westcountryman

There was one layout which took my breath away, Rockcliffe. A compact N gauge layout displaying such levels of incredible detail. The numerous cameos were utterly spellbinding. Finally, I'd like to say full marks to the operators, who chatted freely, pointed out many hidden details, and really made us welcome. Thanks guys, it made the long drag up from North Devon well worth it.

I ordered the Dapol, Stanbury & Sons of Barnstaple, gunpowder van on Thursday, & it arrived by courier this morning, Saturday, excellently packaged, & I am once again delighted by the exemplary service that Buffers provides. Their range of exclusive limited editions featuring local subject matter is simply wonderful, & the ladies are lovely to deal with. Congatulations Buffers, one more very happy customer.

Hi, Mirmic, you are honestly one of the most impressive modellers I have ever come across. I'm finding it hard to put into words how wonderful your models are. What you have made with card & paper is simply wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. Wow! Rob

Hi Richard, Thought I'd take a peek at your latest 'Challenge', & coming along very nicely. Keep up the good work. I had problems at first with Deluxe View Glue, but on the second attempt I used wallpaper size on the boards first. This allows much more time to move the paper, & it also gives you the opportunity to work out any creases. I'll be following this one with great interest, & it'll be lovely to have it at our exhibition. Cheers Rob

Hi What lovely locos guys.You are both doing a great job with them. It's so good to see some of the more 'unusual' Southern locos on parade. The Z class is a little beauty. That's a fortune worth of Dart Casting figures! Happy Christmas! Nice to see a father & son team working so well together. Happy modelling & keep up the good work Cheers Rob

Hi there, The only one I'm aware of is the fairly recent Norton Commando from Noch. With the current trend of 'rebranding' modern editions of classic bikes, it may have some mileage. Looks a half decent little model, but the price is simply laughable Apart from that, it's the usual generic offerings from Langley etc. However, Dart Castings (Monty's Models) have a terrific Mod & Rocker currently available. The only problem is that they'll both have to be riding a bike / scooter donkeys years old. Hope this helps Rob Peoples Republic of Sunny North Devon

Ooh! The battle of the Lidl display cabinets, that takes me back. Having crossed swords with his highness over the Lidl display cabinets many moons ago, I'll hazard a guess or two:- Probably still waiting for his butler to greet the festive unicorn food, flown in from Fortnum & Mason by gold plated flamingoes. or Tarquin & Tabitha were clearly unimpressed with their matching personalised private jets, so Daddy had the dealer publicly flogged. or Kenton is taking part in the traditional Boxing Day 'commoner' shoot on the estate at Kenton Towers ( he's already bagged a brace) or His Royal Holiness is too busy overseeing the production of Hornby staff busy casting solid platignum Skaledale models of Kenton underground station. or Possibly he's engaged in an arm wrestling competition with Professor Stephen Hawkins as to 'Who's the cleverest in the land' or, or, or............. Merry yuletide you lovely modelling brothers & sisters. Cheers Rob

Absolutely terrific idea. The most simple of ideas are always the best. A work of genius buddy, & one that I'll nick for my floral displays if that's ok. Well done matey Ceers Rob

Two days ago I ordered from Hattons on line. The parcel arrived this morning. I immediately knew it was from Hattons, acres of brown paper! Absolutely super service, & a very happy bunny! At least it won't be novelty socks, a bl**dy awful Dying Scotsman mug, or something else that I have to say 'Oh, lovely, just what I wanted' A rake of GWR van stock is far more preferable to a Christmas jumper! I know it's a cop out ordering your own Xmas pressie, but it saves having yet more tat. Well done Hattons, yet again, brilliant service. Cheers Rob

Ahh! A big festive High Six to you my close-ish neighbour! I 'existed' in London for far too many years, waking up to car alarms, sirens & a 24/7 racket. Compare that to waking up to an uninterrupted view of the Taw estuary, silence & peace. It's a no brainer as far as I'm concerned. Also, there's very little truth in the rumour that we country folk have webbed fingers, sleep with our cousins & eat our young etc. Right, I'm off to the annual Townie roast & witch drowning! Cheers Rob (witchfinder general - North Devon Chapter) westcountryman

