south_tyne

Well it's clearly of a far higher standard. Sometimes though, quality does not equal entertainment. Conversely, relatively low standard football in terms of technique can be tremendously exciting! Although there is an awful lot of dross out there too (says the man who spends his life watching National League football.) Remarkably, VAR seems to be working quite well (and importantly quickly!) in the early PL kick-off.

Absolutely stunning photos as ever Rob! As ever I look on with awe at your ability

No doubt lots of hype around the Premier League today. I listened to some of the Liverpool/Norwich match last night. Routine win and pretty ominuous evidence of the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. I'm sure we will have another two-horse race this year. And folk are brazen enough to complain about Scotland.......

Good game last night and great crowd. We were far better in the first half but Darlo certainly came out much better after the break. It's going to be great having all these local derbies this season!!

My reputation goes before me Well I both agree and disagree...... we would be in a similar position as Kidderminster. A large town but we get average gates of around 650 to 750. Most of the folk of Gateshead support Newcastle. That won't chagne whatever we do. However we do some excellent work in the local community and have a good impact at grass roots level. So we do lots of coaching with kids, go into schools, run summer soccer schools, we do walking football sessions and do a lot of good work locally. I've read about Maidstone and there 3G (or is it 4G pitch) - they hire that out to schools, youth teams, ladies teams etc and have the community using it all day and every night of the week. Now that's great for the local community! Now I'm not saying Man City (just for you Hobby!) should be doing the same BUT I have no doubt they are doing great things in east Manchester in engaging with the locals, particularly kids. However, for both Gateshead and Man City, those people they engage with in 'extra curricular' activities are unlikely to come along on a Saturday afternoon. There are different reasons, cost for you and probably apathy for us, but it doesn't mean that what goes on outside of the 22 blokes kicking a ball about on the pitch isn't important. On the crowds point, yes we got bigger attendances in the Football League. However, one thing you do notice in looking back is that crowds were much more variable 30/40/50 years ago. They would often drop off markedly towards the end of the season; in pre-play-off days many clubs had nothing to play for in the last couple of months. I would imagine this has to do with lower prices and a relatively smaller proportion of season ticket holders. Not forgetting that in the 1980s, when football and the country was at its nadir, crowds were pretty dismal. Newcastle for down to around 15,000 for home gates, Sunderland similar and Middlesbrough far less! There are no rose-tinted spectacles here...... But ultimately you're right, the world has changed. Most fans would rather sit at home with their Sky Sports subscription as watch 3 games on a Saturday rather than going to their local club. That isn't going to change, no matter what clubs do. Football now competes with loads of different leisure activities for people's disposable income. The pub parallel is a good one. Folk would rather sit at home with their tinnies from the supermarket, rather than go to their local. Life changes, the world moves on, habits and behaviours change. That's just the way it is and things definitely were not always better in the past! The football 'product' we have now is incredible at the top of the game in particular. We are spoiled as football fans, but we all get our enjoyment where we choose and where we feel comfortable, whether that is sat on your sofa in front of your massive HD telly or down at a cold, wet and windy Gateshead International Stadium No approach is more virtuous or better than another, they are just different ways of appreciating the game.

I know nothing of this new fangled contraption of which you speak! A coat is considered a depths of winter luxury in these here parts...

Hey, steady on fella, we can't all live in the bucolic south! Congratulations and no more than you deserve. Your amazing modelling has inspired so many around here, myself firmly included, and I look on what you do with awe! No doubt the layouts look even better in real life, as confirmed by your award. I just look forward to the day when I get to see your work in the flesh! Keep up the good work!

Last week I was keeping a tally of how many times Salford City were mentioned on the radio in the lead up to the start of the new season. Needless to say I lost count and the total was certainly more than all of the other 23 teams in League 2 combined. We took 4 points off them last year, just saying..........

Thanks Pete, it really looks the part! The derelict house is fantastic too.

You're right, it quickly helps to bring it to life. Track is not properly down at the moment. Below is an photo (before I painted the backscene) with some cereal packet buildings to try and give an impression of how the 3d scene could look. The scenic break is a bit of a puzzler - current thinking is maybe a pipe gantry or footbridge as a view blocker.

Pete, Great to see you starting this thread. I will be using your photos showing the build as advice and reference for my own pointless project. What is the origin of the little diesel loco? Cheers and looking forward to seeing more.

That prototype in Yarmouth has always been one of my favourites. It would be great if you started a thread as I would love to see more

Next jobs are to look at painting the track, wiring and having more of a think about the traverser. The successful operation of that is going to be key to the diorama being effective.

Thanks Mr Fogeyman! As one of the masters of the micro-layout I have found your work inspirational over the years. Saxlingham and Snape were particular favourites of mine; most of my family live in East Anglia and I had a spell working down in Suffolk, living in the metropolis that is Campsea Ashe of all places! First to the important matters...... Yes I am a Heed season ticket holder and all-round fanatic for my sins! Looking forward to playing Kettering again, I have a lot of empathy for the club as you have also been through the mill in recent years, to a greater extent than our recent tribulations. I'm thinking about making the away trip in a couple of weeks, as it'll be another new ground to tick of the list. Back to the trivial matters of toy trains... made a little more progress yesterday and got the fascias and endboards painted. It is a joy of these small projects that progress is so rapid. Twenty minutes last night and it is really starting to move forward.

