Steven B

Yes, we now live in a world where the physical abuse of children isn't tolerated. There are plenty of well behaved kids in schools today - probably a similar proportion to the 1950s. Badly behaved children don't start behaving well with the threat of violence. If people did there would never have been any murders prior to capital punishment being abolished. I've been taking my now seven year old to exhibitions since she was a few months old. We usually take a step (unless we know we're going to a show where they're available to borrow). It's hard work keeping their interest up (counting wagons is always fun) but can be made much easier when exhibitors engage with the child. It doesn't take much but it makes the child and parents life better and probably helps relieve the boredom that can creep up on an operator later on in the day. Steven B.

The tender fitted Pugs weren't very successful: 51207 by Dan Adkins, on Flickr

There's a T gauge layout featuring the Forth Bridge. The most haunting model of a railway I've seen was at the Imperial War Museum and was about 2m square covering the rail entrance to Auschwitz death camp. A horrific place but very sensitively modelled in shades of grey and brown.

This Gresley first class sleeper has seen better days: (kettledrummle on Flickr)

What does "Bath Men Only" mean? Steven B

It can be done, but you need a +/- split power supply. Something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115846689680?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=A5mFm_6_RvK&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY will give you a ground to connect one side of your double LED to, and +5V and -5V outputs to connect to the switch. Connect the other side of the double LED to the SPDT switch common and you'll be all lit up! MERG sell a similar split power supply for about £6 less. You can achieve a similar outcome with a stack of batteries connected in series (connect one of the LED wires mid-way along the chain of batteries). Much less expensive and less hassle to just buy a DPDT switch. Steven B.

For Mr and Mrs Average tapping in and out makes life much easier - all they need to know is the route they're taking and hence where to change trains. Great for spur of the moment travel, not so great for seat reservations. Adding it to the whole national railway network isn't that complicated - if First bus can make it work on a bus with no fixed infrastructure, then adding it to a railway station at pre-set (fixed!) locations is actually relatively straight forward. I'm still to be convinced that closing ticket offices will increase crime. CCTV cameras can still be monitored and few suburban ticket offices are currently open much beyond 7 or 8pm - plenty of time to mug the unsuspecting. Whilst there are no doubt some problem areas, are unstaffed suburban stations really a hot spot for muggings? Or in reality are people no more a risk than they would be on a canal tow path or city centre side road? Months go by on most stations without any crimes being reported. Looking at West Yorkshire as an example (both West Yorkshire Police and British Transport Police) you're much more likely to be the victim of crime at Leeds station than any of the surrounding suburban stations (on a crimes per 100000 passenger basis). That's despite Leeds ticket office being open 19 hours a day and having the local British Transport Police offices on site. Muggers will stick to the larger stations - the ones where there are more targets and it's easier to dissapear into the crowds. Probably exactly the same ones that will retain their ticket offices. All that said, making accessing facilities harder for a decent proportion of the population (be it ticket offices, self-service checkouts or App-only car parking) is wrong. If a minority group was excluded from an activity there would be an uproar, yet excluding the 10% of the population who have got/don't want/can't use a smart phone or automatic ticket machine is allowed. Steven B

Scale (O Gauge models draw more current than N) and expected load (trains fitted with lighting compared to a light engine movement) need to be known before a decision can be made. Given this is to be an club exhibition layout, I'd take a more belt and braces approach than perhaps I would do for a home layout. I'd probably opt for a pair of 3A or 5A boosters - one for the up, one for the down. This is likely to be more than you need, but gives the option on an exhibition layout of being able to wire one to control the whole layout in the event one goes pop. On top of that, I'd break each line into individually protected chunks using circuit breakers - if nothing else, separating fiddle-yard and scenic section. Depending on the track plan, it may be worth feeding any shunting/loco yards on the scenic section via their own breakers meaning any shunting "accidents" don't stop mainline traffic. Similarly, the fiddle yard could be split into four or six individually protected districts (two or three per direction). If you're also going to have DCC controlled point motors, signals etc then these should also be on their own circuit. It's very annoying not being able to throw a point because a loco's driven into it from the wrong road and caused a short. Steven B.

"Hello, is that BR? I'd like to run a tour over the Settle/Carlisle line using a Hastings line DEMU please." "Ok, just mind the gap at Dent" 1032 Dent 120486 img179-0386E-a by Tony Woof, on Flickr

There are plenty of stations that aren't staffed which manage quite well without passengers getting mugged every day. A report on Radio Four said that some of the ticket offices that are closing only see one or two sales a day - surely it makes sense to close these. The same report suggested that current ticket-office staff would simply be redeployed on platforms and concourses to help passengers use the machine - and yet the link to Northern's implementation of the scheme suggests that staff and hours will be cut. A wider problem is it's another step towards a cashless society. Fine for 90% of the population but potentially life changing for the remainder. Do we really want to get to the state only buy a train/bus/parking ticket if you've got the right smart-phone with the right app? Fine for those that can manage the technology but what about the significant proportion who struggle with smart phone or can't use the automatic ticket machines because of dyslexia or similar problems? Steven B.

Did someone mention loco and brake van? Those Were The Days: Trip Workings 1982 by John Whitehouse, on Flickr According to the caption the loco is propelling the brake van from Seymour Junction to Bolsover Colliery. Not sure how far that was, but it's interesting that the loco isn't carrying a tail-lamp. Steven B.

