Anotheran

Hi, I've just created a post in which I uploaded an incorrect image. While I could delete this from the content of the post when I uploaded the correct image I find that I am unable to delete the incorrect one from the images section of the editor. When I then save the post the incorrect/unwanted image is still shown at the end of the post. Under the old site I'm sure I was able to manage images in a post adding and deleting them before posting. Has this ability been removed or am I just looking in the wrong place? Kind regards, Neil

Thanks for the comment Jonathan. I did think that about the garage but really don't have room for a layout even in the new house. However, I work from home and my office is 2.7m x 2.6m. In here at one end I have my work desk including PCs, printer etc and at the other end I have my modelling table. So rolling stock, buildings, trees etc will all be built in here. There's even enough space that I'll be able to bring in one of the 4 x 3 (reverting to feet now!) boards of the layout itself to work on. So the only work that will be conducted in the garage will be where it's needed for the whole length to be up at once. I may even bring a kettle into the room! The room will also be large enough for some dioramas and I plan to do some of the buildings for NE in that format first as it means I can get a "layout" completed while still heading for the full station... Here's my first diorama plan which I hadn't planned to share just yet, but your comment made me think this was a good pace to put it! The reason I've picked this rather than the station building (for example) is that it has the engine shed that I've already started together with some of the technology (like the turntable and a signal) together with some trees, water and some big variations in height. Kind regards, Neil

I completely agree Tim and that is the plan. The moment of madness came when I realised that the drop in the garage floor was actually the same as the drop on the prototype! I fully intend to reflect the actual ground profile, but I will be starting with a level floor! Kind regards, Neil

Hi Pete and welcome to NE. I'm very jealous of your move. We were looking to move for quite some time before our latest move and much of Wales was in our target area as we both work predominantly from home. However, for this occasion the fact that the kids were in an excellent school and a house that while it didn't have the land we wanted and from my point of view was about 200 years too modern was a good size for us meant that we moved just across town instead of over to the right side of the border. If you like NE then please don't be concerned about doing the same location... though you'd probably get it finished well before me! There are others not far from you that could also be good candidates. Llandyssil (spelled the way it was on the maps of the time) Station, for example. Though a through station on the Newcastle Emlyn branch for most of it's life it was for a while the terminus with the required engine shed and turntable etc. (See the bottom right corner of https://maps.nls.uk/view/135192835 which is the 25" map of the area in the late 1880s). I did consider this before going for NE. It was very close for a while to remaining as the terminus as there was a good chance that the extension to NE never got built. In theory NE should have gone through the same transition as the line was meant to be extended again to it's original target destination of Cardigan. So you could start off in the real world and easily take it forward as the terminus right through to the 1960s. Or of course you could model it pre-1872 in broad gauge! Although I've not used Humbrol Decalfix I do use a similar product called Micro Sol that is excellent for applying decals to all sorts of surfaces. Clearfix sounds like it could be useful when I get to the point of glazing something (most of my unstarted kits are wagons of one type or another). As for neodymium magnets, I already really like them. But hadn't thought of them for the roofs of wagons. That sounds like a good idea where the friction fit just doesn't work, and it will add a little much needed weight to them (albeit a little higher up than I'd normally place it!) I like the article it's a better summary than I've seen elsewhere. There is a longer article in one of the GWR Journals that I refer to earlier in the thread. I can't recall which number at the moment. I also have the Manchester and Milford railway book which has some detail on the NE branch and it's history. Whatever you do decide to model please do start a thread. As you can see from this one it can generate a lot of ideas from a lot of knowledgeable people even if not much modelling gets done! Kind regards, Neil

Thanks Brian, and no need to apologise for exactly the same sort of humour as I'd have used! Thank you Chris. I'll definitely have adjustable feet anyway and the exhibition element is something that I want to keep in mind if I ever get a completed layout and it's ever actually good enough. But I'll also want the feet adjustable just to take into account my level floor building skills, and also the potential for other house moves that would have different floors with different flaws. Thanks Adrian. The false floor is definitely happening for exactly the reason of warmth. It was just the question of levelling it or not. Your comment on eye line changing gave me a mad couple of minutes as I went back to the map. The road (following the original landscape) falls away by 20' from west to east over the length of the area I plan to model... That's 80mm. So I could have the landscape datum parallel to the floor and build the railway on the level through it... Just like they did with the real one. Then I thought about all the problems I'd have if the layout ever had to be assembled on a floor that didn't fall away by exactly the right amount over the right distance and the moment came to a quick end! So levelling the floor is the way to go. Once I've moved most of the boxes currently stored in there from the move into the loft.

