NeilHB

You should have posted a photo - it is a very nice livery! I think red for the brake end, and green for the other end is the way to go - it just looks right. Really must get cracking and finish painting mine.

Yes they did - waiting on the door mat when I got home tonight. Much appreciated Marc!

Beautiful! And thanks - you've helped me decide that the brake coach on EW needs to have red ends! It looks rather good with the green and cream.

Thanks Jim, I do like scratch building stuff as I find it quite therapeutic. Yes you are right, for the cost of some wheels, axle boxes and some plastic I can build a fleet of wagons that suit my needs and don't actually cost an arm and a leg!

Ah alas! I've dropped Dave Andrews an email to see if he has any of the Fletcher Jennings kits left, and any of the kits for the Vulcan built locos too... Yes you are quite right there is definitely a strong resemblance there; I can imagine it would look rather fetching in S&W green!

Peter - I feel I must point the finger of blame solely in your direction - a few years ago at a show I came across a journal called Model Rail Digest, with your S&W layout in it. Well I was hooked! Beautiful Fletcher Jennings locos running through the FoD, with rows of colourful PO wagons - perfection. The only problem, can I find a kit or a drawing for the FJ S&W locos? No! So I guess in a roundabout way, I'm hoping you (or someone else on here) could please point me in the right direction for either a kit or a drawing (or both) for the FJ S&W locos?

That colour does suit the coaches very nicely Andrew - will have to investigate some Humbrol tan for the drop lights on my coaches as that looks rather nice. Looking forward to further progress on Townsend Hook too.

Thanks Gavin, slightly embarrassed that the layout is no further now than it was on page 3...and that was over a year ago...! Yes please - always interested to see other peoples takes on early Sudrian Railways Thanks - ask and ye shall receive... This weekends project has been to turn the 3rd dumb buffered chassis into a wagon - voila! Low sided open - body detailing still to be finished, but I've added the 'bolts' to the chassis (cut down entomological pins). I also dug out some transfers (Slaters semi-dryfix? They are really quite nice!) and got cracking numbering some of the finished (or nearly finished) wagons in the fleet: First up, No.38/41 (different numbers on either side) - resin body from Hobby Holidays: No.15/26 - scratch built dumb buffered open: No.1 - Duncan models dumb buffered open: Nos.1,5/7 (Duncan models) and 8/9 (Ragstone models GER 1880 ballast wagon) - I love this line up of the three small dumb buffered opens...must add some more!

Wibble. I think I may have to order one of these...in SDJR blue! Good memories of cabbing one of the ones at Butterley as a kid with my grandpa, so errmmm yes, expect to see one on Elsbridge Wharf...

Thanks Martin, very much appreciated for the full instructions - something to think about if I can find another chassis going cheap...

That would be greatly appreciated please Martin.

Sounds good - let me know when you do and I'll bring the Railcar along too. Lovely stuff!

That van looks the bees knees Mr Young - very very nice. Nice photos too - the lamb looks rather tasty!

My vote would be for the Avonside - it's a weird looking machine! Well that or the tramway engine (but I do love trams!) - how about something like this? https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3867/14719904121_8b00d731c1_b.jpg Now preserved (in the loosest possible sense of the word) at Crich Tramway Museum.

Bit more progress on the railcar this evening... Buffers and couplings fitted - found and hacked some Parkside wagon buffers in the bits box - decided against 4mm buffers in the end, as I would like this to pull the occasional tail load other than its trailer/wagon. Interior is coming along nicely, one divider cut out and panelled, and the other one just cut out so far (I lost the will to live after doing the first panel, nearly an hour cutting and sticking strip to both sides!) The first completed divider - rather pleased with how it looks. Couple of milk churns in the guards compartment for good measure Still to do is the seating - undecided if it will be seating along the sides, or back to back on either side - and panel the other divider. I also need to make up some controls to go on the small control panels at each end - thinking a couple of pins for levers and a deadman's handle?

Thanks Andrew. That would be great thanks - having googled them this morning I am now wondering if I should add roof rails and a ladder like the small Drewry on the WC&P? Yes, I had not thought about it either, but looking at whats been done it looks like it's a simple matter of removing the gear from the 16.5 axle, and swapping it over onto a Slater's wagon/coach axle and then adjusting the pickups to suit.

Thanks Hesperus. Yes, will admit there is a bit of inspiration from the WC&P in there. I hadn't thought of using 00 buffers, so thanks! Will have to investigate and see what looks suitable.

