Dzine

Hi Folks will be attending Howden exhibition this year with my regular Layout Planning and Design Clinic for all ages and skill level. As always, sessions are free and last between about 15 minutes and half an hour, so if you're having problems with a new design or are stuck with an existing one come along and book a session. In addition, I be giving two lectures; An artistic approach to railway modelling (Saturday) and Recycling for railway modellers (Sunday) and I look forward to seeing you there. Details are as follows; Carlton Railway Society - Howden Model Railway Show, Sat 23rd - Sun 24th March 2024, Howden School, Derwent Road, Howden, East Yorkshire DN14 7AL Open: Sat 10am - 5pm, Sun 10am - 4pm, Admission: Adults £7.50 Kind regards Paul

Hi Folks, my next clinic will be at Cromford Community Centre, 7-9 Market Place, Derbyshire, DE4 3RE, Saturday and Sunday 2nd and 3rd of March 2024. Exhibition opens 10-30am to 5pm Saturday and 10-00am to 4pm Sunday. I'll be undertaking my usual layout planning sessions so if your looking for help with a new layout design or having problems with an existing one come and have a free session. They're aimed at all skill levels and ages and whilst the exhibition is aimed at continental modellers I'm happy to do UK designs too. It's a bit of a learning curve for me, in that whilst having a little knowledge on some locations in; Spain, Cuba and India, I have much to learn. Look forward to seeing you there. Kind regards Paul

Hi Steve, I've always thought if you're going to operate from the front (especially if there's a wall to the rear and or either side) it makes sense to have any kind of fiddle system at the sides. I've designed a few layouts like this but most notable are both have appeared in the OO Setrack Planbooks, if memory serves me right; one is an oval based on the Settle and Carlisle and the other was a console type with a railway scrapyard to the right and cement terminal to the left, each with a 'fiddle stick' behind. Out of interest the former layout is part built by one of my design clients and will appear in a bookazine much later this year. Hope this helps, Kindest regards Paul

Hi Folks will be attending my first exhibition this year with my regular Layout Planning and Design Clinic. As always, sessions are free and last between about 15 minutes and half an hour, so if you're having problems with a new design or are stuck with an existing one come along and book a session. They are aimed at all ages and skill level and I look forward to seeing you there. Kind regards Paul

Hi Paul, Good to see your post, hopefully it will encourage more people to attend. On a minor note can I point out that my Layout Planning Clinic is a Demonstration and not a trade stand. Kind regards Paul

Hi Folks, my first bookazine, see title above, has recently been released by Key Publishing. It's a companion to my last with Bauermedia, In the Detail, and comprises 19 new chapters, in alphabetical order. The content is designed to inspire modellers to look at real railway subjects for interesting and more unusual detail and in doing so set your layout as being different from the run-of-the mill. There are a number of rarely modelled ideas and a keen awareness of reusing and recycling, wherever possible. Please ask if you need to know more. Kind regards Dzine (Paul A. Lunn)

Hi Darius, Pleased you liked the bookazine. Perhaps I should explain a bit more. It's my second with Key Publishing and consists of the following; besides an introduction and chapter on Welsh railway landscapes, there are 13 chapters covering, 6 mainline sections, 3 standard gauge branch lines, 3 narrow gauge lines and 1 miniature railway. The content, in terms of text, photographs and plans is almost entirely new though in response to many of my regular readers and contacts, a small element of previously published has been included for completeness. If anyone wants to know more please don't hesitate to contact me. Kind regards Dzine (Paul A. Lunn) PS Also see additional post on the first bookazine with Key Publishing, Modelling British Railways - Detailing.

Hi Folks, I've just been catching up with Chris. He's seems to be staying at the existing nursing home indefinitely. His legs are causing great problems and he needs a wheelchair to go anywhere, otherwise he's bed bound. Though his home is still full of layouts, he's not been able to get one into the nursing home for multiple reasons, not least is being able to operate it. In the meantime he's desperate for reading material and would welcome any recent railway modelling magazines, books etc., either posted or dropped in at reception. As in previous years, it would be good if any RMweb members could send him a Christmas card, please PM me if you need his address. Kind regards Paul

Hi Folks, Just to let you know I'll be at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes this weekend with my Layout Planning and Design Clinic. If you need help designing a new layout or are having problems with an existing one, come along and have a session. They're available for all skill levels and ages, take between 15 and 30 minutes and are FREE. If I'm busy when you arrive, book a session with my wife Melenie and she'll phone you when I become free, that way you can keep looking round the show and not lose any time waiting. In addition there is information about two, soon to be available, bookazines from Key Publishing; one on Inspirational Detailing, the other Modelling the Railways of North Wales. I'll be displaying several models, some old some new, that appear in the former, together with my part finished, recycled micro, layout based on British Oak Coal Disposal Point. Look forward to seeing you there, all the best Paul.

