gismorail

THE FAMILY ALLOWANCE

All I can say is 'Amazing'

Nice job on the van , have to say your version is more than likely better than the real thing as it was when new !!!!! OMG they were the worst vans in the world in real life. By the way if it's six years old the real one would have plenty of rust on it by now. I remember a friend had one and within about 12 months there was rust forming around the wing quarter panels .....just in case you feel a bit of weathering is needed

Go to trade

More people than we could ever imagine is my guess

in dirty times

Excellent work Andy really enjoying your shunting movements good to see you enjoying the layout at last

It's been a while since I updated this thread with any progress on the construction of the proposed layout of Chester Northgate station but I have not been idle just trying to work out how the layout is going to fit into the new home. I'm sure I'm not the only person to aspire to build the layout of one's childhood spotting days, to imagine that I could create scenes from my pasted memories that helped me into a wonderful hobby that gives one the opportunity produce these scenes from the past. Scenes that I am fortunate to remember well and that have had the added help of publications and photographs that make ones memories even clearer. So given the fact that the new model railway shed has an area of 26' x 12' to build such a layout I started out by working from the 1958 O/S map as to how much of the track plan I was able to get into the above area. It soon became evident that it was going to be a tight fit and to model both the junction lines as true to the prototype as possible it was going to need the omission of the avoiding line and therefore the triangle. I have worked on scaling down the platform lengths so that a helix could be fitted into the top right hand end of the layout and therefore bring the Dee Marsh line back underneath the layout into a fiddle yard. The lower leg of the junction which goes towards the Manchester direction has an important role to play in the scheme of the layout as it's gives access to the engine shed, banana depot and goods yard alongside the main station buildings all of which are at a lower level so the full length of this junction would be needed to make such a transition possible. The above picture shows the end of the goods yard in relation to the main station building and the level difference. I have in the mean time been giving very careful thought about the construction of a helix to get the Dee Marsh junction into a lower levelled fiddle yard and have had some good fed back from Andy of Dent Station fame within these pages and although I will not be running trains as long as his I do have concerns regarding the effective operation of such a construction. So I think further head scratching would seem to be the order of the next week.

serious drink problem

depends which beer

but not as

For heavens sake don't give him any more ideas

Thought that was a picture of Andy's layout for a minute then..................... and the man himself operating the gates now he's got somewhere to built yet another layout in the signal cabin ..........looks like he only just got the gates open in time

Totally agree with you on that point, it would appear to be one of the strange failings of most higher management structures not only in this country but in many others worldwide. I would however hope that there is a very tense situation within the board of directors at Hornby which is why I made the comment about 'taking a long hard look' at their position.

Well this mornings news that Mr. Ames has departed was no surprise in the great scheme of things, to be honest it was strange appointment in the first place given the guy's track record. I would suspect that he was on a hiding to nothing when he took over and has done the job that he was hired for that being a 'hatch man.' Following his failures in previous appointments he was in no position to be considered for a top job in his line of work where results are essential along with a proven track record. He more than likely considered it as a last chance to prove his worth. Unfortunately not all business's are the same and the guy has misjudged the industry to his cost. Where will he turn up next we wonder ????? Lets hope that some sensible management now takes place and the people in charge at Hornby take a long hard look at their business a realise that something has to give in order to make the company profitable.

Thanks for that Mike what a cracking layout that was and some excellent buildings on it from what I remember ...can't believe it was so long ago

Looking good Andy I like the way your are not afraid to undo things to make it even better. Think you could do with some sheep on that hill ....... or even some ponies on open land grazing ... I'm sure you'll find something to make an interesting scene

Following this post I went onto the Hornby website and had a quick browse through the site ..........having wandered around for a while I came to the conclusion , What an awful website no wander the companies in trouble if that is supposed to be the main shop window !!!!!!

With today's latest newspaper article 'Hornby on the Rocks' Evening Standard it has crossed my mind as to whether I would now risk putting in an order into the Hornby Website now just in case it goes bust before my order is fulfilled. what do others feel ????

Just spotted on ebay a photograph of a J10 in a siding alongside Walton shed . If you search on the site 'J10 LNER locomotive' it should bring it up . Not sure it's of any use to your research but thought I would mention it to you. Excellent layout coming together now Just as a matter of interest were you involved in a layout years ago called ' Walton & Anfield' which I remember on the exhibition circuit at the time

You are spot on with this observation and assessment which does not make for pleasant reading. There is a large retailer quite near to here that would appear to have experienced the same 'stock clear out' I visited the shop a couple of weeks ago and the shop was full to busting with Hornby trains sets which had not sold over the Christmas period and to be honest it was like a supermarket / wholesaler rather than a shop. I was talking to another retailer which I use for mail order, only at the weekend as I was enquiring about the possible pre-order of the forth coming Q6 locomotive and was told that they had made stopped dealing with Hornby as they could not make any profit out of the product due to Hornby's Direct Sales , so how many more shops feel the same. As has been said I think the 's--t is about to hit the fan' which will be very sad indeed.

Yes agree with the above comment without the lunar capsule. My reasoning being that a location like yours would not require the larger capacity tank

Really enjoyed seeing Grantham at Stafford on Saturday and it was good to have a chat with you in person as well as seeing Tony at the controls he's certainly looking a lot better these days. However many times one views the excellent photographs on this web site it;s not as good as seeing it for real and I have to say it;s impressive even at this incomplete stage and an inspiration to fellow modellers.the junction end of the layout does look good and proves what can be done by Peco track which has been carefully laid. All the best for the remaining part of this wonderful project.

Looking excellent Jeff this is really turning into an absolute cracker of a layout. There must be one hell of a weight in that fell side. One very quick point do you think we will see grass by page 100........

Thanks Andy for your kind comments. The man cave has stood firm through the ongoing storms so far and it's lovely warm and cosy inside.