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Lovely pictures Jonathan, we used to spend a lot of time holidaying in Wales during the 90s and the ride on the Talyllyn was one of the rides we went on more than once, brings back fond memories of some great times. Thanks for posting. Jim

Yes Mikkel I will be needing carts, horses and farmhands and more, I do have some carts in stock and they will get built eventually but first I have to mount all the buildings on a slightly sloping base to fit into an area yet to be landscaped, I hope to complete this before the end of the year but too many things are imposing on life at this time. I hoped that it would Andy and the one that it's based on is the same and it took my eye when I first saw it, I hope to add a lot more details in time to increase the amount of interest. Very little has happened due to life slowing things down but some small steps have been made on the farm, literally some small steps have been made. Here they are. A bit more progress has been made though with the stonework now added and the slates being added to the roof and with the small steps While it was sitting on the layout I couldn't resist adding a couple of trees to see how it may fit into the landscape. plus a couple of shots of the back of the barn across the river. As mentioned earlier it will sit elsewhere once that area has been built. So progress is slow but it continues step by step but should gradually increase as time goes on. Jim

it looks as if I am in for a long and happy life modelling then. I have a small cameo on the bench at the moment but I am not totally happy with it but, with a bit of Mikkel style cosmetic surgery and a few other alterations it should be much better, that's when I get back to it of cours., It's on the list. Jim

Hi Mikkel Just catching up properly with with these Frankenstein like posts and have been greatly impressed by the results off mixing body parts from different manufacturers, though I haven't attempted any myself yet I did get around to looking at what figures I had in stock to play around with, I have a lot more than what I thought I had. Plenty of options to be had then, I knew there must have been a reason for me buying them whenever I saw them. I picked up quite a few horses at last years York show too so it's a great big thanks from me for showing us what can done, now all I need is lots of time and a new saw blade. You do know you are making my to do list longer don't you and if it gets much bigger I'll have to keep modelling until I'm 110 years old or more Jim

Well that last bit soon went into the skip, KL came down a lot quicker than in went up. All the best from here on Jeff. Jim

Hi Jason It's sad to hear of the demise of Bacup but I can understand the reasons for that decision, despite it being totally out of my area of interest I was always fascinated by following the build and seeing how you approached things, I'm sure some of your methods can be seen in some of my own work over the years. Having seen The Mill and the level of detail that has I look forward to seeing your take on urban grot on any future project, however having never lived in or around such conditions and being a country lad I shall stick to my pretty trees and rivers with the odd building. It's good to know that you have kept a few bits and that they will reappear somewhere. All the best Jim

Hi Scott I have to agree with you on the difficulties with assembly once you have a number of branches complete, I often to to stop making mine for the day once the glue and fibres were stuck more to me than the tree, once you have the final tweaking of branches done you will have a fine looking model willow and it will easily act as a view blocker. Thanks for sharing. Jim

Wonderful work as usual Mikkel, I have enjoyed reading about your adventures with figures and they has given me plenty of ideas and inspiration to do something with my 150+ figures I still have bagged up waiting my attention. For me though it will remain a task for those long dark winter nights some time in the future. Jim

I have also wanted to make a willow for the riverbank on my layout and have used the wire technique too, I do use a much finer wire on all my trees though and also such things as Poly fibre or Silk lap, both of these obtained while taking my wife to sewing & stitching exhibitions. Examples and methods can be found on my thread in various places. The willow I am making currently still needs work such as thinning, trimming and colouring especially on the top half, once I am happy with its finished shape I will sprinkle powder paints over it to create a textured look. Here is how it currently stands. I hope that is of some use. Jim

Hi Andy Sorry to hear you had a setback, please take it easy and get back to fitness soon. All the best Jim

Very clever Mikkel, I had often wondered whether this was possible but never had the time (or courage) to take such drastic measures, I'm quite fascinated by what could be about to happen with the next one, it looks by the time you finish with him he could straddle a horse, now there's a thought. Thanks for a very inspirational and useful post. Jim

