AngusDe

I don't know if this has been covered recently, but I am now in Motability territory and was thinking of taking the EV plunge via the scheme. During lockdown my trips have been limited to to/from the hospital, but I hope for more adventurous days out soon. I was wondering if anyone has looked at it from this perspective and has any useful thoughts/input? Thanks, Angus

Ullapool has been one of my dream layout scenarios since I was a schoolboy. These thoughts have been heavily shaped from 60s/70s schoolboy trips to Strornoway, either via Mallaig or via Kyle and finally by bus to Ullapool from Inverness. Late 70s/early 80s there were frequent trips to Thurso where my brother worked at Dounreay. Against this backdrop, I reckoned the Ullapool branch was built as a light railway with traffic on a par with other Highland light railways such as Wick and Lybster and the Dornoch branch. WW2 brought adhoc upgrades to manline standards to service activities in support of convoys forming up in he lochs etc, which led to a naval fuel dump being built in Loch Broom rather than Loch Ewe and of course such a depot would be rail served, etc. When the ferry switches from Kyle to Ullapool, the 8 coach train from Inverness splits at Garve, 5 coaches going to Ullapool and 3 to Kyle etc. this is what I remember at Georgemas, 5 to Thurso and 3 double headed to Wick. The ferry also gives other options. when it started the road upgrade was way behind schedule, so a bit of an imagination has scotrail experimenting with motorail and sleeper services. In those days folk were slipping calmac crew backhanders to get off the ferry before the lorries just in case they got stuck behind a HGV all the way to Garve/Inverness. another option might be reinstated fish traffic to bypass the road chaos. Your imagination can run wild and its all plausible! Angus

I follow all the Minories theme layouts and threads on here with great interest. Phil's purist approach is fascinating. I'm half hoping one of the laser cut plywood baseboard manufacturers will take the concept on board and produce a Minories in a bag, baseboard kit! Angus

A personal flight of fancy of mine is, the Highland built their light railways on Skye and Lewis and had a rail ferry service from Kyle. Just let your imagination run wild with the ideas that then allows

Amazing thread and layout! When I started my first tour in Germany back in 86, I felt quite snooty about their adherence to 3 rail standards, but there was no escape from the inbuilt reliability. I loved the automated train set display in any railway station of any size. Great fun. I think "play value" is what's missing from most train set model railways available nowadays. Angus

Love it. My first visit to Köln Hbf was in 1986, last one 2013, one of my favourite locations !

I love a train ferry layout idea! More, More!!

Seen this on twitter: An extraordinary "protest train" of 20 freight locomotives, horns blaring, has today done a circuit of Berlin's railway tracks. The private freight railway operators are requesting the same bailout support that state-owned DB Cargo is to be handed. Hörst du das Signal, Berlin? https://t.co/na7AGP6LK8 https://t.co/Iu8b2JCTSq

Thanks all, fascinating stuff! Angus

Mine arrived today, its a beautiful model, detail is stunning, which got me thinking... .. anyone know if they're cleared for train ferry/Channel tunnel operation? My layout is going to have a double identity as Germany and/or Scotland, sort of, with lots of rule1 back story only loosely based on reality, but hopefully plausible, lol Angus

Can anyone give me a definitive answer as to whether any were renumbered in TOPS series, ie 17 XXX? I seem to think there were some at Polmadie in late 60s/early 70s when I was ticking them off in in my ABC books? I think the books then listed both numbers for each loco, so I might be misremembering, it was a while ago, lol! Angus

When I lived in Germany, Wuppertal was a fair distance from Gutersloh, but it became a regular day trip, just to ride the Schwebebahn. At the weekends you could ride one of the original cars whilst enjoying coffee and cake for an extra fee, not sure if that is still an option?

Nice set of pics there, many from the Polmadie I remember as a boy. I used to find them fascinating, I guess it was the centre cab, when I saw them out and about in Glasgow. Mine arrived in the post this morning, I've spent the afternoon watching it go round in circles, and trying to make my mind up which direction my embryonic layout is going to go in. Captures the look perfectly in my book! Angus Edit: screw your eyes up, and think Southside Glasgow, urban decay, 1970ish.....

The more I read on DCC control systems, the more I'm attracted to the idea of mechanical point and signal control with proper mechanical interlocking on the frame, seems easier and more prototypical ....

When I arrived at RAF Gutersloh in January 1983, the combination of beer at circa 30p a pint, a 50yd walk to work instead of a 5 mile cycle and brattie and chips with extra mayo on the walk back to my room every night led to me putting on 2 stone in 2 months......... ...loved it! Angus