Caley Jim

I beg to differ! You can't have a ceilidh without at least one accordion player! (and a fiddle player !) Jim

Let's not start the argument about exactly which shade 'Prussian Blue' is!! Jim

If our learned friend will permit, may I point out that the loco in question has 4 pairs of joined up wheels pushing one pair in front, thus being a heavy freight loco of the 8F classification. Unfortunately it's not the one from the SVR which was Clyde built (NBL). Jim (wearing his pedant's hat)

Could be either of two! Jim

Blue is, of course, the only proper colour for a continuous brake fitted steam locomotive! Jim

Vehicles could drive on and off them as the high level part was ramped up from the rest. Often the lower level part was at the level of the road outwith the yard. Jim

Anyone for AJ's? Jim (exiting smartly)

Not wishing to be critical of your excellent work, but should the inside not be pretty much white, especially the lower parts, from the lime wash? Jim

Could I suggest you do away with both the sleeper that links the two tracks at the top of the picture and the long sleeper next to it and replace them with two ordinary sleepers, one on each track, slewed slightly to even up the gaps between chairs. tandem turnouts on interlaced sleepers had some quite long gaps between some sleepers and this wasn't an issue where both axle loads and speeds were low. Jim

i used double sided tape on Connerburn nearly 45 years ago and was given dire warnings that it wouldn't last. As far as I can see (the layout has been in storage for the last 10 years or so) it's still holding fine! Jim

I have no experience of these particular etches, but I have built several coaches and locos from etches which were produced from artwork designed (pre- CAD and so hand-drawn to 10mm scale) originally for 7MM. They had already been successfully reduced to 4mm scale. It is important that the thickness of metal used is reduced proportionately to the reduction in scale. For example the ones I have were etched in 15thou brass for 4mm scale and 8thou for 2MM. Apart from some items being too small and fiddly (droplight leathers and ash trays for example!), they worked very well, with all the detail of the original there. Jim

I hope there is not going to be any suggestion of some sort of hierarchy in this debate. Surely what is important is the satisfaction and pleasure the builder gained from the exercise? For the record I've done 1-7 of the above, but have neither the skills nor facilities to make motors, gears, wheels etc. Jim

I recall building one of these back in my teens, but I never attempted motorising it. With both this and Kitmaster loco kits I never found plastic-plastic moving parts very great for free running. Jim

That is looking superb Angus!! Jim

The 'tenders' which the CR and NBR attached to their 0-4-0st's were simple wooden affairs. In the case of the Cr they were built on the underframes of 7T Mineral 'bogies'. Jim

'Pug' is a Scottish term for a tank engine, of any size from a Neilson 0-4-0ST to the G&SWR's 4-6-4T's. The latter were known as 'Big Pugs' for obvious reasons. Jim

Reminds me of the true tale of a lady Councillor and Justice of the Peace in the town in which I used to work who was known for opening her mouth only to change feet. Sitting on the magistrates bench one day she told a miscreant before her, who had been found guilty of being drunk and disorderly, to 'leave the town by the earliest public convenience'! Jim

When helping to man the Roadshow stand at either Model Rail or at Perth i usually spend the time assembling one of my etched wagon kits, although it often results in more conversations about soldering, from those who consider it a black art, than about 2FS! As a result I tend to have a collection of wagons in 'North Somerset Light Rly.' livery. I decided it was time to take the latest three through the paint shop. The lettering on these was done with some Railmatch matt white acrylic i bought at Model Rail last February and I have to say that it was much easier to work with than the Rowney artists acrylic I had been using . the only slight problem I found was that it tended to dry practically instantly, leaving no time to wash off any errors with water, but the addition of a little slow drying gel sorted that. the two 'Dixon' wagons will be at either end of a short raft of empties and have a semi-permanent coupling between them., with the three link hooked up. Jim

This is turning out to be a seriously good model. Northroader's suggestion hes considerable merit in my mind. Sorry i can't make it to the meeting at Tutbury on Saturday, but I think some of the Forth and Clyde group are planning to be there. Jim

...of a branch line! Jim

Can't even see the pencil line! Looks like somewhere flat, like Norfolk! Jim

Another variant of this would be to temporarily mount them on an axle from a material which will not take solder, such as aluminium or some types of steel ( or even a piece of wood dowel?). You could also grease the axle before mounting the gears. Applying solder paint to the faces first would mean that there was minimal solder and so less chance of clogging up the teeth. Jim

I should perhaps have pointed out that it was St Mungo's Parish Church (Church of Scotland), so the Archdiocese of Glasgow had absolutely nothing to do with it! Jim

Addendum to the above. Discovered on t'net that it was designed by Alan Reiach (1910-1992), Jim

Not sure who designed it, but it didn't have a stained glass window (dominating or otherwise). It was St Mungos Parish Church. what we called 'the loggia' was the bit to the left. Sorry, I couldn't find a larger photo. The building itself was a bit of a disaster, though, Flat roofs on the hall, loggia and rooms (we all know what that means!) and the main sanctuary roof always leaked. We eventually discovered that that problem was down to shoddy construction which any competent clerk of works should not have tolerated. Jim