Search results for ""christopher vine""

A technical story book for inquisitive minds - Grandpa tries to answer a tricky question. "Where does the little steam train get its energy from?" A simple lump of coal from the time of dinosaurs!!! This wonderful story describes the physics of energy conversion in a way children can understand. Visually exciting and it even covers photosynthesis. Watercolours by John Wardle. Age 6-12.

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Our new Activity Book is packed full of trains, colouring and engineering puzzles. Some of the activities are easy, others are more challenging. There’s something for everyone: colouring, maths, crossword, anagrams, spot the dangers, join the dots, brain teasers, terrible train jokes, and a fabulous, new Spot the Difference! 32 pages of easy to follow activities, some more challenging than others but all great fun, combining learning, problem solving and creativity. The colouring pages bring the Peter’s Railway books to life and you can be as creative as you like! Beware the “Most Dangerous Railway Station in the World” see if you can spot all the dangerous things that shouldn’t be happening!! Keep the kids busy with this great new activity book from Peter’s Railway.

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This is book 2 in the series. Peter and his Grandpa have built a miniature steam railway across their farm, linking their houses. It is a scenic journey, crossing fields, woodland and running beside a river. For Peter the great excitement of this book is learning to drive the steam engine, Fiery Fox. It is what he has been waiting for since they started to build the railway. Apart from one disastrous escapade, everything works as they intended. The story finishes with the railway running at night, taking Grandma to a surprise birthday dinner. They also extend the railway and build a turntable so the engine can always face forwards for pulling the trains. As with Book 1, the story is combined with lots of simply explained technical information and diagrams, contained in pages at the ends of relevant chapters. More parts of the steam engine and railway are explored.

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A dream come true: Peter is invited to ride in the cab of a large modern diesel locomotive! Luckily the journey was not as wild as one of Grandpa's tales from the old steam days: Wagons without brakes, speeding trains with runaway carriages getting lost in the night...Another adventure with Peter and his Grandpa. Real engineering detail with 12 watercolours by John Wardle. Age 6 to 12 years.

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Grandpa tells one of his amazing but true stories after a mishap on the farm railway. It is a tale about a train crash many years ago; so crazy you could not make it up!! Luckily no one gets hurt when a couple of houses get demolished - . Watercolours by John Wardle. Age 6-12.

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This is book 1 of a fascinating and educational series. "Peter's Railway" is the story of a young boy who lives with his family in a cottage at the edge of his Grandpa's farm. It is a long way by road between their two houses and Grandpa does not own a car. So to make visiting each other easier, they build a miniature steam railway. They have some adventures along the way and use all sorts of machines and tools to help them in their great building project. In quiet moments, Grandpa tells Peter some incredible tales from the old times on the railways. The story ends with the grand opening ceremony with the first steam train running the full length of the scenic railway, through the fields, woods and past the river. The book combines the story with lots of simply explained technical information and diagrams. They are on pages at the ends of relevant chapters to avoid getting in the way of the story.

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The author had spent six years building a 7-1/4" gauge model of an LNER B1 locomotive, 'Bongo', and wanted to paint it to a high standard. This turned out to be easier said than done. The complete process of painting, lining and reassembly of Bongo took two years of frustration, mistakes and wrong directions but, finally, he won a gold medal at the 2004 Model Engineer Exhibition and the Charles Kennion Memorial Trophy for the best finished model in the show. It was this success, together with the lack of published help on the subject, that led to his decision to put pen to paper. This is not an academic treatise on painting, but a practical 'cook book' from someone who did finally achieve a good result, starting from zero knowledge. With 168 pages, 130 colour photographs and 30 diagrams, this book takes the beginner through all the necessary stages and processes in painting a model engineering subject. It includes selection and making of equipment, paint, preparation, spray and hand painting, fixing blemishes, lining, transfers, tips on how to look after the paintwork and a list of suppliers. The many trials, tribulations and disappointments are related, together with the author's solutions to them. It was only when the job was finished and sense of humour restored that people admitted that they had hardly dared to visit any longer because of the endless tales of woe and disaster: Paint running, rough finish, dust, insects, touching the still wet paint, dropping the tender, power failure in the middle of a job, faulty paint, water in the air supply...If the reader avoids just one of these pitfalls then the cost of the book will have been saved, perhaps several times over.

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Railway fun isn’t just limited to adventures during the hot summer months. There’s always something to be done on the railway whatever the time of year. During the winter there are running repairs to be done and time for construction projects in the workshop. The children have lots of fun creating their SPLAT machine to help paint all the sleepers, while in the Spring as the days getting slightly longer and it’s time for spring cleaning at the station and fixing up the track. As summer arrives more time is spent on the railway which they use to raise money for charity with a non stop train ride! Then in Autumn, pumpkins adorn the railway with a scary vision appearing during the spooky ghost train party - thanks to another of Peter’s inventions!

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Book 6 in the hardback series – Racing Trains Peter's Railway is a story about a young boy who lives at Grandpa's farm. After building a miniature railway across the farm and then completing an amazing 5 mile extension to the line, Peter is ready for some more thrilling adventures. As their engineering skills progress the children are given more responsibility on the railway, and are delighted when they are given the task of completing a model Stirling Single locomotive – a perfect project for the summer! After watching the mainline train thunder past their miniature railway, the children were asking how fast was it travelling, and how fast could Fiery Fox go? Peter, always one for tinkering and creating things, comes up with just the ticket to measure speed – a computer-powered speedometer This leads to all sorts of adventures and the inevitable races along the track to test out Peter’s new invention and to find out how fast trains can go! As in the previous books in the series, there is technical information and diagrams at the end of relevant chapters. In this book the topics explored are: how wheel size affects speed, pistons speed, work, power, computer programs, boilers, and much more…

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A railway adventure in a transport museum. The children spend the night at a railway museum where they all agree that it's a great shame that nothing works: The exhibits are all lifeless. That is until Grandpa has one of his "excellent" ideas! Why not bring one of the monster locomotives back to life? Just for one day, the museum is filled with smoke, steam and noise...and policemen!

