Jules

Funny you should mention that... 3715 arrives with a couple of corridor coaches, not the usual stock, with a couple of vans in tow. The vans are removed to be put in the end on loading siding Waiting to depart again

The pannier has finally arrived!

Great atmospheric picture

Thanks Job, it has taken a bit of time to get where it is today, but I am quite pleased with the result. I have learnt new techniques etc, which hopefully I will remember when either updating Mayshill or creating a new layout.

Thanks Mikkel, I thought I would try sticking the camera in some different places to see what the results were like. I might try a few more. I think the K's kits were very good for their time - they are very easy to put together (7 parts excluding the wheels!), but they do lack a few details, such as brakes etc.

I also took these couple of snaps of the station while I had the camera out. Thanks for the all the 'likes' etc :)

Hi Colin, Thanks for sharing your connection with Frog Lane and Mayshill. When I was looking for a name for the layout, I just picked something that was local to me and went from there! The layout was never meant to represent a station serving Mayshill, it was just a name, and the layout exists 'somewhere in the west country'. We often walk along the old mineral line to Frog Lane farm, and walk through the farmyard to Woodside road. The farmer has a nice collection of old tractors! I remember the remains of Frog Lane colliery from when I was a child, my Dad took me and my brother for a pock around in the late '70s. At that point several of the old buildings remained as well as the slag tip. The slag tip was reworked during the miners strike to provide coal for Aberthaw power station. The buildings were removed I believe in the '80s, I think there is only one building remaining now. Unfortunately, there are plans to build hundreds of houses on the fields bounded by the old mineral line, Roundways and Woodside road. Not something anyone round here is looking forward too. Julian

While I had the camera out, I took a few more random pictures of various bits of the layout - no trains I afraid! A view up Frog Lane - I think the horse and cart must know the way so well they don't need a horseman. A view through the farm yard to Frog Lane Crossing box A view of the water tower through the cottages, with a moggy on the wall Across the back gardens to the drooping starter signal Looking across Frog Lane, down the line to the dairy From close to the dairy, looking back towards Frog Lane And slightly further round the bend,

The Siphons have been through the paint shop and are now released into service! The first two pictures show them in the dairy, the second two in the platform road. I still need to source/make some brake handles to finish them off, another job to add to the list of things to do!

For the middle axle, I put a couple of coach wheels on a piece of hollow brass tube and then a piece of steel wire through the brass tube into the axle box. Hopefully the picture below helps.. It might have been better to use wagon wheels (12 ish mm instead of 14 ish mm), but the solebars are too stiff to try and change them now!

A couple more items of rolling stock from the 'NEC collection'! Two K's Low Siphons. Not the most detailed kits by modern standards, but go together well. I have added vacuum pipes, I now need to source some brake handles as these are not present in the kit. Both still need painting - the different colours are due to different plastic used in manufacture.

Nice loco. I see a 'low siphon' lurking in the background - I have just finished assembling two I bought at the NEC, just need painting and lettering now!

Super job on the pub. I have one of the Petite Properties buildings on my layout. It was very simple to put together, but the finishing takes somewhat longer!

This is a road under-bridge now - I assume it always has been.

Superb pictures of your great layout again!

Look forward to seeing this develop - I always thought it would make an interesting layout

A bonus shot of a pannier going about its business

A quick update. Both the wagons have now been painted and lettered, so can now enter the running fleet!

These aren't recent, but happened to be on my PC. A couple from the early days of the DVR at Ashburton. Not taken by me, as I would have only been a few months old!

That really is superb.

Another post... As mentioned just upthread, another of my NEC purchases was a Ratio Open C. I have just finished my first pass at it's construction! Why first pass? The instructions are somewhat basic - so I have messed up the brake gear. This will need to be corrected at some point. This hasn't been my favorite kit to make, it certainly shows it's age compared to other kits, but as its the only current way to get an Open C, it does the job. I have also done a small upgrade to the V7 - I have replaced the tie bar with a slimmer section of plastic bar. Both now need a trip to the painters!

Nige - Thanks for the compliment Job - Thanks also for the compliment. I hope whatever your personal circumstances were/are have got better. You have a good Christmas and a happy and healthy 2020 too

Thanks Les and Mikkel. It is quite sobering to think ten years have passed, and all that has happened in those ten years. Thank goodness for model railways to keep you sane!

I do like your farm scene

I've just noticed that it is almost 10 years since I started this topic, quite frightening really! Whereas 10 years ago I was building the baseboards, laying track etc, I am now building the odd kit or two, the subject of this post. My only real purchases at the NEC a few weeks ago were a few long out of production wagon kits. The first of these is shewn below: This is a GW Mink C diagram V7 by Colin Ashby, one of two I purchased. Since taking the pictures, I discovered that the couplings were mounted too high, so they have now been set to the correct height. The other kits are a Ratio Open C, and 2 K's Low Siphons.