Adam

Some fascinating insights in this thread. Being a historian in the day job, I saw @Stationmaster's comment and his first hand memories and immediately thought to take a look at the catalogue of The National Archives to see what the contemporary official records might say. The official board type documents can often be quite revealing (they were for the sale of the West Somerset Railway trackbed which I had to check or work purposes relatively recently) and they are indeed at Kew: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11185333 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10929474 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10958959 If you can wait a few weeks, @Captain Kernow I can call them up when I'm next there in the New Year and take some pictures. There are other files looking at the application of the model to other locations which might be of interest. I would not be at all surprised if BR had a very clear idea off what it thought was and was not a parkway model at the higher echelons and I wonder how that developed? Adam

Given that - apparently - they've been runnign a Tonbridge-Edenbridge shuttle, I guess that the answer is yes, but I'm away from home at the mo' so can't bike down the hill to check! Adam

But in this case, I suspect the owner was this outfit: https://www.scottishshale.co.uk/GazBeyond/BSEnglandCoal/BSEC_Works/BradwellOilWorks.html Adam

Even without the railway connection it's worth noting that Alford was not alone in the area - RNAS Yeovilton was (like Puriton) entirely missing from the OS until the '80s despite being plainly visible from the main road. Adam PS - Nice to see the products of the day job - the Victoria County History - as cited on British History Online and on used on Wikipedia in use here.

Hi Graham, I don't know whether you've looked out the MRJ article. I've now found my copy and can confirm that it's invaluable with a number of close ups including survivors as late as '63. That does mean that I should at least consider getting one... The photo above appears in it too, attributed to D.G Thomas and the HMRS. Adam

It's brass, so it must be Branchlines or Gibson (my money is on the former). Adam

If you click on it, you will end up on Flickr - I meant only to post the URL. Where the original image came from, I'm not sure, but it's rather lovely (if daunting - imagine building 8 or 9 of the things and the accompanying Herrings!). Adam

Or this: Adam

If you think it's tricky in 7mm, remember that it started life in 4mm! It is - thanks to the GWR's conservative approach to constructing a ballast wagon of a decent size with any consideration for user convenience or safety* - always going to be tricky if it's to be accurate (is yours the fitted version?). If so there's a decent close-up on the RCTS collection: https://rcts.zenfolio.com/rolling-stock/gwr/ea0fca025 Hope that helps a little? Adam EDIT - I think there's an image or two to accompany Geoff Kent's article on the type in MRJ 257. He certainly built one of these, but from a conversion of the Cambrian plastic kit for the Herring. * The Leeds Forge design that became the BR Trout and provided the design template for Catfish/Dogfish came about at roughly the same time and was bought by the SECR, among others.

Very nice indeed - and so quickly done! I wonder whether the smokebox dart could be finer though. For small locos like this make them up from N Gauge handrail knobs - which are shoulderless - and it makes a significant difference. I have some somewhere f you'd like? Adam

Eventually! It's destined to be a stores van on the layout, parked at the end of a siding. To this end it has an internal user number and branding. Of course the layout doesn't exist yet and the associated clutter will take a bit of work, but the van is done. Adam

Excellent. And there's a Christmas present suggestion sorted. Adam

It's looking very impressive, Justin. With regard to buildings, I've found that by far and away the most reliable way of keeping them warp free is to build the carcasses from 60 thou'. Granted, this is in 4mm so proportionately there's probably a difference but with a modicum of bracing of corners and the use of internal floors and walls they survive. I've come to the conclusion that you need to be cleverer than I am to manage the multiple lamination method (though I can make it work with quite large wagons on occasion). In 2mm you could probably get away with 40 thou' as a base because the buildings are smaller. Adam

Try this instead: http://www.johndaymodels.co.uk/ Adam

Hello, There's a good chance that the Bodmin and Wenford will have a set - as they have both locos. I suspect that there were some drawings published in the Industrial Railway Society journal at some point (an elevation appears on the front of the IRS handbook for the SW). The Bagnall drawing collection is held at the Railway Museum in York: https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/documents/aa110069833/wg-bagnall-ltd-drawings and if you know the work's numbers (easy to find) then you may be able to get hold of a set (for a price). Hope that helps, Adam