grahame

Just a lttle bit more work on the box, if it's of interest to anyone; G.

My N gauge LT bus fleet is starting to grow. And with the promised Farish Leyland Nationsl single deckers due (gawd knows when) and the four DMS now on order I'll have a reasonable fleet. There's still work to be done on the DMSs, incliding re-assembly, but they do have a very bland livery with no white or grey stripes to add a bit of relief to the plain all over red. Also correct route numbers and destination blinds don't seem to be available so I'll have to make the most of the limited choice on the ModelMaster sheet as below. The photographic enlargement is certainly very cruel - they seem a lot better from 'normal viewing distance' ; It's starting to look a bit better now, although still not finished. I need to source a suitable decal for the side advertising and white LT roundels. Otherwise I'll have to hand paint them like I did on the Routemaster and Metrobus. G.

I've made a start on the little modern signal control box at the west end of the through lines. I'm not totally happy at the way it's turning out - dut to my lack if modelling ability - but I'll see what the finished item looks like as there is still a lot to do; I've also managed to get hold of one of those 1:150 scale KMB Daimler Fleetline buses (the old London Transport DMS) as recommended by Bernie Taylor and I'm very happy with it. It dismantles in to the consitituent parts (body, glazing and inners) simply by unclipping, so it should be easy to re-paint in to LT red. Consequently I've ordered another four, dispite the relatively high price due to the poor pound exchange rate and air postal charges from Hong Kong. I've striped the paint back to the plain plastic and given that a coat of primer. The pic shows it without the glazing, engine compartment and innards, and roughly perched on the wheels/chassis; The DMSs lasted in LT service from 1970 to 1993 although withdrawls started in the late 70s so I should be able to justify them on my LB layout's mid 70s to mid 00s period. Certainly at least until someone brings out a decent more suitable modern 1:148 bus. G.

Yep, thanks, that's the one. It too is also due to be demolished to make way for yet more retail floor space. It will be replaced by the 'Baby Shard' (AKA the Gem) as part of the re-development work in the area. Perhaps my planned layout is coming at a good time to help document the London Bridge Station area as it was. The pressure is on to get it completed - I'd better make sure something comes of it. G.

I've been researching the Southwark Tower building that stood over London Bridge Station and have decided that I will include it as a very iconic structure of the area. As it was completed in 1976 and demolished mid 2009 it will rather define the era for the layout - but I'm more than happy with that period. The triple winged towers were 320ft high which scales out as a little over 2 feet tall in N gauge 1:148 scale. Along with the other high rise building at the front of the station that I'll need to include, they will be pretty dominant. However, as the layout won't be an exact scale model of LB station and will involve some compression and compromise I'll probably be scaling back the buildings. But they still remain a significant modelling challenge. (That other high rise block - what's it called?) What I'm short of are pictures of the entrance lobby and the lower ground floor area at Thomas Street level for Southwark Towers. It's too late to check it out now as the tower is demolished and resigned to history. If anyone has anything suitable I'd be grateful. Thomas Street will be the front boundary of the baseboards so the Guys Hospital tower is not included - phew - but that area will be on immediate front view. PS - I hope people are happy to read about my layout planning musings. If so I'll try and continue a fairly regular blog diary update. G.

I visited London Bridge Station today to collect some more pictures of areas and buildings that I have few details of. Things are changing rapidly - there's a big hole in the ground and some of the steel structual skeleton of the Shard has already appeared. The concourse roof has been cut back significantly and Thomas street is closed to traffic along the building site boundary. One of my intended targets was the small box at the West end of the through platforms and some of the buildings behind the station. However I was approached by a jobsworth on one platform and told that I wasn't allowed to take photos. When I countered that I was allowed he changed tack and said that I needed an identity card from Network Rail. I said I'm not a commercial photographer so it wasn't necessary and showed him a print-out of the Transport Police's website with the details. He didn't seem very convinced but wandered off rather confused before I could explain that the same information was available on Network Rail's website. Fortunately I wasn't further harrassed despite a very large police presence at the station and managed to get all the photographs I wanted. Hopefully they will help me out when I start on building some more of the structures for the project. G.

Super layout. Great pics. Wonderful era. Keep the pics flowing. G.

Exciting stuff, and of great interest to me to see your develoment. It looks a nice big and bright railway room and I spotted the stock of Farish boxes in the bookshelves. Are they all to be re-wheeled? G.

There's been a little more work on the signal centre, although there is still lots of detail to add and painting to undertake. Nonetheless, here's a pic of the latest................... G.

