Goose95

The Peco vans do make up to quite good representations (with some minor differences), and certainly passable alongside the Lionheart stock!

Ok, now RMweb is back up and running I've gone through and re-uploaded all the photos I'd uploaded that I'd saved with minimal losses. One positive is that I really had to go through all my previous ideas and see how the project has developed over the last year. Now onto the main updates! Recently I attended my first show as an exhibitor as part of my local group (Newport Model Railway Society) at Nailsea with the 7mm scale layout Frecclesham (RM Sep.2014). Having joined the club just before the 1st lockdown is was nice to see the layout fully assembled rather than covered up in the clubroom and a thoroughly enjoyable weekend was had operating the layout. Whilst I'm not ready to make the move to DCC, operating with delayed uncoupling using Dinghams made me look into other options to use on Compton and the best option (given the lack of buffers) seems to be D&G couplings. A few were ordered (and very nicely priced they are too) and following some successful trials on a few wagons I'm sold. They may not be as prototypical as the zamzoodled couplings, but the ability to use minimal electromagnets under the layout (and thus reduce some wiring) and the delayed uncoupling more than make up for that for me. The track still isn't down yet on the layout (some frantic re-drawing of the wiring diagrams first) but hopefully that won't be too far off as sections are currently being drawn out on the boards for final adjustments. The baseboards have only just been put back up after all as the modelling room has recently had extensive shelving put in, makes quite a difference when the floor is no longer covered in boxes and I can actually find the tools or kit I'm planning on working with!

Little update regarding the station buildings and goods shed as they've now been painted and their first few washes to weather and tone the colour down and also an attempt at building a water tower for the shed area. I ended up bracing the parts for the tank with off-cuts from some 7mm-scale clapboard I had laying around as I couldn't get the joins as smooth as I would have liked. For a base I've started with a timber base, I had considered a concrete style similar to Beddgelert in later years or in brick but neither quite worked with the timber bracing. Let me know what you think as the it hasn't been attached to the tank yet, I'm just playing around with it to see where it might fit best.

Progress on the loco front is going slowly as a few months back I decided it would be a great idea to bash a Branchlines Hunslet chassis into a 2-4-0t to sit under a Manx Northern Railway Ramsey from Mannin Models. The body has been shortened as at full length it seemed out of proportion to the other stock, in its new condition there's definitely more of a Southwold look about it (which makes sense when comparing photos of the Southwold locos against their MNR equivalents). The body has also had the chimney, dome, safety valves, filler caps, and other fittings replaced with brass ones as I felt they had just a bit more detail to them. There's still a lot of work to do on the chassis and I suspect that by the time I've finished I won't want to go through it again to build a sister loco, we'll assume it's sister has already been dismantled and used for spares..... The station building now has it's canopy fitted and just needs detailing and weathering, after fitting it I noticed it has a slight lean which I can't fix now but is less visible when on the layout (hopefully it'll give it more of a slightly run-down look). I haven't yet got onto laying any track yet but I can at least get a good feel for where everything will go while still being able to move the track about. Just creeping in from the left, the carriage/engine shed is also starting to take shape.

Update on the cottage, the roof has now been painted and fitted in place along with the chimneys. I'm confident I can put this in my finished jobs pile for now, at least until it comes to installing it on the layout when there'll be some vegetation added to hide some of the joins in the brickwork on the corners.

Agreed, I've added internal walls to mine across the length and width of the building as the sides were already flexing a little. Has the added bonus of not showing the building won't have any interior detail. Otherwise I've found it a very nice kit, a little challenge making it square since none of the parts have a bevelled edge but nothing a little filler hasn't solved.

I wasn't overly happy with the buildings I had planned for the station, even for a light railway they seemed too small for the station that also featured the company's engine and carriage sheds. So I've assembled one of 422 Modelmaking's light railway station kits which I think suits the layout better. I also had a selection of castings and parts from which I've cobbled a basic canopy from (excuse the metal ruler used to test how it would line up). I quite like it with the canopy, it has a feel of the Kent & East Sussex stations I think.

As a little break from rolling stock I've been progressing with the cottage to sit at the front of the layout to hide the exit to the fiddle yard. It was suggested I use pieces of cork to bring out the flints as dry brushing wasn't working (bit too enthusiastic with a few coats for the cement), I tried it out on the sides that weren't going to be visible and liked the result so carried on to the front and side. I think it could probably do with a little more work before I'm totally happy with it but I like where it's heading so far. Had a test run of the roof and chimneys and found a slight fitting issue between the guttering and the soffits, might mean re-doing the roof to make a cleaner fit but at least I haven't started painting that part yet.

