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Interestingly (well it is to me) Gayton, the location of the workhouse is almost exactly half way between Castle Acre and Castle Rising. So Castle Aching must logically be very close to it. So you could well have supplies for the workhouse and possibly product from it as traffic. The linked article clearly manages to miss out the guardians from Castle Aching from the list. I'm assuming that there would be two. That's based on the assumption that Castle Aching has a similar population to Castle Acre which stood at 1,333 when the PLU was first set up in the 1830s. I do rather like the Welsh attire. I assume it's not intended to be Welsh but that there is some other reason for it being so similar. Of course, if the same is to be seen in Castle Aching then we could have all sorts of local traditions involving dragons and half shaven heads with no-one knowing from whence the link originally came having been lost in the mists of time. Maybe it was similar to the village of Wales in Yorkshire which was possibly named as a result of an enclave of indigenous Brythonic population. In Norfolk that would have become surrounded by the incoming Anglians in whose language the word for foreigner was Wælisc. So maybe an Aching Welsh society... I think I've been there! Kind regards, Neil

Castle Acre and Castle Rising were part of the Freebridge Lynn Poor Law Union (along with 30 other parishes). I'm not sure of which PLU Castle Aching would have been a part. Freebridge Lynn Workhouse was still going in the 1920s though by this time births there were recorded as being at 1 Old Swaffham Road, Gayton, not at the Gayton Workhouse. There's quite a bit about it online including on the go to site for workhouse information... http://www.workhouses.org.uk/FreebridgeLynn/ So the question would be, does the Parish of Castle Aching sit within a known PLU, which means we can easily find a history for it, or is the whole of the PLU in that fold of the map that has so frustratingly hidden Castle Aching from view for so long. If the latter methinks there are many more parishes that we've missed for all these years! Kind regards, Neil

I think it is now time to break out those brass bands and marching troupes as this significant tome on the culture, history and general miscellany of the Parish of Castle Aching has reached the heady heights of five hundred pages. Few locations have as much detailed discussion of so many items of local interest. It's made this Parish the first and last thread that I visit in each RMWeb session... first and last as it normally sees the addition of a post or two while I'm browsing the rest! Congratulations on a thread that is at once informative, interesting, amusing... and huge! May it go on, and on, and on Kind regards, Neil

It's looking brilliant and very reminiscent of an area I know well. I know this view from bing isn't from quite the same angle but I've cropped it to similar positions on the buildings and really shows how good your model gives the impression of the place even with the selective compression that you've put in... It must be about time to put some busses on a bridge Kind regards, Neil

These new angles and close proximity to the action (or often inaction I suppose) are fantastic. The only drawback is that we're now so close in with the realistic viewpoints that it's noticeable that there aren't any telegraph wires on the poles. I'm not suggesting that you put them in as they would be totally counter productive as they'd make it impossible to get the camera down there to take the pictures! Maybe you need to train some spiders... Kind regards, Neil

As family names became settled many ap Xxx were joined. So ap Hari ended up as Parry, ap Rhys ended up Price and ap Robert became Probert etc. So to bring this back to a railway based discussion could the above Thomas be an important ancestor as surely ap Becket would simply have become Pecket

It was his son Jacques who first touched the bottom of Mariana Trench. He did it with Don Walsh! While his father could be said to having prepared the ground he was more known for going up than down... I think I'll stop there.

Thank you Chaz for a very informative and detailed post. The end result is really impressive, though I assume that one is after many previous learning experiences. So I expect to take a while to get there. Yes please! Kind regards, Neil

Interesting to see how the new blank sheet develops, though I'm sad to see the end of the AndyP 4mm adventure. I've just got back from a week in a cottage in Glen Roy and I have to say that even with much searching I couldn't find any solid remains of the prototype of your old layout Andy. Though maybe the geologists have it wrong and the so-called parallel roads (ice age beaches) are in fact old track beds that led to your legendary Scottish BLT! Kind regards, Neil

Surely in the modern context of this forum a post grouping is simply referred to as a thread. Thus this pre grouping thread is a post grouping. According to a poster above, post grouping is not relevant to this thread. Doesn't that make the whole thread, a post grouping, irrelevant to itself? It's not just the aforementioned time machine that can cause paradoxes.

Brilliant pictures, even before I clicked on them to see them full screen. I particularly like the angles of the first one. But the second does show off the weathered wood on the barn really well. They both draw the eyes in so many directions, just like a view of the real world. Your skill at the photography and post production also help to give an incredibly realistic view. Thank you very much for sharing them. Kind regards, Neil

It works incredibly well. Obviously the cutting of them in the way that real planks would break is a major facet of the realism, but the surface of the weathered wood is superb. Can you tell more of your "four coat treatment" or if I've missed it somewhere earlier please let me know and I'll look back. Of course, if it's a trade secret then I'll not push...

