28XX

The fruit of Herr Wilson’s social engineering experiments in the 1960s, dumping families Birmingham couldn’t handle there was never going to end well. Buried in the concrete are some delightful towns Wodehouse would be proud of. Oaken Gates, Wellington, Dawley, to name a few.

That’s the last thing the community at large needs. Think of the kiddies.

I think a fully detailed signal box interior is a really good idea. Many were / are alarmingly close to high speed running lines. A lot of enjoyable research required!

There is a long and illustrious history of drug-fuelled writing of children’s television, Magic Roundabout, Scooby Doo, Teletubbies, In the Night Garden and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom, to name just a few.

This is just a placeholder post to stake my claim on my concept. The diorama will be viewed through a peephole on one side of the box. Light will reach the scene through translucent panels, on the opposite end of the box, and possibly from one side. The diorama will depict the interior of a goods shed, with railwaymen trans-shipping goods from one or more wagons into a road vehicle. Absolutely nothing else will be posted for a month because we are going away on 14 October.

Can I build the model with the 6” x 8” face being the base?

As a child, I made a sort of static kaleidoscope, following instructions in a magazine. (Scouts?) You cut the end off a shoebox and replaced it with tracing paper. You cut an inch diameter hole in the other end to look through. Inside you built a model garden, using a mirror to represent a pond, stones, bits of moss, twigs etc. Hold the box so that daylight shines in on the scene through the paper, and view through the little hole. Using this concept, I think l’ll enter this competition. I’ll call it “sorting the goods” the scene will be the interior of a goods shed, with light in the main coming from the open doors at the far end.

After The Gold Rush - Neil Young

My Girl Bill - Jim Stafford

Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds

Actually there is spare capacity in the grid in terms of current carrying capacity, particularly in big towns where the heavy industry has gone. The grid has its problems, though, the age of much of the cabling switchgear and transformers particularly.

All or Nothing - Small Faces

Lying Eyes - Eagles

On the up theme. - Dennis Waterman

Sounds like a company that is used to random physical work would be best. Either a gardening firm, or a small jobs builder. Hand tools and a van to cart away rubbish would appear to be plant enough, and would damage the land less. Don't forget to check they have a waste carriers licence.

What about using polyester resin, this sets by chemical reaction, not evaporation of solvent. Still do it in layers, I think I recall it might heat up in bulk.

On the way into Birmingham New Street from the southwest, the line passes through a sequence of tunnels and wide bridges, the daylight in between many of them is in some cases only a coach length or two. Add a well detailed signal or two and you have a layout with operational interest. Plus a possibility of modelling some street scenes above.

I suppose you could count Dovey Junction in the same way.

Little Miss Can't be Wrong - Spin Doctors

Alright Now - Free

I'm a Believer - Monkees

Harbingers are utter fiction. Likewise the modular base fabrications for Borsetshire Slab looms (another FEMTo product) can be represented in 1:76 by the clear plastic clips which hold 5 refill blades for Tesco mens razors.

The anti-tamper caps from Fruit Shoot bottles bear a remarkable likeness, in 1:76 scale, to harbinger castings, transported by rail from Birmid-Qualcast to Felpersham Engineering and Machine Tool via Stourhampton goods yard.

The Whole Of The Moon - The Water Bouys

I think the effect you are looking for is that of regularly trampled ash, with evidence of cart tracks and horse haulage, interspersed with lightly weed covered areas towards the buffer stop ends and odd corners where staff rarely need to go. With so much ash readily available, the prudent GWR would not go to the expense of tarmac, at that time it was still quite a new invention too. Only the entrance to the yard from the highway might have stone setts, if it was a busy enough station. Incidentally the entrance to the GWR yard off Sheriff Street in Worcester had its setts until the 1990's.