I hadn't intended for there to be such a long break in updates but lockdown and a new job have made it quite a hectic year since February! Anyway, here are a few updates. Firstly I've been trialling the chopper couplings from Zamzoodled as an alternative the the 7mmNGA ones, they are slightly dearer but after a successful few trials on the test track using their flexible coupler fittings I've decided these will be the couplings used on all stock for the layout. Unfortunately they've been out of stock for a while but at least I have plenty of other projects to carry on with while I eagerly await their return! While awaiting the restocking of Zamzoodled couplings, the Leek & Manifold stock have now mostly been painted and are just awaiting a few finishing details. The coach still needs the interiors and glazing fitted but I'm a little stuck on the lining, I've modelled them as they would have appeared towards the end of their lives but I can't tell from photos if they remained fully lined in the 1930s. Early LMS-period photos clearly show the lining but in later years it's hard to tell if the dirt and grime is covering the lining or if they were re-painted plain.

The Leek and Manifold van is now complete and ready for priming, it will have to wait a little bit though as I purchased a few other L&MVR items to make up a full train. The wagons are mostly done now and the brake composite coach is slowly taking shape, it does seem to dwarf everything else though! I have no idea if these kits are supposed to be easy to build or not but as a complete beginner I've found them very enjoyable and where I've made mistakes I've found they're very forgiving when it comes to correcting or re-shaping them. Point motors have been ordered as well as a pile of parts from LCUT creative for the engine/carriage shed so things are at least moving forward. On testing placement I'm unsure about whether the wind pump will be ok where it is or if it's too close to the track, my concern is if it is moved further towards the corner it might become obscured by the cottage at the front of the layout.

An effective way to reduce your alcohol consumption during lockdown is to use your stockpile whilst glueing down the track base...

Thanks! I'll have a look at Romfords/Markits then, I've heard them mentioned around so I'll see what parts they have available.

Thank you! I think it struggles as a scale because of the popularity of 009 (particularly on the continent) meaning its been much easier to build locos with a proper chassis. Shame really because as a scale it strikes me as having all the benefits of 0 gauge but but without needing the space. For me I really want the main motive power to be outside framed as per most real narrow gauge lines but I have no idea if or where there are parts available for scratch building these.

Over Christmas I took a little time to step away from building the layout itself and to have a rethink about some of the details such as wiring/electrics and couplings. I've ordered a few Zamzoodled coupling parts to see if these would be easier to assemble and I'm looking into the new Peco TwistLock point motors next so maybe by the end of lockdown there might be something moving on the layout. The layout has recently been fully assembled for the first time and *just* fits in the railway room (this was taken from the hallway since that was the only place I could get most of it in shot), the rest of the room will have to be reconfigured though as crawling under to reach the modelling bench is starting to get tiring. Progress on a suitable cottage for obscuring the left hand exit to the fiddle yard is coming along. I've used a shell from Petite Properties covered with Slaters embossed sheets to recreate the style of the buildings in the area. The edges and joins are a bit rough at the moment but once the drainpipes, porch, and vegetation is eventually added this should hide the worst parts. Finally I've taken the plunge and started my first metal kit using Dorset Kit's Leek & Manifold Railway ventilated van. This definitely isn't a starter kit but I've actually found it really enjoyable so far despite the steep learning curve. Since the West Sussex shares the same track gauge this may be the start of building a short L&MVLR train to also run on the layout, better start saving up.....

There hasn't been much real progress lately, the guys at the club have been kind enough to draw up several diagrams on ways to wire the track up for flexible operation (I'll leave DCC for some time in the future) but it seems there's a shortage of Peco 0-16.5 track at the moment so I'm holding off laying anything down for now. Instead I just have a few small updates on minor projects: With the main board structure now together I've been playing with building placements again, this time with the boards off the floor to look for ways of hiding the entrance and exits at either end. There was a rather empty area at the front left which now may be filled with a cottage/garden if I can make a suitable model that doesn't crowd or dominate the corner too much. I've also added an additional siding at the front of the layout for end loading. The single siding in the yard might otherwise get over-filled trying to cater to all traffic types and I want to keep the line to the right as leading to a mill/industry rather than another place to hide extra wagons. Also newly arrived are the trestle legs for supporting the layout. I know many people say you should build your own but with my woodworking skills that would be rather risky. There was also the fact that I can adjust the height of these and guarantee they are all the same height. Can't say I was particularly popular testing them out in the living room, really should get round to tidying the modelling room out at this point. Finally I've been having a play with the chopper couplings produced by the 7mmNGA. They're much cheaper than the other options but I did find them rather delicate, still these will just be practise ones for now. I'm not sure if there's a way to blacken them though?