GRASinBothell

I only "remembered" it by seeing it in the description of the freight car! Gordon

Thanks. It proved fairly elusive until I found a picture that showed the K-line reference number, and then searching for that reference number found a bunch of examples. He seems to be sitting on a Patriot missile. Is it really meant to be President Clinton? Surely Operation Enduring Freedom was after his time. Gordon

That URL gives me an error 404. Was it the gondola with a policeman chasing a criminal? There are a lot of "novelty" cars with someone chasing someone else round it. Gordon

Duncan Models do a white-metal kit for a horse-dawn coal merchant's lorry. I'm not sure when the last coal merchants used horses though... Gordon

Trying to work out what the loco is. Outside cylinders, so it can't be an Ace E/1 or E/2... What is it? Gordon

That does look good, although I'm surprised you don't have a terrier in KESR livery to go with it! Of course, one of the Colonel's other lines purchased a couple of ex-Chatham six-wheelers, and did no more than paint over the "SOUTHERN" on the sides. You could do that with a couple of Ace or Darstaed 6-wheel coaches and some stickers printed on your home computer... Gordon

It's sunny here in the Seattle area for once, but we are threatened with the same weather as you for the next few days! Don't forget rule #1. It's your trainset, so you get to decide everything, including how paintwork weathers at Paltry Circle. Gordon

It does, but by the time it had got up steam for the first time after a repaint, the shine was starting to disappear... Gordon

Interesting positioning of the Lionel coal loader. It'll dump the coal onto the floor! Gordon

Do I sense a plan for a version of Friar Waddon Milk Platform, Kevin? I've wondered about something like that, perhaps reboding the milk car and using overlays to represent a siphon. Bear in mind that Lionel did both shortie and scale length milk cars. Gordon

I think you missed the NT's other core competency - running a gift shop... Gordon

Well, Brian, there'll be my modules with JeP station building and signal box, and French Hornby Quai aux Voyageurs (island platform) and level crossings plus my French Hornby autorail, a couple of locos you haven't seen, and some CIWL coaches and a few wagons. I don't know if Ed will have any Hornby there. He usually has some. Of course, if you wait a couple of weeks, then (a) your cold may have gone, and (b) you can see it at Maple Valley. Or you can wait till Thanksgiving weekend and see it at MOHAI in Seattle. Gordon

Thanks for that note on the milk platform. I take it there was no nameboard or sign of any kind. I would have expected it to be timber (old sleepers?). And Kevin, yes, I think if I had my time again I would have gone for 1950s/BR for everything. It's the time I remember, and it allows for wider use of diecast cars, without them looking out of place. Very much grown-up Hornby-Dublo! Gordon

Not to mention a goodly supply of #50 wagons! I like the minimalist scenery approach, and sometimes wonder if I shouldn't have gone for something more like that. It would certainly have shortened the time to get to its present unfinished state... The loco looks good. Glad to hear it also runs well. As you've said elsewhere, it does fit in well with a minor line. I only have the one loco in BR livery - a Stanier tank. That was an impulse buy on a visit to my then "local" (i.e. only 100 miles away in a different country) dealer North of the border. My wife asked if I wanted it for Christmas, so I said yes. So, which story was the Tintin lorry from? Gordon

It's the one in Lynden (up near the Canadian border). Saturday 5th/Sunday 6th October. Gordon

Thank you. I was aiming somewhere between semi-realistic and toy-like. I do like the Tintin vehicles, and already have a couple, including the Lancia with someone spreadeagled on the bonnet. It gets a lot of comments. I was amazed at one show, when a young girl recognized them and knew which stories they came from. Gordon

Yes indeed. The opium truck from the Blue Lotus. A birthday gift to be used with my (largely) French Hornby/JeP modules that I take to local train shows, but temporarily decorating my home layout, until I have to pack it up to take to the next show. Hmm... Less than a week to go for that! Gordon

And here's Molly (the WD Sentinel) at work. Ignore the background. It's er, under construction. Gordon

I've just discovered this thread, and as I read through, I wondered if anyone was going to suggest Gauge 1 as being suitable, then I finally got to the end and found it. Tenmille Models, in addition to selling the track and track components, also do a signal kit, gas lamps and some etched signs that might be useful in adding atmosphere. Not being a Gauge 1 modeller, I'm wondering if anyone else offers Gauge 1 level crossing gates. Anyone know? Gordon

Of course, you could always do a "what if...", as in what if the Southern Railway had done the sensible thing in experimenting with diesels by just buying an EMD F3, cut down to the British loading gauge? And conveniently MTH do one of those in Southern Railway livery. Needless to say, it's the Southern Railway in the South-Eastern USA. But it's basically a green and cream/yellow livery so it could pass. Food for thought. Gordon

There's an American company, Caboose Industries, that does some similar point levers. https://www.cabooseind.com/ Gordon

You're right. TCS is the MTH proprietary system. Lionel has Legacy and TMCC. I would be very surprised if it wouldn't couple with Lionel couplers. They are generally very much into standardization over here, and people run mixed rakes of wagons from various manufacturers. I doubt anyone would introduce couplings that don't mate with the millions of wagons already out there. And even if it doesn't work out, you can always replace the Lionel coupler with a drop-link one, and the people of Birlstone will get to enjoy imported Champagne or beer or whatever goes in the ETS wagon you chose! I've never had a problem coupling drop-links to Hornby, so you really only need the two ends... Gordon

So that's what you meant in the cryptic post the other day! I take it that you also have to remove your DC power and replace it with AC before starting up. I believe that if you ask them nicely, ETS will supply their wagons with a drop-link on one end and a Lionel-type coupler on the other, thus allowing you to have it hauling a train without changing the couplings. Of course, you still would want to do something about side buffers. Gordon

That raises a number of possibilities. Hopefully with pictures to follow... Gordon

I went for the War Department one, which I will run with a couple of WD wagons (a bogie bolster and a tank wagon) from WJ Vintage. She ran between Tidworth Camp and Tidworth on the M&SWJR. Not a million miles from there to Andover on the Southern. Perhaps you can convince yourself she might have been used at an army depot near Birlstone... Gordon