Mainly it's about picking one that nobody changed the windows on. Periscopes (and fingers) come off with a sharp blade. Underframe equipment is available as castings or etches from various sources, notably the 2mmSA or can be bodged up from bits of plasticard and the like given you are doing one coach not 15.

Quote from: KiwiAlan on July 11, 2026, 07:25:58 AMI'm also trying to work out the best starting point in N gauge. For 99953 and 35457, I'm currently looking at the Graham Farish range and wondering whether the 374-187E Mk1 BSK would be a better base model than the 374-199 Mk1 BCK. My instinct is that the BSK is the more appropriate starting point given the prototype vehicles, but I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has researched or built either coach.

I've got a maroon BSK which is destined to become NRM's earlier support coach, 99950.

I'd always base the model on the same coach as the prototype - a BSK in the case of either of the NRM coaches (99950 or 99953). The passenger section windows on the BCK are different and the guards half has differently spaced doors and windows.

If you has a BCK you want to use then use the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust's BCK 21268 as inspiration.

For a modelling project, M35469 has one pair of luggage doors replaced with grills to allow air flow around the generator. Alternatively, for something a bit more involved try 80217 - a BSK that was converted by BR into a courier van by replacing one set of windows on each side with a roller shutter and plating over two other windows.

This song reminds me of rifle club practice in high school. I think it was 22's. Memory isn't serving me for that detail right now.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6otDlpN1Cwg

If you need colour the cant-rail guttering orange, may I recommend using an AK Paint Marker. They are acrylic, so any mistakes can be easily wiped off with water.

Much easier than painting!

Quote from: njee20 on July 11, 2026, 12:50:25 PMChris your contributions are becoming a bit like Google's AI. Lots of words only vaguely related to what's being asked! 

To say nothing of being disrespectful in not giving attribution to the source of 'his' material.
Anyone can copy/paste

Played this on 45 earlier. Reckon it's a first mention on this thread for Bob Seger

That signpost needs a bit more glue as well.

Splendid story, thank you, Martin.

As for the picture of The Baskerville Arms, is it just me or has it more than a hint of a Kestrel kit about it?

With all good wishes.

John

I was a bit concerned you might take the wrong turning and end up at Crinkley Bottom at which point it would become a horror story.

The Tale of the Lost Railway (Part – 7)

The key was remarkably heavy but I managed to insert it securely into the lock.  With mounting trepidation, I turned it.

Despite appearing to be old and rusty, the key  turned very easily allowing  the gate to swing open which it did remarkably smoothly. To my surprise it seemed the lock and hinges had been well maintained and fairly recently oiled.

Once through I closed the gate quietly behind me.

Ahead was a somewhat  overgrown rough gravel path leading quite steeply uphill to what appeared to be a flat bank stretching away into the distance.

I walked to the top of the bank to find, as I had hardly dared to hope, railway tracks curving away to the left through trees. I had expected, if I did manage to find  evidence of a railway, that the tracks would be old and rusted but this railway was in reasonable order with the top of the track being shiny which surely indicated that a train had passed this way recently. How on earth was that possible? There were  no railway line in the area according to all of the maps and official documentation I had recently studied.
Feeling somewhat emboldened I began to walk in the direction of Baskerville. The railway was lined, on both sides, by lush vegetation surely making it virtually impossible to see from the surrounding fields.


The view that greeted me at the top of the bank

I found the remains of an old  stone wall enabling me to sit awhile, take a break and enjoy Mrs Harris' cheese and chutney sandwiches which were, by the way, delicious.

Ii was soon on my way again walking for some twenty five minutes. Eventually, in the distance, I could make out yet another set of heavy gates with a high wooden fence on either side.

On reaching the gates I discovered that I would be walking no further. This time there was no key to be found.  However I  did notice  a very small gap between the gates allowing me to get a peep beyond.

On the other side of the gates, surrounded completely by the tall wooden fence which must have been eight feet high, was a sight that I couldn't believe. What I saw was beyond my wildest imagination.

My journalistic instincts soon swung into action, this was a massive opportunity for me, the sort of story that, perhaps, only occurs once in a lifetime. I determined to return tomorrow with my camera. Perhaps with more time I might be able to find a way in.

After taking in the scene for several minutes I decided to head back to my guest house where I could write up a few notes.  Of course, on the way, I was very careful to lock the entrance gate and to secrete the key back onto its hook.

That evening I decided to take a visit to the local inn, The Baskerville Arms.

It was a typical rural country pub. As I walked in the whole place fell silent. I could sense around twenty pairs of eyes staring at me but undeterred I made my way to the bar.

"Good evening to you. A pint of your finest, foaming ale if I may landlord", I  said to the grey haired, rather portly man behind the bar.
With that the locals returned to their various conversations. The landlord said "Be you stayin' along at ol' Ma 'Arris' place?"

I replied to the affirmative, "Ya see we dunt get many strangers in 'ere. Word da soon get round if there be a foreigner in town".

I wasn't surprised by his reaction. I guessed that most of the customers had probably lived in the area all of their lives and were a little wary of a stranger walking in.Despite the reaction I now felt a little more comfortable and feeling hungry hungry I enquired if any food might be available.

"Food, we dun't do no posh food in ''ere but I ken get the wife ta knock e up sum bread n cheese if these like?".

Bread and cheese would do nicely so I took my pint and scanned around for an empty table.  The pub was only small and the only available seat was in the corner. I would have to share a table with an elderly man sitting on his own, nursing a pint and engulfed by pipe smoke.

"May I sit here?", I enquired politely.

The man looked up, nodding. "Good evening young chappie", he said in an unexpectedly refined and  cultured voice, "Please do join me. I'm Giles Forsythe, Estate Manager to His Lordship Sir Archibald Hardcastle. I don't expect you are familiar with the Hardcastle family but they are a very prominent family locally and own a lot of land around here. Sir Archibald sometimes pops in here for a couple of pints but I don't expect him this evening as he is entertaining friends up at The Manor House".

Giles must have sensed, from my dropped jaw and open mouth,  that I was somewhat taken aback. My mind was working on over drive.

Archibald Hardcastle – that cannot be right I thought.

Surely it can't be Archie from the sea wall.........can it?


The Baskerville Arms

To be continued..........