Tim Hale

It is tedious rather than difficult. The trick is knowing which screws to remove and where to relieve the metal when replacing the footplate casting. The casting are freely (literally) from Bachmann in exchange for an email. Would it be easier to use the DJH tender? Tim

Beaminster Road's water tower and home to a rather vigorous ivy. Tim

I seemed to have completely missed this post or at least responding to the kind offer, in short, I would be honoured to use such an evocative building on Beaminster Road. Just send a pm for further contact Tim

The grass tends to look rather too uniform, therefore a quick blast with Sainsgogs cheapo hairspray followed by a sprinkling of Heki winter grass with a layer of WS blended grass seems to have done the trick. This will be applied where the bank meets the cess and the lineside vegetation would have been more parched. Tim

It's a bit bare, a backscene and some pavement wouldn't go amiss. And everything needs bedding-in. Tim

Tim

Tim

It may seem odd combining DJH and SEF parts and even the tender is sourced from Hornby but it seems the only route to build a better U-class, However it is really Dave's skill and expertise that make the difference between an average model and a stunning locomotive. Tim

No problem, I aim to help, whenever I am asked Tim As a postscript, I am constantly amazed by the good natured tenacity of Southern modellers who make do with so little and the quality of the excellent layouts built with such a small range of available products is simply amazing.

I thought it worthwhile to crop the original image and highlight the weeds growing beneath the store. That looks better, the flowers are little blobs of static grass as described by Andy York in BRM but embellished with some yellow paint. Tim

Excellent effort, thanks to both Robert and GrahamTim

Unfortunately, there is no room for the greenhouse on Beaminster Road consequently I was contemplating using it as a replacement for the raiway cottage that I used to show when demonstrating. Otherwise it will find a home with another layout, hopefully, on RMweb or to be sold on Ebay. Meanwhile I have to create a typical wall that has been colonised by Red Valerian*, this will be familiar to anyone who really knows West Dorset and South Somerset. Tim * http://www.flowers.goodpages.co.uk/index.php?page=red-valerian

The Wills greenhouse is a nice old model, goes together without problems except the interior is empty, rather than paint the glass white (keeps the sun off the veg) here are some pot plants for the station (and Mrs. Station Master) Most are no more than 8mm high, I wish that I had included a matchhead for a comparison but they are nice. Tim

Rather good and certainly imaginative, thanks for sharing your ideas Tim