Here’s notice of an exhibition happening this coming weekend:
I will be stewarding all weekend, so look out for a Status Quo fan wearing a hi-vis jacket and say hello. 
steve
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Have a good showcase Steve, due to a family wedding I will be unable to attend, but look forward, if you get the chance to seeing some photos.
Gary
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Thanks Gary and enjoy the wedding.
Will post some images of the show.
steve
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May be of no interest but I found this fascinating:
I was actually looking for a clip of a BBC 1 kids’ TV show with Johnny Ball showing how linear motors work.
We seem to be going backwards.
This too:
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This brings back memories especially the linear motor video, your right we are going backwards.
Huw Robertson, it’s a long time since I heard his tones, the clip is excellent and brings back happy memories of childhood and the good old BBC.
Thanks for posting, and you do realise what you have done, BBC archives here I come!
Gary
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This week’s Heaton update, Enjoy.
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DEMU Showcase was as enjoyable as ever, even if it did involve, as a steward, an element of hard work. Here’s a few images that will hopefully give a flavour of the event.
steve
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Looks like I missed a very good showcase, love the photo’s
Gary
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This building was Highfield Station on the Selby-Driffield line before it closed and became a private house. I’ve no idea why or when the windows were bricked up.
steve
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That’s interesting, looks quite a large building too.
Gary
There was a window tax at one time.
“The window tax was a tax levied on dwellings based on the number of windows, first introduced in England in 1696 and repealed in 1851. It was a form of indirect taxation intended to be a wealth indicator, as houses with more windows were assumed to belong to wealthier individuals. The tax led to the practice of bricking up windows to reduce tax liability, a phenomenon still visible in some historic buildings today.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
- Purpose:
The window tax was introduced to raise revenue for the government, initially to compensate for losses from clipping coinage, according to The National Archives. It was also intended to be a progressive tax, meaning those with more windows (and thus, presumably, more wealth) paid more.
- How it worked:
The tax was based on the number of windows in a property, with higher numbers of windows triggering higher tax rates. For example, in 1747, houses with 10-14 windows were taxed at 6d per window, increasing to 9d for more windows.
- Impact:
The window tax had a significant impact on architecture and public health.
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Architectural changes: People began bricking up windows to avoid the tax, a practice still visible in many older buildings today. Some buildings were even designed with “blind” windows (windows that look like they are there, but are actually bricked up) to avoid the tax from the outset.
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Health concerns: Lack of light and ventilation due to bricked-up windows contributed to poor health conditions, making people more susceptible to diseases like cholera, smallpox, and typhus.
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Repeal:
The window tax was eventually repealed in 1851 after increasing opposition, particularly from doctors who linked it to poor health outcomes. The term “daylight robbery” is thought to have originated from the window tax due to its impact on lighting and ventilation.”
DG…
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Highfield Station was opened in 1859 and closed in 1955, so a bit after the tax was repealed. 
steve
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The owner got SBL’s….
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Thanks, nice to read about social history.
DG…
This weeks Heaton update.
Enjoy.
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Best era hands down for me.
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I spent part of this morning at the Craven Arms Model Railway exhibition, which was good fun, and the first that I have been to for about fifty years! Here are a few snaps.
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That looks a very good show with some nice modelling on display, thanks for posting the photos.
If your visit has stirred your interest again, you’re going to have to go and visit another show!!
Gary
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I will admit it’s my favourite era, I can just about remember the back end of BR steam, but from roughly 1973 to about 1984 I was out and about most weeks enjoying the sights.
I have just noticed that you are in the U.S. is there anything local to you? Always happy to see the real thing in action, anywhere in the world.
Gary
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Not that I know around here. Went to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento years ago - very impressive; you could have eaten off the engines the place was so spotless.
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