Chris Nevard

Chris might not be as keen on this one, but 50 years doesn't come around too often career wise. I have a hunch he'll want me to do some more photo merging for backscenes on his layout, so hopefully will forgive me? The loco is Transatlantic which I know he approves of.....

Congratulations Chris! And here is the top chap doing what he loves best - caught here chatting at Model Rail Live 3 weeks ago. [edited to make more sence]

Very chilled operator?

Glad to see there Das has worked for you - fiddly, but worth it

Here's the original Halfwit post http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/428/entry-6508-austerity-mods/

The finish looks spot on to me, green always suiting these locos so well and I really like the oily sheen you've achieved. Here's what I did to the injectors after acting on Halfwit's good advice http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/5705979513/in/set-72157626597657462 Here's to Halfwit - top man!

Just twist the dial to the movie camera icon, and press the take button. Simple as that, and then all you have to do copy off the camera and upload to Youtube. You can trim the shots in camera if need be. Now you'll have no time for any model making! Chris

Gilbert - check out the video function on your G12 - it's very good - on the the function dial on top.

You could paint a lanscape on it like Mr Harrap has and use yourself as a portable backscene at shows;)

Well before closure, here's a nice view of a North British Type 2 No. D6320 at Glastonbury in October '64 on an inspection train which can be found on Ian Mckechnie's www.3218.co.uk http://www.mckechnies.dsl.pipex.com/3218/s&d/branch/specials/index.htm Click on the thumb at the URL above to enlarge

Phew! Looks great and I'm glad it worked for you - it's hard work but well worth it and not everyone has success. I've been using matt emulsion to paint after doing the rail sides. I little washing up liquid helps it stick to slightly glossy surfaces.

It used to be a private siding, but shut in 1932 , now just a cripple siding. After looking at old prototype trackplans everything is possible - which is half the fun! You can just see it here with the van in

All the track is the original copper clad for point and SMP flexi for the rest.

8104_stogursey_003_01, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr. Combwich is a lot older than most people think, the baseboards and track dating back to 1980. It was originally called Churchstanton, then Stogursey and finally the present Combwich when I rebuilt it in 2001-present. The layout is still very active, in fact it's better now than it's ever been: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/sets/72157630183211760/with/7397034112/ Most of the stock seen here is still in regular use too over 30 years on. The signal box has moved 3 times, and some will spot the change of roof too! The track plan showing things are they are now, hopefully it will help place things. Seeing these pics, which are neg scans is like going down memory lane, especially because most of them were never printed. On a couple of them I have been able to digitally remove my teenage bedroom walls which were in the background, that's something I could only have dreamed of at the time!

 43216 shunts a grain wagon with a hot box into the siding at Catcott, September 1959. When backing up files yesterday I picked out the photo of the culvert being tried out for size on the layout back in December 2007, it reminding me of many of the lightweight materials used for the scenic base with much of the cardboard here being from a huge flatscreen TV at the workplace. I remember at the time being far impressed by the cardboard than the TV because it was unusually stout, strong and light - the cardboard that is! Lightweight materials extend beyond the scenic base, I also used corrugated card and foamboard in addition of the more usual ply and stripwood for the main carcase, all of which has resulted in a very light layout indeed! And whilst I wouldn't recommend such an approach for a large club layout that gets thrown about, stood on, leant on and packed away every Tuesday night at 10pm in a huge rush, it's perfect for a personal lightweight portable layout which will be treated with reasonable of care. For key areas like the outer shell, backscene and ends plywood has still been used because it's far better at taking impacts. 5 years on, and the layout still looks fresh, both the outside and inside and I don't break by back popping it in and out of the car or packing it up at home or on the road after playing trains. I think this confirms that foamboard is ok for a layout which is treated carefully and doesn't get exposed to excessive temperatures or moisture, but if it's to be used for anything bigger than a tea tray it must be mixed with more traditional materials. But now for the crunch; would I use such for a layout the size of Catcott again (5 foot scenic)? Probably not, if only for the fact that I occasionally catch one of the foam board cross members underneath from time to time and invariably need to replace them. More about CATCOTT BURTLE

This is just why I would get into such a mess, I'd be ripped off in no time. Both you two will be coming with me when I go, I'll buy you a few pints too!

Here we are back at Combwich looking south into the midday sun, it looking like a windy day judging by those clouds. A little flare from the sun has been captured unfortunately across the smokebox door of 44417, the result of not using a lens hood. The loco has just arrived with the morning goods from Evercreech Junction, but because it's a couple of hours until the next passenger train and the shunter is having lunch, the engine will probably be taken along to the shed for a pit stop before shunting its bounty out of the platform road into the goods yard. Scenes like this were once every day 50 or so years ago, and era when life was probably alot slower and simpler than it is today, or so my parents tell me who are from those times. I'm sure that there are few who wouldn't jump into a time machine for a few hours or even days to sample this little slice of lost Britain. But I wonder how many of us under the age of 50 would be able to cope with pre decimal currency when the landlord asked you for one shilling and thrupence and the local shop keeper 9d for a Mars Bar? Personally I'd put on a strange accent and act foreign to get around this issue. Clever people would simply take a pensioner with them or swat up before hand of course! Finescale modellers will I hope notice my nod to the Model Railway Journal with the typeface used here - I think quite suitable for this post.

