TUESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2007

MODEL RAILWAYS
You’ve got to admit, haven’t you, how heavily ironic it is that Rod Stewart - of all people - is a model railway enthusiast. A raunchy rebel with such a carefully-built reputation for woman-chasing doesn’t quite match up to the HO-gauge nerd of folklore. Perhaps even more surprisingly, his enthusiasm is shared, as we heard, by Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, Roger Daltry and - for pity’s sake - Bruce Springsteen.
So what is it about model trains? The periodic fairs held at Gateshead Stadium are testament to their enduring popularity - there was one last weekend. I almost went there myself because - yes, I have to admit it - I’m a big fan too. Along (apparently) with Hermann Goering. I hope that’s all I have in common with him.
Do any Truckshunters have a train set? With a name like ours, we ought to have one really. Come on - out yourself as a model train enthusiast and I promise I won’t ridicule you on-air any more than I will ridicule myself. I promise.
Maybe - just maybe - we should start a Nightshift layout. With Auden’s Night Mail playing on a continuous loop!

BRIDGES BRIDGES BRIDGES
It’s a short hop from railways to bridges. The Know Your North-East question about the bridge on which the Tyne and Sydney Harbour Bridges were modelled has generated considerable heat and - eventually - light as well. Here, I must thank Loz for the monograph he sent me about this. It was exhaustively researched and cogently presented. Loz - I’m overawed. Working at BBC Radio Newcastle, you very quickly learn that our listeners can provide the answer to virtually any question you care to ask. You are collectively a huge and apparently inexhaustible mine of knowledge, experience and information. What a resource I have at my disposal!

SOCIAL NETWORKING
The internet address of the social networking site for older people which I mentioned on today’s programme is SagaZone. If you try it, can I have a report please?

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Suomi is what the Finns call Finland. Interestingly, it’s thought to mean ‘fish-scale people’ from the fish skins the ancient Finns are thought to have worn. Which is why we call them Finns - the word really is related to modern English fin.
Today’s question is......which nation’s English name means ‘the foreigners’?

LISTEN TO THE BANNED
Today’s track - banned by the BBC in 1932 - was She Was Only The Postmaster’s Daughter But... performed by the Durium Dance Band. Awful, wasn’t it?

CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN

NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.