CF MRC

Could someone get rid of this lawn for me? Tim

I took the building group outside for a photo. The model is made for artificial lighting, but the outdoor light does pick up all sorts of subtlety in the brickwork. Still more tidying up / crack filling to do on the model. Needs someone to change the colour of the grass background: bit bright for London. Tim

Whilst on the topic of photos, my biggest gripe with most of the magazines, is that they promote the over-close view of a sometimes indifferent model with every blemish in perfect focus over a great distance. The images are usually grossly and garishly overcoloured, as that is easily achieved with digital images, therefore seldom recalling the eras that they are trying to portray. MRJ usually gets it right. Moan over. Tim

The little dereliction scene can now be seen in context close to the wall on top of Gasworks Tunnel. Notice the cat on the hot tin roof. It’s interesting to compare the original site: With how it is now: Bill Stickers has been around and the Mission building has now been weathered into the style of the layout, but will need more backyard stuff. Tim

Actually, Bill Stickers is going to be doing a fair bit of clandestine posting in the area fairly soon. Tim

No, that was the Midland Compound converted from a Peco Jubilee (there wasn’t much a Jubilee couldn’t be made in to in those days). The Jubillee tender mechanisms wore badly, so much so that the the flangeless centre wheels dropped between the rails - probably not helped by our 9.42 mm gauge on the fast lines on Chiltern Green. So the obvious solution was to remove the centre tender wheel from the non viewing side of the engine, hence the 5 wheeled tender. Equally naughty, but on CF we had a partially converted Minitrix A4 running for a few years which had finescale carrying wheels but retained the N gauge driving wheels - worked whilst we had no turnouts on the line. Tim

Whatever would Mr Sharman say?This old lady, made 40 years ago, has the drive in the place where you would expect it and, of course, working pistons and cross heads driven from the crank axle, which uses the outside bearings. The tender is a little big for this class of engine, but it had to accommodate a Portescap 1219 motor, possibly one of the earliest uses for this type in a model. It’s pulling power is adequate, but my later singles are a little better in that department. Tim

Like this John? Excellent idea, thank you. Tim

The N gauge Lima 4F was good value as it measured 3mm scale in width, had a planked running plate and reversing rod both sides... Farish have managed to improve on this a little. Tim

They’re called Midland Spinners for a reason you know... Tim

I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. Tim

Of course Tony, any time. The south end of the layout is going to be well worth quite a few photos, as it is now being developed. This end is effectively a new layout and certainly as big as some 2mm personal projects! Our next show is Basingstoke on March 10-11th and then Fareham on October 5-6th. It is actually easier to do this sort of work in 2mm scale than 7mm, as your brain thinks your eye sees more than it does. Tim

Afraid I stopped short of carving in the frogs in the bricks, more dereliction of duty. Tim

Afraid I stopped short of carving in the frogs in the bricks. Hope this is OK, David. With lath & plaster ceilings added I think I might move the steam tractor from the north end of the layout to this road and make a traction wagon to go behind it, being loaded up with the demolished building. Alternatively, I might just leave the traction wagon by the road side, with the light engine still coming down the Cally Road to pick it up. Decisions, decisions... Tim

An overlong 7mm scale handrail stanchion would work well for this. Tim

And now for something completely different: A derelict building for CF, next to Gasworks Tunnel. More details in the 2mm section, quite fun making this up. Tim

First go at painting, before further detailing, debris & rubbish (model not yet glued down). Need to put some detail in Tom’s back yard now. Tim

We have a cemetery station on Copenhagen Fields just before Gasworks Tunnel. The front entrance is not modelled because there is not a photograph of it. Now someone prove me wrong! Tim

On a layout one can often end up with awkward corners, which should have a building, but would probably entail cutting through it at a funny angle, only having part of it modelled. We have always tried to avoid this ugly effect on CF; although the York Road tube station will be an exception to this rule. A building in a dilapidated state, or being demolished is an alternative which Matthew Wald very successfully used on the south end of the original Caledonian Road scene. At the south end of CF, behind Tom Knapp’s Paget Christian Mission is a very awkard piece of real estate. It is one of the most obvious parts of the Belle Isle section on top of Gasworks Tunnel, and so needs something interesting to hold the eye: there are only just so many trees that you can plant on CF. I therefore started making a cameo of a building being demolished, as a demonstration at the Model Engineer show at Ally Pally. Whilst building it, I was fortunate to get lots of advice from retired civil engineers and carpenters, and it has now been completed with a few more hours work at home. The building was obviously a small 3rd rate London terraced house, of which there were examples on this road. The ‘one holer’ will have a tin roof on it when complete and there will be pavement at the front. Our home made brick styrene sheet is very useful for helping to get this sort of decrepit appearance in a building. The workmen have been incredibly tidy so far, clearing away all the debris as they work(!) It will be painted in this condition and then piles of timber, bricks & detritus added, subsequently. Painting will be fun... Tim P.S. From certain angles it does look a bit like the Alamo.

Not sure about the prototype, Justin, but in sign writing it is the daylight between the letters that is as important as the actual letter size. On that basis, the space between the LLs and O would be better closed up. Appreciate that might be tricky with a software package, but you may be able to tweak the kerning a bit. Tim

I can almost smell the stale wine barrel smell! Tim

Well the building was made in San Francisco, Jim. Tim

A little taster of Tom Knapp’s Paget Christian Mission in place on CF. This area is currently being worked up, scenically. Will need a bit of gap filling between the pavement and the road. Tim

How charming to have a layout called ‘The Toilet (Jakes)’. Tim

I work to my father’s maxim: “He who says it can’t be done is liable to be passed by someone doing it!” Tim