M.I.B

The tlain of Pratfom One is about to go weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Super efficient, clean, fast and comfortable. British rail operators could learn a thing or two...... All seats are "facing", and comfortable.

It seems that PowSides are alive and well after all - it's just that their website mailing system doesn't seem to work at the moment.

I struggled to find the post war black ones, so finding this info was good news as the pre war beige ones abound on Ebay in comparison. I'm going for black logos and writing. It's only an assumption but it's a bit pointless "going dull" and adding white lettering. I will be heavily weathering these. Love to see your versions.

Another project which has leapfrogged the NPCCS was the updating of three Airfix GMR "long" tank wagons. I like these models compaired to the usual "shorties" but Airfix/GMR only produced them in black BP/Shell livery or the 1930s beige/sand livery. After some research, I discovered that during WW2, many tank wagons were painted or repainted a dark grey with minimal black logos so as to make them more discrete. I bought three sandy/beige ones and it was out with the dark grey rattle can primer (usually used for some coach roofs). Then onto the Powsides website to order some logos...... After a wait and three unanswered emails, I have had to revert to a refund on the card...... Fox seem to have got a good selection as do Robbies, so I will order when I get home. I hope that you are happy and healthy.

It seems that the website which some had reported as "down" was working correctly when I ordered..... but after three emails to Powsides asking when I would receive my order without a reply, I have now been refunded by the credit card company. UPDATE - I have heard from POWsides this week - they managed to communicate when payment refund was attempted. I think their online "contact t us" function is faulty.

Early Easter greetings to you. Centenary full brake and the Worsley Works sided K22 have completed "second filler" and are back in the cabinet. Tonight may be the turn of the K38. "First filler" used Humbrol pre-mixed and "second" is U-Pol car body filler. Much harder and takes longer to shape. Not a lot happening because I'm busy at work. After Easter I'm off for two weeks work with a NATO air-force. Can't say where but I am going to fulfill a bucket list wish with a ride on the Bullet Train...... I have had a 6 coach order in with a "box shifter" for quite some time - measurable in years. The wrong end of 3 tons in crinkle* . The order was "auto-refunded" and the next year it was re-ordered and again auto-refunded. Still no sign of these things so I made an enquiry by phone. I got such bad service and a rude bad attitude that I cancelled the order outright. I was my most polite, not at all sarcastic, and not flippant - unlike the assistant on the other end of the phone who was all of the above. Their loss - I have placed an order in Sheffield instead......... I hope you enjoy Easter. Don't eat too much chocolate, and stay safe. On the week where the British Army waved goodbye and thanks to Apache (Longbow) {which came to my aid in a former life once or twice.....} I hope that you are happy and healthy. *Flash Harry - St Trinians

Nice use of dunnage and a good chain-down

Just had a catch up read rich - all excellent work. Must get on with my 013 kit - but only when the current NPCCS projects are done. Incredibly envious of the 70' Parcels van - will keep my eye open for one of those. If I remember correctly, one was used for the "round robin" stores drops which went from station to station delivering whatever the Station master had pre-ordered the week before.

I ordered from Powsides without problem this week.

Powsides Memory fading....... Thank you all.

10 years ago I was advised of a firm supplying OO gauge transfers for tank wagons and coal wagons - the supplier had a huge range of water slide decals. Can anyone please advise me of who that might have been? I have some oil tank wagons in need of rebranding..... late 1940s Thank you,

A bit of track planning stimulated the grey cells, and that in turn resulted in a revise of the shed space/size allocation - (aka reduction is the portion of the building used as a "shed" and an increase in "railway room" size.) I also had another track-lay play this weekend and tried to fit as much non storage parts of the fiddle yard onto the short fat side of the layout. I have managed to do it - with a shared turntable, crossovers and through lines. Two sets of point fans with all the functions in the middle. This means both long sides can be used for stock storage without losing room to the fan. Turntable is in the centre as is the crossover functionality - it's not obvious to see. Some of the track required will need set-track pieces shortening, which is why you can see a couple of pieces overlapping in the pictures. I'm not ready to chop up track until it's time to fit. I can move a complete train from the Up to the Down Yard. I can drop a loco off, run it around, then turn it, and then attach it to a rake intended to run in the opposite direction - or head on scene to the shed. I can run two trains straight through simultaneously either in the same direction or in opposite directions. It isn't pretty, and it's not mean to be, but it works, is narrow and maximises storage space on the long sides. Budget Day tomorrow - I've never had a budget win - hope you do.

I couldn't simultaneously click on "like", "info" and "agree" all at the same time as "thanks"!

