Flying Pig

Absolutely - a much underrated livery that suited the pacifics very well. 6233_panorama by Jon Martin, on Flickr

You'll still need compromise on the model because the fixed slab rear frames of 6256 sit very close behind the trailing wheels and the hopper ashpan projects between them. The best illustration I can find is this profile, but the Hornby CAD also shows the tight clearances involved and it wouldn't surprise me if they have had to narrow the frames to fit even a fixed 00 wheelset. The truck on the real thing was pivoted but the range of movement was very limited and nowhere near enough to accommodate model railway radii.

I believe the UM wagons were used to haul spent nuclear treacle to Sellafield until quite late in the 1980s and would have passed through Hellifield. As my interests lie in the East of England I've ordered a pack † to represent the flow from the cafe at Sizewell (unofficially Sizewell Tea*) which was mostly the dregs of sugary cuppas but still regarded as low level waste. * this bit is true † so is this

I can't see a problem with the plate on a stick. It's easy to make from a bit of wire, a scrap of plastic or card for the paddle and some adhesive, just as easy to use, not particularly obtrusive and will work on the couplings you already have.

You're not fooling me with the head and tail: that's a strandbeest. https://youtu.be/azy-c6QXUCw

The video linked at the end of that animation is even more instructive and shows just how well the models in Londontram's linked video represent the walking gait (though perhaps they're reaching trotting speeds in the video?). If the movement of head and body could be incorporated they'd be even better. I can't help feeling it would be easier in a larger scale though.

Sadly, it appears not - see http://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-107/description.

Perhaps some LMS vans and opens, which are also wanted in 4mm. Particularly welcome if they tooled the 8-shoe fitted u/f as this is currently only available from the 2mm Association as an etched kit (same goes for the BR equivalent I think).

I like that, but it does look a bit cramped at the front to me. How do the positions of the pony axle and cylinder compare with the original locos?

Yes, at one time, probably as tail traffic on passenger trains. Many stations had dedicated roads for the fish dock (I have my eye on CJF's loco spur), but you could use an empty platform road just as well and shunt the vans up to the buffers. I'm not sure when this sort of traffic ended, but a couple of contemporary references I found suggest you may just have scraped in: http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/8th-may-1964/23/reorganization-plans-for-fish-traffic http://www.railuk.info/timeline/gettimelinearticle.php?id=116&item=

I'd suggest the Class 24 would sit better with the LMS carriages, but would also be fine with the BR suburbans if you wanted to play at Widened Lines. A blue DMU would be a little after 1965 - there's likely to be info in the Transition Diesel Liveries forum or among Dave Ford's pictures about exactly when they appeared. Look at Clive Mortimore's Sheffield Exchange threads to see how DMUs can take over. You can have far more fun with parcels stock than just BR standards, BTW. There were still lots of older designs around at this time - check out this thread. The same goes for general goods stock.

Another one on the same Ontracks 0-6-0t chassis here. It does make a very attractive industrial, with plenty of customising options for the hard of heart.

Edit: ok try again I emailed Hornby querying this livery and they responded with a scan of the photo of B448673 in Working Wagons, but no additional information on how they have interpreted it. It seems that they are correct to represent this design with a piped wagon in bauxite, but they may have inferred details of a new wagon from a picture of a well weathered vehicle. There does seem to be a dark patch behind the number in Dave Larkin's photo, which could indicate a repainted number, or just a weathering effect.

Where's the "my eyes, my eyes!" button? Lima steam in any scale was usually compromised, but that 4MT surely takes the prize. As Robin says, coarse scale toys don't really count as they were fun and made no pretensions to accuracy, but once you start pasting BR standard cabsides on a ?German loco you've crossed a line.

Your edited photos show that a plain sky backdrop would work well. IMO photo backscenes can be overwhelming unless carefully chosen and blended with the modelling.

Agreed, but if it's like the 31, that appears to be some sort of clip fit, so easy to remove when a suitable replacement is available. Presumably the Extreme Etchings Class 37 parts will be suitable for the 40 also?

Since we seem to be drifting slowly towards a wishlist, any chance of option 3 being finished with one small potato yellow buffer? Seriously - good choice of prototype and I hope it draws enough support to go ahead.

Well of course as they'll have to be made collapsible.

Seems you were at least partly correct: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/114711-new-gw-toplights-by-the-end-of-the-year/&do=findComment&comment=2425892 Amazing.

It was -the interior ironwork is as moulded. I wonder if it was copied from the 3H LMS D1666 open, which has identical interior ironwork at the corners? Plate 129 in Vol. 1 of LMS Wagons (Essery, OPC 1981) shows the interior of D1666 and the caption references the ironwork, which is substantially correct in the 3H model, if a little heavy.

Here's what the old Three Aitch kit looks like inside. Not exactly a primary source, but I'd guess it was surveyed from a surviving vehicle. Note the multiplicity of washer plates in the corner: the big one at the top is clearly meant to be a single item, but split in the kit. There's a very narrow strip protecting the top of the door, but it's on the outside only and doesn't fold over the edge. The top plank is however tapered slightly. I clearly forgot to paint the interior orange before I weathered it with dust. This late survivor in Paul Bartlett's photo has gained late type capping strips on the top plank: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/lneropenwood/h1744777e#h1744777e

I'm really thinking of more common but less dramatic instances such as poor lane changes or pulling out of side roads, where a bit of anticipation could have saved the dash-cammer from being troubled much or at all. You may well be right however that they are more concerned with nurturing the dramatic potential of the situation than avoiding danger. Or maybe they have Gerald Ford syndrome and are unable to lift their right foot and make self righteous remarks for the camera at the same time.

Many of the dash cam videos now appearing online seem to illustrate their owner's inability to recognise and back off from developing situations at least as much as the crazy antics of other drivers.

1st gen units regularly operated all sorts of services, including quite long cross country routes. Two hours or more on one was not unusual and gave plenty of time to savour the rattles and racket as well as the exciting ride at any speed. That's if you weren't kicked out because the oil heater had caught fire again. Oh how we laughed when people started calling them heritage units.

A cunning plan, well observed and beautifully executed. I particularly like your ballasting and ground textures - the variation from the main lines across to the loco sidings is really effective. Integrating the fiddle yard with the imagined hinterland is a cracking wheeze and has freed up a nice length of main line. Bonus points for not filling it with platforms