Heruss

A simply incredible model. I've always loved Standedge Tunnel, ever since I watched Pennine Steam in the 60s.

Fantastic looking stuff Jerry, if this is even half as good as the Colliery then it's going to be one of the best layouts at Warley!

Wow Jerry that's some incredible work there yourself!

The Golden Dragon? That's the name of the one up Alexandria Road! (quite a good chinese that actually...)

Loved this layout when I went and saw it at Stonleigh. (I was the portly bloke in the grey coat). Genuinely hope to see it and yourselves on the circuit more this year! Edit: Also, I humbly put myself forward to help cover you at another show if you fancy a break. The Stonleigh show was fantastic!

So pleased to have discovered Union Mills here on RMweb... especially as the 2F, 58153 regularly travelled from Burton, Via Swadlincote onto the Glenfield line as these older locomotives were the only ones which could easily get through the Glenfield Tunnel when accessing the yard at Leicester West Bridge. Means I can actually build a model in a much smaller space and acheive a very long term goal (now 10 years and counting) of building a model of Swadlincote Station.

What's the ally pally?

Absolutely amazing, and a seriously surprising amount of stuff you have amassed!

Eeee, that looks lovely.

I quite enjoyed the "unusual" workings pictured a fair bit above. There's a few shots of trains running on the nearby Burton-Leicester line, where there's an LMS crab hauling just 3 non-corridor pre-grouping stock.

Looks truly superb that layout does.

A Gala weekend would be more interesting to operate. Also more fun scenically, especially with the siting of figures on every suface imaginable. Some Gala's I've been to cheerily allow the public to wander amongst the parked locomotives (Barrow Hill for example)

Does seem a bit of a funny angle to be taking pictures at Les. May be worth just giving up worrying too much about the interior, especially if you cannot see it at all from any really conceiveable angle for photographs.

Whups misread... I'm going to be at Stafford, Tonbridge is a smidge too far for me

Well... if our dear beloved leader isn't taking the RMweb stand there... yeah why not? It's a gorgeous layout, easy to spot and we'll all wind up there together to chat.

Oooh, I'm going to be there! I'll be sure to say hello too.

Thanks Ian The painting is sadly a bit ropey, which is a shame considering I repainted an austerity tank I had kicking around to a much nicer finish using the same methods. I have a feeling I may make another locomotive body for a similar chassis if I can figure out the best way of getting round parts for a boiler. Anyone got any suggestions?

Gorgeous layout that. Really coming along well and I can't wait to see it finished!

So I was reading the external blog of Chris Nevard's and latterly Graham Dent's. If you don't read them, I do actually urge you to do so! There's some good laughs on there as well as useful articles on how to do stuff. One article which piqued my interest was one about a converted Bachmann Junior locomotive into a nice, generic industrial locomotive. After reading it I was so inspired I set out and got myself a Bachmann Junior engine and a Dapol Pug kit. Unfortunately the locomotive has changed from the quaint Thomas-style tank engine to an Austerity style tak locomotive. It's a shame that it's transformed from some semi-realistic locomotives that could be easily kitbashed (and used many components from the Percy and Thomas models) to this less realistic one, but oh well. The model is only about 4 inches long and a is quite nicely proportioned. First thing I did was pop the body off. Knowing that the body comes right off, while leaving the chassis and floorplate is very useful, and may in the future lead to a scratchbuilt or even a kitbuilt body going straight on top of it, especially as it's really quite cheap to buy. Main improvements are a complete repaint from the BR colours after carefully removing the emblams and number. Various bits of the Dapol pug went onto it. Namely the oversized sand/tool boxes at the front of the locomotive were sawn in half and stuck in various places. The handbrake, and entire smokebox went into the model complete with regulator (not seen in this image) and various bits and pieces were added to the dome and where the toy whistle was. Another part of the pug kit went into making a lid for the water tank itself, which is obviously lacking on the original model. (Sorry it's blurry) Final alteration was the removal of the small nubs where the hook would be, replacing them instead with the hooks from the Dapol Pug. One of the "numbered" pieces of a sprue has become a place to stand while cleaning the chimney! So, as it stands... this whole thing cost me about £30 in total and does look reasonably attractive, especially considering it's really the first time I have sat down and modified something like this. This would probably be more suited, ultimately, as a private colliery locomotive, but it will be appearing on my light-railway themed layout once that gets fully under way. It'll be a 1920s-built Hunslet of some indefinable origin and would've been bought for the line as part of its "renewal" under the brief tenure of Richard Harpur-Crewe, in my reality he lives until 1936, still childless, instead of dying in 1921. This allows me to kick-start renewal early, before the line, and estate pass to his aunt, Hilda. This allows the estate to still slowly down through the latter half of the 20th century. A more detailed history of the harpur-crewe's private railway in a later blog post. Comments, and advice is greatly welcomed! James