Work has and is progressing with the farm but some parts are taking longer than I thought, one of the reasons being the chimney stacks. They needed to be brick built and I thought would print of some brick paper stick it on and job done, but of course I then had a thought, "Why not use individual bricks", well that was it I decided to do just that and drew out some 3x1mm bricks, dab of paint and build a stack. One of the reasons for trying this was that it was always something I wanted to do and I even considered doing the whole farmhouse like that before reverting to stone, I still have more work to do on these but here is progress so far. Now putting these bricks on can be a bit tedious so I took a break to complete the drawing up of the barn and these were cut out and taped together to check the fit, all looked good so here it is, first the front. and the back I then had to think about the roof, now I do like to make the roof in one piece if I can so I drew it up with a join at the point where the two sections come together. Here is the final draft drawn and cut out. It had to be cut at an odd angle as when it is folded up the the gap on the external or top corner separates when the angle is correct but comes together when folded, the internal corner overlaps at the right angle then separates to align the joint, it took me a while to get this right on the drawing but looks O.K once folded. The folded roof at the correct angle. Now the big question was, would it fit the barn building? Looks good to me. Finally a couple of pictures of the two buildings as they currently stand All I have to do now is give it the same TLC as the farmhouse itself and all should start to look good, this will take some time so it may be the end of the month or around then before further updates on buildings when I start on cart sheds and stores. Unless I do something different that I think is worth posting. Jim

Hi Jeff My original intention was to have a continuous run from junction to terminus but it created to many issues that would then compromise how I wanted it to look. I now have two layouts both linked by the Culm Valley and some cassettes (yet to be built), in some ways this works better as I can alter stock at that point as though some had been dropped off or picked up on the way at other stations. It also gives me the opportunity to run different locos and stock as the period I model saw a few changes and these can be stored in cassettes until needed. On one layout nothing has ran for two years and on the other for six months, I guess they still work as any movements have been by 'hand of god'. Too busy making stuff, and thinking about it only me and my grandson have seen anything run. re PM, I wonder when I'll dig that DAS out of the modelling stuff box. Jim

I like the finished model Mikkel and especially the way you have interchanged parts of the figures, I have the loco crews that came in parts from Andrew Stadden and thought at the time that they would have other uses. Do you remember my little scratchbuilt wheelbarrow, it had an accident and got flattened by a large pile of card and now rests broken in the old Refreshment room, ah well I'll just have to build another sometime. Jim

Hi Jeff As you mentioned earlier we have had a discussion about building and the enjoyment we get from it, in this hobby for me it is always about the journey to the end goal and in my case one I will probably never reach, I'll get pretty damn close but there will always be that one thing (or more) I still have to do. When I started on my journey with Hemyock & Tiverton Junction I had a grandiose dream of a double circuit and large fiddle yard holding stock that would keep me amused for hours, now my focus has changed, a loss of that youthful enthusiasm that had no bounds maybe. That focus is now the less is more approach, that is less track and more detail as that is where my real interest lies, so no large fiddle yard as such for me but a sliding board with a few tracks on that will allow for through running and a stored loco or two with stock for a change, I would then change these from time to time as the mood takes me or what photo opportunity beckons. Will I get bored with this one lifelong project, I very much doubt it as once the main buildings of the station and immediate area are complete I can stick a Cottage, Dairy, Meat factory or mill in if the fancy takes, of course there are always trees, in my area you can never have enough trees. If that wasn't enough I have loads of locos, coaches and wagons to build as well and even if they are complete I will scour my books for new subjects to scratchbuild. Having built my first coach from scratch around a year ago it now holds no fears for me. Boredom, Pah! it will never come, not here anyway. As for your little dilemma, what would I do? I would have to think to myself what would give me most pleasure and based on the above I think it would be a scenic piece rather than a yard, but please bear in mind I am not bothered about watching trains run, a bit odd for a modeller? not really as I have met quite a few others who like the skill involved and the detail of a well built layout regardless of whether anything runs or not. My view is simple if nothing runs and the viewer is transfixed you have cracked it, funnily enough that happened to me with a visitor to the shed yesterday. Whatever you choose Jeff I hope that you get the maximum enjoyment from it. All the best Jim