Cheers! There is a 2ft 3" gauge line running along behind the platform halt, and around the same time a preservation group relaid a couple of hundred yards of track so they could run trains two or three times a year on it calling themselves 'The Moors Light Railway'. Sadly the move to road transport made it inconvenient fo the preservationists to be there, and they disbanded around 1970/71. It's not known what happend to their loco, rumour has it that it was turned into Austin Allegros (baby poo coloured ones). Here's a rare photo (of the engine, not baby poo) http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/3230413439/in/set-72157612020895249/

nevard_120614_catcott_DSC_5845, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr. I haven't typed a 'Billy ######' page for ages, so here goes a snippett of parallel universe 'faction'....... Click on the photo above if you think it's pretty and want to see a bigger one! In 1966 Eclipse Peat (Catcott) upgraded its loading facility with the ability to handle the loose product as well as bagged. In August 1969, diesel hydraulic No. D6313 is captured propelling wagons under the loading hopper. On loading days, the tractor seen in the shot, endlessly pottered to and fro with loaded trailers of peat from the works seen just behind the loco. Windy days, not that uncommon due to the proximity with the nearby Bristol Channel, would often create a peat storm, so loading frequently couldn't take place under such conditions, this making it unsuitable for rail transport with its rigid time table. In 1971 the rail transfer facility was withdrawn in favour of more flexible road haulage. The hopper here can still be seen; lorries now reversing under collect their load instead of railway wagons. Nowadays without the railway in the way, the hopper is fed by a 1500 yard continuous conveyor from the peat moor. The old SDJR 'Branch' which shut as a through line in March 1966, remained open as far as Catcott and was worked as a long siding from Highbridge. The lack of run-around facilities meant that loaded trains were propelled backwards as far as the creamery siding at Bason Bridge, where the loco then ran around its train to travel further afield. When rail transport from Catcott ceased in 1971, the railway was lifted back to Bason Bridge, which in turn shut in October 1972. One of the reasons for closure of the final section was the building of the M5 motorway which breached the line just east of the former Highbridge Locomotive Works. This shot is totally un-manipulated. I hope that the typeface appeals to MRJ readers

Thanks This is what the eye sees, hence the clouds having a slightly odd angle, because they really are on the backscene (homegrown photographic one) and we're viewing it from an angle here. The only cheat, apart from a puff of smoke is that the layout room could just be seen above the faintish cloud top right where the backscen ran out (it's a foot high), so a little 'blue' was painted in over.

This has all the makings as something great and one to watch... proper thought out backscene - hurrah! I've no idea how big this mock-up is, but you could sell it as a ready to lay track T or Z gauge layout once you've built the pukka 0 gauge layout (I'm not being serious, but....)

nevard_120612_catcott_DSC_5788, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr. Templecombe's 43216 is captured pottering about the sidings at Catcott Burtle on a bright but blustery day in magnificent summer of 1959. Click on the photo to get a bigger view. '59 was very similar to the summer of 2006, with hot temperatures and wall to wall sunshine running well into the autumn. This is probably one of the reasons why there are so many colour photographs from that year, colour films from that era being generally very slow and totally unsuitable for photography of moving trains unless the sun was out. Cameras in the 1950's compared to today where very expensive, especially if you wanted something with a lens faster than f2.8 which would have been needed to get a high enough shutter speed to stop a fast moving train on the mainline, even with the sun out much of the time. Catcott has been wrapped up since last autumn in a cat proof cocoon of black dustbin liners, mostly to stop Saffy our British Short Har from chewing the tops off signal posts. This she has done this twice, I'm not really sure of the attraction of etched brass and white metal, it's not as if she's teething and the vet gave her a clean bill of health just the other day at great expense. Why is it that cats always go for the bit that cost the most in time and skills? Cats aside, keeping the layout wrapped up has also kept it nice and fresh, dust being one of the main things that make a layout look tired, that and direct sunlight. Some think that dust makes a layout more realistic, the problem is that good lighting and a camera show it for what it is, 12 inch to the foot fluff and dead skin, mostly the latter I hasten to add! Tip: 'economy' black dustbin liners, split down either side make great lightweight layout covers that won't damage what's underneath. Since doing up the Bachmann Midland 3F I haven't had a chance to show it off on my rose-tinted portrayal of 'The Branch' (the home of the real engine for many years), so this was one of the reasons to get the layout out, as well as trying out a new 35mm f2 Nikkor which focuses extraordinarily close for such a lens, the result being the above. It will make a good partner to my 55mm Micro-Nikkor. This is an extract from my regular blog at www.nevardmedia.blogspot.com

The gallery on the Bluebell, autumn 2006 Burning some rubber, heritage railway style! Up in thehillls and far away; 86609 & 86621 power past Rowell with the 4M74 Coatbridge to Basford Hall Freightliner, Thursday 7 May 2009 3 frame panorama on the Northampton loop week before last, more info here. For hay fever sufferers.... Framed with a field of rapeseed, 66501 on the Tilbury - Daventry Freightliner. Church Brampton, Tuesday 22 May 2012 More rubber buring on the Bluebell, autumn 2005. Metal snake - 66554 pulls the 13:35 6J91 (Q) Earles sidings-Weaste(Eccles) F.Liner 66 loaded cement tanks out from the exchange sidings. Earle's Siidngs Thursday 18 August 2005