westcountryman

There was one layout which took my breath away, Rockcliffe. A compact N gauge layout displaying such levels of incredible detail. The numerous cameos were utterly spellbinding. Finally, I'd like to say full marks to the operators, who chatted freely, pointed out many hidden details, and really made us welcome. Thanks guys, it made the long drag up from North Devon well worth it.

I ordered the Dapol, Stanbury & Sons of Barnstaple, gunpowder van on Thursday, & it arrived by courier this morning, Saturday, excellently packaged, & I am once again delighted by the exemplary service that Buffers provides. Their range of exclusive limited editions featuring local subject matter is simply wonderful, & the ladies are lovely to deal with. Congatulations Buffers, one more very happy customer.

Hi, Mirmic, you are honestly one of the most impressive modellers I have ever come across. I'm finding it hard to put into words how wonderful your models are. What you have made with card & paper is simply wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. Wow! Rob

Hi Richard, Thought I'd take a peek at your latest 'Challenge', & coming along very nicely. Keep up the good work. I had problems at first with Deluxe View Glue, but on the second attempt I used wallpaper size on the boards first. This allows much more time to move the paper, & it also gives you the opportunity to work out any creases. I'll be following this one with great interest, & it'll be lovely to have it at our exhibition. Cheers Rob

Hi What lovely locos guys.You are both doing a great job with them. It's so good to see some of the more 'unusual' Southern locos on parade. The Z class is a little beauty. That's a fortune worth of Dart Casting figures! Happy Christmas! Nice to see a father & son team working so well together. Happy modelling & keep up the good work Cheers Rob

Hi there, The only one I'm aware of is the fairly recent Norton Commando from Noch. With the current trend of 'rebranding' modern editions of classic bikes, it may have some mileage. Looks a half decent little model, but the price is simply laughable Apart from that, it's the usual generic offerings from Langley etc. However, Dart Castings (Monty's Models) have a terrific Mod & Rocker currently available. The only problem is that they'll both have to be riding a bike / scooter donkeys years old. Hope this helps Rob Peoples Republic of Sunny North Devon

Ooh! The battle of the Lidl display cabinets, that takes me back. Having crossed swords with his highness over the Lidl display cabinets many moons ago, I'll hazard a guess or two:- Probably still waiting for his butler to greet the festive unicorn food, flown in from Fortnum & Mason by gold plated flamingoes. or Tarquin & Tabitha were clearly unimpressed with their matching personalised private jets, so Daddy had the dealer publicly flogged. or Kenton is taking part in the traditional Boxing Day 'commoner' shoot on the estate at Kenton Towers ( he's already bagged a brace) or His Royal Holiness is too busy overseeing the production of Hornby staff busy casting solid platignum Skaledale models of Kenton underground station. or Possibly he's engaged in an arm wrestling competition with Professor Stephen Hawkins as to 'Who's the cleverest in the land' or, or, or............. Merry yuletide you lovely modelling brothers & sisters. Cheers Rob

Absolutely terrific idea. The most simple of ideas are always the best. A work of genius buddy, & one that I'll nick for my floral displays if that's ok. Well done matey Ceers Rob

Two days ago I ordered from Hattons on line. The parcel arrived this morning. I immediately knew it was from Hattons, acres of brown paper! Absolutely super service, & a very happy bunny! At least it won't be novelty socks, a bl**dy awful Dying Scotsman mug, or something else that I have to say 'Oh, lovely, just what I wanted' A rake of GWR van stock is far more preferable to a Christmas jumper! I know it's a cop out ordering your own Xmas pressie, but it saves having yet more tat. Well done Hattons, yet again, brilliant service. Cheers Rob

Ahh! A big festive High Six to you my close-ish neighbour! I 'existed' in London for far too many years, waking up to car alarms, sirens & a 24/7 racket. Compare that to waking up to an uninterrupted view of the Taw estuary, silence & peace. It's a no brainer as far as I'm concerned. Also, there's very little truth in the rumour that we country folk have webbed fingers, sleep with our cousins & eat our young etc. Right, I'm off to the annual Townie roast & witch drowning! Cheers Rob (witchfinder general - North Devon Chapter) westcountryman

Wow! Lovely to see the Thetford , & Brandon Boxes, which up until a while ago were my two locals. Harling Road was always a lovely little box for a busy line. Hope it has survived the planned closure. Mind you, I'm spoiled for choice now we are down here in Devon Thanks for the images, it really made my day. Cheers Rob

