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I am very sorry about what has happened to you. These kind of life events can leave lasting scars. I truely hope you can find a way forward.

Pardon any ignorance on my part, but would the Ultrascale "Hornby 'Black 5 and Grange' final drive gear" be of use, or something similar? Please note, I am not sure of the new Duchess final drive specifications and have not used the Ultrascale product yet - but I am considering an Ultrascale option as I have a 8F and Royal Scot with split drive cogs and have been looking for options.

Seeking some advice. I have 2 Thomas 0-6-0 chassis and would like to change the centre tyre of one to the other. Is there an easy or tried and true method to remove the metal tyre from the plastic wheel centre? The reason I want to do this is I prefer the darker blue wheel centres of the older Thomas to the newer version with lighter colouring. I dislike the traction tyre that the model with darker blue wheels has and would like to have a proper flanged wheel fitted. The older Hornby models from the 70s and 80s seem to require a light tap with a hammer (or similar) - but the newer ones seem to be joined more securely.

I have one each of the Hornby Stanier R.2635 and Fowler 4P R.2224 engines and have owned from new. Neither have a spring or washer. They run just fine without them too. I also own the Bachman Fairburn 4P 32-875 - it does have a spring and washer. Hopefully this helps a little

I had to fix mine - it arrived with a broken draw pin. Hornby sent a replacement tender body which required soldering then re soldering the tender wiring. Re soldering is doable with household soldering irons, but does require patience, good light and a steady hand.

I have one of the Cura i3 Plus printers sold via Aldi (really a Wanhao i3 Plus) and gotten immense use out of it for all sorts of things - including modelling. Wanhao (via their AliExpress store) even provide reasonable support for it. It has met my expectations, although when things go wrong it can take a bit to diagnose. For someone who is happy to get their hands dirty to maintain one, I would recommend one.

As an educated guess - an insulated wheel is touching the body when going around the bend. Some insulation tape (or even non-conductive paint) positioned against the chassis at the location will probably address the issue.

Has anyone tried to use a XBOX Kinect modified so it can be used on a PC to scan? I'd be curious if it could scan the more detailed components our hobby demands

Some more photos

Excellent news - worth the persistence. You have me wondering where that U shaped part was sitting and what it is for, You can make a screwdriver tip magnetic by stoking one with a magnet a few times.

When I have experienced this in the past, I removed the electric motor and tested it by itself. This also allows the wheels and motion to be tested in isolation. In my case the electric motor was the issue (Black 5 engine in body version). With my fingers I turned it as much as I could till resistance was felt. I then decided to take a risk and forced it a bit more. Crunch... then free running. I then ran it on 12v power for a little while noting some puffs of a redish powder from the small air vents when I started. The motor has been 100% ever since and this was perhaps 7 years ago.

As for a different storage approach - over Christmas I repurposed an old metal tool/storage cabinet with a number (13) of wooden drawers. The drawers can slide in and out freely on kitchen style drawer runners (roller bearings). From my perspective, it has the advantage of protecting my engines and rolling stock from accidental damage, yet allows me easy access to them as required.

I have found another picture which shows better the overall layout from the turntable side. I'll revise my track plan accordingly. I am wondering what the narrow gauge wagons were used for at the shelter. Perhaps coal was unloaded from normal coal wagons into the small wagons which were then taken to the coaling plant - for feeding into the elevator.

I have found a few more photos that have proven to be useful

Thoughts, comments, suggestions are most welcome.