For when you can't find half your class 101: (Class 101 DMU @ Low Fell Junction, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, 1984 by Graeme Phillips on Flickr)

Loco and brake-van is always a favourite: Those Were The Days: Trip Workings 1982 by John Whitehouse, on Flickr No wonder speedlink wasn't profitable: Nuclear Flask trains usually qualify for being rather over powered for their length: (All from Flickr, and (C) their owners) Steven B

A siding at Bristol Harbour: 45473 by Ben Abel, on Flickr Steven B

Looks black to me: (Robert Gadsdon on Flickr) BR Blue for the later livery: ("On Tour With the Class 13 Army" on Flickr) Steven B

The coaches themselves have the answer: R40005: "with machine 76-312" R40006: "with machine 76-316" R40007: "To travel with machine 76-105" The only train I can think of needing more than one staff vehicle is the 1980s weedkiller trains where two coaches were provided for staff use - one coach was a dormitory with the other being a kitchen/mess area. Having a staff van alongside a tool van was common - most breakdown trains and viaduct inspection units operated in this form. That said, in lieu of no ballast cleaner being available to run with them, running all three together would make for a nice train! Steven B.

Poole /early Chinese era or modern Bach-Far model? BH Enterprises may have something suitable. Steven B

Certainly not enough info. A DCC controller plugged into the mains can do stuff, including lighting up - it doesn't know that it's been disconnected from the track. It'll still function like normal. If the DCC controller was still connected to the track at the same time as the DC controller then it's possible some damage was done - the simple way to check is to disconnect the DC controller, reconnect the DCC box and see what happens. It'll either work or it wont! As has been mentioned, you need to be 100% sure that a DC controller and DCC controller can not be connected at the same time. Using a DPDT switch but I'd take the approach of having a single connector so you can only ever have one connected to the layout at a time. Also be aware that any gadgets relying on DCC track power including frog juicers and block detections may not like having a DC voltage applied. Best case nothing will go wrong, things just won't work. Worst case you'll start letting out the magic smoke that makes electronics work! Steven B.

Heljan RRP = £76.33 each (RRP of triple pack £229) EFE RRP = £59.95 each Sprung buffers will be part of the difference in price. You pays you money.... Steven B.

I've used them several times for Kato Unitrack and never had any problems - everything (regardless of package size) arrived within a day or two. I've not ordered anything from them recently though. Steven B

Have a look at Kato Unitrack. Whilst most common in N Gauge, Kato does a range in OO/HO - think Peco or Hornby set-track but with a molded ballast base and more robust track joiners. It's designed to be put together and taken appart on a regular basis. Bachmann EZ Track, Fleischmann Profi-track and Roco Geoline are all the same but different. Steven B

The good provision in the first plan was better. With the latest revision, any wagons left at the cattle dock or parcels platform will block the run-round loop. Similarly, any coal wagons being unloaded will prevent milk tankers from accessing the creamery. The cross over accessing the run-round loop should probably be flipped so that the loco reverses into the loop - this would allow wagons to be loaded/unloaded in the stub siding. Have a think about the size of the town/village you're serving. Having a dedicated parcels platform on a small village station is unlikely - the parcels office in the station building would be enough for most stations. Have a look at Hemyock (the basis of Croydon MRS Hemlock) - it features much of what you want. https://hemyock.org/mediagallery/album.php?aid=4&sort=0 http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/the-hemyock-branch.html has some photos including a 14xx with a pair of loaded milk tankers and a couple of coaches. Torrington is another worthy of further investigation - it handled the loading of milk tankers three at a time at a spot on the goods shed siding, but beyond the shed where locos wouldn't be allowed. https://svsfilm.com/nineelms/torr.htm Creameries/Dairys were quite large - you're going to struggle to fit one into the space you have. Torrington's was away from the station with milk tripped to the station yard in road tanks. Steven B

The BR Coaching stock group is a good place to start: https://brcoachingstock.groups.io/ Dig through the Group's archives and you'll find many carriage workings including the summer 1961 Anglo Scottish Car Carrier, running from Holloway to Edinburgh: *BSK (luggage only) *FK *RU *FO 8 CCT 2 CCT (detach Newcastle) And much later in the day, the Car Sleeper from Kings Cross to Perth: 9CCT 5x SLSTP or 5x SLST (Mon, Wed & Sat Only) 5x *SLSTP (Tue & Thu only) *BSO All coaches marked * are BR Mk1. The CCT will be the bogie car carriers - ex LNER CCT, Newton Chambers or Mk1 GUV. You'll find some images in Flickr: D1546_AngloScotCarC_1963 by robertcwp, on Flickr (Robert Gadson on Flickr) Steven B

Accurascale have said that they want to get into N Gauge under their own name. Having already made the PCV and PFA for Revolution I don't see why the class 89 couldn't be their tow in the water. Personally, I suspect a Siphon or Mk2b might be more likely. Steven B

As mentioned above, you'll need two additional isolators - see red marks in diagram below. Depending on where you wish to park locos with lights on/sound running, you might find adding the additional yellow isolated joints and track feeds useful. Steven B.