Agreed, they get that disproportionate coverage that affords their established 'cousin' over at Old Trafford

Oh, before the days of Mr Safe-Cracker being caught with thousands in used banknotes in the boot of his car in Witton-le-Wear, there was another workie ticket in George Tait. He caused ructions in the early '70s according to me dad!

Sounded like Alun Armstrong wasn't too downbeat though, putting it down to one terrible 45 minutes of football. Very early days mind and we all need time to settle given the normal high turnover of players at our level. Looking forward to making the short journey down on Wednesday. Good to renew our old friendly rivalry! Do be honest given Saturday, we could still be playing now and I don't think we would have scored! Early days though and it'll take a while for a new squad to gel. It should be a great season for us all though - Darlo, Spenny, Blyth, York, Gateshead - with lots of local interest and intrigue. I am just going to enjoy the ride!

Thanks very much for sharing Pete, your diorama looks cracking. If I can do something to anything like that standard then I will be very happy. I love the scenic work and those buildings, particularly the derelict house; great modelling and shows what can be done in such a tight space. I just want to say a general thank you for the kind words and encouragement guys, I really appreciate it. I must admit, I was in two minds as to whether to post anything about the layout at all, given that it is so small and with my very questionable abilities, but it has really given my self-confidence a boost to get a few nice constructive comments. I've made a little more progress today - painted the backscenes a simple pale blue colour, using one of those little 'tester pots' from Wilko. Couple of coats this afternoon have helped to get rid of that bare timber look. I also got a black pit too to do the endboards and facias - maybe a job for tomorrow if I have time. One of the reasons I love micro-layouts is because you can quickly make progress in small manageable chunks. It also allows you to practice the full range of skills and techniques requires for building a layout in a short space of time. I'm finding this very useful after such a long period of stagnation. My proposed 'proper' layout to follow is to be based around an agricultural tramway - think Wissington for inspiration. This little snaphot may become a tiny cameo of that idea, but I need to give some really careful thought as to how that would look. Dave

That's the idea - basically that it can be set up in any environment, on a desk, a kitchen table or even a bed. That reflects my own rather transient existence at present but I hope it can be useful for others too. I'm glad my little project has providing a little inspiration for you. Economical is good, as another stingey fellow I'm always looking for ways to save a bit of money! If you saw it close up you wouldn't be saying that! It's definitely a bodge job!!

As long as it doesn't hang around for days and leave a sour taste in the mouth (sorry I will stop with the silly Boycott analogies!!).

Thanks guys. Honestly, making the move to 0 gauge is the best decision I ever made. I have one loco and about half a dozen wagons but it suffices for my needs. Ultimately 7mm scale need not be expensive, Ixion/Minerva have done wonderful things producing locos at a very affordable price, not that much more than 4mm scale locos. There are some great kids available and plenty of second-hand goodies to be picked up cheaply. It's an age-old cliche, but one which I have found to be very true, that for a similar space you may need 5 or 6 locos and 25 wagons in 4mm scale but only 2 locos and a dozen wagons in 7mm scale. Therefore the financial outlay won't be any greater. The scale and mass of 0 gauge is simply wonderful too. Actually I find all jobs, even the most mundane of tasks, far more enjoyable in the larger scale. It obviously just suits me far better! Anyway, don't waste time procrastinating like me, just give it a go! I want down the road of trading-in my stuff and I am still 'in the black', so the outlay on my 0 gauge adventure is currently actually negative! Dave

So the initial graft has been done. A baseboard of 116cm by 26cm has been knocked together from various offcuts and remains of abandoned projects. I've actually split it into two but have added some hinges so that it folds down into a more manageable size. Backscene, end-boards and fascias have been cut from the remains of an old desk. The diorama will consist of two sidings hidden by a short traverser. Literally pointless, the idea is that it will be operated as a shunting puzzle, with a set number of wagons needing to be shuffled and rearranged into an order, randomly determined by some cards. So here is the current state of play. Track and wagons placed to provide context and some temporary cereal packet buildings knocked together to give and example of how the scene is intended to develop. You should now understand why I am reluctant to call this a layout! Current cost is nill..... everything being recycled.

Thanks Terry! I am certainly not the world's most talented modeller (and probaby not the most talented in my street! ) but if I can gain some enjoyment from it that is all that matters.

Thanks for your kind words Bill. I do find the support I folk around here to be very helpful. I am if the mindset of trying to complete one little task a day; even if it's only a small 10 minute job, at least I have done something. Hopefully this will be beneficial for me on a number of levels.

Thanks Dave! This little project won't include any narrow gauge (only on the basis there isn't room!) but the proposed proper layout to follow will hopefully include an 0-14 feeder and some of those lovely rugga skips!