exet1095

I love your engines. When I was at school, back in the 1980s, I used to do things like this. I now dither with indecisive worry, and hardly build anything at all. Thank you! Paul

It’s a mile and a half away from here... You really have captured the feel of the place; the Edwardian station was famous for its gardens and trellis. Such a pity that it was all swept away.

I really like your depiction of Kidlington station. Not much left now, but the track is still at the old broad gauge spacing as the station house is still there too. Your lovely Banbury Road bridge was replaced a long time ago, but the next one north along the line (albeit now only with two tracks) is exactly that shape, and I’m about to go for a run which will involve crossing it... Paul

When I ordered SE Finecast glazing from Squires last week the very helpful lady to whom I spoke had not heard of Nucast Partners, so I would suggest Branchlines as a first post of call.

Thanks Sam, much appreciated. kind regards, Paul

Thanks to your inspiration, I have had a quick go at one of my LMS vestibule thirds, adding the SEF glazing, painting the ends and roof, and using meths to remove the ‘LMS’, ‘3’ and crest from the coach sides. I have also painted the seats and tables, but will redo the latter as I did t do the upright bits visible through the windows. Actually, I think the interior should be 2-3mm lower, but that would be major surgery. I have also used the original glazing to hold the SEF stuff in place as my canopy glue has gone solid... Another thing to change, along with adding “NO SMOKING” labels in the 3-bay end. The coach, with its still-wet Humbrol 67 roof, is sitting in my carriage sidings, coupled to an unmodifed sibling. I am struck by the difference in appearance now, although I suspect the colour is also lighter as I have the whole side a quick rub-down with a meths-soaked rag. One down, four to go... If anyone has any that they don’t want, then do let me know as I would like six to form into an excursion rake with a couple of Airfix BTKs. Thanks again, Paul

All the pictures I have seen are 84xx locomotives.

I don’t like disagreeing with the Johnster, but the diagonal Red Cross on the Union flag is the cross of St Patrick, incorporated into the flag after the Union between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland in 1801. Look at paintings depicting eighteenth century battles for the earlier version of the flag. There is no representation of Wales on the Union flag. The ‘flag of St David’ is a modern thing, commercial and pinched from the arms of St David’s Cathedral via the WW2 Welsh Division tactical recognition flash. Finally, St Edmund, King and Martyr was the old patron saint of England. Bernard Cornwell mocks his death in one of his recent novels, but he was a popular patron saint for centuries. St George became popular after the crusades, and his banner became an easy to create rallying symbol. I will continue to defer to him on goods guarding dits... Paul

Many thanks for both answers. Paul

Thanks for a great thread. You have inspired me to dig out my Replica TOs and start detailing them. How easy is the SEF Flushglaze to use on these? I had a bad experience with Mainline MK 1s, but it would be nice to make them fit in a little better... The other question, if that’s ok, is do you know if these coaches had curtains? I have used little fillets of green cotton sniper tape on a lot of my GWR stock and it looks ok. If LMS coaches have them, I thought I might use the tan tape that I was issued at the same time. I suspect a roll would do the entire production run... Many thanks, Paul

Three times today on my iPhone. None of the suggestions provided has worked. As Jonboy says, I struggle with the idea of “legitimate interest”. I wonder about consent and data mining. I looked up “Lord Raglan”, a Manning Wardle 18” 0-4-0T, all cookies off, and now Amazon is trying to sell me a book on the Woolwich Arsenal Railway. Still, I suppose that’s better than when they try and sell you another version of a one-off purchase you have just made (random ceramic tap cartridges most recently!). Paul

They (the 0-6-0s) normally have a four pin socket. I have several failed ones which have been brought back to life after removing the chip, and joining the wires that come out of the plug.

Hornby Dublo did LNER artic twins in tinplate, as mentioned above. Just saw a pair on Facebook marketplace...

