steve22

Like many of us, no doubt, I saw this in the RM and recognised you, Mr. Cousins, Sir. Impressive layout and some lovely locos and stock. We get used to reading that 'each square represents a square foot' on layout plans; it made me smile to see that on your garden layout each square represented a whole square metre. Some size - it must be great fun, especially watching expresses flash by and slow freights trundle along.

The overall scene is quite something.

'changed tack more times than a yacht in a fickle wind.' What a great expression! And so many of us will identify with changing tack. Me for instance - loads of times over the last forty and more years. My shed layout board is bare again, waiting for the next latest idea to be laid out. Keep at it, Dale, bit by bit; you'll get there.

Could it be that we have here the first ever 'Boys Band' and whilst the singers raise their hands or click the rhythm the foreman on our right is counting the beat. The middle one of those 'lying down', as bgman suggests, is actually break-dancing. All rather obvious, really and just goes to show how far Churchward, Collett, etc advanced the GWR in so many ways... Oh and I'll say it first before anyone else does - the other two that we think are lying down are actually Felix Pole dancers. Sorry for the tease, Mr. Barry Ten, though I see you've been drawn in to add to the flippancy! I'm actually impressed with your painting, you've given the blue jackets, trousers and bib and brace a very natural faded touch. Good stuff!

Very nice coaches and once again we learn something with your postings. Thanks too for very clear photographs; I'm sure they'll be quite a help to folk on here.

Second posting in a row I've read tonight which is / can be based around a story or a bit of 'history shaping', if there's such a word. It's interesting when someone mentions a character on a model railway by name. Suddenly, at least for me, the layout or diorama takes on an added dimension. John Flann mentions certain characters and companies by name on his lovely Hintock layout. P. D Hancock pointed out Jock Armstrong and Angus MacTavish (and Jock's bicycle!) in the December 1967 Railway Modeller. See; the things that stay with people when you personalise things!! Thank too, Job, for posting the film about parcels traffic on the railway. Always that bit more learned when we read your postings!

Seems good enough to me. A real sense of affection giving rise to the name (lovely looking cat) and a sense of mystery and antiquity with 'Arnoldale - the valley of the powerful eagles'. 'Deepest Yorkshire' where all kinds of railway companies meet - and presumably compete? Great scene-setting, we're all now eagerly awaiting Chapter one...

It certainly looks good. And fun!

Hi Simon, this is very interesting stuff, I like to learn facts like this (and I'm no geek!). I was reading only yesterday that some engine men of yore (presumably pre-nationalisation and in more remote areas?) would most times be allocated to one engine. This was obviously not your grandfather's experience.

My rambling thoughts on that motor - The only picture of a Romford Bulldog open frame motor (if that's the term) that I have is in the Dec. 1971 W & H catalogue. It shows a drawing of a motor very similar to the Tri-ang X04, except that it's a five pole motor. This could be a fifties version of the Bulldog. Then again, your motor seems to be a three pole motor (I'm guessing) and I'm wondering if this is a Tri-ang X04 with modified / scratch built brush gear arrangement? Given the sometimes very tight space in which to fit motors into loco bodies, to have such a large vertical brush arrangement wouldn't - at least to me - lend itself to any commercial loco; sentinels, in this case, excepting. Just above the left hand screw holding the motor in place is what appears to be the thin metal casing that would hold the felt oil retaining pads that Tri-ang fitted in the 1960's. Later models still had the metal casing but the pads were no longer fitted, just like in your motor. Then again, that large blob of solder suggests to me that the Tri-ang X04 brushes would lift away from the commutator every time it came round, which says to me that it's maybe not a modified X04 (!) and hence the narrow face brushes fitted. Hard to tell but the motor has a certain apparent 'chunkiness' which might indicate Trix or other continental makes. Then again - again; I haven't got a clue but it was fun pondering!

Thanks for showing us this, Focalplane. The low camera angle and close up view of the interior detail give the impression of a really large structure. It shows what a good little model this is, nice design and nicely made.

The tender in particular looks stunning.

"Hope you like it!" - Like it, I do.

Thanks for this, David, some nice skills there. It's good to be able to see new modelling techniques coming to the fore. And presumably at reducing costs and becoming available to anyone, DIY. Do I read that right?

I like the use of the weights! As for fabricated fishplates with actual nuts and bolts - great stuff!

This is very interesting stuff. Very helpful to me, as well. Folks, can I also ask a few questions here, please? I've looked for information on shunting station goods yards for years and years. I've come to believe that it's so obvious, that everyone knows, bar me. Any articles in my many back issues of RM, BRM, MRC, etc go into details about reception roads, headshunts etc on large marshalling yards. Little though, if anything, on shunting station layouts like Barry's. I've picked up comments from people, even bought a book on operation and practice but it didn't mention small yard freight working. Stationmaster, (Mike?) can you explain the 'trip', please? I can hazard a guess but what exactly is the trip? Also, if the station (say a small country station terminus) did have a run-around loop would a freight train first of all come into the platform a) to release the loco so it could get to the back of the train to shunt that way and also so box vans could be unloaded of parcels, papers, livestock (pigeons, small piggies etc). Or would it all depend on other wagons and rules regarding what got dealt with first? Would the signalman know the composition of the train (eg pick up goods) and therefore which road the train should come in on anyway? Did station staff know in advance what was coming? I recall reading somewhere many years ago that pick up goods were assembled en route according to destination to ease shunting 'at the other end' and that if a 'so and so' so decided he could 're-arrange' a train's wagon order to make things more awkward for his counterpart at the other end of the line. Is that simply folklore? Bob Essery's article in one of the monthly magazines recently was interesting and a help. But is there a specific, simple, informative explanation on shunting station yards in written form? If there's such a publication I'm more than happy to search it out and pay for that rather than people type out replies here. Or maybe there's something on this Forum that I've missed time and time again? Sorry for the long posting and taking up people's time. What I'm reading here on this Blog is very informative. Steve.

"She's a beauty". She sure is! Steve, you lucky so and so; trains and a very pretty wife; a wonderful combination.

This is the stage where you can see promise in the layout. Staggered roads like that look really good.

It all looks great. Is that one of those lovely 'Clippers' that I see? Wish they were still made. I won't enquire too much into what looks like a high-heeled shoe though (...and where's the smiley icon just when you need one??!!)

It looked really good during construction and excellent in situ.

"My lass is the regional under 20's Hammer throw champion..... should i be worried (I add there is a very small age gap. she is just turned 20, Im 21, just so no-one gets the wrong idea ) " I'll bet you don't argue with her very often, unless you can run out of range. But no, don't be worried. Well, only if it's a silver one and, er... her name isn't Maxwell, by any chance?

Now I know why women cry at weddings. The scenery in your picture is absolutely beautiful... (and hearty congratulations to you both, by the way)

I was sort of convinced by your actions with the dilute white in the first photo and more so seeing the second photo. Thanks for the tip about adding red to the green when colouring the trees. I've also had a peep at the ceynix website too via your link - very interesting.

Beautiful model and, I think, the first time I've seen 'Montrose' in early BR blue

Good sense of distance in this last photo.