mullie

My current bottle is Imperial leather I think, had the same one for years. I also use SWMBOs cast off hairspray for scenic items and the occasional masking technique. Thanks for the prompt, I'll find out when I eventually need a new bottle. The rubbish I keep, a hanging basket lining for grass too.

I'll be honest, I don't know how I achieve the colours or why I stop where I do rather than slopping on more. I think some key things might be: Rolling stock if a kit is first painted using Tamiya rattle cans, paints or anything else of an appropriate colour having been washed and primed. Tamiya and Halford paints can be sourced locally as Royal Mail can't be relied on due to high postage costs and increasing unreliability. Weathering and scenic details are completed as follows: The use of artists colours which don't produce blocks of colours, they are far more translucent. To paint something, put a limited range of possible colours on a tear off pallet and slop away. Walk away allow to dry, which doesn't take long as I use acrylics, sometimes removing paint using water or IPA alcohol is more effective than adding more. I do own one AK pin wash, all other washes are achieved using black or brown Indian ink thinned with water. The crucial point is that the mix is very thin, more can be added and because it is water based unless working on card it can be removed (the card soaks and delaminates). A limited palette of only around six colours, either system 3 or cheap acrylics from places like The Works and the Range. I also use artists pencils, and chalks in place of weathering powders. To achieve the effects I'm after, including matting finishes I apply talc, a great matting agent which gives texture, though the lightening of the colour because of the talc needs to be allowed for. In certain circumstances I also use charcoal especially on roofs of rolling stock. I started working this way because I don't have a decent model shop in easily drivable distance so started using what I could buy locally and the children discarded. It was also cheaper at a time we were bringing up our family. I always work from photographs. My working life has been spent among creative types, musicians, artists etc. and our family is very creative in music, music education and art/photography as a profession. That is bound to have have had an impact. Hope that makes sense and thank you for the kind comments, to be honest I make it up as I go along, do make mistakes but because of the materials used, they can usually be corrected and in doing so can improve the effect, yes really. The turning point was reading Martyn Welsh's weathering book, I used to work in enamels following his methods but haven't been able to tolerate the fumes for around twenty years. I switched to acrylics but still refer to his book for inspiration.

Just occasionally a wagon uses the quayside siding, moved by pinch bars even in the early 60s.

That's a terrifying thought, good job it can't put me off the beer!

Of course no visit to North Yorkshire would be complete without visiting Knaresborough. These photos were taken last year though nothing had really changed, this year we travelled over the viaduct. Lots of semaphore signalling on the route, Harrogate has both semaphore and colour lights which would make for interesting modelling. Weeds were present on both our visits.

Went for a walk up to the Stray whilst in Harrogate , first is a view towards the station. Now the other way.

I also like the muted colours, looks great.

We have had a good experience using NR, last year as well, though trains after ours were cancelled when we went to Knaresborough. Thanks everyone for your comments.

Got a new phone yesterday and it definitely gives a more accurate rendition of how I see the layout when it is set up at home. The quayside was still busy at times into the 60s. And this is what we were left with. The harbour still needs finishing.

You are right, could have been an azuma. As you can tell by this thread the current scene is not really my thing. Not picky at all, I got it wrong. We used to use the railways a lot more but the line between Weymouth and London regularly has bus substitutions at weekends, tickets and station parking are expensive even if we plan in advance. Sadly I usually drive, it was great to use the trains whilst in Harrogate.

I seem to think the specification got changed because of budget cuts to the electrification programme or in other words the usual lack of imagination on the part of government. The change means the units are much heavier and less eco friendly than originally planned.

We also saw a Lumo unit whilst waiting at Harrogate Station, this appeared to be bi modal too. In Weymouth we don't see such things.

Been on our travels again this summer. Daughter number 2 is leaving Harrogate and moving back to work in London so we took an opportunity for what might be a last visit. Where we stayed was close to the station so we didn't use the car once we were there. Took a day trip to York, the station is still an amazing piece of architecture, I have been pulled into York by a Deltic back in the 70s and the HSTs were new. No locos were seen this time. I don't know what the units are in the photos, they were in Trans Pennine livery I think.

