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There are times when I can see the appeal of BR unlined black. About half way through decorating the No. 252 was one such occasion. However bit by bit it all came together. The final result is a bit bright, but the brass does tend to develop a patina of its own over time. As ever close photos show errors the eye misses and it needs some builders plates as well. A few pics ; Originally built as goods engines in 1878 the class were rebuilt as mixed traffic in the early 1900s, westinghouse fitted and repainted in lined blue. Last members of the second lot were withdrawn in 1932. A bit of video of 252 in a variety of mixed traffic roles. I found that to be a challenging build, but the end result is a bit of a character and a rather nippy wee engine.

To relieve the boredom during lock down I've spent sometime watching YouTube clips on modelling disciplines other than Railways! Probably heresy on a Railway Modelling forum, but good fun and interesting all the same The Military Modellers have some very interesting weathering techniques that I fancied having a go at and thought would make a nice change from pristine Edwardian G.W.R. locomotives and coaches! As a teenager I dabbled in 1/35th scale WW2 military stuff and I remembered enjoying building a little SAS jeep from Tamiya. I did a Google search and found it was still available, so I treated myself Tamiya SAS Jeep kit The kit is really nicely moulded with very little flash, but as it's been around for more than 40 years is lacking some of the finer details. This is easily rectified by the addition of a etched brass detailing kit from Eduard. https://sgsmodelstore.com/products/eduard-35797-1-35-willys-jeep-sas-photo-etched-set-for-tamiya?variant=21172361297998&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2018-08-09&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6575BRCQARIsAMp-ksOl5n_qPv49qXif0ObeRshid19tIbMwpu6i8BPVDjuHBvVAOurpFZsaAu6cEALw_wcB There's a bit of cutting and filling of the plastic parts to allow the fitting of the etched brass components, but their addition really improves the model in my opinion. Model with the addition of etched brass parts The main weathering technique that I wanted to try was "the hairspray technique." The model is first painted in a dark rust colour using enamel paint and this is then allowed to harden for 24 hours. The model is then sprayed with a couple of coats of hairspray, before spraying the top coat using acrylic paint. The hairspray acts as a barrier between the two paints and allows the top coat to be easily removed to expose the rust colour underneath. Water is applied to the surface of the model using a damp paintbrush, which dissolves the underlying hairspray and then wooden cocktail sticks can be used to make scratches and abrasions. How successful I've been in getting a good result is for others to judge, but I'm pleased with the end result and will certainly be using the technique on future railway wagon projects🙂 Painted Jeep The crew were painted using acrylic paints, I'm not quite there with painting faces, but I'm guess practice makes perfect! Addition of crew I found some nice wooden plinths on Ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/solid-oak-hardwood-display-plinths-bases/182346249361?var=691535184773&hash=item2a74aef491:g:Aw4AAOSwcUBYIPS3 and modelled a bit of dessert terrain using some fine Woodland Scenic's ballast, which I then sprayed in sand coloured acrylic paint. All in all I found a gentle excursion into a different modelling discipline to be very enjoyable and I certainly learned techniques that were new to me. There have been railway related projects happening alongside the jeep, but more of those next time! BW Dave

Following on from the video, today I've been ballasting. Using a mixture of ballasts, from fine to coarse, of different colours, left over from Kings Oak, I managed to lay a nice mix of ballast on each trackbed, using a Proses ballast layer. The rails were painted using a Posca paint pen. Once the ballast has dried (the usual PVA-detergent-water mix) I'll airbrush layers of rust and oily gunk to weather the ballast and sleepers down. The bare cork and board eventually will house trackside concrete troughing and OHLE masts as well as the advert hoardings, and will be finished off with more ballast and weeds/litter The bay platform side of the island. The ballast is a little bit uneven but I prefer that as smooth perfect ballast in a bay platform would have been far less likely in this location. I've revised where the advert will be located, they need weathering down so when I get the airbrush out for the track I'll tone the adverts down a bit. Unfortunately I've had to adopt tighter curves than anticipated but amazingly they don't look too bad when trains pass over them. The clearance to the rear of St Flo's church yard is a bit tight but a 158 just clears it. The bay platform buffer stop (Hornby, repainted) with DCC Concepts LED lamp. The OHLE terminating gantry was custom made by Simon Barnes, I'll be using Dapol plain line masts elsewhere (and before anyone says anything, I know they are Mk3 OHLE to a design first used north of Weaver Junction in 1974 but, frankly, I doubt the difference will be that obvious when the scenery is in place) The retaining wall disguising the ply , and the varied colour of the ballast mix. Once a spray of rust, oil and effluent is added I think it'll look fine. There's just room for a row of concrete trunking and two OHLE masts. Where the Arriva Class 158 and Centro 150 are parked between gauging runs, I'm planning to install an ARP signal box and brick relay room. Pockets of refurbished older signal boxes controlling new multi aspect signalling were common on the WCML until the recent modernisation, and although most of the Midlands was signalled by power boxes at Walsall, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Coventry, the Trent Valley line and Stafford kept a number of boxes until 2005-6, so I decided that the Wednesford loop would have kept an electro-mechanical box allied to modern relay room similar to modernised boxes elsewhere. The new Wills ARP kit is perfect as the railway was badly damaged in 1941 so would have had a new box built to replace one destroyed in the blitz. I'll probably build the box tomorrow whilst the ballast is setting. And finally, I've tidied up Wentec, the lift tower has been painted, a redundant 3d printed roof unit added and a lollipop tree added to the grassy forecourt.

