Recent content by StoneRoad

Something like that would tempt me to enter their customer service number !

Possibly my viewpoint could be heresy, but because it attracts so many butterflies I quite like buddleia - in the right place, of course. A bit like Rhododendron flowers in May --- both can freely chuck seed about [perhaps we need to breed varieties that are semi-sterile ?] {e2a - my garden...

New phone, and that racket made me jump half out of my skin. What could be far better would be to completely ban the sale & use of disposable BBQs, smoking outdoors, and garden bonfires for the duration of the drought / heatwaves. e2a - and fireworks ! [having had to put out fires from that...

One of the serious suggestions was to pump the tunnel drainage & the contaminated water "out to sea" and without treatment. Which I thought was bizarre, as the Marina were not allowed to use the tides to flush out the mucky stuff from the harbour.

Precisely ! Although the "ban" probably pre-dates decent / affordable digi cameras. However, my point-n-shoot has to be told to suppress the flash when on "automatic" ... which can be a PITA.

I recall seeing the prototype HST at Chippenham several times - once, to my sibling's intense annoyance - I managed to grab a quick cab visit before it went back to Swindon.

I was in Whitehaven last week [to see the Nao Santa Maria replica] and noticed that the marina water was tolerably clear - but not as good as it was prior to Nov 2022, nor when the "Siltbuster" was running. Due to the drought the beck is in low flow conditions and so it is not bringing down huge...

I believe one of the possible reasons for this ban was the danger of flash dazzling drivers, plus "security" concerns at various times in the past. That, and something for jobsworths to play with !

Oh, I went to Whitby Steam Rally on 1st August 2026 - and was slightly surprised at how many "Commercials" were lined up, a lotv more than I imagined would be entered. I did take a few images - they'll be here:- https://www.ipernity.com/doc/312383/album/1390484 when I've sorted them out with...

IIRC, It was a good job the occupiers were away on holiday !

No images as yet, but the carriages got out and went on their travels to temporary storage.

IIRC - The Festiniog used to have one on the Cob for Down Trains approaching Harbour Station that rang in the booking office, that had various reasons, depending on who you asked ! - the revised layout shouldn't need it. There still is one that rings to alert the level crossing operator at...

You might find some of "my" restoration projects interesting, in that case. You're welcome to have a paddle [or swim] in my Ipernity photostream [see link in signature] - start off with the folders of albums, such as the North Staffordshire one. The two carriages in question are not in bad...

Sadly, I'm going to miss an interesting crane / hgv episode later this week as I shall be back at the workshop. A couple of 5 compartment wooden [NER] carriages are being extracted from a site with very limited access. As the guy said, they got there, I can get them out again. Hopefully, I...

Beamish started off with the Town setting in 1913, then went back a bit for the agriculture / farming [I can't recall the exact dates atm] in a couple of areas. The most recent area to open is the 1950s. I can see them considering another time jump in the future ... It has the Pockerley...