Hi Folks, will be attending the East Midlands 009 Narrow Gauge Society Open Day at Portland College this coming Saturday, 22nd July from 10-30 to 4.30. I'll be undertaking two free mini lectures, the first, An Artistic Approach to Railway Modelling, at 11.30am and the second, Mock-ups, Re-cycling and cost effective modelling, at 2.00pm. Please note lecture content is specific to all gauges. From 10-30am to 11.15., 12.45 to 1.45pm and 3.00pm to 4.30 I'll be undertaking my regular Layout Planning and Design Clinic, aimed at all ages and skill level. Look forward to seeing you there. Paul

Hi Folks, Will be undertaking my usual clinic on Layout Planning and Design at Bakewell Agricultural Centre this weekend, 10th and 11th June. Sessions are free and last up to half an hour, for modellers of all ages and ability, whether you're starting up, or have got in a tight spot with an existing layout. Come and have a chat and I'll do my best to help out. Look forward to seeing you there, Kind regards Paul

Hi Folks, Will be undertaking my usual clinic on Layout Planning and Design this weekend. Sessions are free and last up to half an hour, for modellers of all ages and ability, whether you're starting up, or have got in a tight spot with an existing layout. Come and have a chat and I'll do my best to help out. Look forward to seeing you there, Kind regards Paul

Hi Richard, Yes I'm still in contact with Chris and will pass your message on to him. I'm sure he will be pleased with your index, I certainly will as there are many bits and pieces I want to refer to from time to time, and can't find what I'm looking for. Kindest regards Paul

Hi Folks, Just to let everyone know I'll be taking my clinic to the Sheffield Model Railway Exhibition at Birkdale School, 1st and 2nd April, 2023. As always, if you need help with an existing layout or planning a new one, free sessions up to half an hour are available to all ages and skill level. Look forward to seeing some of you there. Kind regards Paul PS If you can't make the dates, I'm also doing one Saturday a month at WD Models shop in Chesterfield, next one is on the 15th of April, but there's only a couple of spaces left. Date for May has not been decided yet (though it's usually the middle Saturday in the month) but you can always check and book a space by phoning the shop.

Hi Folks, Lovely to see British Oak getting the exposure it deserves, it was a great place. I'm currently working on a micro, entry-level, version of the site with the canal loader on one side, screens on the other and a double sided backscene between. Hopefully it will have a operating canal loader and screens but there's a lot to do yet. Kind regards Paul

Hi Gilbert, many thanks for your very kind comment. Regards Paul

Hi Folks, Just a quick message to say I'll be undertaking my usual layout planning and design clinic at the EBOR (York) show on the 18th/19th of February. As always it's open to all ages and skills, sessions are free and last up to about half an hour. Look forward to seeing some of you there. Kind regards Paul

Hi Butler Henderson, If you imagine the loops being horizontal then points at each end will be on the angle. When used in this way, in-between sections of standard straights of any suitable configuration will not work. I'm afraid it's the only way to get them to fit properly, if you don't like or can't cut accurate sections from Flexi track. Just out of interest the track planning was done by Peco, using their software, based on my sketch design. Kind regards Paul

Hi Folks, Have found one of the track plans I did for Peco which shows why they have the shorter straights in terms of point arrangement, I did say it would be complex to explain! Hope this helps, Kind regards Paul

Hi, I sort of get where you're going, but I believe the short straight was included in the range for a different purpose (plan to follow when I have time to scan it). I can see how the Hornby version might work with express points but, if memory serves me right, it was in the range (as a steel version) long before express points existed. Kind regards Paul

Hi Butler Henderson, absolutely right and even worse it's in the straights where most of the discrepancies occur. Now if we start from the premise that both Peco and Hornby's standard straight are the same length at 168mm, but when it comes to the shorter sections is where the mischief happens so, Peco's ST-203 is 41mm long, Hornby's equivalent is 38mm long. Multiply 41mm by four you get 164mm (not a 168mm of the standard straight. Do the same again with Hornby, their short straight is 38mm long, multiply by four and you get 152mm (much less than the standard straight). Then you've Peco's ST-202 at 79mm, divide by two at 39 mm which doesn't match up to the ST203 at 41mm. If that isn't enough, two times 79mm equals 158mm which is 10mm short of the standard straight. Whilst all this can be a problem there are some benefits relating to points and loops, but it will take forever to explain. Hope this helps as far as it goes. Kind regards Paul

Hi RobinofLoxley, The non-scenic sidings and loco lifts were specified to help accommodate all the films trains; 14xx, O8 shunter, colliery loco, and 9F and so, at other times, it could be operated, outside of film constraints, as the Longmoor Military Railway and the ex-GWR Neath and Brecon line. Kind regards Paul

Hi there, don't feel bad about things, what matters is that you get a good working layout. Many of Hornby and Peco's rigid geometry track matches perfectly and you'll have no problem with the curved points in terms of their geometry. They can be notorious for derailments, partly because there's a manufacturing design issue with them, which I've explained in a previous issue of BRM magazine (if I can track it down, and it's from some considerable time ago, I'll post it on here). Derailment is not particularly just to do with the curved point, but how larger locomotives are made these days, the problem, if memory serves me right, only exists when travelling from the toe end and issues around centrifugal force. I guess the advice here is to set the curve up and try the loco's you intend using and see how you get on. If it helps, please PM and we can have chat by phone. Kindest regards Paul

Hi Folks, Just to say the next Layout planning and Design Clinic will be on Saturday 10th December at WD Models. It was really busy last week so be sure to book a place beforehand, you can do that by a PM to me. A warm welcome awaits and I look forward to seeing you there if you can make it, if not I should be doing them again in January and February 2023, with details on here nearer the time. Kindest regards Paul

Hi Folks, Just a quick catch up. Had a lovely long chat with Chris last week. He's still at the same care home and waiting potentially for his left knee replacing. Either way there seems to be a possible move, at some time in the future, to sheltered housing. Our conversation soon moved to railways, he's been eyeing up a bay window in the room he has now and is trying to get someone to authorise moving records and equipment out of the way. In the course of our conversation we drifted on to his memories of World War 2 (having been born in 1937) and the early post war film industry. A thought occurred to me that as it's getting near to Christmas perhaps some of you following these posts might want to send a card or perhaps phone him with a Christmas message. PM me for details if you do. Kind regards Paul