queensquare

When Highbury became Foxcote I added a row of cottages loosely based on those at Camerton colliery, the rear wall of which was hard up against the back scene and therefore blank. Opening up the southern end exposed this so over the last couple of evenings I've rebuilt them. There’s a little bit of work to do around the door and window headers then it will be painting and the fun of dressing the gardens with veg, outbuildings and maybe some chickens! Jerry

I don’t know the legal ins and outs but I dread to think how many thousands of pictures have been taken of my models over the years. On the whole I’m not bothered what the photographer wants to do with them although it is nice to be asked, mainly so I can pose a train for the photographer and get my ugly mug out of the way! I’m not even that bothered if they are subsequently published either on line or in a magazine as a postscript to a show. I did have one run in with an editor who published pictures (joint copyright, previously used in an article) where they wrote an article for one of the layout of the year type bookazines , without my knowledge that was wrong from start to finish. Essentially he felt it was ok to just make it up!! After a bit of a battle the magazine printed an apology and corrections. What I do object to is people banging away without asking with a flash. This is not only incredibly rude but can be dangerous. I’ve been known to get very grumpy if the offender objects to my objection. Usually they desist and apologise although one particularly objectional chap at Wells this year just carried on and then made the school boy error of squaring up to me - he was lucky to get out with his self and his camera intact!! Jerry Edit to say I’ve just reread this and I do come across as being a bit grumpy - I’m really not. Please feel free to take as many pictures of my models as you want - just don’t use a flash! 😊👍

Sorry to hear that. I first exhibited at Warley in 2008 or 09 and became a regular demonstrator around the same time as you. I knocked it on the head last year, I’m afraid the increasing faff of exhibiting there meant it just wasn’t fun any more and at the end of the day we do it for fun - plus a bit of diesel and a bed for the night. Jerry ps. I should add that it was the NEC organisation I became fed up with, not the club who always looked after us very well.

One of my main fireside projects this winter will be finishing the great barn that is the S&D wooden shed thanks to the arrival today of some quite exquisite etched windows from Jim Watt. They capture the very complex cast frames of the prototype beautifully - many thanks Jim. Also in my little pack of etches was some signal parts - including LSWR style lattice posts for the area around the colliery and a ground signal for Downside quarry siding. I’ve never built any working signals before so these will be a steep learning curve for me but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I probably won’t start on either of theses projects this side of Christmas as I’m way behind with work thanks to a fairly unproductive few weeks but the mojo is well and truly back. On the Clifford livestock front, the new chickens, which have been busy freeloading since their arrival several weeks ago, have now starting laying- the Paxo threat has obviously paid off! 😊 Jerry

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Thanks Frank. I’ve struggled to do anything much in the workshop since loosing Jazz and some simple , messy tasks with rapid results was just the the therapy I needed. I shall be back at the bench this morning making a start on the backlog of things that haven’t been done over the last few weeks. Jerry

The Portsmouth show is consistently one of the best of the year and this years was no exception. A superb range of exhibits and traders, well done to all involved. We were kept vey busy on the 2mm demo and Roadshow, helped greatly by the fact that there were two of the best 2FS layouts on the circuit in attendance. Looking forward to next year already, Jerry

Well what do you do on a wet, miserable Sunday in November - you go to the workshop and make a mess - and carving Celotex landscapes certainly does that!! The track has been down a few weeks and the scenics roughed out thanks to some suitable offcuts from a successful skip dipping trip. Celotex, a hot glue gun and an old rip saw make for rapid progress but boy does it make a mess! Once the mess was cleaned up I roughly masked the track and flashed a coat of red oxide primer over it followed by some sleeper grime. The tunnel mouths, road bridge and card road surface were then loosely put in place. The basic landform needs a bit more tweaking before it gets covered in plaster bandage but overall I’m happy with how it’s looking. The view of the colliery from the south, left hand side will be greatly improved by moving the backscene five feet away. Time for a glass of something red I think! Jerry

I think it’s one that went to the family but not sure - Tim will know. It was indeed a lovely little model. Jerry

I meant to post this snap some while ago but for various reasons didn’t get around to it. At RailWells this year Neil Kirby introduced himself to me and showed me some of his superb 4mm SDJR 3D prints - better still he very kindly offered to have a go at printing them in 2mm to see how they came out. A few weeks later I came home to find a little parcel containing a selection of his prints which have come out beautifully. On the wagons the body and chassis are thankfully separate as, beautiful as it is, I’m not sure how much handling the incredibly fine brake gear would take in 2mm . Thankfully the Association is very well catered for regarding etched underframes so this won’t be a problem. The little Sentinel is exquisite. Again I’m not sure how robust fine details like the lamp irons would be but , again, easily replace with metal substitutes. Neil kindly gave me a couple of spares of the Sentinels so the plan is to build one as a free rolling model which can be included in an occasional freight. I have pictures of them at both Bath and Barrow road (admittedly not in my period) where they were towed for maintenance and repairs. I would like to motorise the other aided by a permanently attached model of the low Radstock brake van. I reckon there’s just enough room to shoehorn everything in!! They've all been added to the not insubstantial ‘round toit’ list!! Jerry

