Hmmm - takes me back to my distant childhood.
My dad used to have a huge O-O (double oh) gauge train set in the early 70s at my first house.
It would fold down from the rear lounge wall.
My first memory was seeing a Flying Scotsman steaming around the track - probably Christmas morning 1973.
In 1974 we moved to our next home, and he built a huge layout along the width of the loft (attick with chipboard flooring).
In later years he scaled down to N gauge sets in whichever bedroom my older brother slept in.
Due to a marital split-up, he left in 1981 and we ceased to have a train set after that.
In the early 80s my interest moved to aeroplanes.
It helped living 6 miles out from the runway at Manchester ("
Ringway", back then) on "2-4 finals".
I still like watching the odd documentary about steam railways. Never had much interest for anything later apart from the quirky sounding Deltics and I remember seeing the Mallard and the prototype tilting train at York train museum.
The Tilting APT-E.
Advanced Passenger Train - Circa 1976.
Obviously, the inspiration for the pendulinos used recently between London Euston and Manchester.
Just as a quick add-on.
I had a ride on the real Flying Scotsman, just before it's return to passenger service, at the East Lancs Railway.
It was in it's black "war time" livery during the restoration test runs.
It was running two ident numbers - 103 on one side of the cab and 60103 on the other side.
They weren't sure whether to go for the paler LNER green or the darker British Rail green back then.
I was saddened when I discovered that they had chosen the BR 60103 livery.
Being an old bugger, I preferred the original 4472 LNER livery.
Don't get me going on all the various Gresley Pacific body cowling / stream-lining shapes - lol.
Closet Anorak warning - lol
