LNERandBR

I really, really enjoy your videos and I feel like I'm picking up so many hints and tips from them. I love the two lockdown's at each end of the street with all the little details you've packed into them. The only thing I keep wondering is on the end of the One Way street if there would be the arrow road marking you've added or if it would be a 'Give Way' triangle? That said, you mentioned you'd done some research into them so I expect there's a prototype for that somewhere

To be completely fair to Bottas he wasn't told to 'let Lewis by' he was told 'don't hold Lewis up'. As to if he complied with that instruction is debatable as Lewis did lose time behind his teammate and the pass wasn't as easy as it could have been. However, there was no instruction to jump straight out of the way. If Red Bull and Verstappen continue to make things hard on Hamilton and Mercedes then we will be in for a good season. The main question is, can Perez start to consistently challenge Bottas and will Bottas be able to meet that challenge if it happens?

Anyone still struggling to get your heads around this new Quali? I found this video much easier to understand then the previous one due to the graphics used.

Completely agree with barriers being the last thing to be added at a show. Not every layout is erected the night before, some only arrive on the Saturday Morning. You can't put the barriers in place until all the layouts are present and more or less erected. Adding more complexity to the Barriers would only serve to cause more issues I feel. Especially as many shows rely on barriers provided by the venue or hired in from other sources.

Perez was in an unfamiliar car in challenging conditions. Many drivers were in the same boat of course and you also saw them spinning off the track more than others. I think he'll do better later in the year when he's got more experience with his new Bull.

Clearly a case of adrenaline running full on after such an accident. Many Drivers have done the same in the past and many will do the same in the future. Personally, I think George saw Bottas move towards him initially and overcompensated, that's what put him on the grass. DC mentioned experience and I think this is what really played into George moving as much as he did. He's not had the experience of making that many overtakes in F1 due to the low performance of his Williams.

I feel Hamilton just has more racing instinct than Bottas. Lewis will go for the gaps and take the risks whilst Valtteri seems to be less 'instinctive' and needs a bigger pace difference to effectively make an overtake.

1) York - Pretty much the same as above. A top quality show which I (normally) attend every year. Enjoy the mix of layouts as it tends to include more interesting scales/gauges and trade here hasn't got too many box shifters. 2) Caistorail - Mainly because I regularly exhibit there and the guys putting the work into it always look after you and put on a lovely smaller show. 3) Ally Pally - Partly because of the group of people I travel to this with. We visit the same shows each year and this is the best of those.

Completely agree here. Even the NEM pocket that everyone thinks is 'standard' really isn't. Any company making couplings is hard pressed to design something that will work first time every time in every NEM pocket design.

The issues you describe is more a problem with NEM pockets I find. They're supposed to be standard but I often find them to vary depending on manufacturer. Using Kaydees is an example, I often find that packing or glue is needed to hold them in the correct position. Very important when positioning is vital to their operation. Therefore, the problem is not unique to Hunt Couplings. Have you ever tried taking a Bachmann tension lock and putting it in a Hornby NEM? It fits but it's not as snug or tight as the Bachmann NEM. Therefore, getting a coupling like this to fit in every variation of NEM pocket precisely is going to need many different designs. That not only makes it expensive for the manufacturer but confusing for the customer.

Love the wagon there with the missing buffer head. Proves there's a prototype for anything

So a bit like the Joker lap in Rallycross.

I've purchased many packs of Hunt Couplings now and fully intend to continue doing so. They are an excellent product and the service I've received thus far has been completely fine. Everything I ordered has arrived in good time and in good condition. I think from the above it's clear that West Hill Wagon Works has gone through some growing pains. I'm glad to hear that they've been able to expand to meet the demand for their products given the current economic climate.

Have to admit, the front end of the photoshopped one there looks better. Not accurate to that drawing but it looks more 'right' to my eye.

A crewmember in the rear cab could be the Guard. Crew in the 'inner' cabs of trains made up of 'multiple' units could just be travelling and making sure they're not taking up seats for passengers.

In my experience finger pressure should be enough to gently ease the wheels into the correct position. It can be annoying sometimes when some wheels decide to stay put until a lot of force is used and then move by a large amount or come off the axle completely though!

The only time I have enjoyed watching Lime Street was when the barriers once got pushed right up to it. Wait your turn to get to that position and you could see into the overall roof and the movements taking place within. I do agree that at shows it is important to try and keep something moving as much as practically possible. Everyone's opinion of 'correct' operation will be different of course but you get far more people seemingly interested if there is plenty of movement. I hate seeing layouts where the operators are stood around doing nothing looking board whilst nothing is moving on scene. Even if Stoke Summit's operation was boring at least it kept something moving.

For a layout as large as Little Bytham I do feel that a 'how it's designed' type article is justifiable. Especially as it's one which never leaves home and is designed to make as much use of the given space as possible. I do like how you've managed to add in as many sidings as possible in the fiddle yard to give as much variety as possible to the operating sequence. For many layouts, a single overall image of their setting at home alongside the prototypical images normally seen would be sufficient to help people understand how it fits into it's home location. Of course there are those layouts which only ever get set up at exhibitions. Thank you for taking those images Tony

I concur that the second of the two images is best. My eyes are also drawn to the distracting background of the sign and curtain. However, I would not be adverse to seeing wide angle shots of the entire room in publications, from either end if possible. That shows us the layout in it's home and how it's been designed to fit it. That's educational for anyone planning their own layout and wanting to know how to make the most of the space they have possible. Fiddle Yards are also one of the things I often think are missing from article pictures and track plans.

Makes sense for Williams to buy in more parts. Means they will have more time and resources to put into other parts of the car. As for Lando, I do hope he gets better soon.

Duplicate, please ignore.

I think you are taking things a little too personally there. I feel that Tony's 'criticism' was only supposed to show he would have rejected the image as it doesn't show the model in the best way possible. Ultimately, it depends on what you are taking the photos for. If for publication then these things need to be spotted and corrected or someone else could get the wrong impression when they read the article. I'm sure Tony's method would be to spot the issues before hitting the shutter rather than digital manipulation of the image. Having had him take photos of one of my layouts in the past I remember him insisting the tension locks were removed from the NEM pockets on my locos and the images looked all the better for it.

I really do think there is a place for both 'realistic' model railway photography and for seeing a model railway in its natural state. I remember an overwhelming sense of pride when each of my layouts appeared in the model railway press. The feeling that the images shown were produced partly due to my efforts to make the layout as good as they could be. Anyone can take a photo of a layout in its basic form, it's only those with the time, patience and inclination to go through the trouble of photoshopping.

I think there's room for both. I very much enjoy operating model railways but I also enjoy viewing photos of them. Often, you spot things in a photograph that you never spotted before and can go back to the layout and rectify them. In the current climate, how are we to show our models off other than through the medium of photography?

I think it's nice to see behind the scenes sometimes but I also like the images that have had those 'background distractions' removed. The latter show up the modelling better without any distracting bookcases or other furniture. It is good to see how people have constructed and layed out their fiddle yards but that's still a 'model railway' not a bookcase of railway books. I also do think the method of just cloning the existing backscene sky is the better option then adding a fake sky.