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Hi Peter, Many thanks, praise indeed from a master! I genuinely appreciate your kind words. First efforts, yes, but with a lot of tutorial and inspiration from many on here, yourself included, even if you didn't know up to now. I've not got LNWR Portrayed yet: still looking. I did have the privilege of seeing Camden Bank last summer. It is an exceptional piece of work in progress, the main section between Granby Terrace and Gloucester Gate being especially impressive. Mr W has been exceptionally helpful to me. Operation will hopefully hold the interest. If I ever get that far..... There will be a variety of passenger services both into and out of Euston. From predominantly mk1 class A stock on major services to and from the north, through plenty of Stanier pd III stock, non-corridor stock on suburban services, mixed rakes and so on. I will need to use various rakes several times to represent these, otherwise I'll need a 200 road fiddle yard and a lot more money. Also plenty of ecs moves by 2-6-4 tank towards Willesden carriage sidings to the north, with the train engine banking in reverse on the rear then peeling off to the shed. A good deal of movement in the shed area. Locos come on in reverse under the footbridge, pass the shed on the loco road to the NW side onto the turntable. Then reverse down under the coaler, drop the fire in the ashpits, water at one of various points and sit wherever there is space facing NE ready to reverse back down to Euston to take another train. Any loco going north with a train will be turned via loco lift in the fiddle yard and won't return too quickly! Plus 0-6-0 tanks moving coal and ash wagons around. Don't think I will mechanise either the ash or coal lifting gear......a step or more too far for me. That's the prototype as far as I can take it. I could then put third and fourth rail onto the two slow lines and have some Watford DC lines emu workings. I could also stretch truth a little and include some freight going south of Camden, which was very rare. Thanks for the interest. Iain

Thanks Jason....in your case it definitely goes two ways. And no, I didn't mean it like that......! Iain

Thanks Philbax. I am wiring it so that it can go DCC (soon), but the plan was always to keep a more traditional operation of the turnouts. Hence, I think I'm going to go with the simplest solution in my mind which was suggested by Keith, and means that I just need to set the route correctly. I could adapt it later to a module like the one you suggest, but I think I would only do that if I go entirely DCC and use frog juicers etc. Thanks for your interest. A little more progress. What do people think of this view? The Gilbey warehouse needs blending into the other board, which Alan is going to do in situ in the next week or two. It isn't easy to make this join work. But so far, it is a very decent representation of the real thing. On another note, this pic courtesy of 53A models on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/7149637505/ Shows the end of the siding off the coal wagon road, which was often used for loco storage. Can anyone help with the buffer stop, or lack of one? It looks as if there is a miniature one. On another view that I can't post, there is a definite rail crosspiece, but maybe only 12" above the rail head. Thanks in advance for any ideas. Iain Edited as I pressed post before I'd finished!

Beautifully built Gordon, a pleasure to see as ever. Iain

The coachmann trackliftingitis disease has struck. Not quite as virulent a strain as that which afflicted gordon s, so the baseboards are still here at least. Water to loosen the pva And up comes the track It was only about 10" that had to be relaid, thankfully. Plenty more track to build though...... Here is a bit of it under construction Vee and wing rails bonded together with fret waste pieces on the templot plan. The templot plan isn't followed absolutely perfectly because I did the entire layout in one of the other OO gauge options before I knew about OO-SF. Hence the wing rails are slightly tighter to the vee. I also have used 16.5mm instead of 16.2 as the stock gauge. It means there is a 0.3 mm more clearance on the checkrails, but I can live with that as it improves the running. Remove wing rail shims and check alignment Complete Trim and file back fret waste Then begin the build onto the ply timbering. Here, kI use a variety of complete and cut 3 bolt chairs, along with trimmed slide chairs. Not exactly inventing the method..... Iain

Hi Mike, Many thanks. That is what I was trying to do really, but despite a good deal of drawing and even more thought, I definitely needed some confirmation. I think Keith's suggestion in the other thread makes clear sense - and it would have been arrived at by your process, so thank you. Iain

Thanks for suggestions everyone. I am experimenting with some acetate printing and will post some results. I've posted in the electrics section http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79544-help-required-to-wire-this-formation-please/?p=1255342 to ask for some advice about wiring this: Any help you can give would be great. Thanks, Iain

