Strathwood

Don't start him off about recycling dead bees from the garden at this time of year to conjure something else up with. Some of us are still getting our heads around this hut for now. Kevin

I might have to invest in one from Ikea on my next visit to either Aberdeen or Glasgow, both three hours distant from Inverness and the nearest they wish to sell to this part of the Highlands it seems. Otherwise I shall continue using old phonebooks or Viking catalogues as cutting mats me thinks. Now back to my snooker table, what have you done with the pockets you bounder, turned them into a tunnel or two I suspect! Kevin

Is that my old snooker table you are modelling on? If so don't cut so deep into the beize old chap as I was saving it for some scenery on my next layout... Kevin

Oh yes, to be honest I had forgotten about those two layouts. Kevin

Thanks for the vote, yes already have a Bachmann stabling point fueling shed in stock, lurking in the garage along with Heljan's Rapters. More replies welcome. Kevin

Cannot seem to find a central point on RM Web for anyone modelling 1960s and or early 1970s era diesels & electrics, whether this be via a diesel depot/stabling point (pre TMD era I am afraid) or any other form of layout such as Phil Bullock's lovely Abbotswood Junction (whilst very nice would be too large for the space I have available, so it would need to be a stabling point for me), I am sitting at the cusp of whether to pursue futher modelling along this theme or to allow other interests to take control for me personally, such as Southern Region 1950s/1960s or Scottish Region 1950s/1960s in an end to end form. Can anyone help with photos, ideas etc of their layouts or projects to finally sway me personally in the direction of modelling a stabling point circa 1967-1969 for myself please? Just like so many other modellers I am sitting on approximately thirty locomotives across several genre, with 1960s era diesels in both 4mm and N gauge, the latter for another now stalled project. Also I have onboard already some 4mm Southern Region steam, but with Hornby's 700, 2-Bil and 2-Hal and Bachman's E4 posing great temptations for the future I feel myself being pulled in this direction too. Whilst I do like the attractions of watching the trains go by within a limited space, hence the N gauge stock, I cannot come to terms with the aspects of detail being so easily seen by my soon to be fifty seven year old eyesight anymore, so these will just have to find new homes. So 4mm has the batton for me for the future, but what about modelling a stabling point that is not set in the late 1970s, 1980s or 1990s as so many modellers seem to be doing, instead what about one set in 1967-1969, when I was still an impressionable ten year old lad! Surely this must be well trodden path, can anyone help with inspiration an examples of what they have done please? Thanks, Kevin

Hmmmm coincidence about dodgy steak tatre' as about ten years ago when visiting the battlefields I suffered in the same way, must be part of the trenches experience that our French comrades still offer us Tommies! Kevin

First trick of the trade is to pinch Mrs W's brown cotton as it saves painting all of it to make it look rusty, and then kid her that you thought as she was so busy you didn't like to bother her with mending an old pair of gardening trousers. If thats not enough to make her suspicous of your behaiviour, then nothing will! Kevin

What make of three link couplings are you using please, they look very good? Kevin

Amazingly short radius points! and that trackwork across the baseboard joint....

Crikey what brought that on?

As one of nature's baldys I wonder if that balloon trick would work as well on my bonce... Will have a dry run on the next lot of layout scenery when the time comes and report, thats if I can get the balloon off my head. Kevin

Thats a great pity as I thought so much could be done with the Mount Pleasant set up and it has been nagging at me to replicate something similar as indeed did your South Pimlico, you might manage to get the boy out of London but not London out of the boy. What is the theme for this large N gauge project, more London railways by chance? Kevin

Spot on, I like it. Kevin

Keep it up boys...

