Caley Jim

Nah, far too big and heavy built for a Shetland, especially about the legs. It's probably not cheeky enough either! Jim (who has experience of cheeky Shetlands)

Linny, Let me add my best wishes to those already expressed. I'm fortunate in never having suffered from mental health issues in any serious form, so I can only imagine how debilitating they are. Nonetheless you have my sympathy and I hope that things get resolved for you before too long. Work within your limitations and don't get yourself stressed out by trying to do too much. Prioritise things and stick to that. Jim

You mean something like this? Jim

Merry Christmas to you to, William. I would say your best plan is to lay the crossover first and then work out from there. If you lay all the turnouts first and there is even the slightest mis-alignment them you could have a bit of a problem. Using a piece of Easitrac base as a link sounds like a good idea. Jim

And a merry Christmas to you too, James, and to your family. No doubt this will be a more joyous season for you all than in recent years. and a Merry Christmas to all other members of the CA Parish Council. I see our favorite actor will be appearing in a Christmas Special!! Jim

I have been becoming increasingly irritated by the said gentleman's derogatory comments over a number of years, but I'm afraid his latest pushed me over the edge, especially as he was denigrating a friend to whom I had been giving some help and advice. As the person who made the original masters for the separate axleboxes and springs, can I explain that the reason for the unreliability of supply of the castings was due to the caster taking ill and deciding to give up. His equipment was old and the moulds didn't fit other casting machines. Jim Edited to add A very Merry Christmas to you all. Hope Santa brings you all your modelling requirements (round tuits top of my list again this year)

I now use PPD for all my etching, artwork produced on AutoCAD. I used to use PEC, but they were very slow, will only do A3 sheets (it takes a h**l of a lot of 2MM scale item to fill an A3 sheet!!), they need it on a black background (i.e. etched through = black, unetched =white) and seem to split the artwork into numerous layers, resulting in a lot of corrections being needed. PPD, on the other hand will do 300mm wide with 150mm minimum length and work with a white background which is what I prefer to work with. Their turn round time is also much quicker. Jim

The issue is clearly not the motor, but a lack of adhesion. this where 3D printed small locos will fall down, I fear. Simply through resin being so much lighter than metal. Jim

I felt that the white LEDs I fitted at first gave too stark a lighting for an oil lamp and swapped them for a couple of yellow ones which were far better, to my eye at least. Jim

I worry that it might be for me, sent for by one of my family members!! A Merry Christmas to you all. Jim

That is BRILLIANT modeling, James. One 'Craftmanship/clever' doesn't do it justice! Jim

Sorry at being so slow to catch up, but I now find that though this was asked today, it's now 4 pages back! Those who are kind enough to follow the thread will know that the Sick and Tired department (AKA S&T) have been busy on Kirkallanmuir fitting signal wire posts and telegraph poles. There is an earlier post on the former and a later one on the latter. At present I'm working one some items for our Area Group Layout. BTW, James, I can't find the words to describe how superbly that drill hall is turning out. You are a damn fine modeler, sir! Jim

Not sure. My cousin's husband gave her the cask for her 60th birthday (they stay on Islay and he is involved with some of the distilleries) and they had it bottled as 'Crofter's Cask'. Crofter is their Border Collie. I have to confess that I'm forced to put a little water in it! Jim

No, but I had a d****d good sleep! It was for medicinal purposes. I'm getting over a bad cold. Maybe Jerry should have taken that for his man flu? Jim

But weren't gentlemen of the upper classes into all of these things in Edwardian times? Jim

That's nothing. The other night I had a dram out of the bottle of 'cask proof' (61.1%) Islay malt I have. Jim

I'm in my own little world, but it's OK, everybody knows me there!! Jim

And that's how any minutes should be, with no record of the discussion that led to the decision. Jim

According to Mike Williams' book on CR wagons the LNWR started the practice in 1882. He quotes from LNWR Liveries a minute of August of that year requiring the number to be painted on the ends of wagons in the same manner as on the Caledonian Railway. Jim

In certain areas of Glasgow vehicles are found on bricks because someone has removed the wheels (and probably sold them down the pub by the time the owner finds out!). Jim

I'd advise SEM to put down his shovel. First rule of getting into a hole? Stop digging! Jim

As I said, I don't varnish, other than if I want a satin finish and the moisture in the atmosphere seems to be enough to 'fix' the powder colours I use for weathering. I often breath on it! Of course, I don't use transfers, so maybe that makes a difference. Jim

More likely Tasmanian Devils. The quarry wouldn't stand a chance! (Nor, possibly, the emus) Jim

WEEEELL!! If we're ordering, mine's a large malt Whisky, neat, no ice! Jim (just off to pour one to help this d****d cold I have. It possibly has no medicinal properties, but it does make you feel better!)

Not a von Trapp, surely!! Was that one of them we had earlier? Jim (Follows Hroth off stage left)