FoxUnpopuli

I'm sure someone (else) here has a copy of Tuffrey's Gresley's V2s... but in case they don't, I'll look through it Sunday night when I'm back near mine.

The photograph suggests it's like the Wild West out there.

That looks workable, but not quite as smooth a ride as a traditional paternoster lift. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster_lift

That's a good looking model. Well done and thanks for sharing.

Bit of Paint, picture is worth, etc.

Or use a retaining wall?

Riddles and Gresley (or Bugatti) might have said exactly the same thing to support both sides of the argument, but I think the point here is that post-war, the permanent way was in such a state, trains couldn't reach those kinds of speeds. Gresley was convinced that the A4 could hit 130mph - although it's arguable whether anything much above 100mph was ever 'safe'. Witness how the LMS got their record... 'lucky' would probably be a fair shout for all of them.

https://trademark.trademarkia.com/triangle-71635580.html https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/British_Tap_and_Die_Co ?

Buuuuut... I think a streamlined V2 would have looked better.

I like to think that if the GWR would have given more thought to streamlining their steam locomotives, something would have appeared that would have had similar art-deco flat-sided crease-edged lines to the early railcars (i.e. No. 4.) I think a King/Castle with that kind of streamlining (and maybe even choc, cream & gold livery, ilo loco green) would have looked very impressive.

@Jol Wilkinson The photo you posted - does that show the model with P4 gauging?

Pictures might help people help. Nice close ups of the fishplates on each end you need to 'unhook'?

I thought of this: (Image courtesy BBC Earth.)

Very nice.

Shhhh, don't tell anyone! The point of this thread is bargains anyone can buy... but I think the Airfix 4F is a bargain that anyone can find for around £20 (sometimes less) if you look and choose carefully. They're a doddle to service, the phospor-bronze pickup is a spare you can buy new (along with many other bits), and you can upgrade them with later Hornby parts if you desire. Search RMWeb for further detailing stories. I managed to find one recently that looked pretty good for £16... and when I received it, I was amazed to find it was effectively BNIB - I don't think it had ever run on rails. In case I need an excuse, I'm building up Bournville (and Saltley's) shed allocations. 4Fs a plenty. I promise not to buy any more though. Honest.

I'd not thought of this but this is probably more due to lack of recent experience... but yes, this makes a lot of sense. Combining these two gets us to a 'rule' of 25 gram/1 oz per axle. Is that a sensible interpretation? For a bogie wagon (or coach) does that mean 100 grams? (it should, but just asking...)

I have to admit, as someone who buys mostly second-hand stock, and rarely buys new anything unless it's heavily discounted (which includes the blue "Princess Alexandria" in the cupboard) I did actually order the whole darn lot of these new coaches. The layout I'm planning is going to need (at least) two stations capable of handling 9+ coach trains to do the whole 'consist' justice... Oh, what have I done!

I use AdBlock Plus on everything. It missed the ad once, but it's got it everytime since.

Manna from heaven... please don't fight amongst yourselves! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15x-Hornby-OO-0-4-0-steam-locomotives-PUG-D-C14-101/254736833654?hash=item3b4f7f9c76:g:xeMAAOSwJodfd0mI

As a relatively straightforward way of finding examples of each, you might try searching here: https://www.modelraildatabase.com/locomotives/ Not 100% accurate, but it'll get you a fair way along.

@PMW Surprised nobody commented about using OSB - it's a bit hard and heavy. 9mm ply might be better (or perhaps 12mm if there will lots of climbing over it - I know I did when I was 10...) Anyone else want to chip in on material choice?

Colwyn Bay. Wartime home of the Ministry of Food ("Dig for Britain!") and the station where you almost have to fall off the trains, as the station is on a fairly sharp superelevated curve. Also, my Mother's side of the family from from there. Anyone who has any photos of unrebuilt Patriot 5525 "Colwyn Bay" from 1946/7/8, I'd love to hear from you. I'm trying to figure out if it ever received the 1946 livery (I think it did) and if there are any specifics I need to know to model it.

Bidiots! Superb! Agreed. I'm trying to find a GW 72xx, and LMS Fairburn & Unrebuilt Patriots at the moment, and I'll be beetled if I can get any of them for what I think is sensible money. At risk of giving away awesome eBay using secrets... www.Gixen.com is your friend. Check it out. I use it when I'm batch buying, or I know I'll be too busy to keep track of the end of auctions (or their end timing is ridiculous.) It basically combines both @hayfield and @PenrithBeacon's methods above. As long as you accept the risk that the technology may not by 100% reliable (although the free version has never failed for me) then it's very useful in assisting one to be disciplined by 'fire-and-forget'!

Regardless of the politican spin of any form, I have to say the New Routemaster, from a concept and design point of view, was a good idea, well executed. It's a fine looking beast, and indeed iconic. Would you rather have the capitial full of rectilinear Mercedes? There's something to be said for the 'Broken Window' theory. I don't care who signed the 'do it' box, but I'm glad they did. As for the OP, a very interesting article, and good points made. All large-budget projects have momentum beyond fine control. Economic circumstance, changes of government, social opinion, project mis-management (sadly) all have their way of destroying worthy projects - read the Abercrombie plan, or the history of the V-bombers or Harrier or Concorde, various new town or city development programmes or indeed HS2 and its predecessor UK railway infrastructure improvement projects from the Beeching plan forward. Large projects deserve a small, focussed team without overbearing governance once they are agreed and begun. That way, at least something gets done which some people might not like, rather than a dozen false starts, wasted years and a failure to achieve anything from the same budget. There's a Draconian "Greater Good" ethos in there, but I'm getting fed up of the only reason anything getting done is because it makes money for some bunch of 'investors' with no balls unless it lines their offshore bank accounts. Well, that was an unexpected rant. Sorry about that.

Vim: "Every time I sing the lyrics 'eat my brain', my rectum goes into prolapse." Spider: "Can we get a nappy? Can we get a nappy roadie?"