Branwell

It's amazing what a few days away from modelling can do! I've been off work for a few months now recovering from an operation and had got quite a bit done (baseboards for a new layout, progress on some scratchbuilt wagons and coaches, soldering iron applied to a couple of loco kits) but when you're doing something most of the time instead of pursuing it as a hobby, it can become something of a chore. But a few days off over Christmas coupled with picking up a book on the Ingleton branch and I'm raring to go again. I hope all's well up in Barrow, Jeff - I used to work for Barrow Borough Council back in the 90s and have some very fond memories of the place.

I've only posted once in this thread before, but I'm really enjoying following along ... and that tunnel mouth's coming on a treat. Merry Christmas one and all. David V

You got any spare knitting needles, Nick? Are those your own etches Jerry?

Thanks Steve, and good luck with the brake van - I'll be interested to see how you get on with it, particularly as I'm going to have to build one or two in the not too distant future. What are you going to be hauling yours with? The carriage is a 25' All Third (Furness Diagram Eight). Sides and ends are 1mm plasticard with microstrip for the detail, brass wire for the grab handles and N-Brass Loco door handles. Windows were done by drilling out the corners and then sawing and filing to shape. I've still got to decide how I'm going to do the underframe as the 13'6" wheelbase doesn't match anything available from the Association - at the moment I'm leaning towards using a 15' wheelbase underframe behind plasticard solebars, but I need to make one up and see how it looks - and then there's the roof. Very undecided about that. Maybe brass, possibly plasticard - watch this space! Next time round, I may well go down a different route and build the sides in layers as I'm not totally happy with the way the panels look, but I'm hoping I'll be able to do something about that when the time comes to apply the livery.

Most of my current projects are not very photogenic assemblies of brass in the very early stages of being put together, but I do have some reasonably well progressed scratchbuilds (actually the first scratchbuilding I've done in quite a while) that might be of interest to somebody somewhere, viz: a Furness Railway two plank wagon (plasticard body on a shortened Association underframe) - rivet detail and couplings yet to be added and the body and the underframe have yet to be joined in matrimony ... a Furness Railway four wheel coach - body only so far and finally for now, Coniston signalbox - still a kit of parts so may look a bit wonky and still got a lot of work to do before I'm happy with it. David V

Lovely shot - one of those where you've got to have a good, hard look to decide if it's a model or the real thing. David

If I'd done that I'd be immensely proud. Brings Lowgill viaduct to mind. As a former resident of Ravenstonedale and with a grandfather who used to work at Sedbergh station, I'm really enjoying following along. Keep up the good work.

I'd agree on Rebus ... and Stephen Booth's 'Fry & Cooper' series is worth a try - set in the Peak District and very brooding, though the last couple have been slightly disappointing. And then there's Reginald Hill and the 'Dalziel & Pascoe' books - been around a long time, but highly recommended.