LNERandBR

For a layout as large as Little Bytham I do feel that a 'how it's designed' type article is justifiable. Especially as it's one which never leaves home and is designed to make as much use of the given space as possible. I do like how you've managed to add in as many sidings as possible in the fiddle yard to give as much variety as possible to the operating sequence. For many layouts, a single overall image of their setting at home alongside the prototypical images normally seen would be sufficient to help people understand how it fits into it's home location. Of course there are those layouts which only ever get set up at exhibitions. Thank you for taking those images Tony

I concur that the second of the two images is best. My eyes are also drawn to the distracting background of the sign and curtain. However, I would not be adverse to seeing wide angle shots of the entire room in publications, from either end if possible. That shows us the layout in it's home and how it's been designed to fit it. That's educational for anyone planning their own layout and wanting to know how to make the most of the space they have possible. Fiddle Yards are also one of the things I often think are missing from article pictures and track plans.

Makes sense for Williams to buy in more parts. Means they will have more time and resources to put into other parts of the car. As for Lando, I do hope he gets better soon.

Duplicate, please ignore.

I think you are taking things a little too personally there. I feel that Tony's 'criticism' was only supposed to show he would have rejected the image as it doesn't show the model in the best way possible. Ultimately, it depends on what you are taking the photos for. If for publication then these things need to be spotted and corrected or someone else could get the wrong impression when they read the article. I'm sure Tony's method would be to spot the issues before hitting the shutter rather than digital manipulation of the image. Having had him take photos of one of my layouts in the past I remember him insisting the tension locks were removed from the NEM pockets on my locos and the images looked all the better for it.

I really do think there is a place for both 'realistic' model railway photography and for seeing a model railway in its natural state. I remember an overwhelming sense of pride when each of my layouts appeared in the model railway press. The feeling that the images shown were produced partly due to my efforts to make the layout as good as they could be. Anyone can take a photo of a layout in its basic form, it's only those with the time, patience and inclination to go through the trouble of photoshopping.

I think there's room for both. I very much enjoy operating model railways but I also enjoy viewing photos of them. Often, you spot things in a photograph that you never spotted before and can go back to the layout and rectify them. In the current climate, how are we to show our models off other than through the medium of photography?

I think it's nice to see behind the scenes sometimes but I also like the images that have had those 'background distractions' removed. The latter show up the modelling better without any distracting bookcases or other furniture. It is good to see how people have constructed and layed out their fiddle yards but that's still a 'model railway' not a bookcase of railway books. I also do think the method of just cloning the existing backscene sky is the better option then adding a fake sky.

How does that work for Rally Drivers then? Many times the entire field are thrown at completely new stages which they have never driven before. Yes, they have pacenotes but the conditions on stage change from day to day and even minute by minute. That's what lost Elvin the championship this year, the grip levels suddenly and abruptly changed and he was caught out by it. Only him slowing the next cars down stopped others going off in the same place. Granted, F1 cars work best with constant and consistent grip levels. However, the best races come when they've had little practice and when there are sudden changes in weather. Look at Turkey this year!

Well I suppose they won't need the time for development testing but they'll still moan about less time on track to dial in setup and the like.

I'm very happy that Perez has the Red Bull seat. All he needs to do now is be consistent and take as many points as possible and be there when Max has a bad weekend. Max is RB's 'chosen one' and I doubt Perez will be able to topple him from that position. However, if Max has a DNF that's when his opportunities for podiums and race wins will come.

Well, Merc proved they can still do a double stack pitstop I bet it was a relief for the pit crew once they'd completed it.

I do wonder if he'll feedback anything about the screen placement? Williams being the only team not to have it on the steering wheel.

Ah, but they better not do a 'Willades' because they'll get penalized for it from next year.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were 3 different toolings or they designed it in such a way that they could mix and match parts to make it correct. That seems to be the approach Heljan is taking with the Peaks and Class 47's in OO. They are basically trying to get as much variation out of their tooling as possible.

Agreed, but naming it a 'Young Driver' test is wrong when you have an experienced Driver taking part. Just because he's not raced this year doesn't mean he should be taking a seat that an up and coming Driver could have had. Their chances to show their worth are so limited by the restricted testing already. Just call it an 'after season test' and drop the 'Young Driver' bit as that's not what it is.

They need to redefine the test's name I think. They've basically clarified it as being Drivers with fewer than 2 GP's during 2020 who can take part. Therefore, it's not a 'Young Driver' test, it's a normal test just without the 2020 season runners.

I think they'll make a decision before Friday Practice starts. Just because they could make the decision Saturday doesn't mean they will.

They probably looked at it to decide if an investigation was needed and at that point decided that more blame was likely on Leclerc's side then Perez's. The fact Leclerc ended up retiring due to the incident meant that any in race penalties weren't possible.

In the WRC teams run 3 cars but only 2 of those score Constructors points. Having 3 means that if one DNF's the other two can still pick up the points for the team. So, Mercedes would be silly to run one car. Running two provides that same buffer so that if one DNF's the other is there to collect the points.

And Perez has outscored Stroll. Really does not make any sense them getting rid of Perez.

The hardest thing for young drivers is proving they have what it takes to be in a top car. Sunday was an excellent opportunity for Russell to do that and I do think he achieved that objective. You have to remember, he's dragging his Williams into Q2. No other Driver has done that for years so he's slowly but surely been showing his potential. If the Williams was a machine worthy of regular Q2 appearances then both Drivers in that team would be doing it. Put Latifi in a Mercedes and I bet you wouldn't get the same performance.

I think they did need to pit again to be completely sure they had the tyres to get them to the end. With the full safety car it was the right call to pit, it's just the calls from pitwall to pit crew got muddled. Mercedes have become the masters of the double stack stop. It's worked right for them more times then it's failed. I do think pitting at that time was the right call.

Really, really hope Perez get's a drive for next year. Going from last to first was a drive you'd expect from drivers like Lewis. Yes, it relied on Merc making their error and the incident that put him to the back also took out one of the RB's but he still had a brilliant drive to work his way forward.

Seemed to me like Russell and Bottas both needed to stop again because after the safety car restart Bottas just went backwards. Due to the mixup he was still on the same tyres that he came into the Pits with. Admittedly, both could have motored away like Perez did after the restart rather than being stuck behind other cars but the opportunity to stop to make it safely was there and it's a procedure they've done many times with both cars in the past. Seems it turned into a poor weekend for British drivers as Lando also struggled and in the WRC Elfyn Evans had an off on Saturday which meant he didn't get the WRC championship Well I suppose Aitkin didn't finish last which was a good thing and at least he finished unlike his teammate.