So once again not much progress to report, other than I spent my money and Telford and bought a fair few bits and pieces, and a couple of nice kits courtesy of Furness Railway Wagon Company for some lovely Furness Railway stock (thanks Marc for relieving me of my money!) and various oddments. Sometime ago, I snagged a bargain on eBay, a re-gauged Bachmann 0n30 tram, running on some very nice Slaters wagon wheels. The tram body went into the might be useful one day pile, and the chassis has sat on my modelling desk ever since with vague ideas floating around centred on either a small diesel shunter, or an even smaller railcar. Well the railcar idea won out at the weekend, so I set to with the scalpel (only two scalpel related injuries this time...) The re-gauged tram chassis, and the start of the footplate. The projections on the footplate are there to hold it on the chassis, by simply being a very tight fit around the end sections of the chassis where the screw holes are located. If I can find some suitable bolts I'll use them, but for the moment this arrangement works fine. Sides from 15thou plasticard, with 40x15thou plastic strip detailing. Detailing strip around the doors is 30x10thou to make it look like the doors are recessed slightly into the bodysides. Drivers cab at each end, with double door entry in a small combined drivers cab/guards area at one end, supposedly for a small amount of parcels traffic etc. Chassis detailing, not sure who made the axle box castings, they were another eBay find and have been in the bits box waiting for a suitable project. There's another set still in the box, and an idea floating around in my brain for either a small trailer unit, or a natty little goods wagon to go with the railcar like those used on the Selsey tram with the Ford and Shefflex railcars... Radiator at one end, made from one of the long thin boxes that hold Slaters axles, never throw anything away! Petrol tank at the other is an ex-Slaters MR gas tank from one of their coaches. I still need to add some pipework etc., but not sure if it will actually be visible. Body assembled and braced internally. Roof cut and added for show. Seating still to add along with partitions etc. Last one for good measure...I think the railcar could be described as compact and bijou...it makes the Terrier look big! Not sure whether to add buffers or not at the moment, I thought about something similar to the AC Railcars, but suggestions would be welcome please.

Lovely stuff Pete - glad to see progress on this once again. Keep up the good work

James, Stunning work as always! The Dodo fits right in on the street in Castle Aching, and the whole vista reminds me very much of many happy days as a child on holiday wandering round Burnham Market, Wells and other delightful Norfolk towns and villages. I look forward to further developments in the property market in Castle Aching...

Available from PDH drawings here: http://www.pdhdrawings.com

I think it's a bit late for that Mike...I've worked with you long enough now that you've passed on too many bad habits - sorry! See you in the morning!

Little bit more progress today: Henrietta has gained a roof, just a temporary roof for the moment, but hopefully it will give me an incentive to get on and finish her off! The main project today has been building a new chassis for the North Western Railway Milk Van. This was one of my first ever scratchbuild projects when I moved up to 0 gauge almost 10 years ago! It originally ran on a much abused Triang mineral wagon chassis, but the time has come for a new chassis that looked more appropriate. This is as far as I've got, as I've run out of buffers and I need to buy some suitable brake gear for this and the WSR Composite 1st/3rd. Rule Number 1 applies here...Toby is my favourite Railway Series character, so naturally I had to have a model of him, plus appropriate train. So here it is. Toby, NW Milk Van, Elsie (now complete with couplings and handrails, just needs a repaint), plus Henrietta. There is a further addition to come, but I need to collect it from Telford first...

Happy to be of assistance James, and thanks for the kind words about Elsbridge Wharf. Incidentally to note, the Heywood collection is no longer at the Perrygrove Railway - I recall it left after the railway changed hands. Not sure where it has ended up which is a shame as I rather like Heywoods locos - they have a rather unique charm.

Thats ok - think it was about 4-5 pages back where I originally wrote about operating in different time periods. Yes that is true, which is why he probably won't be seen until nearly the end of the 1923-1925 period, and even then only very occasionally. Yes, though I have a theory that the last two coffeepots survived even longer, and were hired/sold to the FQC for use as a dedicated shunter with the other retained for spares, and lasted in use until the Drewry arrived in 1971. Thanks - I've always had a soft spot for the pre-NWR railways - ever since reading 'Very Old Engines' - how could I not be interested with an engine called Neil?! I'm sure I've read somewhere about the S&M that the Furness took over operations until the NWR was formed; just can't remember where it was off the top of my head! There is a plan that's been floating round my head for the last couple of years about producing a model of each of the pre-NWR Sudrian Railways...