No thanks! 2021 please - open and closed cabs, auto-fitted ones, dock bells and industrial liveries too. Lasted into the late 1950s on BR and many were painted black and given red-backed numberplates. Most large sheds had one until they were replaced by 16xx locos in the 1950s. The large panniers had gone by 1951, were not repainted, and tended to lurk in yards on shunting duties.

Why? The Hornby ones are magnificent. And you can still find them too. I expect they will be re-released in due course. Paul

Jim, our CVRTs used to be hidden in ISOs for transport most of the time! But they do appear on wagons in pictures too. It’s a great test for the person guiding, getting the Spartan into the box. if you’re modelling German HO, then I remember seeing a Guards 432 fall off the side of a warflat in Münster in 1987. A tiny steering correction that wasn’t tiny enough! it’s always worth thinking about what is being moved, and why? A 1980s-1990s armoured recce squadron would have three troops of Scorpion and/or Scimitar, four per troop. It would have an SHQ of three Sultans, an Light Aid detachment (LAD) with at least one Samson, and a Samaritan ambulance too. To support this, there would be the rest of the LAD with a couple of Bedfords, and maybe an AEC Militant or Foden wrecker. The SQMS would have several Bedfords, including some fuel vehicles (UBREs - known as “Pods”). Finally, the SSM would have a Ferret Scout Car. The B (non-armoured vehicles) would be more likely to go by road, as they were not limited by track mileage. Having said that, I drove from Catterick to Westminster in a Sultan one cold Sunday in 1993. Anyway, looking forward to seeing your models, Paul

I’ve never worked with CET but the Fuchs is probably ok to load onto rail. (Having used them in the JNBCR on Telic in 2003, and with the RY in the 1990s. There’s probably a loading manual somewhere; I’ll ask around.

Poor Sir Sean has died. He didn’t pass anything. And if he did, it would have been, “Shir Sean Connery pashesh...”

There’s an article about it in this month’s ‘Railway Magazine’. Not to hand I’m afraid, but I haven’t seen anything else, except it’s a full-size model, based on a Britannia, made to look French, and it can move with a Diesel engine hidden in the tender. It has been made for the next ‘Mission Impossible’ film. Paul

One of these in rust, with no bonnet panels, and nine random EFE 1938 stock cars and I can recreate my 1982 derailment. And a big Volvo BM digger to get them back on the rails again and tow them down to be cut up...

There is the Alan Gibson 850 class, which is what the 1901s were lumped into. Both ST and PT.Have a look at; http://www.alangibsonworkshop.com/Kits.html Paul

Cwm Prysor was looking beautiful this evening as we made our way to the TLC of Wales for the first time since February (in a small blizzard!) You have really caught the feel of the place, which somehow looks like it may still have a pannier tank lurking somewhere...

As far as I can see, it is the same chassis as the Austerity tank engine. Toby is very tall as a consequence.

I think you misunderstood what I meant. The protection was deemed sufficient for the job that it was meant to do, and also good enough for the Comet. Barry O is right about the Cent - the best tank ever made (at its inception). It was designed to do its job, not to get someone an MBE. I crewed (As loader/operator) a Danish one on exercise in 1992, and although it was basic, it went ok and did not break down once in ten days.

Boston Lodge is still turning out Fairlies. The rate is not high, but ‘James Spooner’ is well under way, ready to replace ‘Earl of Merioneth’, completed in the same works in 1979. ‘Merddyn Emrys’ was built there in 1879, and the now NRM-based ‘Livingston Thompson’ in 1885. There is also ‘David Lloyd George’ of 1992. And as for a heavy rebuild, the regulator handle of scrapped ‘Taliesin’ (Vulcan Foundry, 1876) was magically regenerated by Boston Lodge in 1999. There is also ‘Lyd’. and Ffestiniog engines are expected to earn their keep. The railway requires at least two Fairlies in steam to pull trains almost every day it is running, and mileages are high. Paul