Hi, Another 'Picture the scene' for your merriment. I was attending a show in a location in the East of England, exhibiting a layout. The day was going well, with plenty of positive comments on our display. As the show was near the centre of this particular 'fine city', & it had begun to rain, the show visitor numbers increased. It was dry, warm & offered a shelter from the elements, but amongst the influx were a number of 'non-modellers' (heaven forbid!!). We steeled ourselves for the inevitable torrent of 'train set, toys, d*ckhead' comments The offending couple hoved into view, he, a cro-magnon knucle dragger, & she, dressed to kill, a bombshell of blond hair & legs! He stared at our rural layout & grunted something unintelligible to his female companion, & they both chuckled. We really should have left it at that, but my mate decided to engage them in conversation. In her very finest estuary whine, she said "Ain't you two a bit old to be playin wiv toy trains?" Cue, much merriment from our delightful visitors, & me muttering " Just leave it Dave, she ain't worth it!" Oh no, rising to the bait like a trout to a fly, my mate came out with the much quoted line........................ " Nothing weird about it darling, ladies of your age regularly play with toys from Ann Summers!!!" Thanks Dave! I didn't have time to get my coat, as obviously his remark had been absorbed into the brow ridge of her delightful companion. You can imagine the scene, two fully grown men 'hiding' behind our layout, whilst the Piltdown Man considered which was the best use of his resources. To kick our heads in, to drop kick the layout or to burst into tears. Thankfully they simply walked away, & continued their visit, however, I'm fairly certain that he finally came to a decision a couple of hours later! Nightmare averted, but I will never forget that remark. Thankfully I've now moved, so Dave can insult people to his hearts content ( on his own!) Cheers Rob

Hi, Thanks guys, I've decided to 'bite the bullet' & place my first order with ABM. Although I'll limit myself to a few basic small structures at first, just to put a toe in the water. I'm drawn to the signal boxes, as they seem to represent just what I'm after, but the Nth Cornwall station building also looks lovely. I'll report back, & hopefully catalogue how the builds go. Thanks for all of the assistance, once again, RMWeb proves it's worth. Cheers Rob

Hi, I wondered if anyone on this forum has any experience of building the ABM Railcraft range of card model buildings? I model the SR/WR Withered Arm, & having viewed the range online, they seem to supply everything I'd ever need building wise. Are they as simple as the Metcalfe range of card models, or are they a different type of entity? Do ABM supply detailed instructions for construction, or are they more suited to the more experienced card modeller? Sorry for so many questions, but if they are suited to a mediocre modeller with only limited card building experience, then I am very likely to place a significant order for their products, intended for use on my North Devon/Cornwall layout 'Tresoddit'. The buildings look great, with an exceptional level of detail, very accurate liveries, & easily recognised designs, so congratulations to ABM for putting these dedicated products on the market ( no connection etc. just a nosey internet viewer!). I face the dilemma of every modeller wanting to achieve accuracy, but staying within my experience capabilities, & I also don't want to invest a considerable amount of modelling funds into something I may stand a good chance of b*ggering up! I'm sorry for so many questions in a single post, but I really need to hear the experiences of fellow modellers on these products. I've tried searching the internet, waded through forums on RMWeb & asked fellow modellers at my modelling club (Barnstaple MRC) but I can't find any mention of these buildings. Thanks in advance for any help or advice recieved. Cheers Rob

Hey Gary, It will be an absolute pleasure dragging you around Warley, if you can stand the humour in the car, then there's always a place for you buddy. Anyway, you are the perfect compadre for me & Ian, and we cover all of the scales between us! It's a long way from darkest Devon, but always well worth the early start. So the seat is booked for you in the Morgie mobile, with Ray & co in convoy (if he's not stopping for you know what!). You've got a lovely sweep to the track & points on the layout buddy, keep up the good work & always keep the faith. All I can say about the back is keep taking the tablets, it will hopefully get easier with time. See you soon matey Lord Roblington of Yellandshire, Master of royal windbreaking, Lord of all he surveys ( inside the shed ), Average modeller, A* at tea drinking.

Hi Gary, Seems like an age since we did our annual westcountry yokels assault on the delights of Warley! Just starting to look at tickets for this year ( nod, nod, wink, wink etc!) So sorry to hear about your back condition, welcome to the club buddy, I've had mine for 10+years, so a back injury is for life, not just Christmas! Hmmm, maybe a career in car window stickers beckons! Seems like you've given the 'Goodluck Pixie' a thorough kicking, with what happened with your work situation & now the injury just as the crowning glory. I've loved the development of your Summer project, I've followed it since the beginning, & you've really captured the small Southern terminus beautifully. It's interesting to see the signal box build, as I'm looking at the ABM range for my shed based layout 'Tresodditt', a small westcountry terminus (sound familiar?). Anyway pal, take care of yourself, & don't forget, you are always welcome at the club on Tuesday evenings.There's always a space saved for you when we go on our pilgrimage, so hopefully we can catch up soon. Take care buddy Rob

