Chris M

I drove a gen 2 Astra for a week on holiday many years ago. I'm pretty sure is was a 1.6. Engine wasn't interested and wouldn't rev past 5,000 and it rolled like a boat on bends. The third worst car I have ever driven. Later generation Astra's (in 1.6 format) seemed ok but totally lacking in character.

Just one operator. We sometimes have two operators but then we have to agree who is going to make adjustments. You can't really speak to visitors while running four trains though. It's simple analogue with only two controllers. It's all about watching where the locos on the two middle trains cross each other on the storage sidings and making minor adjustments. One surprising thing is that without any changes to the controller each loco speed alters very slightly over time. If you get it perfectly balanced within a few minutes you can be sure it won't be.

Going round bends on two wheels is a bit tricky with a loco. I operate my Little Aller Junction layout sensibly most of the time at exhibitions but when youngsters are around I put on a bit of a show. The little people seem to enjoy it a lot, as do some big people.

Maybe because I’m well known for being daft. :)

That's probably because they don't know either. If you talk to the Dapol bosses at shows you will get an idea of what is in the pipeline and roughly when based on the best information they have at that time. My initial comment wasn't entirely a joke. Dapol, like most other manufacturers rely on Chinese factories doing what they say they are going to do when they say they will do it. Probably due to the difficulties of getting everything together for a relatively short batch production run the factories don't always manage to do things according to their plan. Its not always late production, I have heard that sometimes these factories can make stuff ahead of schedule or make a bigger batch than was ordered. Often the first thing people like Dapol know is when they get the shipping note. And of course, sometimes a factory does a complete batch wrong despite going through a sample checking process. Even Bachmann have had similar problems despite being part of the same company as the factory.

You do need a good degree of swivel on the bogies. I'm not sure any UK model has enough swivel. Its not a good thing to be doing and I don't approve of such things......unless it is out in the sunshine. USA Trains GP38s do have plenty of swivel on their power trucks. I initially did this by accidentally changing the point at the wrong time and was surprised to see the loco come round the bend running perfectly well on two tracks so I had a little play.

There is a garden railway size kit available. See https://www.rail-roadmodels.co.uk/product-page/ivor-the-engine

Everyone should plough the furrow they want so I wouldn't criticise anyone for not thinking the same as me and I don't consider myself to be a more serious modeller than anyone else. If a fellow enthusiast gets satisfaction from running trains on a bare baseboard that is fine by me and I see what they are doing as being just as valid as what I am attempting to do. For me though it is the whole scene that is important. I like a reasonably accurate train to run through a carefully thought out landscape. I always build open baseboards with land height going both below and above track level. This really helps to give the feel that the railway was built through a landscape that was already there. It's a shame (in my view) that so many layouts are still built by laying track on a flat board and then building scenery around it. That never looks right to me but on the other hand I am quite happy with Peco track. I have built my own many years ago but it isn't something I like so I don't do it. I like the train itself to be a reasonably correct formation although scale length trains can look too long on smaller layouts. So sometimes it's about looking right rather than being 100% to prototype. I also like stock to look like it is in use so everything has a light weathering; I could not bear to run anything straight out the box ( unless already weathered). Stock out of the box just looks too "plastiky". The other thing I like to do is model a representation of a real railway location. I find this to be an interesting challenge. I spend as much time investigating the place and it's history as I do building it. The frustration of doing this is that you never have as much space as you need. The satisfaction is ending up with something which is a reasonable representation for my eyes.

Two photos from some time ago, please excuse the quality. The 8F was always my favourite loco on the SVR, wonder when/if it will get to run again.

The MG ZT 260 V8 is probably a classic - and rare too. I had a drive in one once and very nice it was too. Relaxed but powerful and sounded great (as do all V8s). Shame it only had the standard fuel tank so you couldn't go far between petrol stations.

I use latching relays

Happy days at Arley

Love Arley - both the village and the station. In the warmer months I love to take the grandchildren over there. Feed the ducks, look out for stick man going down the river from the bridge, picnic in the station garden (and see a couple of trains if my timing is right) then back to the car and a little sleep on the way home (the kids not me). A brilliant, simple and very cheap day out. The volunteers that look after Arley station do a wonderful job and I am always amazed at how well the gardens are kept. Very well done to all involved; you have created something special. I always feel a bit guilty that the above day out is great for me but does nothing to help the SVR. I am a member like to support the SVR by travelling on it and going to events but unfortunately I don't have the spare time to become a volunteer myself.

Looks good so far.

All the best with this project. I'm sure building it will be a challenging and yet also fantastic experience. Looking forward to plenty of photos over the next 10-15 years! I must confess that when I first saw the proposed layout I had to check that the date was January the first and not April the first.

That's similar to what I did on my last layout. No station but a four track junction to watch the trains go through - and very enjoyable it is too. Also, while the junction and right hand side of the layout was an attempt at an actual place the left hand side ended in tunnels which did not exist in the real world. I found this to be a necessary and therefore acceptable compromise and it also seemed to be accepted at exhibitions. I adapted a Ratio wooden signal box kit to make a brick built one which was somewhere near correct for the real junction signal box. I now have another project on the go which will be another attempt at a real location and will result in the current layout being dismantled for components for the new project. This is a shame and I will miss it but it has to be done for space and cost reasons. I think that once the bug for trying to capture a real place has bitten it doesn't go away. I love finding out about workings at the place being modelled. For instance the scene below could almost make the "prototype for everything " topic. It is based on a photo of what could be seen through my junction on summer Saturdays when fuelled and service locos were coupled together and worked in reverse from Newton Abbot down to Paignton ready to work the up holiday trains. Apparently the footplate crews did not enjoy going backwards with a newly filled tender.

Battery RC.

Or they could be moving on to proper banks with proper locos like Dainton or Rattery.

No, it only clears shrubbery. The PPM however.....

Those into Battlespace might like this. It's on my railway but it's not mine - I'm not that quirky!

Oh my, I must be quirky.

As others have said it is very much up to you. You have to decide what you want from building a layout. I have a garden railway which has no intention of being anything other than somewhere in the USA and I am very happy with that. My indoor layouts are a different kettle of fish though. Of 9 layouts built or started over the last 40 years 6 have been attempts of modelling a real place. Some not very satisfactory and some not too bad. I do enjoy the challenge of trying to capture a place within the constraints of the space available which is inevitably less space than you really need. Working out where to make the required compromises is a great mental exercise. Some of these layouts got to go to exhibitions and were well received. Nearly everyone seems to be enthusiastic when they see a model of somewhere they recognise and hardly anyone criticises. The only thing I really dislike is when someone makes a layout which is absolutely nothing like the name they have given it. You should try making a few buildings from scratch, you will learn a lot and might get to make acceptable buildings. I say give it a go and wish you all the best.

I was born in 1955. My first and somewhat vague memories of trains come from Bromsgrove station. My Dad used to take me and my big brother there on the odd Saturday or Sunday. I was very young but I certainly a recall big black engine with lots of wheels which must have been the 9F banker. I remember the signals clanking and the anticipation of another train coming and I remember when I went to bed after spending time at Bromsgrove. I closed my eyes and just saw loads of track and trains. I know this was early in my life because Dad stopped taking us when the diesels took over. He didn't think it was anywhere near so interesting for us lads by the time it was mostly diesels. I was too young to disagree.

Have a great Christmas everyone... and a productive 2020!