The Stationmaster

I'm not sure if it's the angle of view but it looks as if the difference in mispositioning is different for the middle and leading wheels - which presumably would mean two cuts.  If you only have to cut the footplate I don't think that would be a big problem for you (especially you ) but if it results in the smokebox finishing up in the wrong place you will also have to cut the body and that could present a problem if it involves the boiler as the taper is more or less constant.

So before cutting anything I would think it essential to check the position of the top feed and smokebox against the new chassis.

Thanks Dom, very interesting and I hope they're going to rebuild Halle Hbf to go with it - it struck me as rather spartan when I was there 10 years ago.

Smashing job Julia - nice to see it turn from a print into a proper van!

Lovely job Julia - well done.

Absolutely tremendous - the differences between round and square rods correctly portrayed in accordance with WR practice, the use of round rod in the pin joints, and the stepping down in round rod/pinjoints to the cranks.  An excellent job all round Missy and I'm really glad you did start on it (and thank you for providing an illuminated magnifying glass to look at it at Wycrail.

Nice stuff Dom - I have always thought the 143s to be rather a visually attractive design so good to see your coverage.

Good to see the point rodding coming together Julia and the 'comb' sounds like an excellent idea.  I think the Foden would benefit from numberplates but saying that is simpler than doing it - computer printing sounds like a good idea until you think about the size of the plates yut if you could print on something other than paper (10 thou plasticard?) it might be possible is although it would mean white on black printing.  If you know someone with a film camera the other alternative might be to make some overscale and then photograph them and cut out the negative or transparency material to mount on a shim of whatever perhaps.  But it was areal privilege to see and handle teh Foden yesterday - beautiful little job and just right to be sitting in Highclere yard.

What we have found helpful in avoiding the foamboard 'ribs' sticking out is to also put the card in at right angles to the first lot of strips - also helps make it stronger, much stronger (as does a top coat of Hydrocal).

Dr Station Cat and I were highly impressed by the new backscene - really helps draw the scene together and bring further life to it.

Very nice Al - BTW the 'superheater covers' are in fact covers over the oil pipes where they emerge from under the boiler cladding to enter the smokebox. however the different sizes and the side on which they are mounted basically varied with the size of the superheater and type of lubrication (hydrostatic or mechanical).

Delicious - lovely job Juli.a

Lovely job Al.  Did you do anything about the back (bunker side) of the cab backsheet - which I still see as the biggest let down apart from the smokebox door handles?

That is rather clever - I've never seen a double slip with movable elbows (as we called them on the Western) but at one time on my patch we had a single slip with them - the very last Swindon Switch & Crossing shop built one in existence I was informed and when a piev

As regards lamping it's a singe lamp above the right hand buffer for Class K (which included a 'branch freight') or one lamp above the left hand buffer for a Class J.  A quick look at the 1947 service timetable indicates that most branch freights in the West Country at that time ran as Class K - so a single lamp above the right hand buffer as you see it facing the engine/as a Signalman would see it as the train approaches.

I don't know where you got your original code from code from as it was the code for Class C - a parcels or perishables train or an express freight.

BTW GWR overalls do seem to have been quite dark judging by pics but they undoubtedly faded on washing.

Great stuff although that was a rather filthy exhaust going through Tilehurst (grotty coal or over-firing I wonder?) - 'Castles' never left a smokescreen like that in the old days.

I wonder if it went up Sapperton as fast as 7029 did back in 1985 when it beat the HST p-p running times (and ran into Swindon over 20 minutes early); it would be interesting to see some timings.

As Katier has already commented on your other thread you do have a track layout which does not appear to be workable with trains either having to back into Paddington on arrival or back out on departure (you might be happy with that because of space constraints of course but it might get rather frustrating?).

St Mary Mead can only deal with trains in one direction but that might b ewhat you're after however the one thing you clearly can't do - assming you want to? - is portray the two trains running alongside each other which was the key part of the original '4.50 from Paddington' story.

Oi, I haven't signed your visa!

Now we might find out what happened to c-oil!1 I loved the AVR articles and the railway so it's great to see you on here.

I could remind you all about the point rodding - but I won't be so opportunist

Looks to me like a victim of roadspread  ... tehehe

Nah, Chalford!  And very nice too Al.

Now then girl - not the time to get downhearted!  Highclere looks good but there's more to do - when you don't feel it's an imposition or hard work, the attraction of taking it further will come back, I'm sure.

As far as the other things are concerned you seem to be a producer of amazing ideas and turning them into something which is both practical and looks good.  Maybe that was what the challenge was with Highclere, maybe it's a challenge which will return to Highclere - only time will tell so let that one take its course.  And in the meanwhile keep coming out with the new ideas about design, production, materials and so on because there's some truly good stuff there I think.  Get some stuff up to production perhaps and look beyond the engineering challenges maybe?

But above all don't worry about it because the ideas will come and i shall be sitting down at the Didcot show in further amazement (and probably bringing a magnifying glass as well as my specs).

Load of cobblers innit - top notch job there Cap'n and none of those fancy foreign patterns we see on Quai 87, just proper British cobbling at its best.

Is that a sky background Frank - looks bit too blue for Wales

Very impressed to see and handle it at the Didcot show on Saturday - a smashing piece of work and the chassis was remarkably heavy for its size so I think it's going to run as well as it will look.