Seanem44

That turned out quite lovely! I am not well versed enough that I trust myself to spray and renumber, etc. I guess a third party is always and option.

I want to say I recall seeing an image of Siphons (or very similar looking vans) running next to a Railgun. It might have been a SR utility van.

The easiest way to remember it is that HE explodes on contact, whereas AP buries in and detonates. Ships rarely used HE in ship to ship combat. If they did, it was by mistake, like when the Japanese were caught by surprise near Guadalcanal. I forget which battleship it was, maybe Hiei, went with HE because it was what was loaded in when the USN attacked her. HE was extremely devastating against ground troops, and that's what it was primarily used for: Shore bombardment. While a direct hit would likely render sand bags pointless, that wasn't really what sandbags were there for. It was an extra line of protection against shrapnel. Sand bags are really no match for a 14 inch AP shell. Few things are. However, AP was not really favored for shore bombardments because of its tendency to over penetrate and punch straight through.

Good to know... looks like you gave me a legitimate reason to buy Sheffield's 2644. Well... I would have likely bought it either way. Terriers are like Panniers, right? Got to have one at the least. It will break up the wartime black just a little, when I finally get around to building my layout. Thanks!

Curious question about the Terriers during WWII. Does anyone know what livery they wore? I know standard practice was to paint wartime black, as engine went in to the works, etc. The Terriers seemed like an engine that by this point really wouldn't have been troubled over that much as they were smaller and non revenue. Is it possible they retained their Southern Railways livery? Did they take the black like others? Just interested with Rails of Sheffield producing them and having 40s era engines myself. Want to add one to my collection.

Am I the only one that would like to see Sir Nigel Gresley in its other preserved livery? When I visited the NYMR for the steam gala in 2012 she had the early crest on. I would think you could take the Early crest Mallard and use that, and it even has the plaque needed on it. Though, I think SNG in its previous preserved form had a darker shade of blue, though I could be wrong. Just my druthers, but this is why I have yet to buy one. Just really want the livery I saw her in.

I would drill the hole a little larger, just a little, so that the fit isn't as snug. Then it will go in easily. Just affix with a small bit of glue. Why bother trying to jam a piece into a tight fit, when you can make the fit not as tight?

This is kind of what I did. I bought some plastic brick sheet and cut it down. I didn't attempt to slot in the groove. Instead, I just placed it on the underside. Even then, it was hard to make it stick. Took me to the third try to realize I needed bracing on the bottom to keep the plastic from bowing out on the ends. This kit is horrid. Never again. You can somewhat see what I did in theis photo, along with milliput to fill in the larger gaps and even things out. It looks bad in this photo, but Ill clean it up, and paint will help.

So I seem to have made it work... some braced needed to be put in the arches to keep the arch inserts rigid. Hard to explain, but it works somewhat. Miliput was then used to seal and even out the ends... It's not a great model, but I guess building is part the fun.

Yeah... I envision using miliput or some other form of model putty for that.

How did you solve the brick archway inlay problem?

I really wish I had gone this path. You should share your plans when you are done. I have seen many great viaducts built using CAD, etc., but no one posts their efforts and as a result, they just go away. This might help a lot of modelers. I wonder if they will give you a discount if more than one is ordered... I would consider depending on the size, etc. I can adjust to model a curve...

Good to know. So while complete, it's not "complete" it seems. Yeah, I'll be adding chimneys and painting to suit the 40s. Thanks for letting me know. I didn't know if the website photos were preproduction or not because the paint just seemed, like you said, shaky. So mid/dark brown for the trim... cream for the awning, etc... Also... that brickwork... should this be a more muted or greyish color?