I find your use of the phrase "mock up" rather disconcerting given that any final product that I could produce would be nowhere near the quality on show here. Though I appreciate that the mocked up bit is the base. Kind regards, Neil

That is an absolutely stunning piece of modelling. My first thought was that your question "How about this?" was asking if it was a suitable prototype to model! Once I realised that it was the model I spent a few minutes trying to spot tell tales. Given that this is a very close up shot of a 4mm scale model there should be some! The best that I cold come up with were slightly over thick corrugated sheets and no rusty nail heads on the planking! And even having seen both of those, when I go back to look at it my mind still doesn't fully accept that it's not the prototype. Brilliant modelling and fantastic picture of it. Kind regards, Neil

I think it says a lot about your modelling when the only possible criticism of a photo of your layout is that one of the doors and windows is slightly out of focus! Those really are wonderful pictures with no real tell tales that they are a model. It's definitely inspirational and something that I can aspire to when I finally get some decent modelling space back and can lift plans off the drawing board! Kind regards, Neil

Hi Jamie, Much as I'd love to say yes... No. Terry (ELTEL) is the new owner of CQ. But I agree with everything else you said about it! Kind regards, Neil

Congratulations Terry on purchasing a fantastic little layout. I very much look forward to seeing it around... maybe a return to Stafford at some point? You'll have to make sure that you get all the patter together in the way that Ray and Polly did so well Kind regards, Neil

CQ has been a layout that I've had the pleasure to see on four different occasions and I've always enjoyed both looking at it and talking to both of you (probably at too much length for your liking!) It has always been one of my favourite layouts and I've always made sure it was the first one I visited if I attended an exhibition at which it was present. Just to allow enough time to take it in again. I was always amazed at how captivating it could be for such a small size. I'm very glad that it will continue to be exhibited and I look forward to seeing it around. But I also very much look forward to it's replacement as the Ray and Polly show was as much a draw as the layout Congratulations on having produced such a great little layout and I look forward to seeing you at shows with the new one! Kind regards, Neil

That's a really informative picture and description. Thank you. The fact that you have used natural breaks at least gives me the feeling that at least that is something I can try to emulate. However, I almost wish I hadn't asked as now that you've shown a visible cut edge I'll be subconsciously spotting them! Which shows how high the standard of your modelling (and photography) is as I don't ever remember seeing any before. I browsed back a few pages and found myself wondering such things as... I wonder if there is there a machine cut edge hidden there behind that telegraph pole in this photograph Fantastic modelling, and very informative. Kind regards, Neil

I think I was rather concerned by the fact that you specified that in this case it was unused toilet paper More seriously though I am very impressed by how sharp and square the edges are on your baseboards of the buildings and yet I've not noticed any joins where they are integrated into the layout. Are they placed and then blended in each time, or do they really slot in almost invisibly? I was considering irregular shapes, and edges along "natural" breaks but you have managed it without such complications. Kind regards, Neil

Thanks for the pointer Mikkel... I looked on Amazon and there's four copies listed at £28, £51, £82 and £129 plus P&P! So I thought I'd take a look at eBay... and have ordered a "good" copy for £4.35 with free postage! I'll let you know if it's as good as it looks from the images that you linked. Kind regards, Neil

Having met you with the Mill at Gnosall I understand why you interests have moved in that direction. It's a superb piece of work. However, I'm very sad to see the demise of Bacup as one of the first threads I followed on here was by a chap called Sandside and this was the thread. It has really inspired my modelling ideas, though it has little in the way of green on it and was about thirty years later than my ideal. The detail was what captured me. So thanks for taking us along for the ride. I'm really looking forward to seeing the mini-project develop and hope that you post a link (as you don't have them in your signature). I agree that the window frames look far superior in the muted colour. I wouldn't have thought about it until you pointed it out. So I look forward to it all as it develops and the direction that you take the buildings that were so inspiring on Bacup. Kind regards, Neil

Everyone should have a CamRys wagon load of top quality Welsh slates!

I think those four wagons really look the part. I now have even more inspiration to build a slate load. I may still try one in each direction though as I'm still not convinced that end facing is the only option chosen. I hope that, at some time, a similar Cambrian photo comes to light. We Welsh do tend to do things differently but Cambrian and Cumbrian are only separated by a single letter and there's still a lot of the Welsh language in the remnants of Cumbrian, though mainly in a pastoral setting. I know we're talking railway companies not countries, but I'd like to think that there are some connections there! I like that picture a lot. They're showing the slates lifted over the sides for loading... even on what I believe is a drop side lorry. They're also loaded facing the sides on the NG wagons. However, on the lorry they're facing the ends, which could back up Mike's earlier comment about the bracing not being there on the drop sides... tyres instead of tracks, but similar loading issues. Thank you for all of the input on this one so far. As I said above I'm going to have tor try both and see what I like best, or keep both! Kind regards, Neil

It's been rather a long time since I commented on my own thread here, so I thought I'd better drop in with an update, and also to answer some of the posts that others have been kind enough to contribute. I've not done much in the way of modelling in the last couple of weeks, but I have been doing more wagon research. The result of that was that I've purchased some more kits cheaply on eBay. A few more Coopercraft kits have come my way with plans to backdate some of them. I've also got hold of some Ian Kirk kits that I can also use for the basis of some early wagons. But I'm acutely aware that I'll need to do some heavy modifications, if not complete scratch building, to make up as much of a compliment for 1896 as I have for the later GWR years. More on that all as it happens.