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Metcalfe small cottage kit, came free with BRM a few years back PM me if interested

Mainly Trains 7mm etched loco steps. PM me if interested

Getting back to the OP, since a change in circumstances a couple of years back I have stopped "collecting" and started building. Which has been much more satisfying. But, I noted that @Captain Kernow has been putting a lot of stuff into the free to a good home forum. What if each of us put a couple of surplus items into that forum for the benefit of fellow RMWebbers to pick up for the nominal cost of postage? It's a simple way to give back, grow the hobby and help others like @BSG75restore faith in our community. Happy New Year everyone! I am off to find a few items to list. Steve

I have often wondered about the tight fitting gearboxes. I saw from your pictures (very helpful BTW) that you have fitted bearings in the frames and the gearbox, but I was wondering if it is possible to use one set of bearings for the frames and gearbox and if this reduces the amount of friction/resistance? Thanks Steve

John, I think we need photographic evidence of your claim Steve

I would paint/seal them. Given they will be hidden you don't need to worry too much with how it looks and I tend to use any old primer/sealant that I have to hand after my latest DIY disaster! If nothing else, it will prevent damage when you start ballasting track or building scenery, which often involves quite a lot of moisture. Steve

Thanks everyone for your comments and insights. Interesting. I have two of these kits, one of which has had those windows filled - which was a pain to do effectively. Given there is some evidence of these having these "extra" windows, I am going to leave them on the other one. Steve

@Clive Mortimore many thanks for the additional insights. Looks like I will have to get the Miliput out! The barrowmoremrg.co.uk site is a fantastic resource that I hadn't come across before - thank you for sharing Steve

Steve, Thank you for checking Parkin, I would love a copy but they are like hens teeth and seem to hold their price. Interesting that you have found examples with and without these windows. I should have explained that the picture above is of the corridor side - I have added another image below with arrows to indicate the windows in question. According to the instructions D171 had armrests in all compartments (six seats per 2nd class compartment) and D172 had them only in First class and eight seats per 2nd class compartment. Looking at the running numbers D171 was spread across Eastern, Midland and Scottish regions, almost all D172 coaches had Western region running numbers. Steve

I have searched RMWeb and the wider interweb and would like confirmation of my suspicions. I have been building this kit, but referred to both Comet drawings and a Replica RTR of the same prototype when I noticed that the Cooper Craft moulding has two extra windows on the corridor side that do not appear on with the Comet sides or the Replica RTR. On the corridor side they have only five full size windows with no toilet size windows next to the doors at either end of the passenger compartment. Is the Cooper Craft moulding incorrect, or is it for a different diagram than that modelled by Replica and Comet? Thanks Steve

Jason, Agreed, but the purchaser still needs to know what they are buying I was of the impression the OP was looking to market these components to the RTR buyer that wants to upgrade their out of the box purchase. AFAIK this was pretty much the premise of Craftsman (and Westward detailing packs). The buyer needed limited technical knowledge, just buy the bag of bits and add them per the instructions. Crownline kits were a different proposition, requiring more skill and sometimes a sprinkling of scratch building skill to get the best from them! Steve

Like Craftsman, whereas Crownline of old were more like the modern day Brassmasters

I wonder if the UKModelshops.co.uk could do this?

It must be a trick of the light, but the undecorated sample looks small compared to the A4 above/behind it? Its not the TT120 version is it?

John, We also have 7 panels facing ESE, the yield drops off a cliff once the sun is "past the yard arm". We could add 2/3 more panels to a small south facing roof if/when it makes sense. I haven't even got a quote but I am waiting to see how the initial installation performs. For us the battery makes sense, we use very little power in the day, so it sees us through the afternoon and early evening. Eventually, I will set up a spreadsheet to track the benefits. Either way, the break even is at least 9 years out but the ongoing ROI is still healthier than a savings account at 8-10% per annum. Thankfully we have sun today, so I hope to charge up the battery for later. Steve

John, Yes, we do have a small (3kwh) battery, which helps eek out the power through the day, but I don't think it has been 100% charged since early November. Steve

John, We managed 69KwH in December, so marginally better than you but not a patch on September (236kwh) or October (164kwh). Obviously our grid consumption has obviously increased September 99kwh, October 172kwh and November 274kwh. Interestingly our gas bill (heating, hot water and gas hob) has increased significantly from £29 in September (we had a two week vacation) to £255 in November! Which is a combination of the weather, price cap increases and daughter No1 coming home (she can't afford to live independently anymore)! Steve

I did not know the MRC has a shop on their site and they have quite a few pre loved bargains - well worth a look: https://www.themodelrailwayclub.org/product/models/ and I guess the profits go to a good cause, Steve

No worries, thank you Richard.

The driver Jack Mills suffered brain damage after being assaulted and never recovered. He was medically retired a few years later. But that's alright.

The GTR is still a very sensitive subject for many railway and Post Office employees of a certain age. Not least because of what happened to Jack Mills, the driver. The subsequent glamourising of Ronnie Biggs' life was nothing thing short of shameful. Some people seem to love a rogue - even when they have been convicted and open celebrate their notoriety. Which it seems is something that KR and the Class 40 Preservation Society seem willing to exploit. Shame. Steve

Put a notice in wanted. I suspect a few RMWebbers have got some spare used track stashed away and prepared to do a deal.

Also check out @Physicsman thread - Gill Head - which has a very nice representation of Arten Gill viaduct (Settle Carlisle) with detailed instructions on how it was built. WRT your original question, I have looked closely at the Wills kit, but they would have to be cut into individual arches to negotiate a curve, it will need a replacement deck and the piers will need to be infilled on the outside to take account of the curvature of the structure. Jeff @Physicsman produced the following diagram which most effectively illustrates the effect I am struggling to explain. Not sure if this helps? Steve

Paid a visit today, plenty of free parking on the road down to the seafront towards the Royal Military Canal and the Hythe Imperial hotel. All pre-loved, mostly RTR stock. Has a much better stock than advertised on their website. Mainly 00, 009, some N and some tinplate items in larger scales. A lot of boxed steuff was on display, but they have trays of unboxed items that might yield some interesting items. The OO prices were competitive and broadly comparable to ebay - £95 for a Hornby Q1, Mainline/Airfix/Dapol wagons from £7 a piece, lots of coaches too but I didn't clock the prices. Worth a visit, although I only came away with 1/4 of Pear Drops! Steve

@relaxinghobby this is an interesting comment. Allan Downes spent a lot of time on the roofs on his buildings - his view was that, given the birds eye view perspective we have on our models, that the roof was the most important part of the model. If I recall correctly, Allan used to lay individual tiles, later did he used strips of tiles (per Scalescenes) but he then scored in between the tiles on each strip. Steve