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Thank you for your feedback, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Part Two is scheduled for release on 18th September, and the final part, which takes the story up to the demise of Eric Cole, is in the making.

Thank you. It's surprising that the system EKCO developed stayed in place for so long without any significant 'tweaks' considering Southend's rapid involvement in commercial flights for passengers and cargo operations.

It does seem that several members of the same family worked at the EKCO factory. When it first opened it provided employment for most of Southend and the surrounding area - so much so that Southend Corporation Transport extended one of its routes right to the factory gates, and later added a further service via Fairfax Drive from Chalkwell. It was surprising to learn what the 'vault' was designed and used to store... no Health & Safety in those days. I can't recall how long Access occupied the site for, but when I had access to the tunnels, the power for the lights was still switched on ;)

What surprised me was the insistance that EKCO design and build a system that was fully functional for what would become a very busy airport but for a fraction of the 'going costs' other airports paid to have installed. And under such pressure, they came up trumps with a system that not only worked better then they thought it would, but was kept in use for many years. While earlier headway had already been made producing airborne radar systems, it's no wonder a lot of the chaps 'burned out' towards the end of their careers.

I hadn't realised that tbh..

Thank you for your kind comment. tbh I'm not altogether 'up' regarding the algorithms... I've only seen that it's not advisable to go overboard with the number of keywords.

Hello Neil, If the baseboard is already sealed, I'd strongly advise against sealing the cork. After the track is laid and tested, and after the holes have been drilled through for the dropper wires, the ballast will go down, and this is generally set by a mix of 50-50 pva and water as you know, and the cork will absorb the moisture and help it to set hard. Likewise, when it comes to adding static grass, the thinned out pva will be absorbed by the cork (and will in all circumstances dry clear). As a footnote, some people put down a thin coat of burnt umber acrylic paint (or whatever colour depending on the colour of the ballast you intend to use) just underneath where the track will go, but that's a preference thing. It's just to hide any areas where the ballast may get chipped away over time through track cleaning or natrual disasters like having a cat walking over your layout ;) Peter

@@MaboPete many thanks Peter.

@@neilmacgillivray9892 You're welcome Neil. Any problems give me a shout and I'll try and help.

Thank you Neil, I found that when I was in the construction stage myself and looked for examples, it seemed that the basics were mostly overlooked for some reason - and it took a while to work things out, not least the footprint, where I was determined not to have things roll underneath never to be seen again... I've still got a lift-out section to construct which will go across the shed door so the layout will not stay as an end-to end (apart from the shuttle line), but have some more bus wire/droppers to connect up and test as I go first. Will you be posting images or video of your progress?

@@MaboPete Hi, I’ve only just constructed my 6x4 baseboard and now working out my track plan so a long way to go yet.

@@neilmacgillivray9892 Getting the basics right is worth spending time on. Seal it both sides and the edges with the 50-50; it dries quickly, and stops any splintering later on when scenics are added. The battens will also keep it fro any possible sagging. You didn't mention the thickness of your baseboard, but over 2-foot sections or so need battens underneath as well for additional support. I drill the holes in them as well before gluing/screwing them down to feed the bus wires through. It soon turns into a rat's nest underneath, lol.

It's surprising how going over the first draft can revael any weak areas or 'empty' avenues relating to the work that you might like to include. It's quite a labour, and taking time-out to do something completely unrelated helps to 'reboot'. It sounds like you are making good progress.

@@MaboPete thanks. Yes indeed. Regards reading just the first chapter again I re worded some parts but overall mostly it's how I originally wrote it. The most annoying thing though is laptops and Chromebook( I use Chromebook) try to replace English spellings for American one's. Even when adding the word to dictionary. Oh well. The wonders of modern technology.

@@sodor_dan-da-man Is it your preference to use American spelling for this particular book? I use MS Word for all the draft work and keep back-ups after any revisions just incase. They do stack up.

@@MaboPete I prefer UK spellings. Backed up the typed on drive

@@sodor_dan-da-man Try this: In the 'Languages and inputs' section, select Languages. To change your Chromebook's language, next to 'Device language', select Change. Type or choose your preferred language. Select Confirm and restart.

Hello Neil, Thank you for your comment. I haven't actually had any experience with the Unifrog points, so I didn't want to get out of my depth by describing them inaccurately. I understand that they work for both dcc and dc, but for the latter require 'some additional work'. My own layout (Mable End) is dc and I use electrofrog with seep motors/CDUs (I found the 9g servos a bit too fiddly to line up even with their brackets). It's still early days though. Thank you again for jumping in. Peter

Hi Stephen, I agree, but mentioning it seems to open up a can or worms for some modellers, mainly those who have already ballasted the track after it has tacked/nailed to a bare baseboard, or have had to tear it all up after the foam insulation they opted to use as a 'sound-muffler' started to deteriorate and sink in some areas. It's easy for beginners to 'get a train set and plug it in', but those who want more than to just run it on the living room carpet, and onto its own baseboard, it takes quite a lot of forward planning. Peter.

