Middlesea John

I once got a round of applause at a meeting when I stood up and interrupted a speaker and asked him to stop using TLAs. He didn't know what I meant. I said, "Three Letter Abbreviations". I told him (and obviously most of those present agreed with me) that we had no idea what he was on about. It worked.

The numbers on the headcode discs (shortened name) were pieces of paper stuck on so it's quite easy to print them, cut them out and glue them on. They need a spot of weathering too. I can't find my research into which fonts and sizes to use - it was trial and error comparing with photos I'm afraid.

My layout Basingstoke being 85ft by 22ft 9in, with 201 points, would probably take me literally 20 years to complete in P4. It would take me that long in 00 using Peco track !

I've always thought that "Barrista" is the word for "person who takes a stupidly long time to make a poor cup of coffee"

That does seem a good idea Mr Philduck. Actually if you listen to Flanders and Swann's albums At the Drop of a Hat and At the drop of Another Hat, the banter in between the songs could have been recorded last week never mind the best part of 60 years ago. Being the - er - person - that i am, I bought the CDs a couple of years ago. Last week we took our little grandson to the local nature reserve. Whilst we were there I watched a load of Mallards in the lake. There were 19 males and 3 females. Was I wrong to be surprised by this ? And why when you buy a pack of Preiser peacocks are there 2 males, one female and a turkey ? Baffles me that one..

May I point out that among my (possibly too many) non-modelling hats is that of presenter on a community radio station, Beverley FM. I have a programme at 5pm on Sundays called "John's Stroll Through The World Of Music" where I can and do play literally anything in the history of music from anywhere in the world. I played the Robin Hood song earlier this month - did you by any chance hear it and it has remained with you despite the same programme containing The Gas Man Cometh by Flanders and Swan, Brahms' Lullaby and the wonderful Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues ?

As a modeller of Southern Region Steam I was for many years forced to either make or make do as there was so little RTR available in the way of stock or locos. I knew what i wanted so, for example, I renamed one of my Hornby Dublo West Countries as one that had what I call the Hornby Dublo Tender. For the other I bought a kit of the tender top to fit to the RTR chassis. I was always acutely aware of my limitations (such as, "How does a chassis work ?") but had the confidence to add details, to weather and also, as a member of a club, to ask for help with what I couldn't or daren't do. Similarly with coaches, I have neither the dexterity nor the tools to cut a side out of plastic or brass but I could buy kits or just the sides and work on them to give, for example, Bulleid coaches based on Hornby Mark 1s. I never had the skill to produce buildings to a degree of detail that I would be happy with but I made myself adapt existing buildings - some even scratch-built by others - to suit my requirements. All of which brings me to my point.. My concern now is that - having spent a number of years building layouts, the stock available now from Hornby, Bachmann and the others is so plentiful (I ignore anyone who says we haven't got enough or the right RTR models) and so much better than the what we all referred to as super-detailed RTR not so many years ago - I have just about lost many of the skills I had. I have therefore taken the plunge and bought some things secondhand to have a go at modifying a RTR loco just to see if I can still do it.

2 things annoy me. Backscenes. So many fabulous layouts are ruined by dreadfully painted backscenes. And people who say "If manufacturer X produces a class Y loco, I'll buy 6 of them". Might as well just say "I'm very rich."

Thanks for posting the fab photos of Ladycross.

On behalf of the team who made our debut with Ladycross, may I thank everyone for their support and encouragement. Lots more to be done (isn't there always ?) but a good start. We received some lovely comments. Onwards and upwards as they say.

This has been such and interesting thread with so many points put across eloquently so thanks everyone. I still stick to my position of not wanting sound on the layout but I've now had time to think it over further. The sound of locos, be they steam, diesel or whatever would or could make an interesting addition to a layout if used correctly BUT what is the point of sound if we don't have the other sounds of the railway - shunting wagons, the clickety-click of coaches over rail joints, station announcements, traffic, birdsong etc.? Even then we don't have the smells - steam and diesel locos again and, as mentioned above, the people are stationary as are the vehicles. Coach doors stay closed at a station stop, a little man has a sack of coal on his shoulder whilst standing beside a lorry all weekend. I could go on but I've reached the point. All railway modelling is a set of compromises. It's also like a good book - it's what you see in your head. For that reason, I will continue to imagine the loco sound in the same way as I imagine everything else on the layout.

