Very amusing and interesting tale Allen, I can visualize the quaint intra-personal exchanges!....
My only visit to "The Works" occurred in the autumn of 1981. I recall arriving in town on a Saturday having traveled by train and being constrained in having only one day to spare. The workshops were all basically closed but the Dispatch Bay was being attended to by two or three employees. The men greeted me very pleasantly and seemed almost apologetic for my not being able to have a proper look around. They wanted details of my car and seemed genuinely pleased to have a Canadian visitor. I was allowed to meander among the several cars ready and others being prepared for shipment and pickup. At the end of my brief visit I was given a couple of brochures as souvenirs of my visit. I will have to convert the photo slides I took to enable their posting at sometime. I truly felt as though I had visited B1800's birthplace! I would enjoy making a return visit but I'm fairly certain some of the "cottagey" atmosphere will have dissipated somewhat by now, although hoping I am mistaken in this regard.
