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Hi, I would have thought that in a goods or loco yard, unless there was a line leading to the main running line, which would need to be signalled, it would be hand signalled by the shunter. Roja

Hi, I like the wee Scotch block! I don't think I've ever seen one modelled before! Something to think about for my St Mungo's layout! Roja

Hi Ken, hope you get well soon, but don't try and do too much too soon! Roja

I think it could me, but more of a dark grey!

Hi, when I worked in the butchery trade the only white sheep ever seen were those that had been shampooed before being shown, and even then they weren't pure white. Sheep come in a variety of hues and tones ranging from off-white to a creamy yellow through to various shade of grey, depending on the breed and where they are kept. If anything, most modellers depict sheep as been far too clean, especially if they come from rough pasture and the weather has been a bit inclement! And their fleeces can harbour all sorts of other plant material, such as thistle stems, just waiting for some unwary person to grab them! Roja

Only recommended if there are two of you, wearing leather gauntlets and with hospital appointments pre-booked!😆

Hi Philou, is it a French thing, griddling your loins? I'm sure it must be painful! 😂 Roja

There's a statue of a "Tommy" on a plinth on the right.

Hi, people always assume the fault lies within the chip and ask for replacements, but the problem could lie with being an intermittent fault with the controller. A friend of mine had a similar issue with his Powercab system. It would read most chips without issues but a couple would give problems as mentioned above, yet when tried with my Digitrax system all was fine. IIRC he had the unit serviced and the issue was fixed. Roja

From what I understand a lot of steam engine crews voiced their preference for steam, in public, but actually preferred the new diesels and electrics. A cleaner and more comfortable working environment was one of the main reasons, with being able to clearly see the road ahead, except in in a few exceptions, also a factor. Roja

Optimist!

Hi, when I lived in Oban way back in the 80's iirc the 6-car rake was the main set with a half set being used in the winter unless possible traffic warranted the larger set. At the time I thought the use of 2 brake coaches was to accommodate tourist bicycles and excess luggage, especially for those using the ferries. ScotRail really messed up when they brought the Sprinters into this service with their extremely limited storage space. It's only now that they've realised the error of their ways and introduced the modified 153's for cycles and such stuff. Roja

Hi Clive, a hurdy gurdy is a rare beast indeed! The only time I think I've ever heard one is on this, and his version of Hurdy Gurdy Man, the Donovan song, on his album "L", although I haven't actually searched for music with them. Perhaps I should do!

Surely a vetinary specialising with the ovine breed is needed?

Hi, instead of a quarry, creamery or whatever, hows' about a jam, preserve, sauce, pickle or similar food factory? Various vans and opens for produce, other ingredients, jars, bottles etc plus opens for coal, assuming the factory has coal fired boilers, and for replacement plant and machinery. A distillery is a possibililty, maybe an abattoir or meat packing plant, tannery, clothing manufacturer, ceramic items, furniture maker... I think I'll quit whilst I'm ahead! Roja

Hi, I feel your pain, having been in a similar situation. The best advice I can give is, leave it alone for a couple of days then rip it up and start again. It sounds brutal, I know, but it's well worth it in the long run. I looked at what I'd done as a learning curve as I could see where I had gone wrong and I was able to correct the fault. Once you start it wouldn't be as bad as you fear, and actually saves time and stress if you leave it "as is" and try to correct the faults in situ. Good luck! Roja

Hi, I wouldn't model it stacked like that, get too many comments from the know it all brigade! It makes you wonder why it was stacked like that? Personally I feel it was done just for the photograph or some special event. I can't imagine it being stacked like that for regular duties, and I don't think it would last looking as neat after a shunt or two! I can't wait to see the completed model. I'm currently building some CR stock in EM on the cheap. Currently have 2 old DJH and 1 Finecast kit in various stages of build, have modified and repainted a couple of rakes of coaches and about a dozen of items of goods stock, also in various stages of construction. I'm having fun scratch-building springs and axle boxes! Or maybe fun is not the word! I really must photograph and post them one day! They are not up to your standard, but they look the part. Roja

Hi, cracking looking model! I was wondering, when you get 'round to adding coal to the bunker, will you be doing it like the photo of 399 in Caledonian Railway Locomotives The Classic Years?😁 Roja

Hi, thanks for the answer. Curiosity is wonderful! Roja

Hi, like the latest video. Just one question; would the steel sheets in the open wagons be left as is, or would they have some form of securing to prevent the load shifting? Roja

Hi, I use Roket for gluing card and balsa before applying scenic papers. It is water-based and causes colours to run, and, as I should have mentioned earlier, water-based glues can also cause the paper to wrinkle and tear very easily, which can be very frustrating. Before I knew better it happened to me! IIRC it was an article by the great Alan Downes, many years ago, which suggested using contact adhesive instead of pva for these very reasons. Roja

Hi, I have 2 tips for avoiding the unwanted green staining of printed papers. The first is to give a good spray of artists fixative before using, and the second is to avoid the use of pva or other glues that contain a significant amount of water. I have used a glue stick occasionally, and double-sided sellotope or similar, but my go to method is to use a smear of contact adhesive. The fixative also helps prevent the colours fading when exposed to sunlight for any length of time. Roja

It's a little known fact that as you get older gravity gets stronger, hence making it harder to stand up! Roja

Hi, as long as your track is well laid then compensation isn't really necessary, as I have found on a test track. However, a lot of modellers swear by it so I thought I's give it a go and bought some MJT units. I found them not too fiddly to assemble and fit (I'm disabled and can basically only use 1 hand) but whether they are worth it I won't know until St Mungo's is set up again, hopefully in the near future. I bought the turnouts for it at a show. They only cost a couple of pounds each, and are of copper clad construction, although I can build my own turnouts from scratch. If I get enough space to build another layout I will use the same system again, maybe adding cosmetic chairs, but, although I admire those that make track using the correct chairs, cost is a factor for me, as well as quickness of build, and, to be honest, when St Mungo's is ballasted and weathered I doubt whether anyone would be able to tell if I had used chairs unless they looked really hard. Plain track is from SMP, again for ease of use and time, but I could be tempted by plywood and rivet construction. The best advice I can give is look at different methods, try a few then stick with the one your are happiest with. After all, that's what really matters! Roja

Hi, personally I'd go to EM. My current layout, St Mungo's, is in EM, although the boards are in store I'm currently building rolling stock for it, both in BR 1964-70 and late Caledonian days. On the cheap! EM doesn't need to be expensive; the most expensive parts I use are compensation units for wagons and coaches and the wheelsets. My rolling stock is a mixture of scratch-built, kit and second-hand. I would have thought that the locomotive fleet would have been allocated to Inverness. Knowing where Tongue is situated I would think that it would be extremely unlikely that any foreign locomotives would ever visit, even a rail tour would probably have a locomotive change at Inverness, although it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that Polmadie or Haymarket allocated loco's might get co-opted by Inverness in an emergency or local locomotive shortage. I shall follow this project, which ever way you choose go, with interest. Roja