Jon Gwinnett

Ah, nominative determinism at its finest!

I was hesitant about posting, as I sensed a hiatus, and didn't want to add even a semblance of pressure, so i hope you won't take it that way. The layouts and the "back story" are lovely, and we will all enjoy whatever developments happen, whenever they do.

Hi Adrian, has anything been happening in Westonmouth lately? The long hot summer has made me nostalgic for the 1970s of my childhood, when a trip to my grandparents in Brizzle (not so far from Westonmouth!) would invariably mean my father finding an excuse to take me to Temple Meads, "just for a look..."

Is the painted out line on the opposite side the loco siding?

Very very nice!

Very very nice!

As Tim suggests, my supposed mystery was the wagon. Perhaps it was unloaded/loaded or whatever and returned on the same day, but since that's not clear, that was my supposed msytery. Not a very interesting mystery i grant you, but still, I found the description of a delivery as odd. Perhaps it was a very small amount of coal, and they simply shovelled it into bunkers and then took the empty wagon away, I don't know.

Thanks Keith, I think 298 and I have seen all of the sequence on there, although it there are any more elsewhere we'd be delighted to learn of them. However, I suspect that it was such a minor event in the teeming business of the Met that it failed to gain the attention it might have done. After all, where else in the UK would a two wagon siding attract such interest! There's a little bit of a mystery in my mind relating to the 1961 sequence. It is usually described as the last delivery, which implies there was a final collection which went unrecorded at a later date. Although it's possible to work out from District Dave when the "coal train" ceased to appear in the WTT, I'm not sure that necessarily gives a date to the final run. In the timetable it was apparently described as the coal train right to the end, even if, by that date, it perhaps only conveyed outbound rubbish to Croxley tip.

Well I have a copy on order! Off to look for a copy now.

As I understand it, they used two locos. The inbound loco then taking the place of the outbound in the loco siding

Tagging along on this one. Hope someone comes up trumps...

Thanks Adrian, that makes sense now. Thinking of shrinking the plan to "N" as I don't have space for the larger gauges any more.

Hi Adrian, can I ask a question about the plan, way back on Page 1? I'm trying to scale it out, but can't reconcile your description of three 3ft 6 boards with the plan. Does the scenic section only cover two boards? I really like the plan and must confess I have been thinking of "borrowing" it. Cheers Jon

Looking forward to watching this one come together.

Not sure if a verbal explanation would add anything, but essentially under the centre buffer there is a conventional screw link and hook. Either side of the buffer and simple hook and chain, vacuum pipe to the left as you look at the headstock, electrical connectors to the right

Try again

Does this help?

Could the locos be these: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Voith_Gravita_10BB_northrail_261_301-6_2235_Torsten_Baetge.jpg Snap!

Give us a clue!?! So what's the new idea?

You and me both, you and me both

I don't mind painting the track so much, it's cleaning it all again to get stuff running that bugs me!

Looks good Mike, put me down for one!

Looking good. One wee suggestion, if you add top hat bearings to the ends of the spare wheel axles, it would disguise the pin points? The rust colour looks spot on.

Really liking this latest example of the Westonmouth oeuvre. If you want auto coupling might I suggest Kadees with the dangly bits removed (#18s are a plug in replacement on most modern stock) so they will couple automatically. Removing the dangly bits precludes magnetic uncoupling but a simple bamboo skewer inserted vertically from above, and twisted in the fingers uncouples them easily and without the "magnet shuffle".

Forget the ladies leg stuff and liberally apply talc to wet paint. Apply sufficient that you can pat down without getting paint on your paws. Remove surplus. But beware, been a while since I tried this so practice on an offcut first!