[Movement in the outdoor track and Fracking hasn't even started yet]

"is going on" and on and on and on ... and on.

Actually, their numbers looked to be dwindling as I passed thiem this morning, although the filmc crews are still there. Actually if all the TV crews went home the protestors would hopefully give up because nobody was paying any attention anymore; what worries more is the proximity of the drilling to the Brighton mainline. But enough of that!

It's good to see trains passing on the bridge... something I hope to pop round and see sometime before summer is out. Glad the p'way was sorted too... good to see that you were able to stop trains to sort this all out because not all railways seem to do this ;-)

I tend to agree that the protesters would go home if the media left, they just like being on TV! You will have to make some time for a visit, as the line is just about workable, in fact I set Tracery + Pullmans on 50 and just left it going round without incident, which is progress!

The main problem that I'm left with is that in some places the resin has expanded more that I expected and therefore the track has some fair amount of undulations, which are now difficult to resolve.

Every track fixing method seems to have its drawbacks and whilst this is proving very weatherproof, getting the levels right will take quite a bit of effort. It has also shown the shortcomings with rigid chassis locos - I reckon that all those will have to be rebuilt - 9 locos!! - unless I try and get away with the four coupled locos and re-spring the Chinese and Korean locos with far softer springs.

[Movement in the outdoor track and Fracking hasn't even started yet]

By the way, the reference to Fracking is about Balcombe (where the protest over drilling is going on) being only a few miles from here

[Felt a bit of Photoshopping was needed]

Perfection!

Glad that you liked it!

[Managed to get the bridge painted at last]

You have a point there, but I have no room for it indoors anyway, so will see how the paint goes - and if it stays on the aluminium!

I reckon if you leave it out for the summer it will weather nicely.

[A4 in Primer, now to get the right Blue]

Hi Hilbert, the loco will be 60027 Merlin in the experimental purple/blue livery, if I can get the colour right that is!

Which A4 shall this Be?

[S scale models find a new home]

Hi Thanks for your kind comment, winter seems to be pretty prolonged down here too! but when the sun comes out it's just great to be in the garden and I'm very lucky to have the layout, which is on the site of an old vegetable plot and Karen didn't spot the potential of it, so I land-grabbed and then many years later graciously allowed the building of a summerhouse greenhouse, on condition that I could still have the railway run through it!

Hello Matthew, ssince you were kind enough to leave a comment on my Blog I thought I would return the favour. Your pictures in the garden are real tonic and bring back distant memories of warm sunny days 40 years ago when we passed through Redhill.  'Summer' up here in south west Scotland is very short - hardly time to even grow potatoes never mind play trains.

[8Fs – Heavy goods engines - the Hornby O1]

As with many other 0 gauge folk, I have gone outdoors with the station (and power supply) in the summerhouse.

I always marvel at what you 'O' gauge people achieve in small spaces - or have you got a huge space!

 

Regards

 

Ray

[8Fs – Heavy goods engines - the Hornby O1]

It's a pity this isn't 0 Gauge, I  would buy one straight away!

[Bachman Class 205]

Do Bachmann do 'Magnadhesion', it must help with this new ceiling based space saving layout idea!

[Perhaps it's time]

It certainly should never go in the skip, someone would probably love to own and operate it, looks very good to me.

[Brookford Station 7mm - Update]

Well done with the backscene and figures, both have enhanced an already very good layout.

Also note the arrival of the O2, which probably fills the gap that might have been filled by the Adams Radial?

[Station building 5 Completed!]

Top quality work, well done indeed!

[Helmsdale- a Far North Line Background]

Really like the backdrop, is it photographically produced or painted? I also think that the layout looks convincing as an adaptation of reality.

[GWR HALL (6)]

Inspirational work! Makes me want to get on with some of my mis-shapen acquisitions!

[Friday 21st December 2012 - Yippee!]

You will be so busy with being retired, you will wonder how you ever had time for work!

[GWR HALL (2)]

Looks like you need a medal for bravery!

[A thoroughbred pair]

A very good job, what names will they carry?

[Christmas layout surprise]

I can still remember a farm layout that my Dad made for me when I was 6 one Christmas,(over 50 years ago!) I'm sure this will be a very memorable for your son, well done.

[GWR HALL]

Well.. the wheels are round, that's a start! I look forward to seeing what you can make of this!

[Treats at Reading trade show]

Matthew,

Do you have a full shot of 60012, with that looonnng nameplate? Those MNs look lovely, like the blue'un!

cheers,

Peter C.

Hi Peter, Please see re-crop of the pic - it shows all the nameplate but not the whole loco for 60012. Cheers, Matthew

[A roof for "The depot"]

Excellent work and clever use of lighting, well done.

[Treats at Reading trade show]

Me too... that tender looks right for Blue Funnel too!

Yes Jon, they have taken a lot of care to detail the various types of casing on both loco and tender and at first sight they appear to be accurate.

[A Question of Scale]

S is a lovely scale and is an all-Imperial scale of 3/16" to the foot, or 1:64, and therefore 19% larger than 4mm. There are some of us on here who model (I occasionally dabble) in S. probably the best person to ask about the locos on here is Phil Copleston. See the RMweb S Scale forum here and here's a nice layout in development

Thanks for the links, sorry to be so ignorant, I suppose that our popular gauges of mixed imperial and metric are a bit wierd. The Terrier is a very nicely made loco, so I can see the attraction.

[Blue Pullman in the snow]

That is very evocative, I have always liked the blue Pullman, as it seemed to stand out amongst the smoky murk of the Midlands, surrounded by steam locos. These images are very good, makes me want to get the paintbrushes out for a new picture!

[Improving some Kirk teaks Pt3 - Tackling a teak finish]

Hi James, I wonder if a base colour that is a bit nearer to the solebar colour might be worth a try, but the result that you have achieved is a good effort.