[Stanierfreak]

There has been much correspondence of late, in the Railway Magazine, on the subject of whether railway-related hobbies or pursuits have a future.

Last month, my 10 yr old grand-daughter told me she had a school project on an "eminent Victorian", of her own choosing. Had I been a betting man, I'd have put my pension on Florence Nightingale --- but, no. Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Gently probing questions revealed that she knew quite a bit about IKB but I was still very pleasantly surprised to hear how much was on the specifics of the GWR --- the Broad Gauge, the battle of the gauges, the bridge over the Tamar at Saltash.

On top of that, my son, after a lifetime of mocking my interest in railways, has suddenly started spending lots of dosh on model railways for my two grandsons.

There is a future!

Stanierfreak.