Not much to report - I have been busy building/decorating two en-suites. Managed to do another stock review, which was the first step in a re-plan of the fiddle yards: how many "long" trains will be a factor. I realised that "Express 3" is a carriage short of my 7 carriage limit, as is the Hawksworth rake. That has been remedied via Ebay and I have a Hawksworth brake third and a Mainline Centenary compo already updated/re-logo'd etc in the Cabinet. That makes express coaching/NPCCS rakes 7 long not including power, or an addition like the Bullion Car. I also have a few long non-brown stock trains such as the breakdown train, a long van train idea for a 47XX, and some long coal stock hauled by something like an Austerity, an 8F, a ROD, a 28XX..... I do follow a couple of the larger layouts on YouTube and have picked up some good tips One that has made a huge change to NC is making the fiddle yards at "ground level" and not under the main baseboards. So the scenic sections will be on the inside of a rectangle, and on the other side of the backscene will be the fiddle yards - which are therefore "Buffalo Girls"* To get the length of fiddle yard siding (double ended) plus a turntable for each yard ( Up and Down), and two cross-overs, I have gone beyond the length of the scenic portion, so the entrances and exits, and some of the siding will end up being round a curve and possibly the short side of the layout will house the turntables, points and cross overs. Laid straight is looks like this at the exit end of both yards: I'm still going for Code 100, and "standard" points. I know you can get more roads in with Y points and Peco 3 ways, but it would be nice to be able to get the giant pink shunting cranes down between the rows of stock if I need to. I know I can use Templot etc, but I'm enjoying my old school methodology. Unanswered questions include: 1. Where and how to transition into and out of the fiddle yards into the scenic section? 2. How and from where are the yards controlled? I made the jump from DC to DCC - am I ready for automation??????? 3. How do I fill the other "long side" of the scenic section? (That was going to be the yard on NC Mk 1). I could make the brewery and furniture depository become the (now empty) long side. and use the free'd up short side for warehousing, simple through lines and create the entrances and exits for the fiddle yards...... The shed where NC is to be built is emptying nicely because the workshop is progressing well. I need to wait until outside temperatures are 10C night and day for 2 days, and then I can epoxy the workshop floor, and fully move back in permanently. That will fully free up the NC shed which isn't small. NC's scenic size is therefor dictated by the equation SSL=LSFL-OpW-FYW (do you remember Open University and bearded men in brown safari suits with pens in their top pockets and a white-board......): Size of the NC shed floor (SFL by SFW) minus room to operate the FY (OpW), minus FY board width (FYW) is the maximum size of the scenic section (SSL or SSW). I have a balancing act - make the short sides of the FY less deep = long sides of the FY get longer. How close can I put the FY edge to the wall? More thinking required. Meanwhile: I have decided to add two K22s from the future Dapol offering to replace 2 Hawksworth full brakes. They are on an auction site.......... I'm staying away from single ladies tomorrow..................Hope you are happy and healthy. * "Buffalo Girls go round the outside, round the outside...." Malcom McLaren "Buffalo Girls"

Saint before County......................❤️

Thank you for putting the "turn the crane" version into perspective. I'm using this in a fiddle yard with entry/exit on the same road so I only need one track. But it does have to be remoted via watts and amps as opposed to fluids.

Thank you Robin @gwrrob. Not been on the web much recently - any Idea when I can pre-order? Are they "tranche 2" along with the other possible options like the LH/RH versions of brakes?

Please can someone furbish me with the part/item number for an OO Dapol K22 Toplight full brake in late chocolate and cream. Can't find them on the Kernow or Rails websites. Thank you.

Thanks all, especially Legend. I just want a recent electric (not " turn the water crane" ) Hornby turntable, with NS rails. Got some good pointers now. Thanks All.

I need a basic turntable for my fiddle yard. I have a modified Heljan for the scenic section. So trusty old Hornby it is, probably via a well know auction site. But I don't want steel rails. From which model/year did Hornby use nickel silver rails on the turntable? Perhaps it's best to describe using a picture of the box. Failing that, how hard can it be to slip out the steel rails and slip in shiny ones? Thanks

Withdrawn Oct 45 and scrapped in Dec 45, so only has a tiny window of operation for me. As a visitor as it was Banbury based. But if the "six balls" align, having a black Saint with an extremely aged green "Great Western" tender would be tempting. It would be scruffy - as you say it somehow avoided "shirtbutton" logos and subsequent "GWR" repaints.

Thank you all for the info and picture links. sorry for a lack of reply last week - dreaded lurgy struck my down.

I think that wasn't uncommon Rich. The un-named Impney Hall was the same. If logic is applied to the un-named batch of Halls built during the War, they would have all been black and some may have had a green tender if one came out of the works having only had light repair and not been repainted. Not every new engine got a new tender. I posed a question about Saints elsewhere and a lovely picture of St Helena with an aged 4000 gallon tender has appeared - both look so dirty that no logos not lining nor colour can be discerned.

I have searched through my library and online, and I'm sure the answer is "no", but can anyone disprove the proposition that some Saints were fitted with 4000 gallon tenders in late GW service? Given their shed locations and probable routes and workings, I'm not sure that they would warrant the larger tenders. But I'm prepared to be corrected/educated. Thank you

The coach and NPCCS stock works continues quite well. It's the dull but critical "filler and emery board" phase, so not many exciting photos: The Centenary BK has really come out well. On what would have been Clarke Gable's birthday, I hope that you also don't give a damn, and are all happy and healthy and avoiding the colds and sniffles going round.