Right, back to some modelling. I have said painting is not my forte, add full size painting to that too. Anyway, a scotch derrick. I made this a long time ago for the previous layout, but I haven’t got round to fitting it since its a bit vulnerable as it is towards the front of the layout. Scotch derricks are a simple crane, they were used in large numbers throughout the railways and industry in general. Drawings of the size preferred by the CR were published in “The true line “ and mine is scaled closely to those. It’s a basic model, the wood bits are mahogany, the iron bits are brass. The gears are from all sorts of stuff, anything with likely usable bits never gets thrown away without salvaging the gubbins. Well that looks ok to me. But, why not make it all work. Er, a controller ….. A bit of video of it in action. I have rebuilt the top end which had gummed up over the years, the drive system needed tidying up, but I’m fairly happy with that. Somewhere I have some lacing cord to replace that hairy cotton. The ball on the hook is a bit overscale too, but anything smaller lacks the mass to make the hook go down.

Following on from the last entry, I must first thank the contributors for giving me ideas and offering suggestions! This post won't really feature any solid plans, but will give an idea of avenues I could take, and inspiration I can use on my quest for a new layout (or two!)... TL,DR: The next layout will likely be set around RAF Calshot/Fawley refinery/Lepe/Southampton Waterside (although I haven't totally ruled out the IoW yet!) I'd like either a combined OO and 009 layout, or one of each connected by mutual fiddle yard I can't decide whether to have: modular, double-sided, multiple self-contained layouts, or something else... I must design for what will fit in my small car - no board longer than 4ft, preferably no wider than a normal interior door frame, although I'll stretch to 3ft if necessary. Either way I'd like something both unique, and fun to operate! I know there's a lot of text here, but if nothing else, do take a look at the photos and renders as they'll give a good overview of my ideas. And now, the long version... I thought planning my next layout would be relatively easy, but I've been giving it a lot of thought over the past two weeks (with many hours spent doodling and playing with 3D models in an effort to squeeze real locations into a minimum space), but the designs kept getting larger and more complex, and I kept finding interesting sites nearby that are crying out to be modelled. Either way, I'm certainly no closer to something that I'm totally happy with! Regardless of whatever ends up being built, I feel relatively confident in saying that it will be inspired by areas surrounding (and including) Calshot; I'm of course a sucker for coastal scenes, but there are also a lot of very interesting areas to be inspired by here. Not only are there quaint seaside locations, but they are intermingled by some pretty serious industrial sites! I guess in the real world we'd call this contrast an eyesore, but in model form it creates intrigue. SECTION 1: The narrow gauge (009) My first thoughts naturally turned to a layout based on Calshot, Ashlett Creek, and Fawley. The idea (ha!) was to keep things small, and produce 3 small boards; each capable of being a standalone layout if I didn't have room to set them all up in one go. However, my best intentions were sidetracked even at this very early stage by the idea of a standard gauge circle of track, which in turn set each module to be 762mm wide; a little too wide, really. For some reason I kept this size going for a long time despite never adding any OO gauge in the designs! Let's take a look anyway: Above: A lot is going on in this screenshot, but it shows a few progressions of ideas. The bottom-most doughnut would is a simple non-scenic test track featuring a 3rd radius circle of 009, plus 3rd and 4th radius circles of OO gauge track. Above that, we have a 3-part circular layout featuring two scenic, and one non-scenic boards. Next up, the middle pair of designs show the same diameter circle, but with an elongated egg-shaped section comprising of two larger scenic boards (with the rest non-scenic). Finally, the top right set shows a fully "presented" version of that idea, with one board (Ashlett Creek) mocked up as an additional scenic module. Let's take a closer look at that one board: Above: Using rough dimensions from Google Earth, I mocked up the two main structures; the tidal mill, and the pub "The Jolly Sailor"; both of which were partially built on Old AGWI Rd. To form a continuous run, a non-prototypical spur is run behind some trees on the edge of the mill pond (at the rear). I've always said Ashlett Creek would make a very attractive scene with very few modifications, and indeed it would easily stand by itself as an exhibitable layout (although with only two sidings, perhaps three if you count the rear spur; not exactly a thrilling layout to operate!). Above: The tidal mill at Ashlett Creek is a very dominant building. Looks like I've modelled