GRASinBothell

Nearholmer's reference to "a name made-up by C19th property developers to sound posh" reminds me of something I've noticed over here in the US. Sometimes, a property developer will use the proper English, rather than the American-English spelling for words like "Harbour" and "Centre" in the name of their developments. I have always assumed that must have been good for an extra dollar per square foot on the rent... Gordon

Well, I stand corrected. Of course, local usage in the Walkers Park area drops the apostrophe! Gordon

Edwardian, The original Mr Walker (actually, Mr Skywalker) after whom Walker was named was a Jedi Knight, so no, he wasn't a grocer. As regards apostrophe crimes, did station names ever include apostrophes? You won't find one in Parsons Green, for example: Nearholmer, No, nothing so fancy (or expensive!). They are from JTT Scenery Products (http://miniaturetree.com/landscaping-detailing/43-sunflowers.html). They make a lot of flowers and vegetables in O and HO scales, and you can find them in a lot of hobby/craft shops over here (not just specialist train ones). The flowers (and leaves) are paper. I did share a picture of the flower bed with Allen. Hmm... Still hoping someone can point me to a 1/43 scale Pembroke or Cardigan Corgi. Like most of us (I suspect), there is no shortage of the diecast kind of Corgi... Gordon

Returning to the dog theme (this IS a dog forum, right???), and having mentioned Walker, and the station I've named after him, I thought I'd add a photo of the running-in board, with Mr and Mrs Mountbatten-Windsor waiting for a train (along with a strangely-young Mr Churchill). The 3 dogs are from an Arttista pack (called Junk Yard dogs), containing a German Shepherd (Alsation for those on the other side of the Pond), a Rottweiler, and a Doberman - appropriate since Walker was a Doberman. Of course, the Mountbatten-Windsors should really be surrounded by Corgis, but I haven't been able to find a 1/43 scale one of those! In the background, King Arthur class no 30456 Sir Galahad brings The Cunarder into the station. Gordon

That looks good. Is it a kit, and, if so, who makes the kit? Gordon

Of course, the Great Western Society has one at Didcot, so, if lockdown rules allow, you could go and see for yourself that there are no provisions underneath for discharge. https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/article.php/104/no-1-tar-wagon Gordon

Depends what you mean by "respond"... A quick roll of the eyeballs, and then carrying on doing what they were doing is the most likely. Gordon

It's a nice name - short, easy to say, and, most importantly, not embarrassing when you're calling her to come in from the garden. Dog naming can be a strange process. My daughter christened her first dog Lord Adonis Skywalker the Third. He was always known as Walker, and I took him for many walks in the park, so my Ace station has nameboards for "Walkers Park"! Gordon

Does the new apprentice have a name? You'll have to be careful with the new branch line. Your apprentice may mistake the branch for a stick... Gordon

I consulted the authority on Great Western wagons ("GWR Goods Wagons", by Atkins, Beard and Tourret), and the author noted there that he had no idea why they added "improvised", since there was no meaningful distinction between regular Gunpowder Vans (CONES in GWR parlance) and these conversions. There is an official photo of one marked for the GWR and one for the Southern, and he surmised that only the two in the official photos may have been so marked. And for anyone fighting the urge to go tinplate, don't fight it - it is a splendid place to be... Gordon

I believe the "Improvised" Gunpowder Vans were just standard iron minks converted for use as gunpowder vans. I don't know whether the "Improvised" implied some kind of limit on how much or what kinds of explosive could be loaded in them. Since the standard gunpowder design (even other companies' ones) was based on the GW iron mink, I can't imagine there could have been a lot of difference. Gordon

On the modules I take to shows over here, the standard track positioning (to fit with other group modules) didn't leave room to fit a French Hornby Passage à Niveau (level crossing), so I have a small extension piece that I bolt on, thus providing the room. You could do something similar. The baseboard would then be the size you want for storage, and would have a small overhang when in use... Gordon

I also have one of those Ace/Horton gunpowder vans (as well as a couple of pre-grouping ones - North British & Caledonian). A Rectank (which no one makes, at least not in the tinplate world; there is probably a finescale etched kit available!) would be nice, but the WJ Vintage/Raylo bogie bolster at least allows for some suitable military loads. What's the source of the Southern brake van? The South Western made some of their standard road vans for the WD during WW1, and I live in hope for one of those... Gordon

So, you finally broke down and got yourself a Sentinel. Now you'll need a WD bogie bolster and/or some of those WD tank wagons Paul has... Gordon

Ptobably labelled as probiotics these days... Gordon

Maybe in your version of "Buckingham" the milk factory expanded its production, and started sending tankers to London... I believe Rule 1 applies in such cases! Gordon

The track plan seems to be growing, with that extra siding in the foreground! Gordon

Thanks, Kevin. So, naturally, I googled carotte tabac, and got additional education on the subject. I must have seen them everywhere and not put deux et deux together! Gordon

I'm not familiar with the cigar-on-a-pole. But a cafe like this one? It was bought in a (now closed, I believe) toy shop in Toulouse some years ago as a flat pack for use with 1/43 diecast cars. Gordon

Perhaps that's the problem with going to school in Folkestone. We used to see lots of them (50s/60s) having just arrived on the ferry. I suppose I assumed they also plied their trade in their home country. Of course, being in Folkestone, with the school playing fields alongside the old South Eastern main line, also exposed me to Bulleid Pacifics hauling long trains of STEF and Interfrigo vans that had arrived on the ferry. I have a small number of Hornby and JeP STEF vans to run behind my Ace West Country. Gordon

That Packard Coupe is from the Tintin vehicle series, so should be pronounced in the French (well, actually Belgian) way! Gordon

I was intrigued that on the French incarnation of your new layout, one of the buildings was marked "Station BV". DV I could understand as hoping for divine intervention to get you a nice tinplate French station building, but BV? You could have a location for a signal box, and with suitable different inserts to hide their bases, change between Hornby and JeP ones. I see you also have a plan for a man smoking Gauloises. If you can't find a suitable figure for that, how about one of these? They are Phoenix/S&D Models figures of onion sellers. The one without the bike actually has a cigarette in his mouth... Gordon

The Central, of course, never had any passenger service, and even the goods service went in 1949. So, long before the egregious Doctor's time. I'm with you on how he should be portrayed... Gordon

Maybe you've already done it, but with closure only a few months ago, there ought to be one of those closure notices BR used to put up. And, if you want a suitable potential passenger for your train, Andrew Stadden does a model of the man who (no doubt) ordered the line's closure... https://www.acstadden.co.uk/product-page/drb-dr-richard-beeching Gordon

Or The Dreadful Doctor B... Gordon