Regularity

Mostly from outside the walls of Windsor: The scions of Eton. (Upperclass twit of the year is cancelled for 2021, due to a surplus of candidates sitting in the cabinet.)

That is the most sensible interpretation of this matter. In the end, it boils down to personal judgement. And perhaps a desire to have PO wagons with a different colour!

Well, it would please everybody ⅓ of the time, and nobody for all of it!

There obviously was one at some time: https://www.hattons.co.uk/296219/kitbuilt_kb570_kb_1116a_class_0_4_0st_1514_in_midland_railway_black_unmotorised_dummy_pre_owned_/stockdetail.aspx Maybe Jidenco? Also discussed here (4mm old K’s kit, plus prototype info):

“Pigs treat us as equals” - WS Churchill

What about the patio - particularly what’s underneath?

Petulant pejoration…

Hi Aidan, How you make models is entirely up to you: you are (hopefully) doing this for your own satisfaction. People often dither and put off taking the plunge, only to regret not doing so sooner. All I can say is, buy a few parts, and build a wagon. You don’t need many parts: wheels & bearings, axle guards (“W-irons”), castings for springs, axle boxes and buffer stocks. 4mm scale 15” buffer heads with rams, and maybe some brake gear castings and/or etchings, plus coupling hooks. Everything else can be made from whatever material you like: metal, wood, styrene, or any combination/permutation as you see fit. As you say, it won’t break the bank. The wagon kit is useful, and you get an idea of the size/mass of the scale and can rapidly build up a few wagons for shunting (and hence, maybe a small coal-yard diorama/cameo?) and it can be modified to create more variety, but at some point scratch building or alternatively CAD/CAM (etching and 3D printing) will be required, so I don’t necessarily think these are the best starting point for a beginner, unless they whet the appetite and encourage the assembler to start extending (or applying) their skills. Whether that’s hand-work, machine work, or computer based is irrelevant. A lot of the late Stan Garlick’s work was accurate machining followed by hand finishing, and very nicely done, too. On your own, it is only really possible to control one train at a time, so the fact that a small amount of stock requires a small layout (and vice versa) is a good place to start. With careful design, it is easy to allow for expansion of the stud, and even a second operator, e.g. a goods only tramway, or extension to model the whole branch (Yaxbury!) I think Wicken (MRJ 10) and Lydham Heath (see the link in my signature) are still outstanding examples of simple but effective layouts.

Pretentious posturing…

Almost worth modelling for that reason alone!

That’s very nice. We demand more!

Probably someone in the respective "line societies" would be able to help.

Also true of flannel petticoats…

Yes. Ultimately my money,and yours, and his, and hers, and…

Ashamed, not shamed! Shame is due to HRE, who have spent 25 times more than the cost of repairs in the name of vandalism. But a few contractors were paid well out it, no doubt.