Starting to look really good with the backscene, one tip however. Have you engaged the help and advice of the domestic overlord re hanging of curtains and such things as they are suprisingly really good at this kind of work and can offer lots of experience, far better than us mere mortals and may be able to give some technical advice towards the hanging of the backscene. If not then gawd help you as I have probably just dropped you along with myself right in it. Goodbye-ee, goodbye-ee, Wipe the tear, baby dear, from your eye-ee, Tho' it's hard to part I know, I'll be tickled to death to go. Don't cry-ee, dont sigh-ee, there's a silver lining in the sky-ee, Bonsoir, old thing, cheer-i-o, chin, chin, Nah-poo, toodle-oo, Goodbye-ee. Kevin

The Inverness Constabulary have noted with some suspicions once again those barrels have ominous red markings to them, we do hope we are not at it again allowing illegal (well it should be) foul obnoxious substances to be transported by rail. Just a heads up we are tipping off our colleagues in the British Transport Police, one PC Topper to be precise. For heavens sake man disguise those barrels quick before setting about that Bachman Ale Wagon with a respray... There are thirsty men (and perhaps women too) all over the land on the look out for a pint this sunday lunchtime, don't frighten them off with red barrels please.

Yes the ever vigilant Inverness Costabulary considered the Parish Council being involved but it turned out it was All Gas and Gaitors, we thought there was whiff of fish involved, but it turned out to be either a rabbit of most likely a Hare. We thought Robertson was already in jug anyway...

Now that Sunbeam Rapier looks like a petty villians motor and we believe it to be stolen, the Inverness Constabluary have pointed out that there is somebody bigger called Snook involved so it might be an inside job. Suggest Kipper thoroughly searches his wpc to see what she might be covering up! We also have word that this level of corruption might be from the top, we suspect all our MPs up here at all times and would be very suspicious of this Marples character and his business connections, and what of this Richard Beeching fellow, as we have word he has his eye on a baronet we believe for the future. Our darkest suspicions were confirmed when we saw mention on the teleprinter of Watneys Red Barrel and fear that the subversive group known as Party Seven or their lower budget breakaway faction Party Four might be involved. This is most worrying north of the border, we urge Kipper to follow his nose as anything that smells fishy needs to be rooted out.

More Pipe Dreams....

No I meant "Snook" see wikipedia "The common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) is a species of marine fish in the family Centropomidae of the order Perciformes. The common snook is also known as the sergeant fish or robalo. It was originally assigned to the sciaenid genus Sciaena; Sciaena undecimradiatus and Centropomus undecimradiatus are obsolete synonyms for the species" TTFN

The Inverness constabulary have been allerted after watching the football this evening and think the Brazilian defense has a lot to answer for, but nonetheless we have taken all the fish off this evening from all the trains heading south as there is all this on the net about so many kippers down south. If they are measuring kippers by the yard we have got to put up a stink unless we have lost the plot too and been sold another red herring and misunderstood all the banter and voted too early and suffered premature election as ours is due in September. There is some old fella here wobbling on something about snook, perhaps somebody from Bletchley Park or at least 1E can translate pretty soon as we are holding an awful lot of fish up 'ere and wondering if we can get it away on the trains tomorrow, as we are sure we read somewhere that the blue spot fish vans had all gone in the last sale on Ebay. TTFN Kevin

Looking forward to seeing some more progress on this project as the set will look quite impressive once complete I am sure.

Whatever happened to this interesting layout. Come on Charlie own up what's happening with it these days please. Kevin

Agreed, less is more where figures are concerned. Just the signs of life such as the odd door and window left open or ajar works far better for me than figures in some crazy pose as though they were caught by the old children's television programme "The Magic Boomarang" for those too young see www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8_LDgRdOQs Figures only work for me if they are in stationary poses, ie sitting down, leaning against a wall etc and even then not too many of them. At the risk of lots of hate mail the same principle applies to the abundance of shiney out of the box cars, buses, lorries etc forming some sort of stationary traffic jam on layouts otherwise meant to be depicting times when such things were only to be found in the centre of cities. Once again the odd car parked up works far better to my tastes. If you like lots of model cars and buses then change them around each time you have a running session, with most of them spending time in a box or nearby drawer. Hence, I like so many others it seems are enjoying the pictures of Brasted with the odd car and pick up thrown in from time to time. Keep up the good work. Kevin