2mmMark

54" long, 15" wide according the RM article. That little bit of extra width adds a lot to the scene. The article describes the signals being operated by wire-in-tube so I'd guess the turnouts likewise. Mark

Featured in Railway Modeller for August 1980 as a double page spread across the centre pages where it was described as being built ten years ago (1970) and recently refurbished. The article looks like the work of Roy Link, it's certainly his style of design and photography. Never one to mince his words, Stewart Hine described Ashmelton as a scenic gem wasted on N gauge. Perhaps the only slight criticism is that it's a bit "typical branchline terminus" in concept, with a tunnel as the scenic break. Very common at the time of building but the execution of it was superb, a definite cut above contemporaries. I recall avidly reading the article at the time and thinking that this was something to which I might aspire but my membership of the Association was still a couple of years in the future. In the same issue was Ian Futers "Lochside" layout which also set me and a few others thinking about possible layouts. Three years later, I was building my own equivalent of Lochside rather than Ashmelton, due to the availability of tolerably performing Farish diesels which could easily be finescaled. There are details and scenes on subsequent layouts which are a straight pinch from Ashmelton. I think a like-for-like replacement for the track ought to work out OK. Norman Solomon knows a thing or two about trackwork and has used a mix of Peco large radius and Y turnouts. Nothing excessively tight for 2mm finescale. Mark

Apart from the front seats, could this be the perfect EV? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115604772138 Minimal gew-gaws and gadgets, just the essentials in a functional & practical car. Also qualifies for zero VED in the Historic category.

I think one of the back issues had a good feature on The Luxton & District Traction Company.

Because many council recycling centres automatically treat vans as "trade" and you end up having to weigh in anything you're taking in. What are very good are the van-derived mini-MPVs. I have a Skoda Roomster which, as others have highlighted, is a great load carrier, being based on the VW Caddy platform. The only issue I've found is that it's more aligned around cuboid loads. My previous car was a Mondeo estate which had ample carrying capacity in a long body profile. The Roomster has about the same interior volume but in a shorter wheelbase. This means it's easier to park and manoeuvre. The quirky design is a bit marmite but inside, it's very comfortable, smooth and quiet. Much less tiring to drive than the Mondeo. The neat thing is that the rear seats come right out and then you pretty much have a VW Caddy van with windows. However, Skoda discontinued the design and haven't come up with anything similar.

If Iain were to be inducted into a Hall of Fame, it'd made from rusty corrugated iron, located somewhere in the back of beyond, reachable just once a day by an obscure light railway.

I think Iain might have come from East London originally, thinking back to comments he's made in articles and books. He also wrote about cycling around Suffolk in his youth and coming across various branch lines that inspired him. No doubt his obituary will shed a bit more light on this. Mark

This is very sad news. Iain's words, drawings and pictures have been one of the guiding lights of my railway modelling for over 40 years. His modelling was inspiring but at a level you felt you could also achieve. Through mutual friends, I was fortunate to get to know Iain personally. He made no secret about suffering from Parkinsons so it's some comfort to hear his passing was peaceful. We got to see Iain on BBC TV in this https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01q9vhy which does get repeatead from time to time. Worth looking out for. Mark.

It's quite possible that you could use 2mm Association wagon chassis components inside the underframe mouldings. Products 2-314 and 2-315 are designed to go inside the Chivers N scale underframe kits, these may well be suitable. Mark

I'm trying to imagine what an impure cremation might be like. Does it involve a couple of shovelfuls of nutty slack?

Does anyone have the link for the zoom AGM? I was a bit late in registering as my plans for today have changed, was due to be out but now in. Email sent, no reply yet.

There was always something rather charming about leaving Scaleforum on a sunny sunday afternoon, with the last cricket match of the season going on nearby.

I find 12 to 15 degrees is a comfortable working temperature in my wooden shed workshop, which can be achieved fairly quickly with an electric heater. I have one with a pretty basic thermostat. Something that I've considered trying is an electric towel radiator as used in bathrooms. They are available with programmable thermostats but I don't know if the programmes have the low level heat settings I'd be looking for. When you're active, you keep warm anyway. The primary issue for me is keeping the workshop dry and free from condensation. The walls of my workshop shed are lined with plywood and the roof has a lining of double layer insulating foil. This seems to work well. I've just got some samples of upgraded foil insulation from a company called Superfoil. These look promising but quite possibly expensive, I haven't yet checked pricing. Cooling in summer is an issue, Maybe a couple of extractor fans in the eaves of the roof at each end of the shed to draw out hot air could be a useful addition. An alternative is to heat yourself with a heated gilet. There's a pretty wide variety available now. A number of my fellow volunteers at Brooklands Museum use them. I knew a chap, Maurice Seddon, who was somewhat of an individualist. He made his own 12v heated underclothing which he used at home in winter and also when despatch riding on his 1950s BSA (fitted with a car alternator!). https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2014/mar/16/maurice-seddon-obituary

I leapt in & got the Small Layout Design Handbook for a good price. Excellent book, as new condition and came very well packaged

It feels strange, I think we all kind of expected her to be almost indestructible. She's been such a constant in a changing world. I'm expecting the Royal Train returning her coffin from Scotland to be a 21st century "Winston Churchill" moment, a chance to pay our respects.

A friend of mine did that earlier this year on a rare pre war Triumph motorcycle (more accurately a pile of rusty parts!) and then found he was the only bidder!

What about a very thin slice of empty Biro tube, with a small cut in it to make a split washer so it can be slipped over the axle? Should stop the wheel boss touching the pickup.

Some hitherto unseen images of British Oak have appeared on the Facebook " Industrial Locomotive Enthusiasts Page" It highlights just how wrong my model is! 😯 The photos are taken in winter and it's a very bleak location indeed. The question is would this make a good model. It would certainly be different. Perhaps a bit depressing given current circumstances. Plenty of coal though, for those with the appropriate facilities. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10227275631014981&set=pcb.4925338790900268 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227275648295413&set=pcb.4925338790900268 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10227275649095433&set=pcb.4925338790900268

Yes, a great film indeed. Made with full assistance with SNCF and also the French military. Highly recommended.

The apparent anomaly of Switzerland being just 3.3% is possibly because their cost of living is already pretty eye-watering, according to friends who are currently living out there.

My advice would be to get a mono 3.5mm jack socket, either panel mount or inline depending on where you want to use it. Solder a pair of wires to it and connect them to the AC input of the Velleman. Being AC, it doesn't matter which way round you connect them. Then use the bigger of the jack plug tips to feed power. If you want to retain the tip in place, some heatshrink tubing over the inline connector will do the job. Failing that, a smear of silicone sealant will do the same thing. A lot of DC devices (like the little Medvend controllers) have round sockets for the barrel connectors, so using the jack plug avoids you accidentally plugging an AC supply into a DC device. Mark

I'm following this closely as I have an unbuilt 165DS etch. The instructions for mine say 3ft 3in driving wheels. I'm a bit puzzled as 6mm driving wheels aren't listed in Shop 3 so I was planning to use 7mm with adjusted axle holes. Where do you source your laser cut parts from? I may build the little-known Wisbech & Upwell version that had plastic moulded cow-catchers...

"I am Amber Spottiswoode and I claim the reward for the St Trinians train robbery!"

If anything, the price will act as a brake on usage. Let's hope for a wet & mild winter. With regard to Tollesbury Quay, I like the attempt to replicate the tidal environment. It's always good to see something different being attempted. To be applauded rather than criticised because it doesn't follow tide tables.

Please do. I'm always interested to see more information. Many have an interest in this particular location. Mark