There ya go, a sensible Preserved Layout in 9 feet built within 3 baseboards at 3 foot by 1. With a fiddle yard at either end Idea is it's long enough for say a Ivatt with two carriages at the far end, with enough space for a turbostar at the bridge end. As you can see the whole rambling bits of text on the image itself give you an idea of some of the thoughts in my head. It blends various ideas from numerous preserved railways in Derbyshire. Primarily it's a blend of the Midland Railway-Butterly and Peak Rail. The station is based on the "new" one at Matlock, which when eventually developed will see steam trains run into Matlock itself on the platform actually marked "NR". I decided that it'd look more impressive if the steam trains arrived into the main bit with the more impressive station building. The buildings for the workshop and engine shed will be very losely based on the Midland Railway Centre's buildings, namely the corrigated iron sheet esque constructions. I'm aiming to buy a load of old wagons and carriages and such, and cover them in tarpaulin. Gives the effect of a nicely cluttered scene and a chance to do a bit of Over-the-top weathering!

I remember that layout. I also remember how nobody stood near the ruddy thing because it was 25 minutes+ between trains!

Thanks Mod5 I wasn't too sure as there are forums out there that I have been a member of where "Necromancy" threads inactive for 6 months was seriously frowned on.

Saw on a layout about... four-five years ago was a little squat grey van on the very edge of the layout complete with rotating radar bar. Complete with "Rivet Counter Detector Van". Friend of mine decided to take the mick a bit and walked up to the owner and said (In a Top Gear Adanoids voice) "That's the wrong kind of grey for a detector van." and run off.

Is it "illegal" on this forum to revive a topic somewhat? If so, apologies but I had to throw in my own two cents after reading it all. I have/had (It's still there, just utterly unused and likely to be broken down next year) preserved line layout in my loft space. It was set between three small places and it's "theme" was vaguely LMS/LNER and I tried to buy things in this vein. It wasn't realistic, but for the most part I ran only passenger trains and was quite happy with it, I also had lines absolutely chock-full of goods wagons and various kits that rarely turned a wheel but looked "right" packed in nice and tight. I had a layout like this because I, as a teenager back when it was built, had a stronger connection to steam in a preserved setting than in it's "original" setting. Now, at 23 I have plans afoot to build one layout that is based on a completely fictional light railway (an area that is woefully under-represented on here, I feel) and maybe, if funds, time and space permit some form of preserved railway layout. Now, during this summer there was a report handed out by the Ministry of Transport outlining several lines that would be of use for community expansion and use as a way of releiving congestion on the roads. Of those lines 3 were partially, or wholly, occupied by Preserved Railways. The government official quizzed on this suggested that as there were already people, and even entire trains already extant, that those organizations could easily run said community services. If one threw in an industry of some sort (Gypsum anyone?) you can get some interesting movements in hand. I'd say that a fictional preserved line, if done properly, would actually be an interesting model. Doubly so if you set it during a gala of some sort. A very interesting mixture of goods, carriages, and even the "Community" services would give you excuses to run a variety of stock, so long as it was within some sort of theme in mind. And obviously, a bit of "distressed" look to the stock would always help.