Note for the overseas reader:

The peoples of the British Isles love this sort of thing - eccentricity, the triumph of the underdog, stiff upper lip, never mind - have a cup of tea, etc.

You mean that for unforeseen circumstances the trains late again.

http://www.thenorthdevonfocus.co.uk/Bideford%20Station.htm

Nice

W also have a bit of history here with trains.

http://www.borail.org/history-of-museum.shtml

The round building is built over the old turn around. It houses quite a few unique pieces.

As a model railroader myself, I'm sorry to hear of your mishap.

Capt Slow should have subbed the contract to Clarkson,it may not have been pretty but it probably would have been completed.

Hello PWS,

What a shame? Some people just do not want to see another succeed, well, it was not 'another' it was about 400 people involved. Steeling the track I would have expected, but, I wonder if James May, who BTW is a brilliantly clever bloke, should not have seen the possibility before it happened? On your Link I read there was someone who used 2P coins to short out the train battery. Again, not enough vigilance on behalf of the organisers in my opinion.

I know this gauge is very small, but with 400 people helping they could each have looked after 40 M (Metres) ~ (44 Yards) of track and maybe have chased any silly kids away?

I hope they get a chance at another try. This time taking care to 'guard' by getting each volunteer to look after the 44 yards of track.

My suggestion is to give each volunteer enough track to build their 44 yards and connect to the previous length, with the final track laid can notify James May that the track is complete and the train can be started. As each 44 yards is completed that track can be removed and packed away so, no track is stolen, or shall I be more kind and say "borrowed"?

Perhaps if there is a 'next time', now the length and track-way has been cleared all 400 can do as I describe above rather than what was probably the case, and at least half were clearing brambles to make way for the track?? And keep all the trains and transformers under lock and key so they cannot be interfered with again. I have never used this gauge before, so perhaps it was not as simple as I make it sound,.................... BUT,................ 'we' can get a man on the moon. Why cannot we run a 'toy' train over a perfectly feasible route of 10 miles (1600 Metres)?

Still, if by any chance James May is reading this, jolly bad luck Sir and a GA to you!

Take care.

Sad news indeed, especially since I'm an avid hobbyist in HO.