Caley Jim

Fellow parishioners. In order to raise the spirits of our esteemed Chairman and Promoter and President of the WNR, who is at present in a somewhat morose mental state, I propose that we furnish him with his own train, one befitting his high office. It has come to my attention that the Chairman of a council to the East of the Urals has already commissioned such a conveyance. I further propose, therefore, that we instruct the Clerk to the Council to communicate with this gentleman, who I understand goes by the name V Putin, to respectfully request a copy of the drawings of his in order that we might emulate it. I will, of course, require a seconder for this motion. Jim

I've always used 6.5mm spacers which means my 0.25mm frames are 7mm outside width. I found that a piece of 20thou styrene, cut away to fit round the boss on the back of the wheel with one either side between wheel and frame, gave the correct back to back. If you use wider spacers, just do the maths and use the appropriate thickness of styrene (or whatever). I also make all my 6-coupled locos with separate front and rear rods, half-lapped on the centre crankpin. I found this gave freer running. It also means that I can set up both ends as 0-4-0s when quartering. You can do the same with one-piece rods by turning them upside down and fitting them with the rear crank pin hole on the centre crank pin and the centre one on the rear wheel. Once you have both ends running smoothly as 0-4-0s you then fit the rods correctly. Jim

I've never used a jig for quartering and I make fine adjustment with a watchmaker's screwdriver between the spokes. Jim

Couldn't agree more with @VRBroadgauge. In my case that was in 1969! Jim

Pay attention at the back there! It's North Somerset Light livery! Jim😁

Didn't know the shops in Liverpool got their coal dropped in directly from the L&M! 😁 Jim

Whatever colour you paint it, if someone comes along and tells you categorically that you are wrong, then your response is 'prove it!' and the only acceptable evidence as proof is a flake of the original paint! Jim

I cannot comment on the colour under discussion, but bear in mind that we all perceive colour differently. The physiology of the colour receptors in the retina and how the brain interprets the signals from them via the optic nerve all play a part, irrespective of the lighting conditions. Jim

Your two sidings off the run-round are crying 'local industry' to me. Coal merchants could be on the end of the long, curving siding. Jim

I'd say that either the between checks is a bit wide or the back-to-back on the C is a bit tight. If the Jinty and diseasel were OK, the latter is what I'd check first. Jim

I can only endorse everything Nigel and Tony have said. I decided to model the Caledonian Railway in N way back in the late '60's, so committed myself to scratch building, but became totally disillusioned with the crude wheels and track. I discovered the 2MM SA, joined, and have never looked back. The range of products available now through the Association make life so much easier than it was back then! I would add patience and perverence to the list of requirements. Jim

In Scotland a pug is a tank engine of any description ( even the CR 4-6-2Ts and G&SWR baltics), so in my book Thomas, Percy and Jinty are pugs too! Jim

I recall back in the '60's travelling from Chester General to Birmingham Snow Hill on the former GWR line and it was noticeable how much wider the 'six foot' was. made it much easier to read the smokebox numbers on locos travelling the other way! Jim

Superb, Nick. Makes me glad that CR locos in my period of interest were relatively unencumbered by all these little details! 😁 Jim

Ideally you should have either end of the driveshaft within the wheelbases of the loco and tender. I use much finer wire than that, 8 thou guitar string usually. Jim

Wot! No blue with lake below the footplate? 🤥 Jim

Bob Jones is the man to answer these questions. He designed the kit. Jim

Agreed! 'Elf and Softly would have a fit at the plank! Jim

The majority of the Caledonian's special wagons (well wagons, heavy weight wagons, etc.) were branded 'St Rollox when empty'. Jim

I always say that the father of the bride has only 4 things to do: 1) Walk her down the aisle. 2) Embarrass her in his speech at the reception. 3) Have the first dance with her future mother-in-law. and, most importantly and most difficult....... 4) Pay for it all! Jim (speaking from experience as the father of 2 daughters)

She must be the only one who believes that particular politician! Jim

Re platform heights and original buildings. I offer these two photographs of Thankerton Station (one station south from Carstairs Junction on the CR main line). This photo is, I would guess from late summer 1885, Central Station Hotel having been opened on 19th July that year. I don't have a date for this photo, but it is clearly much later, probably c20th. Compare the tops of the windows with both the roof line and the corner quoins. They, and the doorway, have clearly been raised when the platforms were raised. I know the people who bought and converted the building, after closure of the station, into a private residence and they did say that, on the inside, the windows sills were particularly high on that side. Jim

DJT? Jim

Alan Titchmarsh quoted his father as saying that every job needed a good coat of looking at before starting it! Jim

Only where Forestry Scotland have been clear-felling! Jim