it a little too small (height wise), but the general atmosphere is there. Note the quay, which once had a standard gauge steam crane to offload barges brought from Eling Wharf. These materials were things like sheet metal, and concrete piles; all used in the construction of the oil refinery a mile or so away. Two narrow gauge tracks also terminated here from the refinery for the same purpose. Above: Just to the left of the mill is The Jolly Sailor. I already started a model of this when I was building Old AGWI Rd. The old narrow gauge railway ran to the right of the pub. As you can see, it's a very modellable location, and needs little in the form of compression. I'll likely leave off a few of the later extensions to the pub though! Above: Another look at the Ashlett Creek module, but this time with a slight modification shown on the right hand version; the backscene height (and thus also the pelmet height) has been dropped to see how low I can get away with it being. I'd say this is the absolute minimum, coming in at 200mm from baseboard edge (at pub height) to the bottom of the pelmet; that's 150mm less than the left hand version. The overall effect is interesting, whilst it might make it look somewhat cramped with the lower headroom, the layout certainly appears a lot wider. As noted, I think I misjudged the height of the mill, so this may actually turn out to be too low... Either way, I usually prefer a tall backscene as it makes you feel more involved in the scene, by completely removing everything outside of the scene itself. In reality, a pelmet this low will be an issue unless the layout is shown at eye-level, which of course is unfair at exhibitions as it stops children or people in wheelchairs seeing the layout. Typically, a lot of exhibition layouts have relatively short backscenes with a gap until the lighting pelmet (i.e. the pelmet is located higher above); particularly layouts operated from the rear. Unfortunately this isn't good when it comes to photography for obvious reasons! Fortunately, I prefer to operate layouts from the front or side so that I can also engage with the audience; so a tall backscene presents few problems. This does make the layouts considerably bulkier though, which is why I don't permanently attach my backscenes and lighting rigs/pelmets. Above: Using the exact same 762mm x 762mm board size, I've also shown how I can condense Calshot to form a second module. I've just noticed the hangar is too far left and covers the track, but you get the point; it fits in nicely. Whilst the small spit was covered in hangars and workshops, there were also plenty of places to "park" seaplanes, so I've tried to keep it feeling relatively open, and only model the hangar in low relief (as on the original two Calshot layouts). I usually avoid half-relief structures unless they can be well camouflaged, but with structures this big, you'd be looking at a large baseboard otherwise; and this is the smallest hangar! Note the two small structures either side of the hangar that will be used to try and hide the exits; both are prototypical. Above: The hangar and small rightmost building on the render can be seen here in a photo I took back in 2009. The little cottage was built in I think 1900 as a coastguard building, and was eventually incorporated into the seaplane base here as a store and medical building. The hangar dates from 1913, and is of a "Belfast Lattice Truss" type (a barrel ceiling supported by a wooden lattice truss). To the left were a myriad of warehouses, a powerhouse, and more ancillary structures. Note the name given to the hangar; all the main buildings here had names assigned to them to celebrate prominent figures, and their involvement in RAF Calshot. Above: I visited the spit again in 2010. On this trip I even took a look inside the old castle. At one stage the castle accrued several ugly additions to its roof; not least a coastguard room and weather tower. These have long since been removed and the new coastguard tower seen in the background is the modern replacement. The view from the top of the castle is rather nice, but I bet the view from the coastguard tower is even more impressive! I'd love to keep my model of the castle and incorporate it, but it's such a huge structure that it would take up an entire layout by itself; especially with the moat as well! Above: Something I haven't modelled before is "Top Camp" - the accommodation camp at Eaglehurst, which the narrow gauge railway at Calshot ran from. I knew that I didn't want a large scene for this as practically all the buildings are the same style, but one photo inspired me in particular; this showed a store and the 3-road engine shed. Outside the shed were two wagon turntables which were used to shunt rations over to the cookhouse adjoining the various mess halls. This 45 degree (instead of 90 degree) module is much smaller at around 300mm x 500mm; including large curves that cut off most of the corners. The track curves do look a little on the harsh side though, so will need checking if a module like this is built! Another thing