BachelorBoy

My father bought cavity wall insulation in the 1980s - zillions of polystyrene beads pumped into the space between the outer and inner walls of the house. Early in the 2000s he found that the beads had disintegrated into a sludgy powder.

Mazak rots, and track underlay made from foam disintegrates. What other degradation can you expect, from materials such as expanded polystyrene or pink insulation, paints, varnishes, glues, etc. What can you do to prevent it? (Please don't think I'm so vain that I think my models are good enough to keep for decades after I've gone. But it would be nice to build something that lasts, just in case, when my skills improve).

This modeller uses theatrical lighting, and a smoke generator. https://www.vikaschander.com/layout-lighting/

There were a lot of links between British India and British Malaya. The Straits Settlements (Penang, Malacca, Singapore) were administered from India for decades.

Thank you very much. Appreciated. A

Why did British imperial railway engineers, in the heart of the British Empire in India, at the height of the British Empire, choose a gauge that wasn’t measured in Imperial units -- namely, one metre --- for so many lines? One metre is 3 foot 3 3/8th inches. Why not choose a nice round number of 3’3”, or 3’6” as in British South Africa and its neighbours, and parts of Australia?

Ariel is wrong, and will look wrong. This free typeface would be better (the original lettering for the plates was produced by a company called Charles Wright) https://www.wfonts.com/font/charles-wright NB this is best for number plates from the past 20 years. It's actually a little condensed compared to the 1930s version, but it will probably be close enough for most models. You always expand it a little in Word, Photoshop, etc. Some more information on number plate fonts in the UK (and many other countries) here https://www.leewardpro.com/articles/licplatefonts/licplate-fonts-eur-2.html

I don't think the information I posted was correct, so I've deleted it.