Will sent me this snap of ‘Robert’ in the exchange sidings at Foxcote. The wheels are the originals, turned down and fitted with 2mm Association rims. The coupling rods are just blanks which still need filing to shape but it ran very well. Jerry

My mood was greatly lifted today with a visit from friends and the first official run of a proper train over the new Windsor Hill extension - Simon Grands superb Jubilee, ‘Hawkins’ on an excursion made up of Southern stock. John ,‘Doncaster Green’ also brought along a green 25 and his bashed Farish austerity which now has a coat of satin black and ran very well on the DC test track. Will, Tapdieuk, also brought his EFE austerity along which has 2FS wheel rims fitted to the original wheels which also performed really well but I neglected to point my camera at it. A cracking day, just what I needed, many thanks gents. jerry

Great work Geraint although that trailer does have the look of a caravan!😊 Jerry

‘Les Caves du Roy’ gets my vote. Great progress Jerry

One of the sleeper car bodies ended up on the platform at Bath though post war pictures show it having been replaced by an arc roof body. I’ve always assumed the switch was due to bomb damage - a number fell very close to Queensquare/Green Park. Rather scarily, a painted note on the bottom of my 2mm scale plasticard model says July 1997 - it’s been a long project! Jerry Edit; Good job its not yet fixed down because its the wrong way round in my snaps!

It’s not been the most productive week in the workshop but I’m home alone this weekend so have been giving some thought to what might be a good project to get me going again. The track on the Windsor Hill extension is down and awaiting droppers for wiring and a bit of skip dipping has resulted in a few sizeable lumps of celotex so I may start roughing out the contours. I’m quite looking forward to seeing the colliery given room to breathe in the landscape without the mainline across the front immediately diving through a hole in the sky. Jerry

Home but cream crackered after an emotional (for various reasons) but hugely rewarding and enjoyable weekend at Uckfield. Many thanks to the organising team,but particularly Adrian who, as usual, just dealt with whatever was thrown at him in a calm and measured way - a great exhibition manager. A couple of snaps of the North Cornwall Minerals and East Suffolk Light - more tomorrow when I’ve had a descent Kip! 😊 Jerry

Many thanks to everyone for your kind comments both on here and by pm. I know this is a toy train site but I’ve always kept my threads as a diary of sorts and our various animals, which anyone who knows or visits us will know are a huge part of our lives, have always featured. Yesterday was a really difficult day but I’m exhibiting with friends this weekend which has helped take my mind off things. Its not Bath, or even 2mm, but I’m at Uckfield with Mick Simpson and Simon deSuza operating Trerice this weekend as part of the Rice Extravaganza - five Rice layouts plus displays at one show. Whilst looking for Rice pictures to bring along I came across this one of Iain in our garden along with John Greenwood and Simon Castens. led on Iain’s feet is Jazz - Iain was another soft touch with dogs and Jazz knew where titbits might be proffered!! Normal 2mm layout progress reports will resume soon. Jerry

Today I had to say goodbye to my beautiful Jazz. She was born in the workshop and spent most days of her fourteen years there with me. We will miss her terribly. Jerry

Set up and ready to go Jerry

Cheers John, kim had her favourite blue Ibanez. For those interested we did numbers from Tom Waits, Dylan, J J Cale and Johnny Cash. Jerry

Very little has been achieved over the last week or two thanks to trips away, birthdays and a big party last weekend - where kim and I did a few numbers in our sixties for 60 outfits - check out those flairs! To be fair, we were very tame compared to some of the other outfits on display ……..!! The other job that has taken up any spare time recently has been getting the late Iain Rice’s Trerice ready for Uckfield next weekend. I did, however, take advantage of a few hours in front of the England Italy game last night to paint the new bridge and tunnel mouths. The two outer tunnels are for Windsor Hill, the middle one is for Devonshire tunnel at the other end of the room. Jerry

Judging by progress so far I don’t see that being a problem! Jerry

Simon gave me the heads up that you were documenting this on RMWeb. Fantastic stuff - a fascinating subject and if it’s anything like as good as your Cuban adventure then it’s going to be a real show stopper - be great to have it at Larkrail 2024 - July 13, get it in your diary. Love the Kim Philly touch Jerry

Trerice lives! A few dry joints, a new section switch, new controller socket, plus, most importantly, new bog chain to support the fiddle yard (no you’ve not misread that!), and we’re in business. Locos run over the entire layout, through the big dipper across the front and out onto the cassettes. Hoorah!! As well as Trerice, we will also have a small display of some of the stock from Iain Rice’s seminal Tregarrick and the North Cornwall Minerals, the East Suffolk Light and other Rice ephemera. Jerry