to bear in mind is that any continuous loop would have to go behind, as this is a dead-end module. Above: Most of "Top Camp" was demolished, but there are a few buildings to have survived. Here's St George's Church; a stones throw away from the original loco shed; and shows the typical construction style of these buildings. The surrounding land has now been turned into a cemetery. The old officers mess (off-shot to the left) was turned into a pub after the RAF base closed (which was later known as The Flying Boat Inn). Unfortunately, it closed due to low demand in the mid 90s, and burned down in 2001. Above: Eventually I realised that 762mm would be too wide to fit through most doorways, so I came up with some reduced size "standardised" modules; one of 500mm x 500mm, and one of 600mm x 600mm. Again, these have 90 degree curves on the front edge, and are curved halfway along the other two sides to form a sweeping backdrop. Here you can see my attempt to fit Ashlett Creek in. It's a little tight on the 500mm module, but perfectly achievable on the 600mm one! However... then I realised a problem (a.k.a the problems with circular/double/multi-sided layouts) ...is a circular layout/double-sided layout really "fit" for exhibitions? Unless you've got a very small layout that can sit on a table (ala Ted Polet's Nixnie - an excellent example of how to do a double-sided layout), or you're on the very end of an aisle/have space all around the exhibit (which is extremely unlikely at shows unless you're put into a small room on your own); probably not! These layouts are a lot of fun (especially for children who like to follow the trains around), but sadly there's a reason most layouts are rectangular, and typically have one viewing side. Double-sided layouts in particular are really interesting, but I find harder to pull off effectively in an exhibition scene. Above: Eventually I realised a problem with these 90 and 45 degree corner sections, regardless of size. Can you see what it is? Look towards the left side and you'll see that the jetty is halfway in front of the backscene, and therefore half off it; that's a photographers' nightmare! Our eyes may be good at filtering out backgrounds, but cameras most certainly won't be. This is a big no-no in my books (and is exactly what Old AGWI Rd suffered from). The problem with "missing" backscenes around curved layouts is not something I often see mentioned in the railway modelling "circle" (pun not intended!); and it results in it being incredibly hard to photograph more than a small section of the scene in one go without there being a missing backscene somewhere in the shot. I've seen many an exhibition layout "ruined" by either the lack of a backscene entirely, or the inability to frame a photo in the way I'd like due to the curvature. A double sided layout where the two sides have full-wrap around backscenes, and the curve is hidden off-stage (and thus are more akin to two separate layouts) would solve this problem, but then you lose the nice "flow". Ted's first solution for Nixnie was to purposefully create one significant feature (a wooden trestle) on the curved end piece to force the viewer to look mostly from this one angle on the curved section. The other way Ted reduced the problem was by planting a large amount of trees in strategic places; mostly behind the trestle to hide the backscene edge, but also on the corners of the board so that you can still get some oblique angles with a background of trees rather than people! You'll never get it perfect, but Ted's methods are both really effective and also subtle ways of doing it if you are determined to have a curved section. Despite having just moaned about layouts with curved edges, the "problem" is that I don't like square/rectangular boards! Yes, you can call me a hypocrite now! I typically find it more natural to let the scenery more or less dictate the shape of the board; or failing that, to curve the edges substantially as seen above to give more flow. The problem is not only is it more difficult to build and store the boards, but you end up making those unintentionally unflattering angles for photography as already mentioned. Even my layout Sandy Shores suffers from that to some degree, but I've tried to set the important features towards the middle or rear of the layout to help offset this. As with all railway modelling, compromises are therefore the name of the game, and whilst I'd love to have all manner of whacky board shapes, it's probably best if I compromise on board shape if I am to get some decent photos by the end of it! Here's a slightly more subtle curve that may work a bit better (although obviously still leaves potential for some angles to have a partially missing backdrop): Above: This is where the designs got bigger again, but this time not in width, but in length. 