed good news Doug - well done on the new job.  Is there a decent pension plan with it ? 
When you say a weekly home test - does the NHS provide the wherewithall to carry it out ?  I thought one needed access to a lab …. :hmm

I'd imagine you could probably teach the salaried staff a thing or two - I seem to recall you are a time-served marine engineer …!

Hi Peter,

Yes, I apply on line for a test to be posted to H/A.

Passenger carriages and stock running with carriage stock containing M's.O'Public have to be maintained to a certain standard defined by the Office of Rail Regulation [AFAIK] and includes everything from the wheels, bogies and draught gear down to wooden door and window frames, locking arrangements, floor coverings and even the security of lavatory seats and wash basin fittings, all to have been 'signed off' or inspected within a manadatory time frame.

The 'essential' nature of the work is in the fact that if Devon is to have any chance of a recovery from the Covid set backs, it must provide a viable tourist industry.

Dependant on any change/alteration of social distancing regulations, it may even be necessary to construct and install glazed partitions on non-compartment stock that will not permenantly detract from the authenticity of the cariiages on eventual removal.

I shan't be 'Engineering' as such, this is done by the South Devon Engineering Department who have continued to work flat out, on commercial contracts as diverse as new a boiler for a foreign rack and pinion loco, pressing of one-piece replacement steel 'ends' for Mk1 carriages for other hertiage concerns and wheel profiling and bogie overhauling for U.K. main-line rail franchises. THeir efforts and income have played a significant part in keeping the S.D.R. afloat. and currently are fully staffed with some amazingly talented craftsmen and women, many 'non-railway' machinists, fitters and draughtsmen have no problem in applying their abilities to rail related kit.

I'm hopelessly out of date, have never worked with computer controlled machine tools or production machines. I do, however have the ability to take apart a rotten/broken door or window or compartment furniture and repair of replace it entirelif needed, sort of 'Handy Numpty' work and I can set up, sharpen and operate woodworking machinary.



Douglas