I can't believe it's been three years since I posted on this thread! Amazing how much time children take up. The good news is that a month ago we've moved home and I now have a space (half of a double garage) as a railway room. But it will need some work as detailed over on my Newcastle Emlyn thread. During the move Doxey End was taken down from the loft (where it's been since the kids arrived) and shipped to my parents garage as although there's not too much to show for it I didn't want to risk the removers moving it all. On Saturday I brought it all "home" to the new garage. So I feel that I'm ready to restart the thread along with work on DE. It still won't be quick but I do expect a lot more in the next three months than the last three years! I haven't been completely idle in respect to DE though. I have moved some of the kits on and have also built up more of the back-scene framework. I've also done a number of ancillary bits of work off the layout. I'll post on those in the coming days as I settle back into things! If there is still anyone out there then thanks for you patience, DE is alive again (if not yet kicking)! Kind regards, Neil

Right, so after a year with nothing on the thread I thought I should make an attempt here instead of just the occasional comment on others. I have made a little progress on some kits and having taken photos as I've gone along will post them in due course. However, everything is at the moment in boxes as we've moved house! So before I get into any more modelling here I'd like to ask for some advice. Our new house has a nice double garage, and I'm going to be able to use half of it as a railway room. The other half will be workshop and garden storage etc (no cars of course in a modern garage). This is contingent on moving all the "stuff" currently in boxes in there into the loft that we've had properly boarded. I'm going to put a stud wall down the middle of the garage with a door between the two halves. All walls and ceiling (of the railway side) will be insulated with PIR (the front "wall" blocking the up and over door will be removable in two or three sections to ease getting large items in and out should I ever be in a position to show any of my work). I'm going to put in a false floor, also insulated. So here's my question... The garage floor slopes down back to front (to make sure any water running off cars - as if anyone would ever keep them in a garage - flows out under the door) by 85 mm over its 6.1 m length. Would the consensus of opinion be that I should make the false floor level (so rising from 90 mm above the concrete at the back to 175 mm above it at the front) so making it easy to keep the layouts level with little work OR do I keep the floor simple with the slope and level the layouts inside (NE will run the full length of the garage so would need to handle the full 85 mm difference in its legs)? My gut says level the floor, but what have others done, or think should be done? If anyone is actually still following this rather moribund thread then thank you... and I'll eagerly await any response! Kind regards, Neil

It was good to see Leberecht on Saturday. My eldest where impressed with the turntable, though Belle did ask if it had gone too far... I suggested that you were just checking it was still working both ways! I must say that I have a liking for green locos with big red frames. Probably why I like turn of the century GWR!

Great to meet you at the Armitage show Rob. Mutton in the flesh is even more atmosphericly impressive than in your photos. Thanks too for talking to the kids. Kind regards, Neil

Ah, so the purple glazing made up purple MS Windows...

I have to admit that until the picture that showed the red lights appeared as I scrolled down I thought it was running wrong road as it appeared to be coming out of the tunnel (as per photo description) on the right hand road. Looks a spectacular run Shaun and is very inspirational... I'm looking forward to seeing it again next month when all of the scenery is complete Kind regards, Neil

I'm moving home on Friday and really looking forward to getting the space to get back to some modelling. During the hiatus CA has been a fantastic inspiration. Thanks Edwardian and crew for keeping such an informative, entertaining and surprising site going. Kind regards, Neil

Castle Aching has become so popular that it appears to have been necessary to split the load... or maybe it's just a glitch on the system.

...in a galaxy far, far away... Looking stellar Shaun!

I would be interested in seeing how you do it as I'm trying to work on a couple of brake vans and am going a little round in circles. But as Mikkel says I would like to see my request drawing you away from your own modelling. Kind regards, Neil

It was good to catch up with you on Saturday at the Stafford show Andy. I almost didn't though as it was a lot harder to find a grey haired man in the crowd than I thought it would be Explaining to my daughter who you were brought up an interesting conversation... Me: "One thing Andy is very good at is making trains look dirty." Daughter: "Why does he do that?" Me: "Because in real life trains are dirty and the models from the shop are clean so he makes them look like real life." Daughter: "Why do I need to clean my room then if it's not real life?" I changed the subject to sound...

