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Can anyone explain the assortment of pipes please? The instruction sheet for the R3230 LNER version shows three to be fitted on the front (locomotive) buffer beam and two to be fitted on the rear (tender) buffer beam. However, the sealed accessories pack only contains one pipe - the vacuum pipe for the rear. Are the others (two on the front and one on the rear) all Westinghouse pipes and therefore not applicable to 7524?

I agree. Just collected mine today. Definitely yellow. Looks yellow and also compared it to the P2 and it is unambiguous.

Now that you mention it, there aren't many signs are there? I wouldn't fancy the chances of a stranger finding Foregate Street in a car without going around the one-way system at least once before noticing the very nicely restored bridge. Perhaps they just think that because there's no parking, no one will arrive by car.

SM42 I can't see a service running via Foregate St and reversing (in favour of Shrub Hill ) for the simple reason that it would require the re-instatement of a junction (Rainbow Hill Jn?) and the rather incovenient fath of reversing a service at a rather inflexible site. However stranger things have happened. No, I can't see it either, though reinstating Rainbow Hill junction doesn't seem like too difficult a task. (Might need to find a few more GWR lower quadrant signals to finish it though.) Shrub Hill would in my view still serve a purpose for longer distance traffic (Birmingham - Cardiff perhaps) which would avoid a rather long taxi or bus ride into the city for those who hadn't driven to and set out from Parkway in the first place. With a bit of investment and TLC Shrub Hill could be a quite wonderful place to arrive and depart. I am struggling to think of enough traffic to justify the investment. Plus, no matter how nice the station is made, the moment you step outside, the vista is a couple of dilapidated office blocks and modern soulless DIY store shed roofs. There is also still the distance issue. For most people, Shrub Hill is just too far to walk for the city centre via an uninspiring and not especially pedestrian friendly route. It's the kind of thing which needs a small bus. (Hmm, I wonder if should invest in a small fleet of rickshaws?) Would Worcester Parkway be the same if parking was free. I would imagine Evesham and Pershore areas being a good source of traffic (if indeed parking is charged at these places) But then again would large numbers of people from around these areas who already commute by train, and not towards London, be going anywhere other than Worcester in the first place? Unless residents of Evesham and Pershore are within walking distance of the station, I'd be surprised if many of them commuted to Worcester other than by car. The distances are too small. By the time you've parked and waited for a train you could be most of the way to Worcester. Evesham is only about 30 minutes from the M5 and Pershore is closer. I suspect most rail commuters may be heading to Birmingham.

I didn't read anything negative into your post Joseph. It would be great if Shrub Hill could be reinvigorated and farmland near Norton not built upon, but I fear it is too late for that. As others have indicated it is difficult to see what Shrub Hill will provide once Parkway comes into use. Parkway will have the access for cars and Foregate Street will have the convenience for the city centre. The only possible saviour would be a long distance through service in the direction of Kidderminster and/or Wolverhampton but even that might work by reversing in and out of Foregate Street. I don't know if the station buildings are listed. There are some interesting little details around but they are not in good shape and the 1960s/70s monstrosities in front of them do not help. The nearby workshop buildings are in better shape and developments are underway for those. It was also pleasing to see a brand new group of commercial units built nearby a few years ago in a style that echoed the older workshops. (I'm not necessarily one for pastiche architecture but on this occasion it was appropriate.) One problem that has to be overcome with the old workshops is their size. They are extensive, especially if one includes the newer buildings right next to them. There's also the challenge of developing something that adds to the city rather than transplants the centre or, in the case of business premises, that does not rely on road transport where motorway access will win. Earlier developments have rather cut off Shrub Hill from the city centre and there is little foot traffic between the two.

There isn't too much land left undeveloped near to Shrub Hill and what remains wouldn't provide an attractive location for living accomodation. I don't know for certain but it is likely that it has been earmarked for business development. The usual online maps with aerial views give a good view of what undeveloped land remains and you can see there are several large grey roofed modern commercial units as well as the old railway workshop buildings. Worcester city centre isn't without recent housing developments but the majority of house building has been on the outskirts close to the M5. The age of the city means that roads into and out of Worcester have pinch points at rush hour and would not be helped by encouraging more commuters to use Shrub Hill or Foregate Street, other than those living in the city centre, but might be helped by a parkway station.

Thanks. That sounds interesting. It would be good to see some pictures once work commences.

What "removable filler" are you intending to use? Do you have any recommendations please?

Hornby website indicates 12/02/15 (tomorrow).

Or just six in total for the UK? Sorry. Couldn't resist. You do have to wonder though at Hornby's powers of communication. Why can they not word an email to be less ambiguous? (Not read it myself. Just noting that there is already more than one interpretation.)

The latest plan is for two platforms on the Bristol line and one on the Oxford line. Not clear how this will operate. I hope they've allowed for people to get on at Worcester and off again on the return leg! It is still single track at present but there are moves to (re-)double it.

Foregate Street is very easily accessed by bus. It is a couple of minutes walk from Worcester bus station. Shrub Hill is not handy for buses nor is it too good for cars with restricted parking facilities. Provided there is sufficient parking at the new site, it should be easy to access from M5 J7. It is close to substantial housing developments locally (Norton), to the south east (St Peters) and north east (Warndon Villages) of Worcester. If someone has their head screwed on it would be simple to lay on a couple of circular bus routes to sweep up commuters from the two largest developments at peak times.

There's something slightly P2ish about that Baltic. Lovely photos of snow covered Switzerland too. Takes me back. We had our honeymoon there (in the summer). Stayed in Wengen and walked up and down as many of the mountains as we could. Ate lunch on the balcony of that hotel looking across at the Eiger. Tramped over the glacier at the top of the Jungfrau. Wonderful! Thanks for posting.

Hornby website still shows May.

Yes, you can use the Hornby coaches in rakes that mix K-type (current) and all-steel K-type (to be released) cars. The sections towards the back of the two Ford volumes you refer to Jamie should tell you what you need to know. Then you will need to read the detailed chapters carefully to establish whether you need K-types with matchboard or plated over sides, original or later Pullman crests, names, numbers, 3rd class, 2nd class, no class, moved from one region to another, rebuilt from parlour to brake ... You may find it takes longer than you expect!

Do they sell snow mobiles too?

Correct. A Wills Finecast one (twin steps in the bunker, so no help in regard to the number positioning).

I'd much rather see "Clairvoyant arrested for fraud".

There's a market for spare parts. Unless Bachmann & Hornby parts become more easily available this will continue. Seems fine to me. Have you never needed to replace a broken part or wanted, say, a body or chassis to adapt Darren? If they can make more money from the parts than from the complete loco then that doesn't seem daft, but unless they sell every last bit the profit on some parts may be eaten into by the loss on other parts. I don't imagine they make a huge profit over all.

Hornby website now indicates 27/02/15. So you have a few extra weeks to finish now Marcus.

Oh yes. Well spotted. Presumably just a typo? It's the wrong verse anyway isn't it? By the time the song reached no wheels wasn't it "them Cherokees have captured me..."?

6-wheel brake van?

Not quite roadkill, but it was killed on a road. There's a cameo of a hawk eating its prey at Pendon.

Thanks for the picture Sandra. It may be too late and it isn't a big deal but it would be nice to see slightly less coal. So many tenders seem to be newly filled and some variation would be good. I know there are sometimes structural reasons for this in that there is something in the tender that needs to be hidden but I don't imagine that to be the case with this model. Looks lovely though. Looking forward to mine arriving.

I cannot remember which railway modelling magazine it was in but I recall seeing a feature entitled A Rainy Day In Leeds (or similar) that had "wet" streets and trams.