I have been lucky enough to have been approached to change employer, a process now 50% complete. I am, for a few weeks at least, unemployed though certainly not idle. My new role commences after Railex, Aylesbury at the end of May. In the meantime I have plenty to get on with: racking in the garage eaves, Kirkmellington to progress and a few away days to savour.
The first two away days are now mere memories. 1st was a whistle stop tour to Penzance withFirst Great Western; 0757 off Reading, 1315 or so into PZ. A quick dash to the harbour and sea before getting the 1400 back to Reading. A bit barmy no doubt but I had never done the full GWML or Berks & Hants, only part stages. I was even able to get some detail photos of point rodding which is one of the jobs to tackle on the layout.
This last weekend saw us head to sunny Worksop. Return was via Hull Trains and Kings Cross, providing me another route refresher of the privatised railway. Both journeys have been great fun, friendly & efficient staff, on time running and clean stock. Railways in the UK are most certainly not dead yet.
Timber work is now in full swing in the garage eaves with Kirkmelington primed to get set up sometime late tomorrow for a 2 week long blitz.
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Take a look at MRJ issues 113 and 115. Steve Hall wrote a pair of articles on point rodding; what the prototype looked like and how he modelled it. It was grouping/steam era type rodding, contemporary point rodding has some differences.
Thanks for the heads up, I will see if I can get copies.