I've just watched a chap defending the stance he took by soldering all of the fishplates on his layout into place to make sure the current ran along the track because it was easier than messing with 'unnecessary' dropper wires. I mentioned about expansion and contraction with the changes of temperature throughout the year, but tbh I think he had gone too far with it to take onboard any suggestions, and may well have led to a rip-up and do it again. It's not something I'd ever consider doing, but as long as it works for him... Peter

@@MaboPete Yes, we've all been / still are guilty of the "unbox it and run it" approach.

@@MaboPete Wow. You might get away with that approach if you have a temperature controlled room.

@@stephendavies6949 Quite possibly yes, and I suppose it depends on how much of the shiny weld can be 'lost' in the ballast and rail weathering. I wonder how he got along if he used Flexitrack in any curved sections of the layout. It's interesting to see how people find solutions to things...

Hello Stephen, That sounds an epic layout, and you're right about the relaxation that it provides - probably on par with the excitement. I'm limited to four coaches (max) but hadn't envisaged anything like an express-style layout or it would have gone into the pleading process with the wife for a bigger shed. I'm further ahead than the videos might show, but wanted to go over some of the things that beginners might find useful. Thank you for your comment. Peter

@MaboPete Thanks for the reply. Yes, I am very lucky. A 17 coach rake behind a Pacific loco, all on an express straight, is something to behold.

@@stephendavies6949 Definitely one to make a video of...

I'm glad you found some of the information in the video useful. There are some very helpful videos on TH-cam relating to self-publishing, covering in many cases works that are considered 'too niche' for mainstream publishers. If you go in the direction of Amazon, which offer packages, one of which may suit you, just make sure you completely familiarise yourself with the conditions of the contract.

Yes I did... thank you. I was thinking about the filing down of the end rails for the 3rd rail while I was typing it up. Too old now to multi-task, lol.

Thank you - it was very interesting exploring the air raid shelters and working out the expanse of them under the site of the EKCO grounds. A couple of keepsakes too ;)

@@MaboPete Something you mentioned got my attention... ' an escape hatch that came out on the sports ground'... Do you know where on the sports ground that emergency exit was ??..

@@DE-eVOLVED I was never able to get onto the field to look for a ground-level hatch, which may be have come up inside a small building such as a changing room or something. The notes I worked from were letters sent to me for the book. I was on the site to take the tunnel photos around 6.30am (before the demolition crew and plant drivers arrived) over the two days of exploring them, so was limited in time. It might be worth enquiring through the EKCO Club History website at: www.ekcoclub.com/ekco-club-history for a contact. It had to be more or less adjacent to the closest building to the sports field for ease of escape and scarper across the field.

tbh it was a sad site. On the right there was a large crow sitting on one of the remaining parts of the wall...

Glad to see you've done this video ..I've paused my EKCO videos for now.. but do hope to add another one soon. You've included some great photos.. I still have the ones you granted me permission to use. Love seeing local historic places ..such a shame it was dem'd. Thanks for this video - Martin / DE-eVOLVED

@@DE-eVOLVED Thank you for your comment, and please keep your videos going. I have one video about the Air Raid tunnels under the site at Southend called 'EKCO at War' coming up on 15 May, and one I'm putting together at the moment is about the 'other side' of EKCO - one of the 'hush-hush' projects of the time relating to the fire-and-forget air-to-air missiles that an EKCO team at Malmsbury were involved in with Fairey Aviation and de Havilland for the RAE when the 'Cold War' was at its height. Peter

@@MaboPete I can't wait, defo looking forward to watching it 👍👍

@@DE-eVOLVED There were certainly some talented people working for the company!

Thank you. More came about the deeper I searched; to start with, I was only looking at the Rochford/Hockley areas!

@@MaboPete Would love to hear about Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker, if you have anything.

@@mrwoodward273 There is quite a lot already out there about the Kelvedon Bunker, including a virtual tour. A little closer to home, you might like the video titled 'EKCO at War' scheduled for 15 May, which describes and shows the tunnels beneath the old EKCO factory in Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea; access was gained while demolition of the buildings was going on overhead...

They were indeed if the keepers of the cats fell into the 'prescribed' category of seeming 'to be a witch', and the most tenuous of reasons could account for it, with word of mouth spreading like wildfire in the local area sealing her fate..

@@MaboPete Narrative is an almighty power that can shape reality for the masses. a lot of the people in that time would have believed they were doing good. They saw an actual witch burning in front of them. Todays narratives are far more powerful and have an unlimited reach. With technology and the internet, there are no boundaries to this madness.

@@420Stoner66They have just replaced the Rush Lights with Placards... but no-one is recorded in the UK of having suffered anything like the accused during the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials, the events of which have served as cautions about the dangers of isolation, religious extremism, and false accusations.

@@MaboPete I am sure there are people in the UK at the moment who would love to bring like minded medieval madness into the modern world. History never repeats itself but it rhymes like a poet. We are writing tomorrows history books today...(well come to think of it, we always are doing this)