I purchased some Tomytec vehicles at the Warley show yesterday. However, they were loose and unboxed, so I'd be grateful if anyone could identify the make and model of each of them (the two on the left are the same); G.

No, the NGS MAG layout will also be progressed, but fortunatelly I won't be the sole builder as it's a group effort. In fact we've got a team meeting due at Coronation Hall in Surbiton on Saturday 28th November. For those who are unaware I'll start another topiuc about it on this blog. G.

Further to a question in the "Next Big 'Un" thread on my blog, and the reply I gave there, here are further details about the N Gauge Society's Modern Area Groups (NGS MAG) proposed layout. This will be a modern N gauge layout based on the Milford container depot near Southampton. It will be able to take advantage of all the recent new top quality container wagons now available, such as the ATM KQA pocket wagon, Dapol FEA-B spine wagon, Dapol IKA megafret, and Farish FIA intermodal, as well as the old Farish container flats than can be upgraded in to more acceptable five car FFA/FGA rakes with a TPM detailing kit. The team of modellers for this project is drawn from the ???N Gauge Society??™s??™ special interest ???Modern Area Group??™. The layout is intended to be a group effort and all members are welcome to participate even if that means their contribution is simply manning and operating the completed layout at exhibitions. Currently this layout is only at the planning stage but you can find out further information about it through ???Red Death??™, the electronic newsletter produced by the Modern Area Group, which is sent to all members. Check out the group??™s exclusive website regarding membership and the newsletter at http://www.ngauge-modern.co.uk/ G.

Yep, I've reduced the size of it - to 325mm long (just a smidge under 13") which still scales out in British 1:148 N gauge at about 160 feet long. Hopefully I've still managed to capture the character of it. G.

