C126

I have given up fish, but we have chips with dinner to-night. Do you advise the relish alone, or still with salt &/or vinegar?

I just wished to post a revised map, as the result of the above suggestions and improvements, for completeness's sake. Hope of interest.

Just wanted to add my approbation to this relish. Heard about it on Radio 4's 'Kitchen Cabinet', found it in the York B. & B. on holiday later, and now drizzle it over the veggie-curry-mash rolls for weekend lunches. One should not say this, but 'it is like Worcestershire sauce, but vegan' (so my partner can eat it as well). Wonderful in gravy. Not sure if it has the Anglo-Indian provenance like Worcestershire though. We can even get it in Sainsbury's now.

May I just take my hats off to you gents at your abilities to modify your figures. As one struggling to paint my two 1970's ModelU figures, endlessly touching-up errant spots from previous colours, I have no idea how Mikkel manages to manipulate facial hair as well! Sorry I have missed the above postings. I will try and reset my 'notifications' and return to read the contributions in more detail a.s.a.p. Best wishes and thanks in haste.

Sorry not to have replied sooner - one day I will understand the 'notifcation settings' - but many thanks for the advice. I will take the plunge and try tacking down turnout 'sparingly' to try and get a wholly level rail throughout. The 'lumpy frogs' point is useful as well. Thanks again.

I do not know if this is of use, but as one who suffered damp on his books and dashed out and bought a dehumidifier, it is best to keep the room sealed when it is on. Otherwise, you are sucking in damper air and the dehumidifier will never dry out the local atmosphere. Also, the warmer the air, the more moisture it holds, so cooler air is better. My employer, a library, works to 50-55 R.H. and 60 Deg. F. for optimum archive and book storage. This varies in local areas of the bookstack for other material (e.g., photographic material).

I can only concur with what has been said above, and far more eloquently than I could, about the horrors of modern train seats. I did nine years on 4-CIGs, sleeping on the way home - imagine trying to do that now without a padded corner! - and currently commute on a Voyager (although older now, I do not sleep). I dread what is to replace them soon. Returning to the Southern on visits to discover the 377s, I learned quickly to locate the 2+2 seating in the driving carriages. I could ramble on for ages, but instead suggest this is the standard to which all future seating should aspire. N.b., the umbrella rack! We can but dream... (Brighton Belle undergoing refurbishment at Chesterfield, 2019.)

I have not looked into the history of Crowborough Camp, and assume there were no imperial troops stationed there; my colleague and I thought we could 'stretch reality' a little in line with the Indian troops given care at the temporary war hospitals at Brighton Pavilion, etc., and their memorial at the Patcham Chhatri. Any excuse for a few Bengal Lancers on parade!

Thanks as always for your kind words. I need to work out a few tales of the shunter and Yard Foreman's cars, but the creative spirit has left me for the day now. The viaduct level is the next phase of the project, to which I am not looking forward: painting and gluing eight arches to the sides, track laying (which I have yet to buy), and wrestling with brick sheet, let alone trying to stop it all cracking when I lift the assembly off. I also need to make up a couple of four-foot 'casettes', as access to the feeder track is not as easy as planned. However, I must keep reminding myself this is a long term project. Next is the purchase of figures, and wondering how to make it all look less 'smooth'. I need some grass and foliage as well. Best wishes.

Further to comments here and elsewhere, I like the idea of freight traffic being concentrated in this yard to justify its 'optimistic' intensity. West Yard, on the electrified main line, could have been 'rationalised' into a few Civil Engineer's sidings, as East Yard is nearer the industrial part of town. A colleague at work made a suggestion I like of there having been an Indian Army regiment or two camped on the Weald over the Great War, and retaining an Indian presence. Rather like the army camp at Crowborough we used to pass on the 'bus through the Ashdown Forest when visiting Royal Tunbridge Wells (the Bristol VRT grinding up the hill at walking pace!), this gives me an excuse to use the end-loading ramp for the occasional military vehicle, especially the Alvis Scorpion, with some 8x4 Fodens in attendance. Also, I can have a couple of splendid Indian Cavalry officers visiting father's old barracks with accompanying family. I will have to take lessons in moulding saarees with modelling clay for Mummiji.

Now going quite 'off topic', thanks for confirmation @Nearholmer and @PhilJ W ! I wondered if my memories of painting Airfix aeroplanes forty years ago were rose-tinted, or perhaps the room this week was too hot. Hey ho, something else to grumble about in old age...

Sorry to neglect this query for so long; events as always intervene. However, I spent a weekend with 'my nose pressed to the p-way', and found the 08's chassis appears to stall on two 'sweet spots' as indicated when turning both left and right: The direction of travel is indicated, the leading axle being red, the trailing green. The centre road causes no problems. I found one length of the point not being level, so this needs correcting (the 08 'rocked' in one place). Anyway, hope this is of interest.

Many thanks to both you and @BernardTPM for these suggestions. I admit my confidence in painting small models has had a hit, with my starting yester-day to paint 'on the sprue' a model Foden Haulmaster (why does the enamel dry so quickly?!), but I will give it a go when the shops open and I can buy some more colours. Thanks again to you all.

Thanks as always for your advice, @Rivercider . I had a mental note to make sure the Accurascale 21T coal wagons would be pukka, bauxite, MDVs, so not need a brake van (the cause of your concern?). I noticed after drawing the map above, it would be more 'realistic' to have the other station's line to the west to branch off southwards, so trains could go through the electrified station straight to London (e.g., Horsham - Three Bridges). Please consider this a 'revision'.