900mm (3ft) x 400mm (1.3ft) is still perfectly manageable though, and would easily fit in my car. (It's about a foot less than Sandy Shores in length). This means that we now lose the nicely flowing circular layout, and end up with what is essentially a rectangular box, presumably with a hinged or removable fiddle yard behind. The end of the jetty is perhaps a little close to the board edge for my liking (taking photos of it would be hard), but other than that it's a lot better. It goes to show that there's a lot to take into account with layout design, likely more than you would initially think (and I include myself in that category, as I totally forgot the amount involved, too!). SECTION 2: The standard gauge Even though every layout except Sandy Shores has had some OO, none of it has been operational since 2011 or thereabouts. That means that none of my standard gauge locomotives have even turned a wheel for 9 years! I started off thinking about a layout (preferably with a circle of track) that I could finally give them a good run on... ...however, realising that even a third radius of OO track was not only unrealistic (i.e. too sharp), but also very large, I'm leaning towards a 4 board stack-able "roundy-roundy" test track for this purpose. To satisfy my cravings to shunt goods stock, I'd have another layout either on its own, or as part of the narrow gauge layout. With regards to the round test track, I haven't thought about many specifics, other than it likely having an inner circle of 009, and one circle of 3rd (+ maybe also a 4th) radius OO track. This really needs to be as slim as possible, hence the idea of splitting it into four, and stacking the boards for storage. In reality, the depth of the boards needn't be more than some 35mm PSE and 9mm plywood; much less than my default 100mm as shown in the earlier renders. Of course, a circle of track is not exactly fun to operate; hence the idea for a separate shunting layout. This train of thought (if you'll excuse the pun) wasn't helped by suggestions of a standard gauge terminus in a sort of Isle of Wight guise. I must say, the idea of an O2 along with some nice old coaching stock still being used on a BR branch line very much appeals to me! Of course, that is a possibility, but in actual fact the tipping point was re-reading a few books on the various railway systems along the Waterside*... * The Waterside, Southampton. Not marked on any maps, but is a local name given to the west side of Southampton Water; so the section of coastline from Eling to Calshot. First, A Brief History Lesson To cut a very long story short, the original plans for a standard gauge railway along the Waterside proposed a line from Totton to Lepe/Stone Point - a farmhouse on the coast in the absolute middle of nowhere! The reason? Well, the original somewhat optimistic idea was to tunnel a railway underneath the Solent to Cowes, on the Isle of Wight (only 2.5 miles away, compared to 11.5 miles from Southampton). This idea fell by the wayside, eventually, but not before more plans were drawn up for a 470 yard pier at Stone Point for Steamer services to the IoW and Channel Islands. After many, many years, a plethora of plans, land purchases, test drilling, and a bitter rivalry between the LSWR and the SM&AR/M&SWJ; it was the LSWR who ended up getting a line, but not to Lepe/Stone Point, but to Fawley oil refinery, which was, at the time, under construction. This was said to be the terminus... "for now", as there was consideration being given to extend to Calshot; which is partly why both of my versions of Calshot had standard gauge track. Clearly, the LSWR never got over the threat of the M&SWJ building a line to the IoW, and potentially taking their lucrative custom... which is strange considering by this point: The tunnel idea had long been branded unworkable A pier at Stone Point would've been relatively un-sheltered and thus not really suitable for steamers The LSWRs' own steamer and IoW rail services were in full swing Any line would feasibly have to join up with the LSWRs' own line at Totton, and thus would be subject to their terms and charges The M&SWJ had already filed for bankruptcy! Anyway, the point is, that gives me a lot of scope for some "realistic" alternative history for the Waterside area, and further west to Lepe. Above: With the idea in my head sown, I set about making a few variations on the Lepe/Stone Point theme, albeit without a 470 yard pier because that would equate to a 5.6m long baseboard, minimum! The design shown is large, but still narrower than Sandy Shores. Note the Artitec HOe ferry (with the track removed as it's purely used for cars), and the station canopies which are a representation of those once found at Lymington Pier. Yes, that's a small lighthouse on the hill, as well as 4 coastguard houses, and in the foreground, the "watch house". The latter was used to look out for smugglers trying to navigate the Beaulieu river! The coastguard houses are very pretty, their walls being covered in multi-toned slates; something you don't often see in this part of the UK: Above: As mentioned, Lepe is a pretty beautiful hamlet. There's not much room between the houses and watch house, so any plan would need to be single track; and even then I think it's a little optimistic! In reality, the railway would be much