The cat is out of the bag. The plans for my next big model railway project are already known by a handful of close friends and, no doubt, following the recent clues in my Blog, soon many more will also have some idea of what it is all about. So, in an effort to pre-empt that, here is the concept with all its crazy notions and impractical ideas. It is not planned to be a portable exhibition layout, so most will not get a chance to see it in the flesh, but perhaps through the good province of RMweb, I will be able to bring you, further, if somewhat rather irregular, updates and news regarding progress. I had scribbled most of these notes while on recent holiday in Australia, thinking that I might offer it to a commercial magazine but have since had second thoughts. After all what magazine would be interested enough to pay for my ramblings or even publish them. So here they are on RMweb. Anyway, back to my plans for the next big ???un and, firstly, a proviso warning. The project really requires that I move house to dedicate a room for it. Although I do have a ???spare??™ room in my current house I am a little reluctant to start a permanent project in it as I have lived there for quite a while and would like to make one final dream house move. However, the project is being planned and work is underway in research, sourcing materials and building relevant models. And what it will be is - London Bridge Station. I must stress that it will not be a complete scale model but will be a simplified representation, rather in a similar manner that the outstanding ???Gresley Beat??™ layout which is also only claimed to be a representation, but of the Belle Island area approaches to Kings Cross station. Despite that the new model will not include all 16 platforms, most of the long lasting major features and iconic structures of the station are planned to be included; separate terminus and through platforms, the overall terminus station roof, the large ugly connecting walkway bridge, the oddly shaped covered concourse, the signalling centre, and the bus and taxi stands at the front. The aim is to model it with the terminus part at the front which should also allow me to include a representation of the No1 London Bridge building, Hays Galleria and perhaps Tower Bridge in the background if the research dictates they can be seen from such a viewing position. The combination of a terminus and through station at one location is part of the attraction for me. The through lines will provide the option of continuous running in a roundy-roundy style, while the terminus will give me additional operational interest. And what??™s more, London Bridge will only be part of the layout, with a second separate scenic area, based on Selhurst Depot, planned for holding stock and therefore doing away with the need for a hidden fiddle yard. The downside is the lack of loco hauled trains through London Bridge, but not being a complete stickler for historical accuracy or rivet counting authenticity - after all why let that get in the way of a good model - I will assume that the usual cross London freight line via Clapham and Olympia is temporarily out of use. That will mean that the routes linking to Blackfriars and via Snow Hill, such as through London Bridge, are in demand and heavy use. I also want the layout to be able to accommodate as large a time period as possible to enable as large a choice and range of stock to be run. This will include relatively early Southern slam door EMUs right up to privatised modern third generation units, although perhaps not at the same time. Stock will initially consist of my existing collection of basically Network SouthEast era EMUs, but I will need, and want to, extend that with older and newer trains. As part of that requirement I would dearly love one of the main British N gauge manufacturers to develop and launch a suitable modern EMU. Two obvious candidates are the Thameslink and Electrostar units. Both of these units are dual voltage machines, and by using pantographs operate on overhead equipment lines north of London, meaning that their attraction would not be limited to South of the Thames Southern Region third rail modellers. The station will be modelled as it currently stands, but before the latest scheduled developments - which include the ???The Shard??™ as the tallest building in Britain - scar and dominate it. Nonetheless, at the real station, work has already started on the Shard and the layout will quickly become a historic representation as the area gets transformed in to the ???what it will look like??™ computer image currently displayed on the hoarding boards surrounding the building site. I appreciate that famous structures, vehicles and many other items can quickly and easily date layouts, but by selecting items such as the iconic Routemaster and DMS type busses and K6 telephone boxes, that were all very long lived, it ought to blur any obvious time period. Also I intend to avoid the use of any too obvious tell tale paraphernalia and buildings that will specifically date it. Standards are planned to be the finest N gauge modelling that I am capable of undertaking. Granted my efforts are not the best in the world, but I was relatively satisfied with my achievements with Stoney Lane Depot and if I can improve just a little on them I will be happy. Sourcing the best and finest products available is the key to a fine-scale look. However, I am not going to delude myself by thinking that I am capable of switching to 1:152 (2mm:1ft) scale with all the scratch building of track and stock that would require. After all, I am nearer the end of my life than the start, and time is a precious commodity. Plus, of course, the fidelity and quality of the latest British N gauge products at 1:148 scale are now supremely high and can help one attain an N gauge fine-scale appearance almost equivalent to 2mmFS. And it is now possible to use the excellent 2mm Eazi-track system with the latest N gauge fine profile wheel-sets. All that remains to be considered are the choice and use of points; will I build my own using 2mm templates but adapted to N gauge flange-way and crossing-vee clearances and standards, or should I utilise commercially available RTR products such as Pecos code 55 points? Obviously attempting a large London terminus station is a big undertaking and there will be massive modelling requirements. Such a layout will easily swallow up large quantities of everyday items such as vehicles, people, and street and station furniture. Consequently I??™ve already started collecting the best of relevant, and much needed items, such as the Oxford Diecast FX4 London taxis, and the BH Enterprise etched K6 telephone box kits. I have a special ???scenics??™ box with separate compartments that are slowly filling up with completed and painted figures, wheelie bins, telephone boxes, pallets, barrels, skips, road signs, and so on. I also have another box with a growing collection of suitable road vehicles. Even more importantly I have managed to acquire a small stock of my favourite, but now obsolete, brick paper by Builder Plus. Obviously this is a large project and it will take considerable time and resources to get anywhere near to fruition. As already mentioned a house move is likely to be part of it which, as most will appreciate, can be very time consuming. Although it may delay things, hopefully any move will not compromise my next big ???un research and plans. And while the house moving side of the project may progress slowly, I can at least finish the planning details and start construction of the necessary buildings and structures. Hopefully, what I have outlined has whetted people??™s appetites to see and read more about the project on my RMweb Blog. Look out for updates at some time in the future. G.

. ... ..... ....... ......... ........... and this is what my model looks like so far. It's not an exact scale model replica as I've needed to cut down the footprint area, but hopefully it captures the look and character of the original. There's still lots to do on the model including detailing and painting; G.

. . or even from this later pic with temporary top floor cladding added. Obviously there's lots of other detaling work and painting to be carried out. And apologies for the poor quality photos. . . . G.

I've been adding a little bit of paint, with a very fine brush, to the telephone boxes and fork lifts. The boxes have also had STD phones installed in them and the doors are painted and currently drying ready to be added. G.

Could be, but not so much the building, more the planning. B) G.

BH Enterprises - N gauge specialist trader often seen at exhibitions. G.

Yet more multiple things to be finished; forklifts (with just base colour on) and skips (some assembled and primed); G.

A couple of good ideas there, but neither fully correct. I'll add another pic of what is currently on my dining room table to lead you further up the garden path - a telephone box works. Mainly unfinished K6s but a K8 and a couple of KX100s on the right. Doors and internal bits to be added and painting to be finished on the K6s. However, I don't seem to be able to include it here as part of a reply so will have to start a new Blog subject - not sure I like that aspect of the new forum. G.

Here's the promised pic; G.

At yesterdays High Wycombe show Cheltenham were selling Oxford DC cars for just ??1.99 each. I purchased a couple more taxis to add to my collection; Now why would I need so many? G.

Gold Medal Models - they're American; http://www.goldmm.com/nscale/gmnsctyp.htm G.

Yep, this is a pic of an N gauge shopping trolley. Fantastic, eh? G.