Grafarman

According to the Intraweb, Robert the Devil was a figure in medieval legend, being the son of a Duke of Normandy, born in response to an entreaty to the Devil. Robert 1 Duke of Normandy, Father of William the Conqueror, is often referred to as being the person in question, although this is probably due to later writings mischievously confusing the two characters. A racehorse was named 'Robert the Devil' referring back to the legend; and 60110 was named after the racehorse...apparently... David

I'm just happy to be here...! Seriously though, I view each picture with a 'suspension of disbelief' that it is in fact a model railway with all its compromises/foibles, and enjoy watching the trains go by with the associated narratives and explanations... especially when there's some nice coaches to drool over admire... David

Maybe the photographer got hold of one of these 😁:

Probably a return as they'd all gone last week... David

Heartbreaking, really... been buying stuff for 20 years in 3 different scales as my layouts progressed, never had any issues... My old Dad will feel it more though; now 85 and a late returner to the hobby 10 years ago, he's almost on first name terms with the staff, and spends every day scouring the preowned pages for items of interest. It's been his main topic of conversation for years, finding bargains and selling off his old stock... A sad day; I hope the staff find other employment quickly. David

Not sure if this is modest self-deprecation, or tongue-in-cheek irony, but your modelling creates the sort of realism most of us could only dream about and rarely reproduce in our own efforts! I look forward to seeing it for myself at Railex next July 👍😊 David

Many thanks Gilbert, for all the hard work you've put in over the year, both in modelling and photography, and being willing to share your efforts with us. I find your pictures and narratives very enjoyable, restful and calming and they form a part of my morning routine that I look forward to very much. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! David

Well, being located in North Wales I couldn't not vote for my two favourites: Ivor The Engine and The Snowdon Mountain Railway. The former would run on my WR branch line (assuming it's OO!), and I've always wanted to create a model of the SMR Llanberis station, although 7mm rather than 4mm would make it more visible as a model... David

Wow...just, wow! David

I had an exchange with Dapol who confirmed they are producing Foxcote Manor in original condition rather than 'as preserved' (among other things, red name and number plates) which I feel is an opportunity missed as many know the loco from its many runouts on heritage railways. That said, what made me chuckle was the phrase used by the member of staff, who said it was being finished 'as it was in real life'...! David

Those Pullmans are beautiful.... David

Fascinating post for all of us who never get to see layouts being assembled prior to shows etc, particularly one as complex as this. To me it's amazing that over the years the various boards that make up CF haven't warped or shifted but still connect so cleanly, given that some are quite a bit older than others. I still haven't seen CF 'in the flesh' - I really must make that my goal for next year... David

We travelled down on Friday and stayed in Buckingham. Short drive to the Bowl car park arriving 9.15am; 10m wait for the bus, arrived GETS around 9.45 to join the queue... not really a problem; everyone seemed in good spirits which made the waiting seem minimal. The Caz Bar catering vehicle outside served up epic burgers and fries, no complaints! Inside was a real scrum; lots of attitude on display too which my female friend found a bit off-putting. However it was worth the trip when we saw Pete and the Making Tracks folks; we'd seen all 3 previous versions at Chester and spent time chatting with him, as we did today, and it was amazing to see it all come together. As others have noted, a massive omission not including any O gauge (or larger) layouts; in fact there was very little on any of the trade stands either, apart from Ellis Clark's Black 5 being demo'd on their stand... Had to wait 20m for a return bus to the car park but the sun was out so it's not like it was unpleasant standing chatting about the show. Will probably go to the NEC show but not GETS again unless they expand their invited layout scales... David

Hi Gilbert, if you're taking requests, I'd like to see more pictures of those lovely coaches if possible...? Thank you David

I didn't think a 25 had enough grunt to shove a 40 plus wagons through a trap; I suppose it was a short train...? David

PM-ing you now Mark Thanks David

The driver of the Leicester local must be getting some nasty vibrations in his cab with the rear drivers off the rails... Maybe if he gets across the points they'll hoick back on again - did that actually happen in real life...?! David

Interesting pic at Holyhead; you usually see photos from the other side, so this angle is welcome... I was going to model the depot in N gauge once, but time/space dictated otherwise... The higher level pic at Buxton shows some good details... David

Hi Anthony A lot of the photos on the site from previous years are missing after a problem with the server; I know Andy has been trying to restore them but it must be a huge task. Maybe message Jamie and ask to resend? Unifrog points are fine; I've used them in O gauge and they do save a lot of wiring! Looking again at your trackplans reminds me of the size and complexity of this project; would think when it's finished it'll be worth the cost of a return ticket to come and see it...! David

Even the thought of wiring that lot makes me want to go and lie down...😅 Looks amazing...do you ever get daunted by the volume of tasks ahead Anthony? David

Flying Scotsman, four pullmans, track etc listed on Rails pre-owned page today...didn't take long 😮 https://railsofsheffield.com/collections/pre-owned David

Hi Gilbert, just wanted to say I'm really appreciating viewing developments from the sidelines; a daily post from your layout is of great value to one's wellbeing. I haven't commented as there hasn't been anything I could say which others haven't observed; however I would just like to say that the weeds in the overgrown front garden look a little samey to my eyes. From my own observation of similar gardens (including my own!) a wide variety of growth in all colours, lengths, thickness etc make themselves known, which then spread to nearby walls, fences, gates etc, whilst yours looks more like a crop of something growing wild. Adding some darker, more bushy clumps might do the trick, along with some trailing brambles around the edges/over the front. Not a criticism, just a suggestion. David

Looks really good, the finished castle will be a real masterpiece; with this level of detail I can't wait to see what you're going to do with the adjacent suspension bridge...! David

Awesome modelling Anthony; just hoping that, given the enormity of the layout as a whole, it won't disappear into the backscene..! David

I did something similar for a dry stone wall I'd built using Scalescenes paper; in my case, I dabbed neat PVA along the top and sprinkled it on, but either way should work ok... (picture is a cruel closeup of the work in progress - bit messy!) Here's the completed wall; looks ok from a distance...! David