I wanted to build a viaduct for a S&C based layout in N. The Ratio viaduct seemed like a good option, so I bought three kits for a 9 span viaduct. Then I read of frustrations affixing the brickwork under the arches. And yes... it does not work. They do not slot through the grooves. So I came up with a backup. I bought stone plasticard and cut it to size. I would lay it on the bottom side of the edge of the arch, not in the grooves. I got the size right, and in theory thought this would work. It does, sort of. Except I cant get the whole plasticard flush in the arch. So I'll need to do more gluing. And the edges that butt up against the pillars curve outward, so I had to glue in reinforcements to keep it from doing that. Right now I have cyanoacrylate on all my fingers, and two complete arches out of 9. And let's not get into the rest of the bridge. None of the pieces really fit together correctly. Honestly, this is one of the worst models I have ever put together. The fact Ratio still sells it, and at the price it is, is bewildering. This is an exercise in ultimate frustration. I'm going to need a lot of miliput to fill in gaps and everything else. Sigh. Sorry... just venting.

I think I'll be picking one up and doing the same thing. How is the paint on the model? In photos online it looks a little washed out or thin.

I really do hope you are right. Truly. It looks great!

I'm calling 129.99. Doubt it will be as low as 115.00. Those days are over.

Yup. It's a trickle down effect. And saavy sellers are going to slowly start reaping the benefits off of this. Sadly, prices will increase all around.

I think with current prices rising, you are going to see a lot more old stock being snatched up for just this purpose. A quick blast of an airbrush... some rust effects... there is much that can be done to overcome poor factory paint, etc. I know many who were buying the Thomas line wagons, etc. and re-purposing them as they have been sold very cheap at times. I suppose this only matters for hard core rivet counters. And that's their prerogative. Nothing wrong with wanting the most accurate and detailed available either. Everyone has their needs and desires.

Yep... that’s what I’m getting at. And maybe I’m just used to the much larger layouts we have here in the US, with much larger freight yards. Populating one of those with super detailed everything would get pretty expensive.

I believe it is just a re-release. Nothing special I can see.

That's fine... and that's your prerogative. But I am confident there are plenty out there that would rather pay 4.00 for a kit than 14.00 for a super detailed specific wagon that they need 100 of. Combined with the fact we are talking about N gauge here, and at the angles and distance were going to be viewing... those wagons sitting in a yard not being paid much attention to are certainly going to cost a premium for something doing just that. If this was OO, I'm completely for the best and most accurate. N gauge though... unless you have 20/20 vision and eyes like a hawk, were getting into some detail most (other than you, which again is completely your right that I support) will never even see or notice.

Thanks for your help! I am leaning towards the Long Morton layout. It will add visual interest and I'll just need to take extra care with the slips. This project will take time anyways, so whats a little more?

Thanks, and sorry. Trying to figure out the right place for a post can be a challenge for me apparently.

I have track, I have stock, I have space. I'm building a nice 9 arch viaduct. Now I just need to buy points and settle on a plan. The layout will be approx 14 ft by 2.5-3ft. So here is the dilemma. Do I go with the Long Marton-esque layout I have had sitting around, or do I go with something more simple like Ormside. Little Salkeld would be kind of in the middle of complexity. Here is why I am having the dilemma. I don't plan on showing this layout. Its for my pleasure only. I don't plan on motorizing the turnouts, and will likely manually operate them. This is a tail chaser to watch trains go by. Minimal switching. Something like Long Marton adds operational interest and allows me to plant my lovely S&C goods shed. But it also adds wiring and track laying complexity with single and double slips. Ormside is somewhat boring, with just an up and down layby with a small loading dock (that I might not even be able to fit) but it also allows me to easily lay track and I might not get as discouraged. I only planned on one siding per line in the fiddle yard, so with juggling, there could be a max of 6 trains on the layout. Fine by me. Is this a waste of such a large space for an N Guage layout? Should I just buy a hollow core door and feature the Viaduct on one side, some Ais Gill type sidings on the other and use the 14 foot space along the wall for all the OO stock I have sitting around? I have all these grand ideas, but indecision is paralyzing my ability to build anything and I stay in a perpetual state of planning. It's frustrating. Just this feeling of not wanting to screw up or build something I am not happy with.