sulzer27jd

Scottish place names are often an anglicised versions of the original, as the generally recognised spellings were only established as mapping was completed. The military map making was of course just part of the wider British attempt (post Jacobite uprising) to eradicate any distinct culture and so the use of Scots, Doric and Gaelic were discouraged. The clues of course are still there with the use of "Aber", "Inver" and "Bal" in place names. One such derivative that is of interest is the use of the spelling "King" in Scottish place names. Used to indicate some sort of loyalty to a monarch, it is in fact a twisting of the word Ceann, meaning the end of a piece of land, for example Kingussie is actually Ceann a' Ghiùthsaich or the end of the pine wood and the especially loyally named King Edward, one time station on the Great North of Scotland, owes its name to neither monarchy, nor potato but instead simply indicates that it is the head of a piece of land between two others and should be known as Ceann Eadar. For the modeller these clues can be used to instantly situate a place name as Scottish and for fictitious locations can allow a number of variations to be legitimately used. For the contemporary modeller though care should be taken as Scotrail now frequently display both the station name and the English version on the same sign. The keen observer though can see where they occasionally get themselves into difficulty as at Dùn Dè or Dùn Dèagh, both of which are displayed at Dundee. John

The power as far as Edinburgh was (1950's) very often a Dundee (Tay Bridge) or Aberdeen Ferryhill V2 or A2 (Peppercorn), used entirely interchangeably. Dundee crews were used Sample workings 1957 - of 14 known workings all except 1 was a V2, the other was 60531 Bahram 1958 - of 22 known workings all except 4 were V2's. with Bahram and Tudor Minstrel being the others. 1959 - 9 known workings, all except 1 were V2's the other being 60527 Sun Chariot John

This is where I got to before O gauge overtook me! If anyone wants this and the signal box, please just get in touch. John

The CR Wagons book by Mike WIlliams suggests that it may have been common practice to leave the interior unpainted. This is due to the lack of interior photographs and of course those that do exist are in black & white. Unpainted wood takes on a grey tone and even if painted with a lead grey, that would have a similar look after a time. I have worked on the basis that wagon interiors would vary from a fairly clean wood effect, weathered, to a dirtier more grey appearance. John

Pulling us gently back to the Strathmore line. Between Alyth Junction and Eassie there was a set of sidings known as Drumkilbo. They were used for, amongst other things, bringing manure from Dundee for use on the fields round about. Access to the sidings was down a track known to this day as the Dung Ley. There is no sign of them now but only a few years ago a culvert/bridge for the siding, separate from the mainline, was visible. The siding swung into a field and ended 90 degrees from the mainline. After a period of dry weather (so not very often) the scar of the siding can sometimes be seen. This PW hut is still in place nearby; John

The Scottish football leagues are, per capita, the best supported in Europe. Its just a pity that the so-called British broadcasters never share out the money equitably to the four nations.

Forfar yard loading bank and goods shed, with Station Park, home of the mighty Forfar Athletic FC in the background. Goods shed and the new concrete goods shed. Close up of the concrete goods shed. I have numerous close ups and detail photos of the buildings if anyone is interested. John

More from Forfar; South end showing the sharp curve. North end John

Burrelton station house and goods shed John

Like many of the similar books they are almost obsessed by the early years of these lines, which I understand is of interest to some. What is lacking however is more detail of how the lines were worked throughout their history. I suspect unfortunately that much of the detail from the pre-grouping and pre-nationalisation eras is now lost. What is disappointing is that even through the BR years there is very little knowledge of the operational aspects of the network of Strathmore lines. John

The 1897 description as quoted in the Jim MacIntosh volume on livery is; vans internally had 1 coat of stone colour and opens 1 coat of lead colour. How long that would last in service is anyones guess but for opens the weathered/worn look would be grey in tone and not brick red. John

Have a Google search for the Haysi Railroad. It's an Appalachian coal railroad that used an ex Clinchfield F7B unit as its main power at one point. As I'm typing this I see a photo has just been posted of it. The other end actually had a little cab with a window. John

That is a rather obvious omission - oops! It’s Forfar. John

Saw this thread come up again. It's such a shame that there is so little about this route. Here are some photos that may be of interest; John

Hearts Can Never Hide - Dougie MacLean

The second is closer but Pol-ma-dee.

I did not renew my membership for 2020 because on reflection I was getting nothing much from the Guild. The problem they have is that modellers can work away quite happily and get results without being a member. I had no contact with my local group (despite a couple of attempts to engage with them) which meant my quarterly magazine and the forum were my main points of contact. The former, was not very good and the later, whilst helpful, was the most censored I have ever encountered, was extremely hierarchical and off-putting. I was left with the feeling that the main purpose of my quite substantial fees (in comparison with other organisations) was to subsidise the Telford exhibition which I do not attend. I am glad to hear that at least some attempt might be made to address the issues facing the Guild, which to my mind all revolve around how to remain relevant. There were numerous previous offers of assistance, including my own - with expertise in change management and business development - that fell into the managerial abyss that seems to plague the Guild. I genuinely hope they take this issue and wish them luck. John

The grey is replacing the blue apparently but still has the same properties. As for framing, have a look on some US sites or magazines. They generally do not frame at all but support it on a skeleton structure. I would think the main difference is that most of their work is built in situ and is not modular. If your layout is permanent, then their methods may be quite suitable for you, if it's to be portable then a frame would be desirable. Cutting styrofoam is easy. A cut with a Stanley knife and snapped, or you get a pad saw that fits a Stanley knife and that works well, a bread knife or a jig saw on low speed. John

Very similar experiences. Glue gun is my go to for foam to foam joints.

Stay clear of Kingspan, it really isn't great for baseboards. A lot of people see US modellers using Styrofoam for layouts and think these are the same material. Kingspan is no where near as stable as Styrofoam and will warp. The real stuff is available through - https://www.panelsystems.co.uk/product/styrofoam John

It would depend on if you are specifically considering the London traffic. Each of the major cities in England would be served but the London traffic does seem to have favoured the east coast route. You have to remember that Aberdeen was served by the Caledonian and the NB for southbound fish. The split would naturally favour their normal partners (caledonian to the west and NB to the east) but the NB, via the Waverley Route to Carlisle, could actually reach both. After the grouping the Great North of Scotland traffic would be more closely linked to the east coast route. That would bring in vast quantities of fish from Fraserburgh and Peterhead. Peterhead to this day still lands more fish than all the other UK ports put together. When you take the LNER traffic (ex GNSR plus ex NB) you can see why the majority of the loads went by the east coast route.

The box was replaced by a ground frame when the line was singled in 1969. John

Worse than I thought, it would appear! John

In the Spanish fleet numbering system, what does the final (7th) digit signify? For example 319.237.4 - What does the 4 mean? Thanks John

This is my Diagram 118 Brake Composite. Built for the Scottish Southern Area, but requisitioned for the Rosehearty branch. It was built as an adaptation when the Ian Kirk kit that I planned to build had the wrong set of parts. John