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If you can get to (near) Fleetwood, then there is a complete 142 cab end that may be available for measuring... http://www.pwrs.org/contact/

The high backscene looks really effective there. I think it is the contrast between the lightness of the sky and the darkness of the station area that makes it work.

Where was all this uproar when the 502 EMU was deaccassioned? The NRM ended up giving it to a group who left it outside at Tebay for a couple of years. Is it because it's not a steam engine?....

Looks good so far!

That is amazing! Once the indicators work it will be a work of art

It would be better as a 3rd rail heritage line.... Especially with the 502 & 503 running on it....

The details on that factory make it look more like 4mm scale than 2mm!

I like the wider baseboards personally - the 12" wide plan makes it look like something is missing.

It's looking really good!

The speed with which you've progressed is astonishing! Will you start searching out more MTK kits now?

There is an interesting article on the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/circus_leaves_town

Certainly looks like you've set yourself a challenge!

Looks really interesting - is the gradient up to Brittania next years challenge?!

That's a nice range of vehicles there!

You're not hanging about! What motive power will you be using - WCRC locos?

Reading some of the comments on this thread make my head hurt. The answer to why the NRM transfers ownership is very simple - it also transfers liability. Example - the class 502. It was claimed for the country, but never went to York as it stayed at Steamport. Steamport shuts, no room at the Ribble Steam Railway for it, NRM is lumbered with two coaches that need a lot spending on them (which is not available), so it stores them at an MOD base. After a few years, MOD base is no longer available, still no space at York or Shildon, no other railways are interested, so NRM makes it known that scrapping is the only option left to it. A few die-hard / crazy enthusiasts (led by me) come up with a plan, present it to the NRM and are loaned the unit on the understanding that ownership will be transferred to us at some point in the future. Work starts on unit, then about 5 years ago ownership (and all liabilities) are in the hands of the Friends of the 502 Group. So, for example, if we ever found any asbestos in it (even though it has been removed), it's our problem. To put this into the T3 issue - why would any group put hundreds of thousands of pounds into a steam locomotive overhaul when they don't own it?

I have held back replying to this topic as I have first-hand experience of taking on a former NRM exhibit - so the following is purely my personal thoughts / observations, not in my position as Chairman of Friends of the 502 Group: As others have indicated, the NRM needs money. Joe Public and family are more likely to spend a few quid in the cafes, shops etc at the NRM than the average enthusiast (who generally would bring their own lunch, buy models mail-order to save the extra 50p it would cost to buy from the shop next door). Although FS has obviously taken a huge amount of cash to repair/restore/rebuild/replicate (delete as you see fit!), the lack of funding has been an issue for a number of years. So, to try and stop the rot, the NRM entered into various arrangements for different vehicles - long-term loans, sponsorship, transfer of ownership and disposal. The 502 was on the disposal list when the Friends of the 502 Group was formed - if we had not taken any action, it would be razor blades by now. The main reasons that the unit was on the disposal list was not because of its condition, rather that it was never claimed as part of the National Collection originally. It was due to the efforts of members of Steamport that the unit was saved by the NRM - hence when the move to Preston took place and the 502 was returned, there was nowhere for it. It appears that the T3 was acquired under similar circumstances, so if it is not part of the 'core' collection, then it is understandable that the NRM have transferred ownership. The bottom line is that the bottom line is more important to the survival of railway artifacts at the NRM than their individual history - which, unfortunately, will be the case until all museums are fully-funded by Government. Therefore, when you next go to York or Shildon, buy an over-priced coffee or FS key-ring and consider it a donation to the upkeep of your favourite exhibit.

The whole rake will look really impressive! And don't worry about the size of the project- you seem to be doing the right thing by working on one coach at a time.

Looks really good so far

Looks great! Have you got some wheelie bins to go with it?

Amazing work - just shows that a simple track plan can be transformed by the scenery.

Wow! When you first posted here, the scale of the project was huge, but seeing the photos of the mountain bring things to a whole other level.

Very nice! So I'm assuming they are permanently coupled?

All the 502's were built by the LMS at Derby.

Looks like you've been busy since waking up! The 142 looks really good