FarrMan

It does look quite like the real thing, as I think is confirmed by the monochrome picture above. Gilbert It does look very like the real thing from memory. The width would be a real problem for modelling. To model the full width to scale would probably make it difficult to reach over the model far enough to attend to any problems in parts of the model! You would need to model a 'removable sky' that you could lay down on and remove sections of 'sky' to access them! (I just noticed that I spelt Sky with an 'e' out of habit, having lived on the Isle of Skye for about 13 years!) Using the nearest of the Midland lines as a scenic break is a brilliant way of overcoming that, and that bit of widening that you did was well worth the effort. The shrinking that you have done appears to be very well disguised, as from my memory of often looking at the real thing around that time, I have not noticed any. Thank you and all your contributors again for sharing this wonderful model with us, and for some of us, bringing back many pleasant memories. Lloyd

Tony What lovely photos of the buildings. They really do help to set a scene, and are beautifully detailed. Keep them coming, please. You have a great team of 'helpers', and your own building models are very realistic as well. Many thanks for sharing them with us. All the best Lloyd

Good to have him on tap, though. Lloyd

Tony Congratulations on completing the point rodding. I agree with all the other kind comments on here. It really does add to an already wonderful and realistic model. Keep the photos coming. Lloyd

Gilbert What a lovely image that is of the water crane. There is so much careful detail even on a relatively minor item like this. This is what makes it such a realistic model. There is so much attention to detail in every part of the model, including the operation. Many thanks for keeping so many of us so well entertained. Keep well Lloyd

Tony I fully agree with this. And how lovely the point rodding looks.

As for these people being the "D stream", never underestimate the ability of groups of intelligent people to behave with real stupidity. Still trying to catch up with this thread after three days not looking! I fully agree with this comment. I used to think that everyone was reasonably intelligent until i went to uni in the late 60's. That was a time when it was about 10% that went to uni and studied real subjects, not like the 50% today, some studying 'media studies' or 'child care', or even 'ballet dancing', and 'equine studies'. I was not a happy bunny when engineering had to be cut to allow the latter two to go ahead. Lloyd

Gilbert Been there. Done it. Got the Tea shirt! Lloyd

Cutler Taking it lightly does not mean I am unsympathetic, and I certainly sympathize with the thought of having to have one every eight weeks for the rest of your life. It takes about a full day out each time, apart from the discomfort as the anesthetic wears off. I found it best just to go to bed when I got back home, and get up next morning, but then I prefer being horizontal. Lloyd

Re eye injections, I had to have a series of 3 over several months a few years ago. I was very nervous for the first one, but the nurses were so good with it that, apart from a bit of discomfort when the anesthetic was wearing off, it was practically painless. After the first time, when I was asked if I knew what was to be done to me, I suggested that they were going to have darts practice on me. She went to the other end of the room to threaten to! She got a 'bulls eye' every time, though. When going to the eye man, I said that I was going to the Geordie greeting. I can't remember what the injections were for, but they worked brilliantly. Lloyd

Re the first EE4's, from http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&id=206&type=D&loco=D206 it would appear that the first few did tend to hop about between Stratford, Hornsey, Finsbury Park, etc, quite a lot. I certainly remember traveling behind them between Peterborough and Grantham a few times, but nearly 60 years later with no records, do not expect me to remember which ones. All I remember is that they were a bit of a disappointment. Lloyd

Gilbert I use Libre Office, and it is fine with Word and Excel documents. The only thing to remember is that when saving a document to be shared, you need to save it as a Word or Excel document, or those on Microsoft will not be able to open it. There are some slight differences, but a lot of similarities. If you do decide to go down that line and are having problems, I MAY be able to help you. I trust that you make the best of your isolation and keep the rest of us well entertained as usual. Lloyd

My understanding is that the problem with large crowds is not so much passing on infection, but reducing the strain on ambulance and other health resources. How many ambulances are normally standing by at a show? Lloyd

Brian Thanks for your reply. I will try to get hold of these two books. I hope at some time to visit the WRRC archive near Newport now that I have joined, but it is a wee bit of a journey from Inverness. Lloyd

Can anyone tell me where I can find information on Barry Railway passenger and freight stock, please? I can find some information on Barry Locos, but very little on rolling stock. Many thanks Lloyd

Re removing excess solder/solder in the wrong place, etc., has anyone tried https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/desoldering-guns-pumps/7719543?cm_mmc=UK-PLA-DS3A-_-google-_-CSS_UK_EN_Tools_Whoop-_-Desoldering+Guns+%26+Pumps_Whoop-_-PRODUCT_GROUP&matchtype=&pla-407067286274&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsIXDmvTx5wIVCbrtCh3MwAiXEAQYAiABEgIBsfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I have observed my son using a similar one for electrical/electronics, sometimes in very delicate operations, and it appears to work very well. Lloyd

Gilbert perhaps you should give these folk a ring - well recommended https://www.mammoet.com/civil-construction/#special-transport-and-relocation Lloyd

Gilbert I like the one with the backscene more than the one with the coaches, but how about trying both, with perhaps the coaches not disappearing behind the signal box. If they looked a bit further away and you could see some backscene between them and the box, I think it might look better still. Re backscene being wrong, i find that it does not appear to look much out of place. Lovely images of a great model again. Lloyd

Seeing the Flying Scotsman reminds me that there used to be a chippy just off the A9 at Bankfoot, who called himself 'The Frying Scotsman'. Lloyd

This is one of the differences between England and Scotland. In England it was an all inclusive Craft, Design and Technology, which appeared to cover about everything that vaguely came under that heading, whereas in Scotland, it was Technological Education, which covered practical skills in woodwork and metalwork (including lathes), with various forms of plastic work, electronic systems, structures and Tech drawing, including CAD. In Secondary 3, they started their Standard Grades, where you could do Craft and Design, which was more practical skills, Graphic Communications which included Tech drawing, but also covered some towards the Art side, or Technological Studies, which was more the technical aspects of pneumatics, Electronics, structures, etc. I don't know how much it has changed in the last 22 years since I gave up techy teaching. We also used the forge, and I remember vividly one school where I was supply teaching for 5 weeks, and in that time 6 pupils managed to burn their hands at the forge. I never had any trouble with it anywhere else. I could understand it if their bit of steel was hot but still grey and they picked it up in their bare hands, but not when it was cherry red! Lloyd

Jason Re Can you spot an engine-spotter, I thought seagulls did that! Lloyd

Gilbert No I don't remember that, but I can imagine the shock I would have! Lloyd

I agree with Tony on this. It looks a nice picture, but nothing like Peterborough, where the biggest hill for miles around is the bridge over the railway (or under the railway on Oundle Road). Lloyd

Thank you to all who replied to what I thought was a rather tongue in cheek query about working point rodding. It was very informative and interesting, and has made me want to take up some modelling myself. The usual two problems put me off, though - no space and no money. Lloyd

Gilbert You may think that your photographic skills are limited, but you still manage to produce excellent photos, whoever's model you are shooting. Tony I do like the point rodding on your photos a few days ago. It looks very good, and really adds to Little Bytham. I wonder if anyone has ever produced working point rodding? I remember a long time ago trying a system that used a signal box frame with wire in tube to operate points. Lloyd