Caley Jim

I have the same issue with their Caledonian wagon oxide which is much darker and browner than the Precision Paints shade was and than the colour used by the SRPS at Bo'ness. I find I have to add some yellow to it to produce a more orange shade. Jim

Project complete! The bridge has now been painted and is ready to pass on to the Grampian Group at some mutually convenient date. My attempts at both algae covered concrete and weathered wood deck planking have been less than successful, but hopefully someone in the group can make a better job of them. Jim W

These Connor 'Crewe Types' are extremely attractive! Jim

Since we're all at it, a couple from my old layout 'Connerburn'. Jim

They weren't just an East of Scotland feature. Pretty common all over Scotland. I would guess that they would use whatever wagons were available. Jim

Just add some water. That's what has evaporated off. I have a jar of Carr's and I just keep adding some water to it when it gets a bit thick. Jim

A headshunt can act as a trap if the turnout between it and the mainline are operated as a crossover. Jim

Not any more I can't! The GDC would have me for unregistered practice of I tried it! Jim

And a very nice job you're making of them too! Jim

We have a footbridge! Hopefully it captures the delicate appearance of the prototype, despite which it is a remarkably sturdy model. Next up a light spray of grey primer and a couple of coats of the same blue as the first bridge received. Jim

Might not be at Wandelmill then as that is some 7-8 miles north of Elvanfoot. Much of the countryside around there is all very similar. Jim

As I mentioned on my post above, the Leadhills branch left the WCMl at Elvanfoot, just north of Beattock Summit, and ran to Leadhills and Wanlockhead in the Lowther Hills, the latter being the highest village in Scotland. It's main purpose was to take the products of the lead mining industry in the area. There is a lead mining museum at Wanlockhead and a narrow gauge railway now runs on the upper part of the route. The branch was operated by the Caledonian Railway and was closed by the LMS on 2nd January 1939. There is a self-published history of the line by Alistair Ireland ISBN 0 9516271 1 2, published in 1990 and revised 1996, but it doesn't appear on any web search, so may be out of print.. Jim

Having received the pillars from Roy at the Perth Show last weekend, I spent a little time at our Area Group Meeting fettling them and the other parts so that they all fitted together nicely. Only some small adjustments were needed, mainly reaming out the holes in the plinths which were a wee bit small and filing small flats on the tops of the pillars to make a neat fit with the representations of the cast brackets. Yesterday evening saw the pillars assembled onto the plinth and the bracket assembly attached . This evening has seen me finish of the assembly of the two pillars under the half landing. I opted to link the bottom of the plinths for these with a piece of scrap etch frame to make the assembly a bit stronger. The spigots on top of the four main pillars were just a wee bit too big to fit into the holes in the underside of the deck and there was no way to ream them, so I filed them flush with the top of the bracket assembly. The two little projecting tabs will provide an accurate location in any case. Next up to assemble all the section together! Jim

Looks more like the WCML near here to me! The 8F is going past the site of Wandelmill signal box, a few miles from where I sit. It was no more than a block post to break the section between Lammington and Abington. The A702 Edinburgh to Abington road, which passes through Biggar here, is in the background of the second photo. Not sure about the station, but could be Elvanfoot, which was the junction for the Leadhills and Wanlochhead Light Railway. Jim

Some years ago the diarist in The Herald asked for suggestions of French translations of Scottish place names, which produced some very creative thinking. There was Verre va = Glasgow; Moins Chien = Douglas (dug-les) and Occupé = Tain (taken) among others! Jim

Whilst browsing in the W H Smith 'Reading Room' today i can across this magazine https://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/product/5542/bookazine-rail-express-train-formations-handbook which includes some formations from Scottish lines which include tail traffic, vans and tank wagons ( don't ask me the TOPS codes, they may as well be in crylic alphabet for all they mean to me! ). Jim

I hope that would not mean disbanding the Board of Directors, aka the Parish Council! Jim

What Linny fails to mention is that he brought along a 'discussion piece's, in the form of the previous night's product from his 3D printer. A 2mm scale version of his SECR wagon! All 4 of us on the 2MM SA stand were most impressed at the level of detail and the finish. Several lines of thought were set in motion and much discussion followed! Jim

I've always used pva for both purposes, laying track direct onto the baseboard. As David says, using a small roller helps to unsure the tempt print is down flat without any distortion. Jim

Thanks. The pillars were passed on to me today so once I'm back home towards the end of next week I can get on and finish it. Jim

Drivers should have an intimate knowledge of the route,so should know exactly where to look for the signal covering the road he is about to take. Jim

When holidaying in Europe I have always found that if you attempt something in the local language people are often more than happy to either speak to you in English or find someone who can speak English. Of course beer is pronounced the same (or at least understood) in most languages on the continent! Going back to posts on German, my uncle was a Major in the RAMC, went over to Normandy on D-day +1 and was setting up field hospital a day or so behind the front line from then on. In Germany one of his orderlies, who was from the Hebrides and spoke Gaelic, could understand the locals. Jim

A fellow member of the Forth and Clyde area group of the 2MM Scale Association is building a model of Mallaig and Glenfinnan and I'm sure he'll have most, if not all, of what you need. I'll send him a link to your post when I get home later and see if he's happy to be put in touch with you. Jim

Can't speak for Northroader, but as far as I'm concerned, nein. Jim

Not sure what you mean by electrical connections being an issue. I used this approach on Kirkallanmuir without any problems. As you can see in that post, I made the first two sleepers carrying the closure rails pcb and so that made the electrical connection between them and the adjacent stock rails. The wing rails are separate from the closure rails and get their power from the crossing. The switches are true 'loose heel' and are attached to the ends of the closure rails by home made copper shim 'fishplates' soldered to the switch and then slid onto the closure rail. The attachment to the operating mechanism stops them sliding off. Jim