David - rest assured that, as one of the Coronations most regularly sighted at Camden, 46245 will be here! I was originally going to rename and renumber Leeds to London. 46240 was also a regular, but most of the class turned up at some point. farren - I think the Hornby Princess body is way beyond hope according to Tim's measurements, which I am sure are spot on. I was wondering more about the chassis, as I am more likely to get a body built than a fully functioning 4-6-2 chassis. The old Bachmann rebuilt Jubilee apparently has a load of shortcomings, but I've not investigated how bad they are, so that remains possible. The Hornby rebuilt Scot has a 2A boiler...... And then there is 46170 British Legion with the unique (?) 3A boiler. That was also a regular..... However, I'll leave all that for a while and try to get more of the layout done before I decide what to do on these more complex loco builds. Iain

Hi farren, I'm sure you're right that we will be building/adapting many similar locos and comparing notes might benefit us both! I'm looking forward to being capable of building one of those Mike Edge Princesses - by far the best 4mm examples I've seen. Mulling over whether it's possible to adapt the Hornby chassis and then build a much more correct body, but by the time I manage that, I'd guess that at least one rtr example will have surfaced. I have some fairly standard ones to do - mainly 4-6-0's of various types. I ought to have a rebuilt Jubilee with the 2A boiler at some point too, and not yet certain how best to do that one. Tim's probably done 3 of them already! I've stuck to 1960-62 because that represents a crossover in time of various locos I'd like to include, and having built a load with AWS already, I didn't fancy removing all that detailing either. However, I will have the merest smattering of diesels, so distorting the reality at Camden at that time. But hey, it's my layout! And talking of which, I need to build that before I start grand ideas of a huge loco building run....... Iain

Thanks for those links Jason. I already followed most of them but finding Leith Baltic Street and BNW as well was very welcome. That's 2 more follows.... Iain

Hi Jeff, I'm with Gordon and Jason here. You can reuse all the Marcway turnouts where their geometry fits into KL2, and since you've got a whole load more fiddle yard to do, there is plenty of scope to reuse them there. But the flexibility and seamless flow of handbuilt track would elevate further what you are doing. Once you've cut your teeth they do go together very quickly, and you can build for around a tenth of the cost of the ready made ones, especially if you've got salvaged rail to use. And if I can learn to do it, anyone can. Mind you, I did have exceptionally good tutors in Gordon and Norman Solomon........ Best thing that happened to my layout building was to rip everything out of the loft and start again, so I hope it works the same for you. And while I'm here, I found a pic of the guard (almost certainly not the right term?) rails on the viaduct at Durham. I seem to remember you were talking about these about 70000 pages ago, but if this is any use to you...... There are rails attached in both the 4ft and 6ft to restrain derailed vehicles from doing further damage or veering further off course. Best wishes, Iain

Hi farren Both 46256 and 46257 had electric lights fitted for a while, but they carried oil lamps as well in case of (reasonably regular?) failure. The electric lights were removed at some point. I'm away at the moment so can't check the dates, but it was before 1960, if that makes any difference. Looking forward to your build! Iain

I could also print the grids onto paper and then copy them onto acetate sheets: that would bring back memories of the days of ohp. I'm going to give it a bit of thought, and it will be pretty easy to try at least the printing. I've been thinking about these windows for months so another day or two won't hurt! Iain

Hi Gordon, No I hadn't tried that......it's such a monumentally good idea that I probably wouldn't have tried all this other guff if I had! It's also so simple I can't believe I missed it. We could be looking at a rebuild - of the glazing at least. Thanks as always, Iain PS. I'm rapidly coming round to the attraction of etched window frames too!

I then had a go at the roof. Masking tape strips to give some texture and hopefully simulate some kind of felt: Painted the roof with a mix of grey, black and a tiny bit of leather. In position by the goods depot and footbridge: A few more of the completed backscenes in place, with incomplete stuff in front of them! Iain

