Yes, I pulled the plug on it.
"Shelf Island" kept me happy for many years, and the blog worked for me as a way to share my efforts. When the blog was young, I was pondering whether to put it on its own web site or on RMweb. I had created a web site for my company and I knew how to buy a hosting package and create and maintain a simple web site. Around the same time, the RMweb "Gold" membership was offered, and I decided the £50 a year I would spend on hosting was better spent here, where it could support the site and allow better integration with other topics.
I think the project suffered because a great deal of the effort was a proof of concept of one kind or another, which usually worked out for me and I shared hoping this might be for the benefit of others. This caught the attention of some of the more vocal members of the community, who responded as though I was trying to challenge the domination of 4mm scale. I also think, I tried to gather up and work up too many different RTR models, and some of these I have sold.
During all of this, the hosting software changed, needing me to prepare a new index and new subject tags from time to time. The upkeep of the blog was taking more time than preparation of new posts, and this got worse as I extended the layout around the hobby room; I found it quite difficult to integrate the extensions into the blog in a coherent sort of way.
Curiously, the extended layout did not satisfy me. I now had most of half a scale mile of track, enough to keep a train in motion for a couple of minutes, but the siding accommodation was now nowhere near sufficient. "Wellwood" never really got off the ground and was broken up, and "Shelf Marshes" was hived off to make the basis of a preservation society one day. "Shelf Island" is dormant (and terribly dusty!), with the extension to "Fairport" remaining as the only scenic development.
The blog had received a decent number of views and I felt it had achieved all I could expect from it, and so I deleted all of the posts. I think an account of "Shelf Island" could reappear one day, but after the core baseboard has received some scenics, and on a dedicated web site where I have control of the software and the backup regime. I do have pdf copies of most of the posts on the blog and I can send a few files on by email or whatever if anyone would like to ask - a PM would be best.
- Richard.