Andrew Young

Your photos make me quite pleased with my choice of a Margaret on pre-order. Have so far resisted getting waggons but suspect it’s only a matter of time….

Thanks for the info of where you got it from, the banner really is effective and well worth the cost. It also gets rid of the joints in the more traditional style backscene when taking photos of the layout. Good luck with the loco! Andrew

Layout looks great and second the comment about the photographic backdrop behind. Out of interest, which loco is refusing to go forwards? I’ve got two, the Exe as delivered and the 1903 condition Yeo, I’ve noticed that there is very little clearance on the motion guard on the as built version and it occasionally catches. The 1903 version has a more cutaway version with extra clearance. The other thing to check is the pick ups. Have a Roco chassis under my Hunslet Mallet and it did the same. Turned out to be a pick up that had got dislodged somehow, in one direction it acted as a sprag in the spokes. Andrew Andrew

Today, I have mostly been adding wellies and a watering can to a building. As you do…. https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/04/buildings-everywhere.html?m=1 Andrew

Looks great. Out of interest, where did you get your bricks from, are they home made or sourced from the web? Think the result will repay the tediousness of laying the brick edging in this way. Andrew

Took some photos and video of the Quarry Hunslet prototypes on the Bachmann stand on Sunday. They’re on my blog alongside my thoughts on it all. https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/04/Bachmann-quarry-hunslets.html?m=1 Andrew

‘Irish Mail’ by the looks of it. https://www.quarryhunslet.mste.co.uk/public/Irish_Mail.php Though, with the toolbox being on the round cornered bufferbeam model, I suspect that as these are EP’s that not all the parts are in the right order. But they certainly show Bachmann’s intentions.

Excellent news. Whilst I don’t need a Quarry Hunslet, I shall still be having one. The couplings interest me too, would be good to have a better looking coupling available. Exciting times, Andrew

The only given from the green background and the location of the announcement is that it will be a narrow gauge model….. those of us who don’t model 009 still have an hour and a half of hoping left.

Whilst I keep my fingers crossed for an O-16.5 ‘Dorothea’…. If it’s 009, wonder what item of the Statfold collection could be next? Darj B? Not long til we find out 😁 Andrew

@PMP99 the buildings look great and sit well along the back. I’ve built a few Petite Properties buildings now. Have found them enjoyable to build and speeds the build up a bit. Cheers, Andrew

Looking great. Agree about a platform ramp at the end of the building, unless you keep it so that the station entrance / exit is through the station building? Andrew

You weren’t the only one, my late friend Tim Allsopp made this 7mm narrow gauge fireless loco using one for the creamery on our group layout, though think in the end most of the body was discarded. Saw a 2’6” gauge fireless loco working in Cuba back in 2000. The Barclay versions are much prettier than this Baldwin one! This announcement from Rapido has got me wondering about the possibilities of a Barclay narrow gauge version. Andrew

Have been busy at the modelling bench recently and there’s not one, but two blog updates to show for it. https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/03/a-splash-of-colour.html?m=1 https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/03/to-meander-along-or-rise-to-challenge.html?m=1 Andrew

Crews shouldn’t be that hard to sort. There will be some WCRC crews with no work looking for something to do! Given the choice of not getting any work this summer if they stay on a zero hours WCRC contract, or going to work for another operator with their West Highland Route knowledge then I’m pretty certain what would happen.

Which makes the position taken by WCRC management to ignore the requirement to fit CDL over many years and at several stages of consultation / litigation all the more disappointing. Their latest stance clearly shows a contempt for the ORR and the legislation they’re required to abide by, a stance of brinkmanship that should never have occurred if WCRC was a professionally run organisation with a robust safety culture. Suspect that if we haven’t already, then we are close to the stage where the cost of CDL would be cheaper than the legal bill run up by WCRC in fighting this case. Or maybe, spend the money on CDL rather than buying steam locos….. Andrew

In addition to playing trains, I’ve been getting some modelling done with a couple of small buildings on the workbench. https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/03/little-and-often.html?m=1 Andrew

That’s going to look great with the trains sweeping round the corner under the bridge. Andrew

Thank you, yes, wasn’t sure how well she’d remember Neil but I’m pleased that she does. Operating the layouts together was fun and Annabel is starting to be pretty accomplished with the DC control on my ng layout that it wasn’t long before I was just telling her which points to operate. Reckon she will soon be on to the DCC Powercab and mastering that. Cheers, Andrew

The Mickleover modelling day has proved a welcome boost to productivity and my modelling mojo. My attic space has had a long overdue good tidy up and sort out plus the first visit from the Hoover in a fair while! Elsbridge is once more set up, albeit in a different place in the attic to where it was before, complete with the proper ETC stock on it and can be operated with the flick of a couple of switches with some more detail on my blog: https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/02/attic-life.html?m=1 Going from none to two layouts available to play with is quite an improvement and have been enjoying doing some modelling and then running just the one or trains on the layout as part of this. Andrew

The Mickleover modelling day has proved a welcome boost to productivity. The problematic three way point has been replaced and all the associated adjacent track work has been refitted and connected to the wiring. So back to where we were before, but with added reliability! More on that and an update on Wheal Ponder and Elsbridge for those interested can be found on the blog. https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/02/attic-life.html?m=1 Going from none to two layouts available to play with is quite an improvement! Andrew

Yes, a new saw would be a wise investment! There’s a Harlows timber merchants in Burton that will cut ply to your requirements which is where I’d get mine from. Presume from your comment that you use 9mm ply for the baseboard tops. Do you use something thinner for the sides? Cheers, Andrew

Thanks. Sounds relatively simple and straight forward! And the resulting boards you produce look very good.

Oh yes, using your end templates and building boards yourself makes an appreciable saving especially over half a dozen or more boards. My previous attempts baseboard building were neither straight nor true, hence my move to laser cut kits, more expensive but they provide a working layout! Seeing your templates and method of construction has made me think again about having a go at making my own. Cheers, Andrew

Glad to see that some work has occurred. Interesting to see your modular schemes using those 60 deg curved pieces because G&H also do 60 degree sections of curves. Plus I’ve recently been able to compare moving a layout made up from 900x400 boards to a show and back with re-arranging my attic and heaving a 1200x600 board about the room and the difference in ease of movement between the two. Cheers, Andrew