further to the right, and definitely wouldn't go behind the watch house; but I can't not have these beautiful buildings on scene! There's just one slight problem with this plan, and is one that all my OO gauge layouts have faced; there simply isn't enough length before the station to make passenger services entertaining to run! In fact, that also applies to Sandy Shores; the platform is immediately after the scenic entrance. Assuming I did build such a scene, goods would definitely account for most of the traffic on the line. I'd likely treat the layout as an inglenook (perhaps including the platform line, which I suppose could double up as a freight loading platform) to make things more interesting. Rolling stock would be a variety of 4-wheeled wagons, and whilst 4 wheel coaches would be nice, perhaps the Hornby Push/Pull Maunsell set would be more useful given the later period I intend to model (40s-60s) That said, there's not a lot of length to accommodate a passenger train, so maybe a single coach is all that is required (I've got my eye on this Maunsell ex LSWR 58ft comp). Motive power wise, The B4 tank and USA tank are particularly strong contenders, and maybe the O2 and a Southern Terrier as well. Thankfully, there are also a few in my existing collection that would suit; notably the Q1 (albeit a bit on the long side), the BR standard class 2, and BR class 03/04 diesel. Everything else I really ought to sell! SECTION 3: Where to now? Well, it always helps to start off with a list of constraints; perhaps that's what I should've done first instead of leaping into condensing real life locations into random board shapes and sizes! I've not been at home for the past 2 weeks, so haven't had access to the track that I'd rescued from Old AGWI Rd, but that, along with some cardboard mock ups, will be a good way to go about planning in earnest from here on out. Above: I'm currently leaning towards the idea of two self contained but join-able (via a central traverser fiddle yard) layouts; one depicting an alternate history of Lepe, and the other a mild alt-history of Calshot. Time will tell if that's what I end up building though! Ideally, I'd have more room for the standard gauge layout, but I'm trying to downsize here; plus, all boards would have to fit in my tiny car in one go... Of course, there are plenty of other inspirational scenes! From Hythe pier head: ...to places like Poole Quay, Hamworthy Quay, So'ton Docks, Lymington Pier, the IoW stations... the list goes on! Well done if you made it to the end; there was certainly a lot to trawl through, for which I apologise. Any comments or suggestions are wilfully received, as always!

Lima Merseyrail Class 73, 3d printed 507/508 kit modelled as 507023 and a Bachmann 2-EPB sit on what will be the diesel depot, Mellington Street station's single platform and train shed is in the background.

It turns out that the cheap Chinese motors I bought on eBay are just that: cheap. Despite much fiddling with the motor position I couldn't get the original motor to turn the wheels while on the track. The chassis rolled freely with all of the gears and rods attached, but the motor would only turn the wheels if I held the chassis in mid-air, and then only if I held the motor in exactly the right place. On the track, it just wouldn't budge. Eventually I came to the conclusion that the motor just didn't have enough torque, and bought one of the Tramfabriek 0716 motors which are (newly) available from the 2mm Scale Association shop. The difference was magical! Here you see the new motor test fitted. The worm is now brass, because I couldn't get the old plastic one off the motor shaft. The eagle-eyed will spot that I replaced the worm bearing bracket with a heftier version, filed up from a block of solid brass rather than a bit of thin brass angle. This was part of my messing around with the eBay motor - I thought it was too loose and that might be preventing the worm from meshing correctly. Again, it has a phosphor bronze frame bush soldered in to take the little length of stub axle, which is a press fit into the worm. The worm sits on a 1mm shaft adaptor like before (I think it came from Nigel Lawton). This motor has a double-ended shaft, as you can see. Unfortunately I can't take advantage of this and fit a flywheel as there isn't room. Here is the motor after cutting off the unused shaft. This was done with a slitting disc in the minidrill. I had to cut it off quite close to the end of the motor because there is very little clearance lengthwise in the bunker. Even so, I had to file a bit off the motor support collar to get the body on. I found it useful to attach the wires to the motor with Kapton tape. At long last, the chassis has made its first successful test run - here's a video. For this I temporarily soldered the motor wires to the side frames, and balanced some lumps of lead on top to give it some hope of current collection. It's a bit more hesitant in the backward direction, but I will worry about this once I've dismantled the chassis for painting and put it back together again!

