Steven B

Leaky steam heating pipes always add to the atmosphere. The mixed passenger/freight train could also qualify this image for a prototype for everything. Nice short train and perfectly modellable too! Steam train by Jjm2009, on Flickr Steven B

Do you dare risk a "Best Value for Money" category next year? Could lead to some interesting results... Steven B

Just run your scenic scatter material up onto the bridge (and probably over it). For bonus points you could tear/feather the edge of the tarmac to make the ends look broken up as the sub-base blends into the field. August - Local Landscape 2021 by Peter Leigh, on Flickr farm bridge by Mark Griffin, on Flickr Find a rural railway line on Google Earth and follow it until you find a similar style bridge. Steven B.

Both will work - I'd opt for the second one (i.e. power the yard via the dual-juicer/auto-reverser. Remember the reversing section needs to be big enough to fit a complete train in. Steven B

I'd forget about putting animals on the land between the two tracks - as mentioned above it's likely to be railway owned (unless you're compressing distances!). A cattle creep under the higher track leading to a farm/occupation crossing on the lower track would be much more in keeping than the bridge you currently have. Being a main line wouldn't stop them being used - there are still a couple of foot crossings on the ECML for example. (Steve Sterland on Flickr) If you want to keep the bridge then the chances are it wouldn't have a tarmac surface. Mud/rubble/hard-core/stone sets would be more in keeping with the era it was likely to have been built in. The railway wouldn't put a tarmac surface in just for a tractor and a few cows. The end of the paved surface would transition into mud at the field entrance. Steven B

Thanks for adding the FV434 Maintenance Carrier - looking forward to adding one to my train. Any chance of a FV102 Striker? Steven B

Perhaps too many posters living in the south-east forget that there's life outside of London. Getting between the larger towns and cities via public transport can be time consuming and expensive - regardless of where you are in the country. Pre-Covid I took my daughter from Leeds to Bolton to visit family - we had a lovely day out, but the combination of buses and trains took 3x the time as driving would, cost more despite my daughter being under five and not needing a ticket. Getting into the centre of Leeds (e.g. for access to station) takes three times longer by public transport than in similar sized cities in France of Germany. The problem's not just restricted to the north - my in-laws travel from the north Kent coast to visit relatives in Hastings - again, travel by car is faster and less expensive. HS2 won't fix any of these problems - if anything with the extended platforms being cancelled and HS2 train-sets being non-tilt enabled, speeds and capacity on the northern sections of the WCML could actually be reduced! Steven B

Try "RMWeb 2023 (Default)". I think the "RMWeb Premium" theme was a place holder until some other functionality was fixed - which I believe it was.

Looks like an RNLI D Class inshore boat. The train is heading to Cromer according to the caption, yet RNLI's station history suggests their D Class boat was upgraded in 1984 - a year before the image was taken.

If a servo has driven the blades across like a solenoid would then I'd be looking for alternative servo driver hardware. As others have said, there's been plenty of not-worthy layouts built from code 55 (or even code 80) track - there's plenty can be done to improve the running through Peco's pointworks for example. Steven B

Most preserved railways do create scenes of isolated dereliction. Most have sidings of stuff gradually rotting away - most historically more important that this Shark. Steven B.

When you change scales but want to keep your old scenery... Marsh Lane Cutting, Leeds. by Keith Long, on Flickr

Not for me, but I hope they're successful and lead to a few other geographically restricted wagons. (PAB petroleum coke wagons for me please!) Steven B

It's always a struggle to make a layout look realistic when you start with a flat baseboard: Leeds, Holbeck 55A. by Keith Long, on Flickr The builder is obviously a fan of Type 2's. They're nicely weathered. Steven B

I'd travel into Manchester Victoria on the Calder Valley line (or if there was time to waste via the Oldham Loop). Crossing town to Piccadilly was like entering another world, one filled with loco hauled trains and over head electric multiple units. And of course the 101's, Pacers and Sprinters were were used to over at the L&Y side of town. When Metrolink took over the Bury line it was like we'd arrived in the future. The original T-68s look so dated now! Steven B

Thanks Adam, I suspected that might be the case. Are the different pantographs interchangeable and will they be available as spares? Did '17 Iron Duke have the red, roof mounted fire extinguishers when it was in Intercity livery? I've not been able to find photos of it in that livery with them fitted. Photos of it in Virgin livery before 2003 don't have them, pictures from mid 2003 onwards do have them (but in Virgin red/grey). Steven B

+1 vote for shortening the gardens to maintain the angle of the houses to the railway.

Great to see progress! @Adam1701D how set in stone are the names/numbers that have been chosen? For fussy so-n-so's like myself there's a gap in the liveries around 1990 (+/- 2 years). 87031 (BR Blue) received the extra jumpers around 1986. 87101 had it's panto' swapped circa 1983 87017 (Intercity) was repainted around 1993 87006 (large logo dark grey) repainted 1986 Would it be possible to change the name/number on 87017 Iron Duke - 87002 'Royal Sovereign' would be a good alternative, receiving the livery by May 1990. I'll also be looking forward to batch two which I'm sure will contain BR Blue with the extra cables together with Intercity Exec (small yellow ends with yellow cab roof) and Intercity Mainline (full yellow ends). 🙂 Steven B

Does exhibiting a British outline layout in other countries result in similar comments to those showing continental based layouts here? Steven B.

I think there's room in the market for the Farish Mk3s, but given the price it would have been nice if they'd made some improvements, even if it just involved fitting interiors. Steven B

+1 for cream cleaner and plenty of water to rinse it off. Don't bother with an old tooth brush (yuck!) - treat your model to a new one! You can get multi-packs for a couple of quid from the supermarket. Steven B

Some of the Mk3 Royal Train coaches are standard vehicles. Others are heavily modified with window spacing and inset, inward opening doors. You'd also need the converted Mk2 brakes. The post 1970s train does give options for more normal Mk3s though... Steven B

Many years ago I helped operate a German outline, N Gauge layout. I was shocked at the number of show visitors who didn't give it a second glance because it was neither British or OO Gauge. Surely any layout is worth a few minutes of your time? Steven B

Dapol have a new batch of Mk3 due soon, which includes sleepers in blue/grey and Intercity. If they get the livery correct I'll be replacing my current one with these - the close coupling mechanism is worth the extra £2 on it's own. Steven B

They need a bit more red on the Baguley-Drewry plate! Ripe for an etched replacement... Steven B