AJCT

The fifth one was 60152 "Holyrood": there's a well-known pic of this one, in immaculate condition, pulling out of an East end platform at the Waverley - possibly an Eric Treacy image. I'll check. Alasdair

Where did you source the mesh from? Looks very convincing. Alasdair

I've got several of these wagons, which my Dad got second-hand circa 1960: as well as the steel mineral there were 5-plank and 7-plank opens and a covered van in the range - they're generic representations rather than replicas of actual wagons. I think they dated from the late 1940s or early 1950s: the bodies were moulded in a sort of clear plastic and the underframes were very rudimentary, being made from something like Mazak, with plastic wheels. They may have been known as "Masterpiece Models" or something similar: so far an internet search hasn't turned up anything relevant but I'll keep

I don't have any of these myself, but I'd suggest the "solid" underframe trusses mark them out as Hachette ones rather than Hornby or Bachmann. Who were the Hachette ones actually made by ? Alasdair

Yes, this is my J38 chassis under construction and it has Kean-MayGib sprung hornblocks (not sure if they're still available, though). The aluminium clips are holding the plastic hornblocks in place while the glue sets. I subsequently drilled through to re-inforce them with tiny set screws - 16BA IIRC. HTH - Alasdair

The great thing is, if small parts get dropped during assembly, they are contained in the box so you don't lose them in the carpet.... HTH - Alasdair

Photographic evidence suggests that latterly most if not all 26s had the rubber surrounds - they presumably made replacement of broken windows easier and cheaper given the potentially short remaining service life. Alasdair

I've done that for the J38 I'm building in P4 from a SE Finecast kit - despite using the designated EM/P4 frame spacers from the kit I found the frames weren't far enough apart to fit the Mashima 1426 in between, so I cut them down the middle with a Dremel disc-cutter and soldered the 00 spacers to the stubs. Alasdair

Porridge ?

Hope your signalmen are fit... those steps look awfully steep.... All best for Christmas, and let's hope for a 2021 better than 2020.... Alasdair

This is a slightly different take on the uses for Independent Snow Ploughs, but there's plenty of room for P4 wheels between the side-frames, see - - fixed axle under the blade end and rudimentary compensation at the other. As for the centre axle, a 6-wheel ex-NBR van (D&S kit, I think) I got from a friend many years ago has a sort of floating axle carrier suspended on 2 brass wires: sounds much like Regularity's arrangement described above. HTH Alasdair

Yes indeed - see http://www.kitmaster.org.uk/SwissCroc.htm - I've got one on my display shelf - but I don't believe it was ever re-released by Airfix (or Dapol). HTH. Alasdair

More info here - - I've done the Ale Van conversion pictured in my friend Don Rowland's book: just needs transfers and weathering. Cheers ! Alasdair

I can identify with that... I'm a firm believer in the technique of "give it a good coat of looking-at", a phrase attributed (I think) to Alan Titchmarsh's Dad or Grandad. I also have ambitions to create an E&G Swindon set, but will probably have to live to age 175...! Cheers ! Alasdair

Yes: unfortunately I have no notes from the time (very remiss, I know) but the Type 2 would almost certainly have been one of the Edinburgh-based Pilot Scheme BRCW Type 2s of the D5300-5319 series. Neither do I recall what livery the train was in, but a BRCW in GSYP with a BSK/SK/CK/BSK set in maroon would probably recreate it appropriately.... Because my layout is set in the 1960s I tend to use 12-hour clock and pre-TOPS terminology, which is what we spotters knew back then ! Just found - possibly another pic of the 5.18pm, this time at Balgreen: HTH - Alasdair