My model of the GWR stable block at Park Royal is now almost done. Here's an overview of the build and some pics of the finished item. The stables at Park Royal followed the classic outlines of what I call the “Style B” of GWR stable blocks. Above is a sketch. The model itself was built using the GWR drawing that is reproduced in "Great Western Horsepower" by Janet Russell and in Adrian Vaughan's "Pictorial Record of Great Western Architecture". I used my Silhouette cutter extensively for the build. The GWR drawings were imported into Inkscape, on top of which I then drew up my own drawings for the cutting file. Getting the hang of this was a learning process in itself, and I’m grateful to Jason and Mike for their excellent threads on using the Silhouette and Inkscape. The digital drawings were used to print the main sections on my Silhouette Portrait cutter. The cutting mat for the Portrait is shorter than the length of the stable block, but I eventually discovered that two mats can be used in extension of each other, with the styrene sheet bridging them, as seen here. The Silhouette can't cut 20 thou, which is a problem if you’re using embossed sheets, since most of these seem to be of that thickness, including the SE Finecast sheets that I favour. So I used the Cutter to score the rear side of the sheet, and then cut through manually with a scalpel. The cut sections were laminated onto further layers to create depth. I ended up with five layers in total. The front of the building was done before I discovered that I could cut the full length of the building in one go. The vents, lintels and sills were also cut on the Silhouette. This is where it started feeling like making your own kit. I initially struggled a bit to get the windows cut well. The silhouette isn’t really designed for this sort of detail work. The best I could manage was 0.3mm glazing bars. The hit and miss vents aren’t perfect, but once painted I think they came out OK. The doors were built up like this. They were quite tall and wide, which initially puzzled me until I realized that some rather big beasts had to pass through them! The windows and doors were fitted as the middle layer in the 5 layer sandwich. I modelled a couple of the windows in open position, to add signs of life. The rear wall was easy work. It was very plain on the prototype, as per most GWR stable blocks. I assume to give the horses a bit of peace and quiet (windows were sometimes retro-fitted when the stables were converted to garages). The slates for the roof were cut from vinyl, a tip I got from Lee’s blog. Once cut, the vinyl strips can easily be pulled off the backing and are not as fragile as paper or card strip, which allows repositioning. Right, I thought, nearly done! But then came the roof vents… The roof vents – aka cupolas - turned out to be a whole project in themselves. I needed six, which eventually amounted to some 220 individual pieces. The photos below show how I made them. I hope they are more or less self explanatory: There followed a discussion in the workbench thread as to whether slate was actually used on the cupolas. Some photos *seem* to show it, but it remains an open question. The safe bet for anyone else would be to use metal sheeting instead, as several photos and one drawing shows this - although whether this was zinc, copper or lead sheeting is not clear to me. After painting, I realized that the individual slats in the roof vents had come out with slightly different angles. So my method for making them could be improved on. The camera is cruel though, and it's not that noticeable in real life. A view from above. The roof vents were not evenly spaced on the prototype. I have done a bit of light weathering, but it probably needs more. There is also the question of a manure pit, which I haven't built yet. I need to make some planning decisions first, more on that later.

As a bit of light relief from track planning, I've built a couple of Cooper Craft wagons. As I wanted them in the early livery, I've changed the axle boxes and brakes for something more appropriate for the era. I've always really rated Cooper Craft kits and built most of the range in my 4mm days. I only wish the 4mm Minks were available in 7mm scale! I'm not a fan of the buffers supplied with the kits, so they have been replaced with turned, sprung buffers from Slaters Plastikard. GWR 4 plank open GWR 3 plank open