Caley Jim

Or Mons Meg? Jim

Is that Shimbleshanks? Jim

Clicks running in one direction are sometimes a (very) minor quartering issue. Jim

When I started in 2FS (1969) I decided that the first piece of track work I would built, having never built any track, was to be a turnout, pcb sleepers, chairplates and plain rail - state-of-the-art for the time. I made a set of rudimentary gauges and drew a template consisting of two parallel straight lines and two parallel curved lines, each 9.42mm (or thereabouts) apart, having no knowledge whatsoever of proper turnout geometry. To my great surprise, it worked and is still in situ at the end of the run round on Connerburn! Onwards and upwards! Jim

Piloting over parts of routes was not unusual. The heavier southbound expresses were often piloted from Glasgow Central to Carstairs, by which point the worst of the southbound climb to Beattock had been done. Shorter trains might have a pilot attached in order to get a light engine back to its home shed, rather than take up a path. Jim

Connerburn track was laid (indeed built in situ), on double sided tape onto ply. That was in the early '70's and I was given dire warnings that it would not hold. Still as secure as the day it was laid! Admittedly nothing has run on it for probably 12+ years, but it did go to a good number of shows, including Warley and Abingdon. The latter in the under-bed locker of a motorhome, so wasn't exactly cosseted! Jim

IIRC the HMRS photos are arranged by where the collection came from and there is a Pickering collection. As I said, I'll check when I'm home later in the week. Jim

There are also those modellers (David Jenkinson for one, whose example I follow) who create their own in recognition of their friends! Jim

Been alerted to this thread by @Compound2632 giving me a mention. Have you checked if there is a photo of one of the companies wagons in the HMRS collection? If it's a Pickering built one then the card record are with Motherwell library and that would give you the livery. I'm not at home just now but will check if I have any info. I can also check with a couple of Dundonians of my acquaintance. Jim

Sounds much more up-market than a stable! My gran used to call a garage a 'car shed'! Jim

So, my pregrouping layout is housed in a garage. Does that make it a stable layout? Jim

Do modern houses have parlours? Jim

It should just be a simple matter of taking the weight off the lever (it's made by sandwiching the lever between two discs which fold over from either side) and adding two discs with central holes in them which can be sweated together and slid over the lever. As I've said to Angus, I'm in hospital at the moment after an op, but should be home later this week. I too have a sheet I'm trying to fill! Jim

That's not unlike the McNee, except the weight is the other way round, parallel with the lever. Jim

I have an etch for the McNee type the CR used Sorry, I'm not at home just now so can't crop the picture. Jim

I lived at home in Bargeddie, so didn't tend to frequent establishments in the city.

Any time we went for a game of snooker in the Union on our only 2 hour lunch break in the week all the tables were taken up by arts student who'd been there all morning! Jim

(sorry, I can't seem to delete photos on my phone) Track in sidings was never perfect, so as long as things run through OK I wouldn't worry about it. Another issue with this type of tou is the switches becoming detached from the stretcher bar because of the flexing stress. I either reinforce the joint with a bit of brass shim bent into an 'L' or connect the two via a 'Z' shaped piece of p/b wire, which takes up the flex. Jim

Potters Bar? That's the deep south! Jim

Always looks OK until you take a photograph! Jim

To fill up a space on the sheet of etches of CR 65ft coach underframes I put in an etch for some 'coke raves' to extend the volume capacity of Dia22 mineral wagons for carrying coke. The vertical posts simply slide into the body of the wagon. Usual rubbish lettering! 😕 Jim

We should take a leaf out of the livre Francais. They're always revolting! Jim

Absolutely correct. Most people fail to appreciate that 'High Street' dentists are self employed businesses working under contract to the NHS. the system has become such that it is becoming unviable for them to continue. Before I retired (16 years ago) I worked out that it cost me >£100 an hour just to have the door open! I dread to think what that figure is now! I have long said that HMG would like to get dentistry out of the NHS and they are going about it in such a way that they can blame the big, bad, greedy dentists for that. Jim (rant over)

I haven't found a use for extraction forceps (yet), but orthodontic wire bending pliers, whose jaws meet at the tip, are the bees knees for any wire bending. Probes are also ideal for applying small drops of cyano and various other instruments come in handy for carving brass or styrene. Root canal reamers are ideal for opening up small holes which haven't quite etched through. Jim