2750Papyrus

I like the nominations for both High Barnet and Belgrave Road but am not sure in my own mind whether I would count their routes as branch lines. 

My nomination would be for Stamford.  It had an interesting station and there would be interesting possibilities for traffic to and from the Midland.

The kit-bashed engine shed and signal box on my layout are derived from the Stamford originals. 

3 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

 

100 wagon train, David? No problem! Put a 28xx on the front....

I've never seen a picture of a B17 Sandringham on such a train, but if you say so...…...

For some reason, whilst there are lots of butterflies about in both Bedfordshire and Devon, they are not feeding on the buddleias.  Has the dry summer reduced the amount of nectar produced?

I have long felt that the P1s were underrated and perhaps ahead of their time in anticipating the sort of power and performance of the 9Fs. 

The availability of a proprietary P1 would help increase knowledge of SNG's lesser-known locos - but my own model would no longer be something unusual!

For street level station buildings, you also look at Crouch End, Cranley Gardens and Muswell Hill.  Disused Stations website may be useful.

5 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

Ah, I recall previous postings on this subject on this very thread, I believe. 

 

My views on this haven't changed,  as one might imagine. 

 

Payment of council tax on a second home in no way confers the same level of 'rights' as permanent residents. That's my robustly held view from long before this virus arrived and it remains the same now more than ever.

 

Sorry, but please don't take my remarks personally. 

 

You are, of course, totally right that second home owners can't have the same rights as residents.  For example, you are entitled to vote in national and local elections in the area where you pay your council tax.  I am not, as  my entitlement lies elsewhere. 

You can, if you wish, suggest to your MP that his constituency's interests would be best served by a ban on travel from elsewhere in the UK.  Longer term, you can try to influence the SW tourist industry and economy by persuading your councillors to change their policies in areas such as planning (as done in St Ives) and in the licensing of camping and caravan sites and alcohol outlets. 

Whilst I suspect that our views on Saturday night's scenes in Newquay and elsewhere are broadly similar, the above options are not open to me.  However. when I next visit the area I shall try and do my bit by avoiding crowded areas and following social distancing guidelines when I do meet other people. 

No, nothing personal, just different viewpoints.  Maybe one day we can enjoy a pint somewhere, until then, back to enjoying the modelling.

Chas,  your levels of both modelling and research put many of us older modellers to shame.  Thank you, and keep it up!  There's hope for this hobby yet.

I'm sorry, but I still think there are practical things which could be done by residents of the SW (where I am a council tax payer) to safeguard the health of both residents and of vulnerable visitors such as myself. 

I don't believe holding up four letter words on motorway bridges falls within that description.

The simple answer would be to stop selling alcohol in the affected areas, making them safe and clean for both locals and visitors.  Or would the financial impact be too great on the local economies?

It's always the extra in the red crew shirt that perishes.....

Peppercorn A1 and EM1.

I'd agree with the O2 for freight, but for passenger I'd go for the original A1, progenitor of the A3, A4 and V2.

For the noxious weed, I'd like to play a trump card......

As a child, I knew ragwort as "Stinking Willie", which I now believe was a reference to William of Orange.  It was always covered in the caterpillars of the cinnabar moth, distinctive for their yellow and black stripes.

It still grows on the local common.  For some years, the owners of the ponies grazing there used to diligently remove it, but it doesn't seem to affect the two ponies currently grazing there, who ignore it.  Do some horses have an awareness of its toxicity not shared by all?

That made me feel 50+ years younger - good start to a Monday morning!

Where's Percy Thrower?

Or rambling Sid Rumpold? 

Klondike and K2, for reasons stated above.

There was also an Antarctic scientist of this name in the mid 50's, which led to a newspaper headline

"DOCTOR FUCHS OFF AGAIN".

It's 56 years since I was in the apprentice training school, but I think it depends somewhat as to whether you are tapping a through or blind hole.  If through, a single "first" tap will do the job, as the top will be to the full diameter, though you may have to go the full length of the tap.  A second tap has a more pronounced taper, so you get to a full diameter quicker - useful for a blind hole.  A plug tap has minimal taper and takes the thread at full diameter to the bottom of a blind hole.  Whichever tap you are using, use plenty of lubricant and "back off" (turn anticlockwise) at intervals to clear swarf.  Don't forget your drilled hole should be to "tapping drill" diameter (basically the core diameter of the thread).

Many years ago I came into possession of a misfiring minivan.  On removing the cylinder head, I found one of the cylinder head stud holes to be blocked; the tapping drill had broken and been left in situ  and the engine assembled with a missing stud!  Eventually I got the broken drill out and could tap the hole and fit the missing stud.

I suspect that, at the time Edgware would have been built, the cost of land would have been low enough to enable the GN to use simple trackwork wherever possible.  However, the double slip does not look out of place in your mock-up.  I use one at the entrance to my goods yard and it does provide contrast (a different dimension or "feel") to  simpler trackwork.  My vote would be to use it - good luck with the wiring!

It seems to have been a good spring for butterflies and moths.  I'm particularly pleased at the number of tortoiseshells about here in Bedfordshire, as they have been quite uncommon in the last two years.

Slave trading and then slavery was supposedly abolished in our country some two hundred years ago but still thrives. It would be good to see some of the current interest and energy focussed on modern slavery.

It's pleasant plucking pheasants in the pheasant plucking season with a pleasant pheasant plucker!

Like the view.

Picky, picky, but would the top surfaces of the checkrails be the same "brightness" as the running rails?