Dorsetmike

Aint misbehavin' - Fats Waller

When you wish upon a star - Julie Andrews

A few more Bournemouth air show shots, taken from the cliff top hence some shots are looking down

Slaters do embossed plastikard in 2,4, and 7mm scales plus a few items in 3mm, various brick, stone and tile textures. https://www.slatersplastikard.com/plastikard/embossed.php

There were five ants in discussions about renting a flat with another five ants. They went ahead and now they're tenants.

Underneath the arches - Flanagan and Allen

Down town Pet Clark

In N gauge I have a 10'x2'6" double track oval with 2 fiddle yards off the ends, one 4'6"x 15" the other 5'6" x15" giving a roughly "U" shape total. both fiddle yards have a turntable and also facilities for cassettes. Sort of best of both worlds, I can run fiddle yard to fiddle yard and include as many circuits of the oval as I want - if any! Typical run could be start from left fiddle 1 (or more) circuits exit to fight fiddle yard, turn loco, run round, repeat in reverse direction, alternative chnage loco while in right fiddle. Trains can be running in both directions. Furthere alternative run train into a cassette road and change complete train. Main advantage from my point of view is the option for "end to end" or roundy roundy plus with cassettes I don't need so many storage roads, just a long box with 2 trays holding up to 5x 6 coach trains or 5 coach plus loco and a further tray with individual locos

Cry for you - September

Christmas comes just once a ferkin, but when it does we're ferkin workin'

I've been using a KNK Zing plotter cutter for about 9 years now, mostly for N gauge buildings, according to reviews I read before buying it's faster than the Silhouette and will cut thicker material - but cost quite a bit more. Cutting mat is 15" square. The software that came with it I found very easy to use and also easy to import and export from/to jpg and other image formats, for example I can scan etched brass doors and windows into photo editing software, export it to the cutter software (keeping the size exact) and position where required as many times as required. I can get two 6 house terraces (or 4 low relief) on an A4 sheet which the Zing will cut in about 5minutes or less - unlike the hour or so by hand. Imges, the Zing, the silhouette is what is typical sent to the Zing, some cut parts for 4 house terraces plus etched doors and windows (Peedie models) 4th image front row from the Zing, back row Kits, (Metcalf and Peedie), the dormers and bay windows on the RH end are cast white metal from Scale link

I did email Sonic a few weeks ago, seems for trhe foreseeable future it's only tank locos for steam.

No steam!!!!!!!!!! Why am I not surprised?????????? Not much of interest for anyone modelling pre 1965; there are some of us that model pre WW2 and have no interest in what look like multi coloured tooth paste tubes.

OVer the years I had 3 Ford estates, a 100E Escort (the original 1959 1172 side valve~) a Mk 2 Dortina and a Mk 4 Cortina back in the days when one had to cope with kids and camping gear. Also had sa few saloons, mostly Fords - dad worked for the local ~Ford main dealer. Now those reasons are long gone, over the last 20 years or so it's been Mazdas, a Demio and now on my 3rd Mazda 2 - the original 2002-2007 version which is an estate as far as I'm concerned,(some might call it a hatchback), but I think it's more of an estate. It has plenty of room for my rollator - walking aid - mobility tends to be a bit limited once past 85!

A few from past Bournemouth air shows.

When - if ever - will somebody get round to producing an N gauge Southern 4-6-0, currently there are 2 somewhat dated kits, Langley's Urie S15, reasonably accurate but with the watercart tender only correct for a few of the class between mid 30s and 50's and BHE N15, again Urie LSWR cab and intended to fit on a Farish black 5 chassis, but can be hacked to fit a Peco Jubilee, but then needs a suitable tender drive ; we desparately need a RTR Nelson and Arthur and it shouldn't be too difficult to add an S15 and H15.

I have a recollection of reading a few years back that an A12 had once been commandeered to head the ACE when an Arthur failed not far out of London (on a diversionary route IIRC) and took it on as far as Basingstoke. The book was probably a library book as I can find no reference in any of my own books; I've tried Google and other searches to no avail can anyone shed any light on this? My attempt at scratch building an N gauge A12, I've asked Union Mills if he might consider one, (shouldn't be much of a hack from an 0395) (Must learn to do better lining!)