I thought I ought to exhibit the outcome of all your kind contributions, delivered to-day: ... plus a couple of box van lorries for general merchandise (the "MACBRAYNES" will be removed when I have the time and ability). A couple of the choices are with 'modeller's licence', but I could not resist the Rover P6 from my childhood for the aggregate merchant. My partner suggested he had come into a small inheritance. The Austin Cambridge is the sedate means of conveying the coal merchant, of course. Now I just need to amend the number plates, and get the first few figures delivered. May I thank you all again for your endless help with this and all my other queries. It is much appreciated, and the answers I hope of use to others as well. With best wishes.

This is just the information I need, and hope will be useful to many others. The day-to-day administration of such yards in later B.R. times is difficult to discern from the B.T.F. films, etc. Now I can plan my purchasing of figures with more confidence. Many thanks.

I hope I will be forgiven for posting this question here, instead of a new thread, but could someone please tell me the names of staff in the local goods yards? I am more interested in the 1970's-1980's, but all information gratefully received. Inspired by @Rivercider 's B.F.I. T.O.P.S. film (above), I have composed a list of figures to buy for my goods yard, and am not sure how many staff to allocate and what they would be called. "Yard Master" was for marshalling yards, I think; what was the manager in charge of a goods yard called? Would he stay in the office and have a Clerk to supervise the wagons? What are the names of the men un-/loading wagons ("Stevedore", but this is for docks)? I am modelling a little yard of four sidings, including a coal-merchant and an agricultural warehouse, but two for 'general merchandise', with the steam-age goods shed demolished. Thanks as always for giving this your consideration.

Herewith the second two 250g. portions, as you can see with varying degrees of bone and fat. However, this makes for an excellent sauce... Knowing now the proportion of lean meat in each portion, I would have used 500g. per two-person portion in this experiment, as last night I had less than when I make mattar-paneer, for example. However, I could do with losing weight, and had a tasty naan, salad, and pickles and chutneys to go with the goat, plus a glass of Rioja which tasted good. Hope this is of interest. Sorry the picture is rather 'lurid' for a Sunday morning!

This was what may be called politely "asymmetric lumps", I assume cut while frozen to include small bones at all angles, plus quite a bit of fat in places as well. He gets it in from a wholesaler, he mentioned. Will see if I can take a photo of the second two batches, cooking to-day.

Re, Pheasant casserole curry attempts failing. I mentioned above a while ago a couple of attempts at doing a spiced pheasant curry, based on seeing Mary Berry cook whole breasts in a sauce. However, when I attempted to add spices, these did not seem to have made any beneficial difference to the taste. Talking this over with a gourmand boss of mine, we wondered if this is because pheasant is so lean, there is no fat to act as a 'carrier' for the spice oils. Hence one must marinate it, to get the flavours to permeate. Does this sound sensible to anyone else? Any other theories for this failure? It could just be my incompetence, of course!

Enquiring of my local butcher's as to mutton last weekend, I was ridiculously pleased he said he had some diced Goat instead: one Kg. for eight quid. I have looked out several recipes to try (a couple "Afghan"), and when they have matured in the freezer for a month I hope to post the results here. Meanwhile, as the second recipe simmers for another two hours while I type, I have looked out some suitable head-wear and reading material..

I am much obliged to both of you for the 'Grandfather's...' and 'Dickens's...' refs., and heartily recommend both 'Images of Lost London' and 'Panoramas of Lost London' - neither cheap but worth every penny. Clothes took a long time to die: the toffs passed them on to their staff, who sold them on to clothes merchants, which ended up in Petticoat Lane, and eventually they were worn in the slums of St Giles, or shipped out to the Empire. Most women of all classes wore both corsets and crinolines (and later bustles instead of the latter). I am rushing this at work, but can recommend several yards of books of contemporary accounts, and especially the wonderful 'London In The Nineteenth Century' by Jerry White. There are refs in the latter that will keep you reading for the rest of your life, should you be so distracted. Sorry, can post more inspiring titles later if of interest.

Of only peripheral interest to this query, I have been waiting for an opportunity to post the following letter-head. This is the first time I have come across a section, "Goods consigned by rail should be addressed:-- Forest Products Research Laboratory Private Siding, Princes Risborough, Bucks." I assume this was to be used on consignment notices, wagon labels, etc. If anyone else has other examples, I would be interested.

I am much obliged for your kind hints as to the Victorian figures. The more I do of the basic scenery on my layout, the more it needs its own figures, but I have not the courage yet to try any modifying. I have an idea for a 'micro-layout' when the competing OO 19th-C. carriages are released and an attempt with Miliput clay to model ladies in full crinolines. I had seen Andrew Stadden's range, and have them in mind... Instead of droning on till your eyes bleed about frock-coats, may I recommend to you the 'bible' of 19th C. costume: Cunnington & Cunnington's 'Handbook of English costume in the nineteenth century', Lond.: Faber & Faber, 1959. The 2d ed. is a reprint, the 3d has an additonal chapter on children's clothing, if you are interested. They wrote volumes on the 20th C., as well, which might be if use. With all good wishes.

Hurrah! Put that juice rail to good use... Look forward to seeing a '33' next.