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The 2-4-2T looks to be coming along nicely Adam. Can I ask how long your diagram 62 and 73 vans and the 71 coal wagon lasted for? Regards, Simon

There have been a number of fairly categorical statements about the livery particular vehicles would have been in at particular points in time in relation to these siphons. Some of which may be useful as a rule of thumb, but don't necessarily reflect the real railway. In normal circumstances repainting of coaching stock was undertaken every 5-7 years or so. The early period wasn't normal due to rationing still being in place etc. British Railways crimson started to be applied in 1949 with many vehicles still be painted in pre-nationalisation colours with BR numbers in that year. Wooden-bodied NSPCCS probably wasn't first in the paint queue and any stock not considered to have a long life would also not necessarily be repainted at all (not relevant to Siphons, but pre-Grouping LMS and LNER coaching stock not deemed to have a long life ended up well into the 1950s in late LMS maroon or coach brown respectively with BR numbers, some of it being re-varnished along the way too). Thus pre-nationalisation colours would still be evident into the mid-1950s at least. The transition from crimson to maroon would have seen the last crimson vehicles being painted in 1956 and conceivably not being repainted until 1963 even according to the normal course of events. I don't know enough about these particular vans to say on the balance of probabilities what livery they would have worn when. Regards, Simon

Swanage looks great Jerry. Have a lovely time. Lower Writhlington would have to be T-shaped (or cross-shaped with the tramway): https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16.6&lat=51.29682&lon=-2.42457&layers=168&right=ESRIWorld because of the tracks to the screens being at right angles to the mainline. So less than ideal for many exhibition halls. Just think of the mess your operators could create though! Simon

Tavern car sets worked over the ER in 1949-50 so there can't have been blanket restrictions. Simon

Just a shame you only had the perfect shunter for it at it's last exhibition! No.1 was brilliant. I'm looking forward to the scale model of Lower Writhlington Colliery that will replace Foxcote on the exhibition circuit... Simon

Hi Mick, Great photo there. A GCR 11D 4-4-0 with a nice selection of MS&LR Parker saloons after the GCR CCT, followed by what looks like a GCR Barnum coach. A photo that @t-b-g may be interested in. Regards, Simon

If you don't ask you don't get, I suppose!

Rather harder to do that scenery justice though in the average layout footprint! Simon

Very nice Nick. Now cover it in grot! Interesting to see that the LMS driver/fireman has pimped his ride with the silver underpinnings 😉 A rather involved variation on silvered/bare metal smokebox door hinge straps! Simon

278 and 279

How deep is the top one? Are there any fold lines on the reverse? The lower piece is what sits in the orientation shown in the coalhole of the self trimming tender to restrict the amount of coal coming out of the front of the hopper. Simon

Not your loco, but I'd go for this style of smokebox plate. Photo from Railway Photography site on smugmug. 2332 at London Road on 18 October 1946. The one or two photos in the same collection with locos with outside steam pipes and LMS livery also still have a seriffed smokebox number. Simon

Sorry, I'd missed the fact that you'd be doing it with the LMS number. I've spent longer than is healthy looking at the early post-nationalisation condition of the Stanier 2-6-2Ts. Most have retain serif smokebox numberplates with tank numbers/letters as you describe. Simon

It's looking great Nick. What style of numbers does it have on the bunker sides? I've a loco that I can't finish until I can find or have produced block style cabside numbers. Another option for your livery choices is that the shaded LMS letters had the shading painted out. Very common on the various 4-4-0s. I'm not so sure about the tanks. Simon

A view of the Buzby Special stock on the Transport Treasury site: https://www.transporttreasury.com/p605999723/hAC18B4C4 Regards, Simon

Stick a photo or two on here and we can play guess the part! If the Perseverance kit is supposed to represent both types but, for example, only has one set of body parts then it doesn't represent the wider self-trimming type very well!

Not 5072, but I dare you to model this load of coal in the tender! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234735890695?hash=item36a7597107:g:zwMAAOSwEYljSrQ5&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAsKKRRKUd6pnJlssyjhMLJRgGyA61TLYHQj0EqSsG%2FAuiHrjplhDsbnnRZNcB%2Bg2tSlWqoAgpjEStbMfPPSXgyiV1PSoIZmiGcCSq41EynJGYbExFEGkJKjAoWnSij2kldg9rqgkvURJnpjnSt81VCqdt9jNQTFK%2BzQCny%2B5ZeCjEZDiuSBpLX0uSj9FeaHnmXQ0zwz5V0pjgyXkldiqcr35CRJJ00fMbipVgIos5olVW|tkp%3ABk9SR76nuc26Yg Simon

You can't have too many Gorton products Jamie 😉 What's the origin of your GC tender? If the coalguards are too short for your B7 tender then they may be correct for an earlier GC loco or ROD tender. In general, any with solid coalguards built before the B8s had shorter ones. As I understand it, the ROD tenders were also built to the (or more correctly one of the) earlier spec(s). If your tender kit is correct for the short coalguards then check the position of the tender brake standard against photos of your chosen loco. This varied across the not so standard 4000 gallon tenders. On earlier tenders the centre axis of the standard is in line with the vertical handrail, closer in to the tender body on later ones. The self-trimming tenders differ in all sorts of other ways too. Edit: The Judith Edge kit makes up very nicely into the later non-self trimming tender with the longer coalguards including the slight running plate flair needed for the B7 etc. That kit does not contain any shorter coalguards. Which B7 are you doing? Regards, Simon

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR_USA_class Regards, Simon

Hi John, If you could just alter yours to look like this one: (Steve Banks Flickr image of no.7 at Wheldale colliery ca.1982) before the second batch of EFE releases I'd be much obliged. Simon

Thank you John for all your hard work and making EFE's announcement inevitable! Simon

Always nice to see some Jubilee variety Peter. I particularly like 45629 with the 3500 gallon tender. It's a type under-represented in model form given that 50 of the 191 were built with them. I hope you don't mind, but here's my 2mm effort with the same tender, 45649: Regards, Simon

So you've plumped for a tunnel rather than a bridge Jerry for trains to leave the S&DJ scenic section? Which one is it based on? Simon

Different buffers front and rear is pretty common on GC types Mike. The tender and loco weren't overhauled together so it isn't that surprising. There are several sorts of GC buffer as well as the LNER group standard ones too. The GC ones shown in your photo, packed at the rear, and the plain straight shank equivalent are possibly the most common. Regards, Simon

Sorry to have missed this Jerry. At least it looks like I didn't miss any Peaks. Simon