Phil Parker

I don't know if this can described as a "trend", but there were several layouts this year that offered little operation at the front, replying on the fiddle yard operator being efficient and sending around a constant procession of trains. Instead of opera... See more

OK, we are calling this done. This "quick" project has been rumbling on for over two months; it's time to declare it finished. Right at the end, the kit decided to fight me again. Assembling the roof was easy enough, but painting it... I sprayed the whole... See more

I didn't manage to buy anything from the Elsecar show. OK, that's not quite true; there are a couple of goodies for future articles, but nothing for me personally. We came close, but I have more than enough projects knocking around at the moment. This isn... See more

This month, a lovely rosé from the Languedoc region of southern France, just over the bordering Rhône River from Marseille and the greater Provence region. Then two very much aged, and well-cellared New Zealand reds. The first is from Marlborough's Hans H... See more

returned this year, to its spiritual home - I like the site. While Barrow Hill, the location for a few years while the heritage centre was being refurbished, is great for us train enthusiasts, it's not somewhere to take the family. If you are setting up a... See more