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A railway adventure on the farm. The children are riding on the little railway when they get caught in a rainstorm. While drying by the fire, Grandpa tells them two stories from the old days on the railways - both stories are true. Drive Bill Hoole offers two girls a ride in the cab of his steam locomotive: They have been caught in a storm and the heat of the cab will dry them out. They end up stealing the train!

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It's time to test out a new model locomotive, the first of its kind on Peter's Railway. But too much speed leads to disaster and a derailment, just like the original in the old days. Tales of a smashed up engine with split steam pipes, filling the cab with scalding steam and a heroic fireman to the rescue. A wonderful true story for all train lovers, young and old! With 12 Watercolours by John Wardle. Age 6 to 12 years.

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This is book 3 in the series. Peter and his Grandpa have built a miniature steam railway across their farm, linking their houses. It is a scenic journey, crossing fields, woodland and running beside a river. In this third book they extend the line to Yockletts Village. They tell Grandma the extension is for her to go shopping, but they have a secret plan to run trains at high speed. Along the way the two heroes discover a long forgotten traction engine which they put back to work and Grandma has a hair-raising escape. To celebrate the opening of the new line, The Great Train Race is organised with lots of visiting locomotives. Who will win? As in the previous books, the technical information and diagrams are at the end of relevant chapters, explaining how railways and engines work. Some of the drawings are familiar from the first two books, but the science and engineering explored is different. If the reader has enjoyed the technical information in books one and two, they will find this book takes them further.

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A bed-time story with a twist. "Once upon a time - there was an extra special train with a top secret load." Electric, diesel and finally steam engines, all help to make sure the special delivery arrives on time, but what will it be?...This "Little" Peter's Railway book is aimed at younger readers (3 - 6 years), there is some simple engineering buried in the story and 12 watercolour pictures by John Wardle.

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Peter saves Christmas! - In this charming and gentle tale, Peter and Grandpa save the day with a wonderful tale of night-time steam train adventures to Santa's woodland grotto, magically lit up by hundreds of tiny lamps. This "Little" Peter's Railway book is aimed at younger readers (3 - 6 years). There are lots of simple details on making things and running a miniature steam train. With 12 watercolour pictures by John Wardle.

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Peter is on holiday with his family in Scotland when Grandpa learns of a spectacular train crash. It happened nearby so they go exploring to find the exact spot. To add to the adventure they discover some evidence still lying on the ground - It's a true story where a crazy mistake led to disaster, but luckily no-one was hurt. To show how easy it is to make a blunder like this, Grandpa tells another story which ends with a Bang!

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Peter and his Grandpa have another adventure, this time it's a hilarious story involving steam trains, food and fun!! Grandpa is left in charge of the children, but can he be trusted to feed them? Of course, but not in quite the way Mum intended!! A picnic dinner aboard the little train leads to sausages being cooked in the firebox and then a messy disaster...With 12 watercolours by John Wardle. Age 3 to 6 years

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A railway adventure on the farm. To protect the train, Peter constructs a burglar alarm out of an old telephone bell and parts of a broken computer. One night it goes off. The children foil a terrible robbery and catch the dangerous villains. Their methods are brave and unconventional, causing much damage and enjoyable mayhem. The adventure ends when the children are presented with a huge reward!

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Peter and Grandpa make a little electric loco from an old mobility scooter and bits of wood and metal from around the farm. With the aid of Grandpa's furnace, scrap iron is heated until it is white hot and liquid, then moulded into wheels. With a bit of wiring and paint, the engine is ready to go, but for how long? A "making" adventure with a twist for Peter and his Grandpa. Lots of technical information with 12 Watercolours by John Wardle. Age 6 to 12 years.

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In Book 4 of this fascinating and educational series, Peter and Grandpa are faced with the coldest winter anyone can remember. How are they going to feed the animals when the tractor has frozen solid? The first construction project is to make a snow plough for the miniature railway. However the really big project for this book is making the watermill on the river. They then have to connect it to the house to supply free electricity. Of course there are plenty of adventures (and mis-adventures!) along the way and second daring rescue at the end. Grandpa also tells some more of his amazing-but-true stories from the old railways. 30 more watercolour pictures by John Wardle.

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Susanna Gregory, author of the Matthew Bartholomew series of medieval mysteries, has created another compelling fictional detective set in Restoration London.--------------------------------------------The fourth adventure in the Thomas Chaloner series. Christopher Vine, a Treasury clerk working in solitary piety in the Painted Chamber of the Palace of Westminster, is not alone. A killer waits in the draughty hall to ensure Vine will not live to see in the New Year. And Vine is not the only government official to die that season. The Lord Chancellor fears his enemies will skew any investigation to cause him maximum damage, so he decides to commission his own inquiries into the murders and, with his suspicions centred on Greene, another clerk, he instructs Thomas Chaloner to prove that Greene is the killer. Chaloner can prove otherwise, but unravelling the reasons behind his employer's suspicions is as complex as discovering the motives for the killings. His search for the real murderer plunges him into a stinking seam of corruption that leads towards the Royal apartments and to people determined to make Christmas 1663 Chaloner's last . . .'Pungent with historical detail' (Irish Times)'A richly imagined world of colourful medieval society and irresistible monkish sleuthing' (Good Book Guide) 'Corpses a-plenty, exciting action sequences and a satisfying ending' (Mystery People)

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