GeoffAlan

You're some sort of anti London revolutionary, I like your style!

I see it when war reporters 'do a piece to camera' with an Armoured Vehicle is in shot or being discussed. The word 'Tank' is used for anything at all and 99% of the time it isn't. So it's not so shocking that reporters don't know the difference between a locomotive and a train.

It made a kind of sense for BR to allow one region to use Diesel Hydraulics as the technology was well established and so 'should' have been a great success. Diesel Electric propulsion was regarded in some quarters as having greater potential, but in need of more development. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight we can say that the one was always going to be more reliable but back in the day that was not clear. That Western Region would be chosen as the odd man out is no surprise. I suspect they lobbied hard for the 'privilege' of being out of step with everyone else.

I suspect the whole thing was classic over ambition. At 71, with arthritic fingers, I'm still running and repairing my vast N gauge collection, acquired over the last 48 years and 6 layouts. My latest layout, started at age 65 is kato track, which would have solved the OP's problems re track laying, is still awaiting more detail, but is largely complete and providing much fun for me and my grandkids. I have a shunting layout in a hard plastic rifle case comes on apace.

Yes I have a twin track roundy roundy with an end to end on that size base board, although I ran an L ar one end for a terminus, that's 44"x 15" stuck on one end..

I attended a wargames show a couple of years before Covid struck, It was in an educational establishment and they provided the 'catering'. They ran out opf bacon for bacon sandwiches within 5 minutes of opening, apparently the exhibitors and sales staff had eaten it all. An hour later they ran out of bread buns! Some venues aren't run by numpties, but sadly some are. I gather the show, which was for a charity had paid quite a bit for use of the premises. The next time we attended we took out own packed lunches and drinks.

Not mainline working, but 9Fs used to run to and from Skinningrove without turning, although one was available at the Teesside end. Apparently drivers would check the wind direction and turn the loco such that the tender first working saw the fireman on the upwind side. The little devils!

A Wargames group I have contact with have missed 'their show dates' in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Due to obvious reasons. They tell me their 2023 show is unable to use 'their date' due to some venues not taking bookings, presumably due to the energy price insecurity, and those taking dates being booked solid for every weekend , thus pushing other local (<50 miles radius) shows and exhibitions into venues and dates, including 'their date' that they have not used before. I suspect energy costs, even if capped will increase costs too.

Having heard sound fitted locos at exhibitions I'm not impressed. While the starting off sounds seem OK, the sound of steam locos while running sounds like they have the thing in full gear and pulling hard. Not the sound of an engine with small cut off and running free.

I am, by inclination a republican*. However experience of politicians past and present has taught me that our constitutional monarchy had/has great benefits. Not only didn't we get a President Thatcher, or Blair, but will be spared Presidents Johnson, Truss and Starmer. Elizabeth II was my second monarch and Charles III is my third. I expect/hope he will prove to be as worthy a King as his mother was Queen. * No, not in the American sense, by any means.

The great unwashed don't believe they can do any wrong so signs, polite notices and much else short of a 105mm howitzer will be ignored. I always ask permission before I even take a photo and never touch even the vertical edge of a layout, but I'm in a rapidly diminishing minority.

The one that gets me at every exhibition is Flying Scotsman hauling a two coach train around minimum radius bends at a scale 300mph. On the other line is a JInty with three wagons and a brake van doing a scale 200mph.

It used to be, and possibly still is, illegal to display the swastika in West Germany and later the reunified Germany. So Airfix had to cut them out of their decal sheets on German WWII aircraft when sold in Germany. German manufacturers of railway models certainly left a blank where the swastika was under the eagle. I have several locos where it is missing. Although I've a couple where it is present! The law was introduced by the occupying powers in 1945 and for what were then totally understandable reasons.

I understand that Rule 1 means anything I do/run on my layout is fine, but what you are doing on yours is unprototypical and you deserve to be hung, drawn and quartered for even thinking of doing it! 😉

See underlined. My words exactly when my wife and I were discussing the war after the news mentioned it was 40 yrs ago.