Captain Kernow

Revised track plan looks more interesting, visually and operationally.

'Wildanet - the company that requires every employee to have a circus clown qualification on their CV'. A complete bunch of idiots.

Out of interest, if that was Shwt's last exhibition appearance, what will happen to the layout now? ( apologies if I've missed the answer somewhere in the thread).

You're welcome and there's more where that came from if you carry on throwing your toys out of the pram and generally whinging needlessly in such a negative fashion. But remember, no-one else was responsible for the removal of your nose.

Well I would, and I wasn't even there this year!!

Yes, in words of one syllable, preferably!

There's a lot of strange talk wot I don't get, going on on this thread at the moment...

I was just curious how you find life without a nose? Do you miss smelling stuff? The wonderful odours of the emerging natural world as Spring progresses? Because you have clearly cut yours off, to spite your face and yet you appear to be someone of discernment, who appreciates a magazine with good quality modelling. If you want a guarantee of a pristine copy each time, just ring Simon Castens up at The Titfield Thunderbolt bookshop and order a mail order copy from him (Simon is @Not Jeremy on this forum). I've never had anything arrive in anything other than tip top order from him.

Morning Tony, I agree with others in that you've posted a very interesting set of comparative photos, with much food for thought. I am certainly no expert on LNER locos, but my initial thoughts are that in terms of some of the bodies, there is very little in it between kit-built and RTR, (although within the RTR camp, some of the Hornby bodies perhaps seem a tad more convincing than the Bachmann ones). Of course, if you hadn't improved the RTR bodies in the way that you have, it is likely that I would have preferred most of the kit-built loco bodies over the RTR ones. Good weathering makes a world of difference to RTR locos as well. Below the footplate, however, I find most of the kit-built locos to be somewhat superior to the RTR ones, especially the Bachmann ones. The one thing I would say, is that I find the Hornby smokebox door area of the Britannia more convincing than the DJH one. I've found the same, when comparing my DJH BR Standard 2-6-4T to the Bachmann equivalent.

Indeed. I know very little about 'sport' and care even less, especially from the moment that the impertinent young fellow deposed Bjorn Borg.

I did exactly the same as Michael Hodgson.

Sport reference?

Not even 1471, getting a bit lost after working the Llantrisant - Penygraig service?!

Hello Tony, Thank you for your comprehensive reply. There is much in there that I not only agree with completely, but which also mirrors my own experience and views. Although I have a number of RTR locos in my own collection, none are allowed out onto the layouts, unless they have been weathered and (if necessary) additional detail added. I was thinking about the question of RTR verses kit built locos the other day and I realised that I derive far, far more satisfaction from running something that I have made. After that, good quality kit built locos that I have acquired come second. Like many of us, I'm very fussy about good running and where I find an RTR loco that I'm not happy with (and which won't improve with running in), I often give them an etched chassis. That way if the loco still has problems, then it's no-one's fault but my own, but if it then runs nice and smoothly, then it's elevated into the category of a well made kit in my eyes and I derive the same level of satisfaction, because I've had a hand in the finished article.

If RTR were capable of pulling the length and weight of trains that you need to run on Little Bytham, Tony, do you think you'd have a greater proportion of such locos?