Leaderboard

Just a quick, one-picture update - if the weather allowed, I had planned to take the layout into the garden today to work on it and take some pictures, but 'Storm Katie' has other ideas - I'm not risking it with it blowing 50/60mph winds at the moment! Anyway, the station building is now done,so I did brave taking that outside for a quick picture in natural daylight. I'm really quite pleased with it, and it seems to 'fit' well. The LBSCR red colour was obtained by taking one of the printed poster boards to Hobbycraft and matching it as closely as I could with their Acrylic paint selection - I usually prefer Tamiya, but on this occasion Revell 331 'Purpurrot' got the nod. The slight 'sag' on the guttering is down to either my photography skills or the limitations of my phone camera, because when the building sits on the layout, it is not noticeable!

Well sort of........ I suppose like everyone else I'm never happy with some stuff so as the 'new' railway section on Grime St has really begun to take shape (3 road fiddle yard built on one board and a cantilevered one in progress for the other end) I decided that a revamp of the original board was due, so large blunt instruments were brought into play.....resulting in this mess.... I've decided to add in another loop and a better (more depth) side street on the original board, by doing so this means that there isn't very much of the original layout left, some of the baseboard and a couple of banks of buildings, but they're subject to change and addition. At the same time I'm also adding a trailing crossover to introduce more operational flexibility especially when operating Grime St hooked upto Andy Burrows Florin St layout. Progress has been fairly rapid with all timber work etc completed and half the track already built. So more to follow in due course. I suppose it's fairly timely then that Grime Street makes its debut in BRM this month (April edition) Some great photos by Andy York that make it look better than it is! Plus you get the dubious bonus of an interview with yours truly.....I was watching that through my fingers on first viewing but hopefully it's not too bad.... Buy one now whilst stocks last....I am not on commission honestly! See http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/109547-brm-april-free-dvd/ for more details

I mentioned in a previous blog entry that I was trying to to make a representation of the diamond embossed edging stones that the GWR commonly used on their platforms. I tried scribing some using a fine tooth saw on plastic card, but they didn't look very convincing I'm afraid. I thought that something manufactured by cadcam might be the answer, but quite how that was achieved was something completely out of my skill set! At the Bristol O gauge show back in January I met Chris Ward of CW railways who has a business designing and producing parts for railway modellers by using CAD and 3D printing them in resin. He said he would be willing to have a go at producing some 7mm scale edging stones if I could provide dimensions and photographs of the prototype. Fortunately this type of edging stone was used in a variety of situations in Victorian times and I found some suitable prototypes on a harbour wall at Barry island! I took a number of photos that I hoped would be useful for the project. Prototype edging stones I sent some photos along with the necessary dimensions to Chris who came up with the following CAD drawing. CAD drawing From this drawing by a process that I still convinced must be some kind of witchcraft the edging stones were printed in resin! The edging stones come in a strip about 150mm long and can also be produced to any given radius. Edging stones printed in reisin I must admit I'm delighted with the results, they are certainly a huge improvement over my scribed efforts! To highlight the embossed detail incorporated in the stones I've flowed some dilute Humbrol enamel paint onto the surface. Painted stones Chris has also said that he would be willing to produce a similar tile but without the bull nose that I plan on using under the station building canopy. Chris has added these edging stones to his range of modelling parts, so if anyone is interested in using these on their layout get in touch with him through the website. http://www.cwrailways.com/0-gauge-7mm-scale.html Once I get chance to install the edging stones on my platform I'll update the blog with pictures of them in situ. I've also spent time building some etched brass platform barrows and seats from Southwark models range of parts http://www.roxeymouldings.co.uk/category/88/7mm-scale-/-0-gauge-southwark-bridge-models-accessories/ They are certainly fiddly to construct, but do in my opinion have a delicacy and fineness that would be hard to achieve using white metal castings. Platform barrows Platform seats Ready for painting I've booked next week as leave from work, so unless Mrs Wenlock has any plans for me I'm going to make a start on painting the layout's backscene. Happy Easter to all! Best wishes Dave

I am conscious that posts here have been sparse lateley, mainly the result of building works at home. 1860s terraced houses are draughty, especially when the windows are original! So new glazing units all round, which has meant decanting the workshop. Then while there is noting in the workshop thought I'd redecorate, er........ So old floor boards up, new wiring, new floors, (hard wearing laminate) new skirting ( still to fit). Many thanks to Mike R in getting the floor down. Then I can rebuild the benches, and get my workshop back. Oh that's after I redecorate my bedroom, ....that needs a new floor too..######! Still some evening work in the front room table has progressed 4 wheel coaches for Lambourn