Very conscious recent posts have hijacked Wayne's thread, but they are fascinating and maybe worthy of their own thread? Personally, I'd be very interested in knowing how these operating practices looked pre-nationalisation of both railways and the coal industry. For instance, I have a feeling, but no evidence, that shared Washeries may have been less common? Anyway, I always find a layout that follows authentic operating practices adds an extra dimension to my appreciation of that layout.
But, back to the purpose of this thread, I'm looking forward to watching this layout develop.