This news has come with great sadness, & I feel as if I've lost someone very dear. My deepest condolences go out to Julie & his family, & it is with great regret that we mourn Dave's passing. The brightest stars shine strongest, & Dave will be sadly missed, not only in this community. I will always think of Dave when I run the M7 loco I got from him, he was a true gentleman. It was always an absolute pleasure to deal with him, & his demise is a true tragedy. The way Dave faced his situation will always remain an inspiration to us all. Goodnight Dave, tears will be shed at the loss of this true giant in our hobby. With deepest regret & fondest love Rob

Hiya Ray, I can't believe what I've missed with this one! You have been busy, & it's lovely to see it all up to your usual high standards. Between you & Richard you seem to be taking over the world with your layouts! I see what you mean about the bl**dy solar panels on the terraced roofs, some carefully placed trees might hide them. Keep up the good work buddy, & I'll see you at the club next Tuesday. Cheers mate Rob

Ah! There's nothing to beat a dose of good old fashioned festive humbug & superiority! I am referring to Kenton ( small, rather uninteresting suburb of North West London) and his viewpoint of the Lidl display cabinets. I am certain that many members of this board concur with Kenton's viewpoint. I along with numerous others however see things slightly differently. Along with many people, I am quite happy to have two of the smaller display cabinets for my storing my stock, readers should note that I do not possess a shaven head, tattoos, trainers to be worn with suit trousers, a wife with a king size & massive hooped earrings, children named Wayne, Dwayne, Tyler, Bronson or Britney. I also don't use swear words as punctuation. I do not own a dangerous dog, drive a Subaru / Accord / Cosworth etc, wear gold soverigns or have a working knowledge benifits, I simply need somewhere to store some of my stock I would be the first to admit that the cabinets do not share the same design & build quality of Sheraton or Chippendale, but they serve a purpose. In common with Kenton & his ilk, I am quite sure that they would spurn Lidl / Aldi/ Netto etc own brand products for something with a much larger price tag, thus obviously making it a superior product. I am quite surprised that he deigns to grace the Lidl car park with his patently superior being, let alone to actually enter the store. They do have floor mats at the point of exit! Heaven forbid that his magnificence ever be seen wandering the detrius in the wastelands of Lidl, carefully avoiding the shell suited dregs of humanity, rabidly foraging for tattered leftovers. Whereas many of us would happily accept money saving offers, Kenton obviously gets his butler to order his pet unicorn food from Fortnum & Masons, whilst placing a one off order with a bespoke carpenter, to construct a display cabinet of unparalleled beauty, hand carved from wood salvaged from the original Cross! Each to his own. May I pass on festive felicitations to Lord & Lady Kenton, Tabitha, Tarquin & not forgetting Ulysses the Unicorn Happy Christmas everyone, however empty your wallet may be. Rob

Ahh! At last the mystery layout has been revealed. Very interesting twist with the board shape. I love the chosen name, very reminiscent of little old ladies with Dame Edna glasses gossiping on doorsteps. It'll be good to watch the progress on this one, & if it's anything like Orchard Road, it'll be worth waiting for. I'm amazed that the Domestic Management Co-ordinator has allowed you further dabblings in the garage. See you tomorrow night, Cheers Rob

David Shepard captures the atmosphere so well, as does Terence Cuneo. I guess I'm just a sucker for traditional art, but each to their own.

Hi Simon, I echo the previous poster in saying that we are really looking forward to seeing Hobbiton End at our show in Barnstaple on the 27th. If you need any local knowledge, e.g:- cheapest place to park etc, please just give me a call on the club contact number. All of the arrangements are in place & it should be a fantastic exhibition, showcasing many new & exciting layouts. Having been a keen Tolkien reader for many years, & being dragged around various Games Workshops by our son in his youth, I think your idea is wonderful. It's so refreshing to see a layout based on something unusual, & out of the normal loop. I particularly enjoy your little hints & tips, & I'm now a regular user of Flowersoft products on your recommendation on another thread. Very much looking forward to having the opportunity to see Hobbiton End in the flesh. See you next weekend. Rob ( Barnstaple Club Sec)

Hi buddy, We'd like to wish you, Kay & all of your family a very happy & peaceful Christmas, & a great new year. See you back at the club after all of the festivities Rob, Marie & the Morgan Mafia

Hi Ray, I'm so pleased that you & Richard had a good day with the layout at North Petherton. I'm also delighted that the new addition to the Yard Shunter stable, that gorgeous little M7 did you proud. Sorry I missed it mate, but it was worth the drive from Devon to Norfolk, to watch my beloved canary boys demolish the mighty Manchester United. I'll be seeing you on Tuesday night, by which time I should have come down to earth a bit! Hope you are looking forward to our 'boys weekender' at Warley next week! Cheers bud Rob

Hi Ray, What a little beauty. You've done a smashing job on her, & she looks the business. She will look a picture on Yard Shunter or Tawbridge. It's nice to know that it's not only me that suffers with Fox transfers! Keep up the good work mate & hope you enjoy a good weekend. Cheers pal Rob