Thanks Mikkel I'm glad the colours appear OK to you as well because as you know I have a real problem in that area, I'm glad you found the glazing part useful and I hope that it works well for you too. Hi Ade Thanks very much for those kind words. I have mentioned to a few others on here how I don't think I am that good a modeller and wish I had the ability of the Alan Downes and Gordon Gravetts of this world, however I am often very critical of my own work and it can sometimes take a few goes to achieve the look I want. As long as people such as you get inspiration and enjoyment from reading my posts then I am happy to share them, afterall that's how I got started on here, following others like the late John Flann. I have almost completed the painting of the slates and started to draw up a large two storey barn which I hope to start soon, April does appear to be getting a busy month for non modelling activities though so things may take a little time, but not too long I hope. All the best Jim

Hi Jeff I'm in with strips too, that is how I have done all mine so far and as Jason says I would only use individual ones for a rustic/dilapidated look, I only form pantiles individually but again it is done from a strip to get alignment. Mine will be a little more uneven than yours being rural but the station ones are well maintained. Apart from letting my cutter do the work it is pretty much the same as on my last thread post. All the best Jim

Hi Jeff That roof has totally transformed the building and it now looks fantastic, not that it didn't anyway but it's just gone to another level. As for the roof valleys I would use paper, but because I usually make a roof in one piece if I can, I only paint the card before tiling, however on most of my buildings the tiles meet and nothing is visible. Now that I've been inspired it's back to painting individual slates. Jim

Great blog as usual Mikkel. It's good to see a few new pictures of the lamplighters and Farthing is looking really very good with all these details to enhance what you have already achieved. I never tire of visiting time and time again. Jim

Hi Jonathan It's good to see you have the decorating underway and also planning your next steps, you are certainly making use of some of that time you mentioned you were going to take off. I have now ticked the follow box so I don't miss the updates like I did yesterday and this morning. I'm hoping to get outside for some shed time tomorrow while the sun shines and complete a little more scenic work. Happy decorating Jim

Ah! now I would consider that a challenge and it would bug until I knew it was impossible, I had the same with the leaded lights on my farmhouse but managed it in the end. All I need is a few window/door dimensions and 'Bob could be your Uncle' or not depending how it goes. Have a quick look at my last few posts and see what you think, nothing to lose but everything to gain. As for speed, well Hemyock is small but I am now into year six, so your snail is way ahead of mine. All the best Jim

Hmmm, you are making quite rapid progress there Jeff, it looks as if you will needing those barge boards in a week or two. I'll have to keep tuned in. Great work on those little bits of decorative stonework on the gables, they look really good now the ends are almost complete. I think I need to work faster on my models or spend more time on them as I feel I'm lagging behind. Jim

Hi Kevin It has been enjoyable to catch up on here since I first looked in in when the thread started, there are some fantastic views to be seen all around the layout and is an inspiration to for me to keep plodding away at mine, I'm still a long way off your 320 trees yet though but I'll get there. I hope you enjoyed York, it is always a show I try not to miss and went there today and spent more than I intended to but at least I have plenty to stuff to work with for the future. I shall try and make a habit of popping in here to admire your excellent and inspirational work and the photographs of it. Thanks Jim

Just a quick update. The windows are all complete and just need final fixing before the roof goes, the doors too of course. Before any of that happened I needed to complete the roof just in case anything required adjusting, I would hate it if I found I wanted to change something after the roof was glued on. Here are a few photos to show progress to date. The tiles cut in 6mm strips with 3.5 - 4mm slits between each one, again cut on the Silhouette Portrait cutter as my hands can't cope with that much repetitive knife work. These were all glued on following my drawn lines - 3mm apart - on the card roof until the roof was covered and then the ridge tiles added, these were small rectangles 12 x 10mm folded in half and stuck to two lengths of paper and cut to length leaving a size of 6 x 10mm viewed from either side. I forgot to take a picture of this as I was on a bit of a roll at the time. A few pics to close. The open window is the only one fixed in place as yet so the others will be straightened later, I am toying with the idea of adding something behind the window but we will have to wait and see if I do. A few days off now but more updates when it is completed with doors, porch and guttering then onto outbuildings. Thanks for dropping in. Jim

Hi Les My first visit here and the first of many I hope. I like the colours of the buildings and the scenics and it does have the look of a quiet rural location until the train arrives causing a burst of activity until settling back into silence. A very enjoyable visit. I'm glad you replaced that tree, a great improvement. Jim