Hi jrg1 Thanks for the kind words. My ballasting on the mainlines is partly explained at: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/52339-camden-shed/?p=735637 And the ash ballasting in the shed area here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/52339-camden-shed/?p=1109426 I've copied parts of the methods used by Captain Kernow, Gordon S, Norman Solomon and no doubt many others. I can't claim it's perfect, but I am happy enough with the effect. I think the very thin sleepers of C&L track seem to help the effect - it appears as if the sleepers and timbers are in the ballast not on it most of the time at least. Another observation is that it does pay you either to paint the pva very accurately between the sleepers of already laid track, or to sit the track into a very even depth of painted pva. It does need painting and weathering but so does any method. By all means ask if I can give any further info. A further update: I've been agonising over the windows of the ARP box for a while. It has now become more urgent because Alan has completed the two main backscene boards, so I need to complete the goods depot board and the station board and fix them in place before getting on with the rest of the layout. Take 1 I tried to make the 1930's thin steel frames out of microstrip, which is what I'd used on other buildings, and indeed on the toilet window of this one. Too thick, plus painting them a dark grey colour (which seems to be what they were) was never going to work without me slopping paint all over the glazing. Take 2 I sliced up very thin strips of black insulation tape. Better, but too hard to get the strips straight, and being so thin, they would twist and so the adhesive side would be on the wrong side at times. I tried to make the outer frame in carefully sliced strips of 0.020 black plasticard. So that wasn't going to work either. Take 3 Time to learn how to use the bowpen. Larry is not allowed to laugh at this.....! I drew out the glazing bar grids onto a larger sheet of quite thick clear plastic glazing material bought from one of the traders at some show or other: Outer frames made from 0.5 mm grey plastic rod. It's not perfect but it's a lot better than previous efforts The frames need to be set back from face of the outer wall by only about 0.25-0.5mm. The outer frames were stuck with plastic weld, and then once dry the glazing could be fixed to those frames from the inside using Limonene. I definitely now wish I hadn't done the toilet window in microstrip! Iain Edit: spelling

Is that "The Railway Modeller's map of the UK" ? Apparently, in the early 19th century there was a secret project to build a line to Scotland on the other side of the Pennines, but although it is still in existence today, not much seems to be known about it. A few hardy souls have pressed on with models of places like Tring, Hest Bank, Carlisle and Preston, but without A4's, they've not garnered all that much attention. I'm trying to recreate a bit of the London end at Camden, and there is one intrepid Mr Worthington who has built a marvellous model of the entire bank from Euston to Primrose Hill. Tony's work, as well as many other fine examples like Peterborough North and Retford, have been hugely helpful to me despite not being remotely comparable either in terms of location or standard of modelling. Iain

Tony, I would be one of many who would like to see those two Duchesses, if you are able to locate pictures. More inspiration for Camden. In passing, thank you too for all the inspiration that you have given in print and on DVD over the years, and more recently on here, a good deal of which has been influential in my learning. I may have chosen to model the "other" main line, but it will include many locomotives and coaches modified or constructed following some of your principles. Iain

Thanks farren. I'd like to build a Mike Edge Princess - it certainly looks the best way to achieve a decent one - but I've got a way to go before that I think. Looks like you'll have a lot of similar motive power on the go to me? Iain

Hi farren, No problem, flattered to be asked and glad to pass on anything useful. I think the conversion kit went together very easily indeed. The trailing truck clearance on the rear frame extensions needs some adjustment according to the radii you are working to. Also, I prefer the set up I did on 46248 with outside bearings soldered into the trailing truck frame, rather than the inside set up without bearings that I used (according to the instructions) on 46256. It runs more freely. I didn't excavate the front of the frames to replace the inside cylinder cover. I was just a bit too wary. It really isn't that hard a job, but this was built when I had just started. Now I will need to keep to the same look for all of my Coronations. The rest of the body was pretty straightforward. There is a good deal of pipe work that you can add according to how far you want to go. With the tender, just make sure it is the right tender for the Ivatt variants. Should be part welded with roller bearings, steps on the rear rather than a ladder, and no visible vents. These Comet tenders practically build themselves, but I did manage to get a couple of things wrong that I needed to rectify! The filler dome is 2/3-3/4 covered by the rear of the coal space: don't do what I did and solder it so that 3/4 is showing. If I did it again I'd use some inside bearings for the tender axles to reduce friction. You can build it so that you use the inner tender chassis and pick ups from the Hornby donor. I did that with one of the Black 5's and it worked pretty well. Good luck with it and do keep us all posted on progress. I've really enjoyed some of your previous updates and need to take some inspiration from that at some point to build a decent Princess or two. Iain

