Caley Jim

Just to finish off, here it is in service running into Kirkallanmuir behind 98 Class No.108 in a rake of 45ft coaches from the same source (as is most of the loco body). Jim

If the axles are all geared, then the rods are only going along for the ride and not actually doing anything, so precise quartering is not such an issue. In fact I would guess that a bit of slop in the rod holes is desirable. I'm open to correction on this as I've never done that.

I'm pleased to report that the coach is now completed and ready to enter service! Glazing is clear sheet from a chocolate box (forget the variety) held in place with Glue 'n' Glaze. The interior consists of no more than partitions cut from thin brown card with the only concession to interior detail being the lower section coloured blue with a marker pen. Thanks for all the kind comments during this build. Jim

The door handles and grab rails have (eventually) been fitted. The handles are tiny! Think of 'T' about 1mm square! Fitting them into the holes is a delicate operation and several have gone AWOL. The operation was, however, made much easier with the arrival of a pair of ceramic tipped tweezers, which were recommended for soldering by @CDGfife at one of our last Area Group meetings. They seem to hold things more positively than ordinary college tweezers with less chance of the part pinging off into the wide blue yonder. It was then given a coat of thinned Humbrol satin varnish, but this came out far too matt for my liking so a second coat of Ronseal clear satin interior varnish was applied. This gives a nice sheen, as you can see on the end, without the 'hardness' of a gloss varnish. Glazing then partitions and floor next. Jim

The valences have now been added all round, though there is a gap at the south end (RH in this view) where the canopy fits over the end of the footbridge stairs. It is now a very rigid structure and, I'm pleased to say, sit nice and level on a flat surface. The gap between the bottom of the canopy ends and the valence is for the guttering to slot into. Jim

Yes, Simon. The door handles are little 'T' shaped etches and the grab handles have a couple of little spigots on them which go into holes and then a touch of cyano is applied from behind. Jim

Thanks, Ian. The ironwork on the body and the underframe and bogies have now all had a coat of dark grey (matt black with a spot of grey in it). The roof has had a coat of a mix with a little more grey in it and the footboards the same mix with some matt leather added. This is the other side from the last photo and the body is just sitting on the underframe. The observant will note that it has acquired the roof handrails at either end which I had forgotten to solder on earlier! Next up is to glue all the door and grab handles into the little locating holes.

The final bays have been added and the tabs to support the valences bent down. Here it sits on top of a copy of one of the drawings: The left hand (south) end is sitting in line with the drawing and it appears that the model is a few mm longer than the drawing. This would seem to be down to a distortion in the printing of this copy as the discrepancy is different on another drawing of which I have a copy. I have checked with the dimensions Mike sent me, and with him, and all seems well as the dimensions of the model concur with the original drawing.. Last night I added a length of valence down 85% of one side and this has made the whole thing rigid and no longer floppy! Jim

As far as I understand, never having worked in N-gauge, there is no such thing as 'standards' at all! Jim

Details of the signal boxes at Oban can be found here. Scroll down to 'Signalling'. Jim

Is one of the wheels not quite square in the muff and so is over gauge at one point of the revolution, resulting in the flange creeping up the rail? Jim

Steel underframes, and indeed steel wagons, were lighter than wooden ones and so reduced the tare weight of the wagon (and the train). For example, a CR Dia. 59 16T mineral wagon on a wooden underframe had a tare of 7t 6cwt, whereas one on a steel underframe tared at 6t 17cwt. Jim

This 1856 map of the original Glasgow Queen Street Station shows some of the plethora of turn tables. Those on the line to the left allowed coaches to be stored in underground 'bays' to avoid the need for them to be taken back up the, then, rope worked incline to Cowlairs. That track was itself accessed by wagon turntables under the roof. Trains were worked up and down the tunnel by rope haulage. At first locos were attached at the top of the incline, but later they reversed down into the station and brought the train up with assistance from the rope. A special coupling on the front allowed the rope to be dropped at the top without stopping. Jim

Seen in this photo. It is also illustrated on pp155 and 243 of Jim Summers' 'Signalling the Caledonian Railway' . This was a replacement box built be the LMS in 1929. Jim

I decided that the upper panels did need another coat, so that has been done and the lettering applied along with completing the crests and the monogram. If I look from a distance, screw up my eyes and use my imagination I can convince myself that the middle four waist panels read 'FIRST/C.R/77/FIRST', but then I would say that, wouldn't I!! As to the crests, well I did say consistency was going to be the issue. Next up, paint the ironwork, underframe and bogies a very dark grey. Jim

When creating a very dark grey for underframes and ironwork I always add a little light grey to the black. It seems to create a more subtle tone than adding white. Jim

There's also an ex-2MM member in the first photo, but that was many moons ago! Did you not consider Lauries point rodding stools? Jim

Or the episode in 'Yes Prime Minister' where he visited a new hospital which was running extremely smoothly and efficiently - but had no patients! Good luck, Linny! Jim

I use a similar technique, but using sellotape and a tile, which I've described elsewhere. Basically stick a strip (or two) of sellotape onto a tile, paint that with a generous coat of the 'outer' colour, then draw the centre line. Once dry cut down either side with a scalpel and you can carefully peel the strip of paint off the sellotape. You have to do all this within a few days, while the base layer of paint is still flexible and hasn't gone hard and brittle. Fixing in place is by dipping in thinned varnish and teasing into place with a couple of cocktail sticks. Jim

Draw a broad Yellow line with a bow pen and then a thin black one down the middle. Jim

Mining activities could extend a long way underground. My father was the headmaster of a primary school in a mining village. Some of the miners walked from a neighbouring village a couple of miles away, went down the pit and then as far again to the coal face and were working under their own village! Jim

Mining subsidence! We had a holiday house in Fife where not only were the floors uneven but the walls were neither flat nor straight, as I discovered when I tried to wallpaper one of the bedrooms! Jim

The third coat of white has now been applied to the upper panels, without getting any on the beading!! One or two of them might need another coat, but I'll decide that in the daylight tomorrow. I've also started 'dotting in' the crests. These will be no more than 'impressionistic', but with two of them on each side, getting them reasonably consistent will be the challenge! Jim

11 bays now assembled, leaving only 3 to do. however, as can be seen from the plan, these last three at the north end will be a little trickier as the long sides shorten to allow the canopy to follow the curve of the Oban bound platform. I just hope I've got my measurements right! Jim

A final coat of purple brown on the lower panels and ends and the upper beading touched up with the bow pen. Still one or two little bits of p/b on the panels, but they will be getting another coat of white tomorrow. Hopefully I'll manage to do that without putting too much white on the beading! Jim