MarkC

The Daily Wail, as with the other rags, loves stories like this 😒

It's actually the Glaisdale-Whitby section. Also, not only can Platform 2 be locked out, as you say, the sidings & associated loop are now only accessed from P2 as well. It all seems to work quite well; sadly the cost of modifying the branch operation further, by splitting Glaisdale-Whitby into Glaisdale-Grosmont and Grosmont-Whitby, was too high to be justified. Mark

Funnily enough, I found mine recently, whilst tidying the garage (stop sniggering) at the behest of the long-haired Admiral (AKA SWMBO). It must be of similar vintage - the impact screwdriver, that is - and it still works! Mark

@Hattons Dave Wishful thinking, perhaps, but is there a 12" Barclay 0-4-0ST on the "to do" list?

TPE services are often seen as a x9xx reporting number too Mark

There are photos of A1s, A3s & even A4s on mundane freight duties - I've even recently seen a photo of an A4 on a coal train - so I think that there's no reason to think that the A2s would have been any different. Indeed, with their slightly smaller driving wheels they would have been better suited to these operations than the other LNER Pacifics. Mark

This is a cold, hard fact. The roads to Whitby from Teesside, Pickering and Scarborough are twisting, single carriageway and usually very busy, but still, it has to be said, quicker than any of the rail links of today or the past. This, of course, is one of the many factors that led to the closure of 3 out of 4 routes into Whitby; the Esk Valley only really being saved because of transport issues for schoolchildren during the winter, when snow & ice made road access to the outlying villages dangerous or impossible. The road situation is unlikely to change either - what's there works, after a fashion, & if you think about it, why have traffic arriving via dual carriageway, only to get caught up in congestion in the town? Yes, you could build more Park & Ride car parks, but that would cause issues in itself. Locations, cost etc etc. Mark

FWIW I baulk at the 'additional costs' if ordering from Shapeways; however, I did buy a Clayton railcar body from Simon a year or two ago; only because there was a great "Black Friday Deal" running, which brought the costs down. The print itself was/is really good though, which was a relief. Simon had obviously put a lot of work into the design. Chapeau, sir. Chapeau. Mark

This is really good stuff, Darius - silk purse out of a sow's ear? Not quite, but excellent work being done. I'm looking forward to seeing the completed model of this unusual prototype. There's now hope for an old MTK Cravens unit that lurks deep within my roundtuit pile - a <good buy from eBay> several years ago... Mark

I don't usually quote my own posts, but to put some more detail on this - for Mike (Stationmaster) as much as anything, I spoke to one of the security heavies (and, believe me, they were...), and the feedback was that if they weren't there, and anything kicked off, it would make "Lord of the Flies" look like a story for the kindergarten... My flabber was quite gasted... Mark

The 4pm train off Whitby to Middlesbrough is full of schoolchildren - plus a couple of blokes there to keep order, last time I travelled on that service...

That's the stuff. Thanks.

This is all great stuff - coming along really well. I've driven the road between Stokesley & Helmsley through Chop Gate a few times. It's a nice route, for sure, but I can't help but think that this line would have had some fearsome gradients, tunnels notwithstanding? Mark

Good advice - thank you. Regarding securing the glazing - I've got that glue that dries clear, and can be used to create glass in small apertures. I forget the name offhand. Hopefully that will work, but your point about avoiding handling is definitely one to note well. Mark

All fascinating stuff. Thanks to all. I think that I'll build one of my stash in due course, bearing in mind the many useful comments made, and see how it goes. Of course, one big worry will be how brittle the plastic has become, as it'll be 50+ years old? Cheers Mark

I think you're spot on, Tony. I've got the very last K4 kit - as the late Dave A told me as I handed over a wedge of beer vouchers to him in exchange for said kit - in my roundtuit collection, along with an ABS L1 kit. I really must get round to building the K4. Hopefully next trip... Cheers Mark

That's well understood. Many thanks. For my project, it was being used as part of a private train, and no kitchen car was in the formation, so it's not an issue. The info will be useful to others though, I'm sure. Brgds Mark

As part of a project, I require a Mk1 Restaurant Car. I'd been perusing various second-hand outlets, when it occurred to me that somewhere in my roundtuit pile there's a couple of RK kits, acquired as part of a bulk buy some years ago. Now, I'm now away at sea until next year, so can't check for myself at present, but I wonder if anyone else has built one of these venerable kits, and if so, what are their thoughts? Obviously new wheels would be required, but hopefully that would be all. Thanks in advance Mark

Oh yes - encouraged by, you guessed it, the meeja...

You may also find that the meeja should take some of the flak for the demise of the HSTs - ranting on about how Joe Public "Is having to suffer using trains that are more than 40 years old". That sort of thing is lapped up by Joe Public, who then, naturally, want to get shiny new trains...

Green Door - Shaking Stevens

All Around My Hat - Steeleye Span

Night Fever - Bee Gees

Oh gawds - please no... 🤐

There were still many coaches in maroon in 1968 - so uniform liveried rakes of stock weren't always a given... Mark