The Great Bear

How about Swansea Victoria (LMS/LMR) - fits with Nearholmer's suggestion For added interest you can have the elevated line to the docks that ran next door A really good take based on this is this in Ian Rice's Designs for Urban Layouts, including engine shed and potential for continuous run on the elevated line in something moderate garden shed size, cannot recall off-hand.

...especially the last one

I've found the Crossrail drawings of the Westbourn Park bus deck, though they don't show the hidden tunnel. http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/files/58B88D3B724D5719699AC4BA2F8219E9/pdf/12_04534_FULL-BUS_DECK_GA-2398266.pdf http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/files/ECEECFAA9261F35BE1E944163EE5D920/pdf/12_04534_FULL-BUS_DECK_SECTIONS-2398269.pdf http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/files/E9CF9FCCB7B0A5316809619D2F36BA82/pdf/12_04534_FULL-ARCHITECTURAL_VISUALISATION_REPORT_-_PART_A-2398250.pdf http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/files/F02D2B96BDC550B10291953DE695A480/pdf/12_04534_FULL-ARCHITECTURAL_VISUALISATION_REPORT_-_PART_C-2398253.pdf I do have feint recollection from the couple of site visits I had here of a tunnel opening or something toward the back under the bus garage, behind the Westway Pier, just before the wall and slope up to the Grand Union Canal embankment and at the time wondering what it was: now I know. The whole Westbourne Park area is so constrained and wrought with difficulties. Diverting the Great Western Road trunk sewer immediately west of bridge was interesting. It ran very shallow under the GWML and when HEX was done they simply chopped the top off the existing sewer, reducing its capacity rather. With Crossrail reinstating tracks (I think it was - maybe one line) on the north side and lowering them to get clearances for the OHLE then something more fundamental needed doing, a proper job. Cue a whole new length 600m of sewer tunnelled under the railway, Westbourne Park station and streets to the south. We were contemplating pumping this sewer, but don't know whether that made it into the eventual solution or not. http://www.barhale.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/TD-Tunnelling-Green-Lane-Great-Western-Road.pdf In hindsight quite interesting and something different for my career, though I did not appreciate it at the time.

Is that something that ran around the back of where the bus garage is? If so the elevated bus deck done for Crossrail and forest of columns underneath rather stuffs that. Yes, would be major work. Not least as under the bus deck will also be the siding with bottom discharge chute and conveyor thing for aggregate deliveries for the batching plant next door.

I'm particularly struck with the last one, how the modelled scene blends with the backscene.

That rodding and all the gubbins is very impressive indeed, Colin. I found the small dia plastic rods too fiddly when I tried that for under track crossings so I kept the piano wire I was using for the rodding elsewhere, coating it in gun blue and then if need be dollops of glue to isolate it and keep it in place when passing under the rail. Certainly getting the rodding done now without scenery in the way is a good move. Signal wires as opposed to just posts is a brave move. Hopefully it'll be sturdy enough to withstand a few knocks as you ballast etc. What's next, signals? Look forward to seeing that. All the best Jon

Wallingford had a small creamery quite near the station, bit more detail on it http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/96748-track-plan-which-includes-milk-depotcreamery/?p=1805912 and maybe some other ideas in that topic? The creamery building itself was not that big - believe it was simply a holding point, refrigerating collected milk with no treatment before being taken onward to London. For my BLT I borrowed heavily from Wallingford, moving the creamery to nearer the station. There was article in Railway Modeller few years back on Creameries by Kahredron of this parish. Other branch line layouts with creameries that might give inspiration are Potterborne (can't find link right now), Mayshill and Penhydd Good luck with it Jon

Sorry for coming back from something so long ago, Mike. So, say, if the boiler was swapped (eg at what the "Book of" series calls Intermediate overhaul) the loco wouldn't get complete repaint? Would they just remove boiler cladding swap in new boiler, put old cladding on and touch up as need be? (My reason for the question is trying to decipher wartime and post-war re-painting especially Halls, whether ones painted black in wartime would have gotten green by nationalisation) Thanks Jon

Brilliant, Alan. Again.

Taking shape nicely. Having used hanging basket liner on my layout, yes it gets everywhere!

So, armed with GWRJ No.7 and Book of the Halls Pt 1 I've been through the records of around 30 Halls of sheds relevant to my layout. Of this lot around 1/2 look to have received war time black - either listed in GWRJ or I am assuming those in the works after this to the end of the war. By the time I'm intending to set my model, spring 1947, most of these seem to have back in the works post war for another general or intermediate overhaul including boiler swap so I'm assuming based on this thread this would be in unlined green? Don't think I've found a loco that didn't have a boiler swap between 1942-1946 and thus carrying pre-war lining. Does all this sound plausible? (I am ignorant about what's entailed in loco serving so whether it follows a boiler swap would then necessarily mean a full repaint, though this is suggested earlier in this thread.) If my reasoning is right then a bit of re-painting is required; at least it's making things simpler. I guess tenders were repainted less frequently so it wouldn't be inconceivable to have unlined green loco with a lined tender - assuming you could see that through the grime of course!

Interesting to see how people fit their layouts in. In your context, that you eschewed going all around the room, going for the U-shape, and avoiding complication of lift out/up or duck-under section. The woodwork looks very neat and echoing the post above your room is un-naturally tidy: whereas I am storing stuff under the layout and too often on it too! Great layout too, by the way. All the best Jon

Oh yes.

A few more shots Still some of the terra cota DAS clay showing. A little job is to top up the ballast on this pointwork a bit which should fix that. Also needing fixing is the autocoach which I started detailing with the Dart Castings kit oh fve years ago. Think I still have the bits, though pretty sure the instructions have gone missing in this time. I do like these track level or trackside views, done by controlling my camera via wifi. And an overview of the station area The goods yard (under the book) needs finishing off. The top siding will lead off to the bacon factory which I may leave for a while to do. All the best Jon

For tension locks that looks great: might give that a go, though I'm guessing you must have generous minimum radius including pointwork and fiddle yard for that to work?

So, with the point rodding sorted (at last), on to adding some more details and running trains...

Glad I've seen this thread. I'm in similar boat to you, John - just as well I've only re-liveried one, it seems incorrectly. Depending on the preponderance of black and plain green ones it does make adding to my fleet easier using the Hornby offerings, Olton Hall and the like; that is assuming the smokebox door number would come off without making too much mess.

Brilliant, Alan - as always. I particularly like the quay wall detailing and painting.

Wonder if one could get something to look like nets in 4mm? Some on the boats and/or on the quayside, perhaps?

Photos of the last bits of point rodding, along the branch and into the goods yard. Good to get this done. Next time I'd do this a lot earlier in the layout building process to ease access (and prevent bashing signals ) and get a few details like the under track crossings a bit better. So now on to tidying up and adding more details. And run some trains

The Hall does look good in the plain green livery IMHO.

Is it better, yes, who can say? What's for sure is that both very fine layouts indeed. As you've noted, you've grown as a modeller with the buildings and such a challenge stops one becoming stale perhaps. It will be interesting when you do get around to operating the layout whether your view changes. Operating a terminus will be more involved than a through station and you have the fun of the turntable too, Modelling the harbour was a really good idea, a good use of what otherwise would be dead space and really sets the scene. All the best Jon

Take care, are you sure Kings were painted black? I thought Kings and Castles weren't painted black but unlined green with G crest W. Stars and Halls got unlined black with G crest W everything less unlined black and GWR.

Very nice; I am particularly taken with the sweeping curves in the track alignment

Very nice, Alan, especially with the touch of weathering on the lamps.