Wow! Lovely to see the Thetford , & Brandon Boxes, which up until a while ago were my two locals. Harling Road was always a lovely little box for a busy line. Hope it has survived the planned closure. Mind you, I'm spoiled for choice now we are down here in Devon Thanks for the images, it really made my day. Cheers Rob

Hi, Another 'Picture the scene' for your merriment. I was attending a show in a location in the East of England, exhibiting a layout. The day was going well, with plenty of positive comments on our display. As the show was near the centre of this particular 'fine city', & it had begun to rain, the show visitor numbers increased. It was dry, warm & offered a shelter from the elements, but amongst the influx were a number of 'non-modellers' (heaven forbid!!). We steeled ourselves for the inevitable torrent of 'train set, toys, d*ckhead' comments The offending couple hoved into view, he, a cro-magnon knucle dragger, & she, dressed to kill, a bombshell of blond hair & legs! He stared at our rural layout & grunted something unintelligible to his female companion, & they both chuckled. We really should have left it at that, but my mate decided to engage them in conversation. In her very finest estuary whine, she said "Ain't you two a bit old to be playin wiv toy trains?" Cue, much merriment from our delightful visitors, & me muttering " Just leave it Dave, she ain't worth it!" Oh no, rising to the bait like a trout to a fly, my mate came out with the much quoted line........................ " Nothing weird about it darling, ladies of your age regularly play with toys from Ann Summers!!!" Thanks Dave! I didn't have time to get my coat, as obviously his remark had been absorbed into the brow ridge of her delightful companion. You can imagine the scene, two fully grown men 'hiding' behind our layout, whilst the Piltdown Man considered which was the best use of his resources. To kick our heads in, to drop kick the layout or to burst into tears. Thankfully they simply walked away, & continued their visit, however, I'm fairly certain that he finally came to a decision a couple of hours later! Nightmare averted, but I will never forget that remark. Thankfully I've now moved, so Dave can insult people to his hearts content ( on his own!) Cheers Rob

Hi, Thanks guys, I've decided to 'bite the bullet' & place my first order with ABM. Although I'll limit myself to a few basic small structures at first, just to put a toe in the water. I'm drawn to the signal boxes, as they seem to represent just what I'm after, but the Nth Cornwall station building also looks lovely. I'll report back, & hopefully catalogue how the builds go. Thanks for all of the assistance, once again, RMWeb proves it's worth. Cheers Rob

Hi, I wondered if anyone on this forum has any experience of building the ABM Railcraft range of card model buildings? I model the SR/WR Withered Arm, & having viewed the range online, they seem to supply everything I'd ever need building wise. Are they as simple as the Metcalfe range of card models, or are they a different type of entity? Do ABM supply detailed instructions for construction, or are they more suited to the more experienced card modeller? Sorry for so many questions, but if they are suited to a mediocre modeller with only limited card building experience, then I am very likely to place a significant order for their products, intended for use on my North Devon/Cornwall layout 'Tresoddit'. The buildings look great, with an exceptional level of detail, very accurate liveries, & easily recognised designs, so congratulations to ABM for putting these dedicated products on the market ( no connection etc. just a nosey internet viewer!). I face the dilemma of every modeller wanting to achieve accuracy, but staying within my experience capabilities, & I also don't want to invest a considerable amount of modelling funds into something I may stand a good chance of b*ggering up! I'm sorry for so many questions in a single post, but I really need to hear the experiences of fellow modellers on these products. I've tried searching the internet, waded through forums on RMWeb & asked fellow modellers at my modelling club (Barnstaple MRC) but I can't find any mention of these buildings. Thanks in advance for any help or advice recieved. Cheers Rob

Hey Gary, It will be an absolute pleasure dragging you around Warley, if you can stand the humour in the car, then there's always a place for you buddy. Anyway, you are the perfect compadre for me & Ian, and we cover all of the scales between us! It's a long way from darkest Devon, but always well worth the early start. So the seat is booked for you in the Morgie mobile, with Ray & co in convoy (if he's not stopping for you know what!). You've got a lovely sweep to the track & points on the layout buddy, keep up the good work & always keep the faith. All I can say about the back is keep taking the tablets, it will hopefully get easier with time. See you soon matey Lord Roblington of Yellandshire, Master of royal windbreaking, Lord of all he surveys ( inside the shed ), Average modeller, A* at tea drinking.