Not sure about BR days, but in grouping years the stock was SR out Mon/Wed/Fri back Tue/Thur/Sat, LNER stock in reverse directions, similarly with Bournemouth/Birkenhead alternating with GWR stock. Normal routing was for the SR loco to do Basingstoke, Reading west, Didcot, Oxford

When (if ever) are we likely to see a RTR Southern 4-6-0 in N gauge? We do have 2 white metal kits, a Urie S15 which is intended to fit a Fleischmann chassis (costing an arm and both legs) and N 15 designed to fit a Poole Farish black 5 chassis - wrong size wheels and spacing - at least the kits are hackable, changing cab roofs, dropping the running plate "step" over the cylinders and finding more suitable chassis. A bit of mix 'n match using bits of both kits and above mentioned hacks and various chassis has allowed me to make most variants of H15, N15/Arthur and S15, Urie and Maunsell except 6 wheel tenders- I model ex LSWR area mid 1930s

In case anyone is wondering why I chose the ironclad Restaurant rather than the Maunsell, I felt that the recessed kitchen doors would be a problem especially getting the overlays to fit; this was less of a problem with the open third end doors, if you look at the etches you will see that the end doors are separate from the main body and have enough width to solder onto the back of the main part, note also that there is a bit cut out giving a guide to location behind the window. I have since started t use a similar technique, scan and "decorate" with some 3D printed 1930s Leyland buses, still a work in progress, needs a bit of tidying up

I asked Worsley Works to produce some etched N gauge Maunsell open 3rds and Ironclad Restaurant cars, I got 12 of each (2 full sheets plus some bogie side frames for Urie/Maunsell 8 wheel tenders) I scanned the sides into some photo editing software coloured, lined and lettered then printed to self adhesive vinyl, painted the sides white, formed a tumblehome on the sides, stuck some clear acetate on the back of the sides at window level, acquired some rough second hand Dapol and Farish coaches, cut away the window frames and stuck the etched sides to the doctored bodies, added the vinyl sides, modified the roof vent positions where necessary.

If anyone is interested I have some Worsley Works etches of Maunsell open 3rd and Ironclad reastaurant, I also have printed self adhesive sides in Maunsell olive, they fit Dapol Maunsells or Farish "main line" coaches slightly hacked - open 3rds need filing for recessed end doors and between most windows; the second pic is of an open 3rd and Ironclad restaurant posed with a Dapol Maunsell between, the overlays need a little tweaking of colour and length, the roofs also need attention, vent positions toilet tank fillers etc; if using Farish main line as donors then replacement roofs from Ultima/Etched Pixels have a better profile. 3rd pic is an example of the artwork for the open third, I get 14 on an A4 sheet so each has a different number. ~I chose the Ironclad restaurant rather than the Maunsell due to the recessed door making fitting overlays somewhat awkward, the open third recessed doors being at the ends were not as bad in that respect.. On the same etch from WW to fill a few gaps I had some Urie Bogie side frames, I add cast axle boxes then use to replace the cast white metal bogies on the BHE N15 kit, I fit a Union Mills tender drive and a pair of wheels, under the loco I use any available chassis with correct size wheels (13mm = approx 6'7") with as near correct spacing as I can find.

Kris, at least the GWR line up includes 4 x 4-6-0s available plus one discontinued.

More negative I'm afraid, when - if ever - will somebody produce some pre WW2 SR 4-6-0s, there are 2 white metal kits somewhat long inthe tooth (Langley S15, BHE N15 both of which had some variants) No Lord Nelson. Sum total of SR steam RTR pre WW2- N class, Schools class, T9, 700, 0395 M7, Terrier, C class, WW2 and after Spam cans, Q1; compare that with N gauge from any of the other 3 grouping companies, all of which have plenty of 4-6-0s available among other types. Reminds me of a Catch 22 situation - nobody models the SR as the manufacturers don't make the stock / manufacturers don't make the SR stock as nobody models the SR. I've been modelling N gauge for over 45 years, I started with BR(s) but gradually moved my timescale back to the 1930s and have hacked and bashed kits and RTR to try and get a reasonably representative stock but now at 86, hand/eye coordination is deteriorating so "new" stock increases much less than before. Below, a few of my efforts