Ding ding ding ding ding, can I have some order please! Younger viewers should turn over to Dick & Dom now.

XL'ing the Class 33 for v4 has highlighted one or two things about the project that I wasn't happy with. I also noticed that some improvements made to other projects hadn't found their way to the 33 yet so this evening was time to start putting this right. I'm not quite finished yet but the new version will have 'Multi-Start' (prime more than once, extend the cranking, have the loco fail to start after repeated cranking, attempt another start and so on). At slow speeds, slight acceleration will now cause a rise to notch 1 and back down again (previously stayed at idle unless you exceeded the notch 1 threshold). Finally, if you thrash hard from stationary then quickly drop the throttle, the 'escape' back to idle is now much better (previously took too long, loco still thrashing when it should have been back at idle).

Tonight's photo was taken in the pouring rain at Salisbury, mid-way through an All-Line Ranger in April 1983. Of the 6 nights that week, only one was spent in a proper bed. The itinerary had been carefully planned such that we spent each night tucked up in a nice, warm steam-heated compartment on some obscure overnight train (unfortunately without en-suite facilities - I don't recall washing arrangements other than paying 10p for a shower at Glasgow Central. You could do these things when you were young). Everything went well until one train in Scotland turned up with early Mk2 stock which had those fibreglass bucket seats you couldn't lay across. I've had worse night's sleep since then, but not many.

If you are still struggling to remember, Colin Crompton was the flat-capped compere at the Wheeltappers & Shunters Social Club, and one of 'The Comedians'.