Flying Pig

They're actually part of the handbrake linkage. Which doesn't make them less of a nuisance on the model of course.

TBH I don't think Minories is giving you anything here, though this isn't quite Minories as it has two crossovers of the same hand, rather than one of each. That means trains to or from the top branch can't use the bottom platform at all, but trains to or from the bottom branch have an unnecessary duplicate route to the top platform. A simple pair of crossovers would be more flexible.

Wouldn't that be Chaloners Whin (now known as Tesco)? The Selby Diversion didn't open until after the end of the world in January 1982.

We've got to have boundaries, or how would we know which side we were on? Stands to reason.

When that involves unprototypical shunting methods or complicated mechanisms in a small scale, compromise may be the better option. There is already a lot of compromise in model goods yards, almost certainly including your own, and it is a matter of individual taste where the line is drawn.

If you look at the station as a whole, there is plenty of scope for operation and I doubt it would detract much from the enjoyment of the layout if you left the goods shed and its surrounding track as essentially scenic. You could park a couple of wagons in the headshunt beyond the shed to give an impression of its operation and just stick to shunting the reception sidings.

I can only guess that the goods shed roads were laid out for straight through working from left to right, with processed wagons running into the headshunt then back over the crossover to the reception sidings. It is possible that capstans were installed as it seems to be a reasonably large shed. It's one of those situations that will be tricky to replicate on model form, particularly in N. Your reworked plan is closer to the prototype, but may I suggest that Y points where I have added a red dot might improve the flow of the main line? You may need to substitute a curved point on the yellow dot.

Signalbox.org has a plan for Cheltenham St James and you seem to have rearranged it somewhat, particularly the spur off the double slip between the running lines and the way the arrival platforms and middle sidings are laid out. This is a pity as it loses some of the character of the station.

I notice that they all have vacuum pipes. Is that because they are modelled in preserved condition? Are the brake valve and ejector also modelled?

Because trains sometimes reach the end of their journey and have to reverse, locos need to run round, trains need to reach loops, sidings and bay platforms on the other side of the line. In real life trains could also be crossed over to allow a faster train to pass (using the other line as a refuge siding) or if single line working was in force, but those aren't usually part of model operation.

Make that obsolete materials containing now-banned ingredients.

If the entire train is bound for the sidings, the loco might leave light engine back to the shed for servicing or it might pick up a return load (e.g. a loco bringing empty wagons to a colliery and leaving with full ones). But many sidings were served by stopping goods trains that conveyed wagons to all the destinations along their route and also picked up wagons along the way. Once the train had dropped off and/or picked up wagons it would just continue its journey. Nearly all station goods yards were worked like this. Stopping goods trains usually started and finished at marshalling yards which were sidings specifically intended for sorting wagons into new trains for their onward journey and didn't include loading facilities. Some were enormous, but they could also consist of only a few sidings. In model terms a small marshalling yard is useful as a self contained shunting area that also allows you to park any kind of freight train between runs. If you are keen you can also plan stopping goods trains serving the other sidings on the layout.

And if Regulation 5 was not authorised, the following train could not be accepted with the tail of the fast goods outside the inner home?

How long has the neglect been going on? Since the old maintenance regimes were abandoned in the 60s and 70s? It can't be easy to maintain drainage when trees are growing up and pushing their roots through everything and plenty of main lines were becoming well wooded by the mid 1980s.

From the linked article: The problem is not the current obstruction, it's whether the slip could repeat, or continue to develop under the formation.

All converted from Pugs and Nellies in a secret underground workshop.

Red doors at Lincoln St Marks, just before closure in 1985 (but I doubt they had been repainted recently). As I recall the doors at the front entrance (just behind the props holding the portico up) were also red. Was this a local oddity?

Doesn't your 2mm layout do just that in a slightly smaller station?

Are you sure? https://railsofsheffield.com/blogs/news/new-Hornby-class-8f

The Ratio model of Castle Cary (Peco 504) looks like a good source of parts, though it is stone rather than brick finish.

One or two on here.

A very nicely made short film. I guess the same Robin and Kelvin Pinnock as this?

Flemish bond I think - see https://www.wienerberger.co.uk/tips-and-advice/brickwork/how-do-i-choose-the-correct-brick-bonding-pattern.html Edit: and e.g. https://www.slatersplastikard.com/plastikard/embossed.php

The correct term for such a protrusion is "boggle". We really shouldn't let these old words die.

I agree about the Farish model and wasn't entirely convinced by the photos of unpainted 00 models posted yesterday. However, the painted samples now shown look much more the thing to my eye.