All we have to do !!!! And we're setting off already. Really looking for ward to the debut of Ladyvross, Hull MRS's first ever Southern Region steam layout. I do hope it behaves itself.

That's maybe true to a point but just because it's here, that doesn't mean it's here to stay. Some new inventions or developments in our hobby come and last for years but others die a death because they either get replaced by something else or they just become unpopular. Over the years we've lost several things that were "State of the art" when they first appeared Think back to Trix Twin or other 3-rail stuff. I'm sure people at the time thought they were here to stay as they had no way of knowing what would happen in the future.

In this part of the world you can buy a packet of crumpets in most well-known supermarkets but the locals call them pikelets.

The problem with sound is that it is, or appears to be, difficult to control at our level. I don't go to that many exhibitions but I can clearly remember three where sound has been arguably good for the layout it's on but ruins the effect for others. I had my 1960s steam layout in a room with an LNWR Victorian era layout and some early French steam in a room where a 2-tone diesel horn was our constant companion. I've operated Steve Farrow's Pen-y-Madoc (1930s GWR)at a few shows and had all sorts from station announcements in German to Class 20 engines revving up again spoiling the effect. The quandary is how to make it loud enough to hear by people watching that particular layout without taking over its neighbours. As far as I'm concerned this has yet to be sorted out so, until that time is reached, silence is golden.

Looking forward to the weekend. It's been a tough last 2 or 3 weeks putting everything together for our first showing of Ladycross. Let's hope it's worth it. Looks like a good show though. See you there. Be there - or be somewhere else less exciting !

Not long to go now. Things are building up. For Mal's benefit, Ladycross is still the same size as it was...... and it's nearly ready for its debut.

Ladycross is "coming together". Looking forward to its debut but wishing it was another 6 months away.

Comet sides are available from Andrew at Wizard Models.

For me now it is absolutely about building an exhibition layout using a set of skills that are only available when you have a variety of people, each with their own talent/s. I say "now" because I was a member of the club for about 30 years without ever being part of a layout group, purely because one was never built which appealed to my relatively restricted modelling interests. Since we started building our layout, our group has evolved but we are now a group of good friends with a common aim. I think that's a pretty good reason for being a member of a club (Hull MRS by the way)

My main hobby is music - performing, writing, listening and helping to organise a festival - and modelling is my second hobby. I have to say I very rarely have music playing when I am modelling; I tend to do one or the other. I play in 2 bands - 2 different genres of rock music. In one there is another railway modeller. Interestingly there are now several members of Hull MRS who are regulars at gigs I play with both bands. On a different track, we do sing a lot when in a van on the way to exhibitions but that's probably another story.

I know a few people who couldn't organise a layout in a brewery. Or something like that.

I have the down distant signal from Hinton Admiral Station that I bought from BR Southern Region at the time of the Bournemouth electrification when I was 14. Never done anything with it - it's just there. Happy memories though. I also have a rather tatty 1960 Southern Region timetable which has written on it the numbers from the first time I went properly trainspotting at Southwick just west of Brighton. 34008 Padstow; 4 x 2-6-0s; 2 Ks, an N and an N1; an M7, an E2 and a Standard 2-6-4T. I wonder what trains they'd have been working.

When our club was toying with the idea of an Irish narrow gauge seaside town layout. I suggested Twoby Shore.

I did a W from a Wills N,N1,U or U1 kit. A brass chassis, Romford wheels, H/D valve gear and plasticard. It ran on my EM layout "Brockley Green S.E.4." That has been sold but the loco is hiding somewhere. There's bleared photo of it, on said layout. Make me an offer I can't refuse. I would if it was the right gauge !