Thanks Terry, very kind. My version of Sir William is anything but powerful and needs a bit of weight adding, which I will do when I get DCC'd and chip it. I'll post a close up picture of what I did with the trailing truck if that helps. I think that, with a little more care on the weathering, I may now stick with the finish I have on it. Too many people whose opinions and skills I respect greatly have told me not to strip it and start again! That does mean that a version of Salford becomes more likely, but I don't want it to become a layout where only the odd variations or extraordinary locomotives are seen - Ivatt Coronations, Caprotti Black fives both HRP and LRP, Caprotti Standard 5, 71000, 92220 etc are all done or nearly done already. I'll therefore need a lot more of the original Stanier Coronations, plus perhaps 2 Princesses, many Scots, Jubilees, Patriots and Fives, a few more Standard 4, 5 and 7mts and a couple of 2-6-4 and 0-6-0 tanks for ecs moves and pilot work. Of course, if I manage to find a massive pile of cash, the upcoming Golden Age 46256 in late BR red may be very tempting! The cash, however, is likely to remain the obstacle...... Iain

Good to hear Terry. I look forward to seeing Salford take shape - few locos beat an Ivatt Coronation for me. I think you've seen my effort at 46256 http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/65335-motive-power-for-camden-shed/?p=872202 Are you building the Comet chassis for this one as well, or using the Hornby model as a base? Please do show some more of your coach building in due course, and any 4-6-0 in construction too. I know what you mean about scenic work as well. When do you envisage ballasting? Always a very interested follower of Hest, even if I haven't posted too often. Iain

Thanks to both of you. LNER4479/Robert/other various names you may have been given (!) - I think that compared to the wiring for all of your wonderful interlocked signalling, my "forest" is probably no more than a few isolated saplings! It looks worse than it is because I won't clip it all into some kind of neatness until it's complete, in case it needs some kind of rerouting. It's just a whole load of droppers to the main bus from all these relatively short rail lengths in the yard trackwork really. Terry - The ballast in the yard area is Carr's Ash ballast. The main running lines are ballasted with some sort of fine ballast, though the brand escapes me at the moment. I will need to add quite a lot to the yard surface and it will need painting and weathering too. There are a number of different textures, depths and colours all over the yard area, from near black coal overspill to quite dark black-grey through the greys of clinker, ash and so forth, to browner shades and the rust on rails and chairs accelerated by acidic deposits. Then some bits are dry and others wet by water cranes, and there is a good deal of oil in other parts too. Should be fun, if a little daunting: if I mess that up it won't be pretty...... In reality the concrete in the 6ft was at rail height inside the shed. But I am not going to replicate that! Iain

Hi Jol, Thanks. I could use white microstrip but I thought that since the only bits of the layout that would definitely have been kept clean would be the signal box windows? Since the metal frames on the ARP box are so narrow, I'm not even sure that microstrip could be thin enough to look acceptable anyway. Painting them once applied is just not within my compass. I nearly ruined some of what I'd done on the station buildings by painting the window frames of the ground floor buildings. Luckily, they need and will receive a good deal of weathering so should be ok, but I shied away from trying that on the 1st floor windows. Iain

Very kind, Stanley. Thank you. A few pics of further progress on the shed roads. I bought my calculated 7 packs of Exactoscale bridge chairs, but haven't enough to complete road 5, the 2 pits at the N end in front of the turntable, nor the two machine shop roads where the wheel drop is. So basically I can't count...... Or I can count but can't multiply.... The shed floor is 40 thou plasticard, which matches the thickness of the filed down Peco pits, and the height of the C&L plain track. The shed spans the main baseboard join, which meant I had to make the pits shorter so as not to have to cut through the join. I'm pondering the wheel drop. The machine shop roads are going to be considerably shortened, and views inside will probably be obstructed so I'm not sure whether it's even worth it. It looks complicated to model too: http://www.georgelaw.co.uk/casestudies/actual/bridgnorthwheeldrop.aspx shows something of what it might have looked like. I've got to make a few compromises to make the build time achievable. The wheel drop may not happen. You can also see in the background that the backscene board behind the station building and including the Roundhouse is completed, while the one behind the goods depot building is being completed now. I'll show both in more detail when they're together, but I really like what Alan has done. He's not the quickest, but he could say much the same about me....... Other progress has involved a forest of wiring and more tortoises than the reptile house at the zoo. I really need to finish both of the signal boxes, and complete all the scenic work on those two boards, so that they can be fully installed and left alone. I'm struggling a bit to do the windows on the ARP box at Camden no. 1. I think the only way to get the proportions right on the thin metal frames is to use a bowpen directly onto clear plasticard. Colour - looks like dark grey in the best pic I have but I haven't got any real confidence in that being right. That's one challenge. The other is that the windows sit close to the outside of some thick apertures, so they have to be exactly the correct size and then stuck inside the aperture. Headaches..... Iain