doilum

And that is the money shot!

A veritable tangle of tenders. Were the cut down top valances ever restored?

The fuzzy wiki photo seems to show a non corridor tender with the rear panel cut down.

I haven't my books to hand, but you would need to start by checking which tender was fitted. I seem to recall that some modifications had to be made to allow coaling on foreign lines. A Google search on the exchange should provide some details.

Back in the day the fire would be needed all year round as the only means of cooking and warming water. The kitchen would be warmest! The miners concession was a ton each month but that was more than ample as I have described elsewhere.

The book on the subject is " The British Travelling Post Office" by Peter Johnson. Although an interesting read with a chapter on the complexity of operational diagrams, it doesn't directly answer the question at the top of the thread. That said, as I put the book down, I notice a photo on the back of the jacket with an ex LMS Pacific approaching a drop off point at the head of a long train of mk1 and ex LMS stock.

Not sure about the mk1, but the Gresley TPO had offset gangways and could only be accessed from the similarly equipped sorting vans.

Shildon I think. This was late July / August 1975 just before the 150 celebration. I seem to recall being told at the time that they had been stored overnight west of Methley Junction on the stump of the line up to Newmarket. There was a truly eclectic mix of locos, wagons and coaches both ancient and almost recent in each train.

Just wish I had a camera back in the day. I spent that summer working at the maltkilns. Every morning we pushed open the doors on the disused rail loading Bay and had our 8:30 break in the fresh air. One Monday we were suprised by this amazing train of ancient shiny stock heading north. This spectacle was repeated each morning in the same spot for a week.

They have just five years to organise the Stockton & Darlington 200. The sad thing is that unlike the 1975 event, when all the exhibits arrived in rail convoys, any exhibits will almost certainly be delivered by road.

Maybe if we all wore a 5G mast..........

Almost certain that United Glass used tractors in Castleford to move individual wagons of sand and soda ash into the plant. Rockware glass did something similar in Knottingley that involved crossing the main road.

And don't forget some serious buffer stops. The thought of an overshoot is unbearable!

Looking forward to an answer. I have found that the grain of wheat bulbs give a soft yellow gaslightbut LED are a harsher bright light.

Agreed. Look for the old school type as new health friendly versions have been introduced and I cannot vouch for them. If it smells dreadful and is covered in toxic warnings you have the right stuff. One caveat: it attacks polystyrene so avoid using it on very thin sheets and spread thinly but evenly. One solution is to use a layer of 30 thou sheet as a barrier layer. This method has been proven over many years by myself and on club layouts. In the UK Wickes homebrand contact adhesive is "old school" whilst Evostick ( the original go to glue) has gone eco friendly and reminds me of the Copydex we used in school 60 years ago.

One day someone will discover a tape of Hills of Heaven?

About 12.5 ,to be accurate.

Used by Ferrari enthusiasts to describe those who really know!

You might have started something here. I have found an ancient Hornby Percy. Despite vast amounts of crud it appears to be a good runner, especially on feedback. Question for the cognoscenti: is a gradient of 1:36 too much for this little beast? It will be on 34" curves and short trains. Thinking of a roundy roundy in less than 15square feet! The modelling challenge will be 16+ buildings.

Amazingly I have had only two pairs in twenty years. Both ( pinched from the kitchen) have had a hard life in the garage cutting fibreglass etc etc. The first pair were retired when the plastic handle broke. Neither were expensive, the type that can be bought in the kitchenware department for around a fiver. Thicker brass goes through the bandsaw leaving around a millimeter to clean up with a file. It helps to feed it through the bandsaw on piece of sacreficial hardboard.

Agree with all the above. Make sure the saw is the adjustable type. The choice of blade is important for cutting Plasticard. Everyone has their own favourite but it is important to use a small sharp blade in a handle you feel comfortable with. My choice is the Exacto #2. Thin plasticard ( and shim brass) can be cut with a pair of sharp scissors. The thing is to keep trying and learning.

The trick is to build the interiors as you go along. You will never find the time later! Building interiors helps to develop an understanding of function and structure which help you to create realistic buildings. Few of us will ever reach the standard of Pendon modellers, but that doesn't stop us following their principles. One reason that laser cut models (or any other material for that matter) look " dreadful", is that they are completed on the bench and then " plonked down" on the baseboard. Scratch builders usually extend the walls a good 6mm into the ground so that the building looks "rooted". One solution might be to glue a basement of 6mm square timber beneath the completed kit and then create a raised landscape to surround it. There is a wealth of good published material on the subject, my own favourites being Gordon Gravett in 7mm and the work of Ian Rice, Bob Barlow and Barry Norman in 4mm thirty years ago. Whilst it is fairly easy to purchase some exquisite ready to run stock, buildings and landscape will require a learning journey......

The brick work on the terraced houses could be amazing. Carefully cut and sand the front and rear back to the first mortar line ( yes, floors and roof also), and once the mortar lines are cut across the ends of the side piece you have perfect matching bricks. Only the top scratch builders usually achieve this.

Check that all holes on the coupling rods are truly circular and free to rotate on the bushes. Tiny imperfections cause binding.

A cautionary tale from the previous century. Back in the day, one esteemed club member would build his own CDU. Coupled to the old school H&M solenoid point motors with ,16 volts they had a kick like a mule watered with Tequila. Life expectancy of a frequently used Peco OO point was a handful of shows........