There won't be a lot of developments on the layout over the next few months apart from getting ready for the Poole show in October as I really need to turn my attention to building the 6 wheelers while the garage is warm enough. Work so far has included adding hinges, windows and ventilators to the sides and creating the tumblehome or turn under depending on your terminology. Here is progress so far after around 6-8 hours work. All done with multicore and plenty of flux, body assembly will use low melt so hopefully no details will come adrift. As usual I'm making this up as I go along, never really been shown how to solder. Flash of inspiration was using Silver Tay lamp irons, those provided are fine if a little fiddly, the Silver Tay irons were really easy to solder in. Here is my workbench, the card is to protect the door hinges whilst soldering from the rear, what did modellers do before blu tac, has so many uses? I don't pay for mine, simply reclaim the stuff used to put up Christmas decorations every year. The tumble home was created using towels usually set aside for decorating (loads of that done this summer) and an old piece of curtain rod. The soldering iron was a cheap one bought on Ebay, I was reluctant to spend a lot of money in case I didn't get on with soldering brass kits, it works fine. A certain @NHY 581has been telling people what he has been listening to recently so here is my contribution. The Life live album by Thin Lizzy, I think I saw them on that tour, the extended version of Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads and Stevie Wonder's greatest hits has got me through this week's modelling, I do like digital sound!.

The class 10 is seen moving a mineral wagon to the coal siding.

When I first became a head of music in Essex during 1999 we appointed an excellent second in dept who had come up from Cardiff to take the job. He had been to London a few times, I asked him what he thought about it, his response "it will be good when it is finished." I can't ever remember a time when the skyline wasn't full of tower cranes somewhere. I go less often now and there seem to be more cranes than ever. Martyn

I re watched the World of Railways video again the other night, still a very enjoyable watch. With all the changes made since is there any chance of a new version? The historical context of the layout makes you think how could the original station ever have been conceived as a good idea though it makes for a great model. Martyn

The narrow gauge wagons also have detailed interiors. The visible screw below became loose and had to be refined, soon to be disguised.

Add me to the nag list, get yourself checked out, you can't take a chance with your eyes.. Martyn

Thanks for continuing to post Dave, this topic is one of the main reasons I log into RM Web every day, I also visit your Flickr page on occasion, well worth a look. Martyn

Ladies and gentlemen I give you the current rolling stock of the Pott Row Agricultural Tramway, PRAT for short. This name has been shortened from the Upbech and Pott Row Agricultural Tramway or U - PRAT. The first two have been seen before, I do have another van to build. Next is an ex WD well wagon. Finally a wagon built for RAF Fauld but someone at Upbech had a mate who managed to get hold of one, in other words it is too late for the line but I like it so bought one. Being relatively new it is not so battered. Four wagons with a fifth to be built and little space for much more so a nice little project. All wagons are Dundas kits fitted with a Greenwich coupling at one end and a hook at the other, locos will be similarly fitted. Uncoupling is with magnets placed between the tracks, there isn't a delay function although on some wagons the loop often doesn't go straight down which creates a random auto effect. I am going to fit a micro decoder to a Kato chassis, seems relatively straight forward so will give it a go. I did consider creating separate topic for this module, it is part of the Upbech saga and will have a standard gauge part later this year so I have decided to keep everything in one place.

Ooh it does look rather snowy from this angle, the layout is actually set in autumn.

In my experience a spud won't give you the slow running you need, I have a couple chucked in a box somewhere, too speedy. My trams run on Bullant bogies which are really good, came from DC kits I think? Martyn

Class 10 shunter at Upbech Drove, the depths of East Anglia around 1963.

An unusual view of the daily goods train returning from Upbech St Mary. For me, an advantage of EM is that this type of photo works much better due to the wider gauge track.