But when the pictures are this good it's always worth a second look!

That's brave. I wouldn't rely on my accuracy of measurement. I'd probably have attached them to the roof and then marked out where the holes needed to go using something like a blob of blutac with a drop of paint on it stuck to the bottom of them. I admire your confidence! Looking fantastic though and I'm really looking forward to seeing the roof in place. Kind regards, Neil

Good spot. The caption says it's Nine Elms, which is now the location of New Covent Garden, which wasn't there at the time, but would make a lot of sense being for produce as you suggest.

Not sure that's going to make it through the loading gauge! Surely it must have been staged as the viaduct in the background would indicate there's a lot of reasonably low bridges around the site for road traffic too. But for me the big question is what are the baskets for? I like the look of them but they're a new shape on me. Almost hat-box shaped. Are they for poultry (ducks for the slaughter maybe) or rabbits, or something less alive? Kind regards, Neil

It certainly helped me... I went to that site, registered and navigated to that camera just in time to see the gates open and 7822 pull in! Thank you, made my day. Now waiting for the 5pm arrival at Buckfastleigh. Very glad you pointed to the site. Sorry Andy, rather off topic. But to bring it back on topic... I did a search of gated crossings and gates of your type often seemed to have the circle painted red on the back. But where there's a signal then appears that it was normally just left white. Edit to say that the 5pm arrival is late! Kind regards, Neil

Aber ich kann kein gutes Deutsch sprechen!

Kevin, I was eagerly awaiting the competition voting time... which has now arrived. But I don't see this masterpiece in the list. The Long Walk Home is there (and it looks very good) but I can't see anything else from your good self. Did the publication of elements from this one disqualify you? I was expecting three under your name! Kind regards, Neil

Hi Chris, I asked myself the same question on the 645 class as the eponymous 645 was itself a regular at Newcastle Emlyn being logged there in two of my chosen time frames 1896 and 1906. I have, therefore, purchased the 3D print mentioned together with a chassis and various bits and pieces that will go to make up the finished model... and I've got no further yet! Like 766 (built 1873), 645 (build 1872) was one of the original 645 class (as opposed to the 1501 class that became grouped into 645 after both classes went through rebuilds). But that does mean that both were built with short U5b saddle tanks and only received the full length U3e tanks during a rebuild. I'm assuming from the RCTS book that this was during the first rebuild (1894 for 645 and 1893 for 766) as the second rebuilds were 1913 and 1910 respectively which would be too late for both you and I to use the 3D print on our layouts. While I am planning to shorten the bunker there is no chance of me successfully shortening the tanks and building a scratch smokebox! So even if someone tells me that it was indeed the 1913 rebuild I'll be changing history and making it 1894. I think I'm on fairly safe ground through as 645 sported pannier tanks from 1914 and I can't imagine them replacing a saddle tank that was less than a year old. As you've pointed out the print has a U5 tank so will need filling, sanding and scribing to make it into the 3 panel U3e. But the finish of the tanks is a little angular so there is already a need for quite a bit of filling, priming and sanding anyway to get a good surface. So the fact that we don't need the existing panel outlines makes getting a good surface easier. I have to say I'm looking forward to the build, though the livery with the darker pre-1928 middle chrome green, Indian Red frames and lining (as per the 517 loco seen on this page) gives me some trepidation. But it is my favourite livery and the reason why I've chosen 1906 as my second time frame instead of something a little later... I can run the same livery in both 1896 and 1906 as I can't imagine everything running on a small branch in mid-Wales being altered to the 1906 livery in the first few months of it becoming the standard. Having said that I do intend a mix of liveries for 1906... but it's my train set. With my rate of progress though your Christmas build will be finished before I've opened the box to have a second look at the content. So I look forward to seeing it arrive! Kind regards, Neil

I would assume that the L and R are the beginning and end of LSWR, which is what is also on the cattle trucks. Kind regards, Neil Edit: Simon got there first while I was typing!