aberdare

Great work Jeff, I just wish I had a fraction of the time you are able to devote to this as I would be finished by now . I know how you feel about going crazy on getting it just right though as you seem to achieve so little in the time spent on it, great when it looks right though. Keep up the good work and I'll try and keep up. I could say slow down a bit but I think others are expecting grazing sheep behind stone walls by Christmas Jim

Hi Chris Having just spent a bit of time catching up I can only echo what has been said about your little cameo, it looks great and I like the way you managed to recreate that photograph using different figures. You may think your progress is slow at times but you are producing some fine work and of course providing us with loads of useful info on this thread. Keep it up and I'll look forward to catching up again some time. Jim

Great work again Mikkel, I will be more than happy if the rest of mine turn out like that when I get around to them, as for the shadowing I think the detailing on these create a good few of their own so I am happy to leave as is, just my personal choice of course. I think I have another 100 or so figures left to do so lots of hours of painting to come, enough for a scene to create the opening of the Culm Valley Railway perhaps? Thanks for posting Jim

Sorry to hear of that news Jock. Our thoughts are with you and your family and wish you well in your recovery. All the best Jim & Linda

Just a brief visit from me to congratulate both Mark & Jason on the birth of their daughters, I can still remember the feeling of wanting to shout out the news from the top of Norwich Hospital back in 1980, a great feeling. Sorry to hear your news Jock and I send my best wishes to both you and your grandson for a full recovery. All the best to one and all. Jim

Thanks to all for the support given it certainly cheers one up. After a brief spell of headaches, nausea and dizziness all seems to be settling nicely now, still avoiding power tools and driving though. Spending a lot of time on researching a engin green steam driven iron horse that started life as a Camel .kept me occupied for a few hours but well worth the effort. Thanks to all once again and off for another look round. Jim

*Quote* I think this latest backscene is really going to enhance the layout, I'm really chuffed. And so you should be Al some of those shots are superb, my personal favourites are the ones of the tunnel mouth and the one looking toward the goods shed with the loco in the foreground. Lovely work and something to be proud of. Now I really must pluck up the courage to paste my scenes up.

Jeff Are you going to start storing stuff under here to continue building a framework all round the garage and remove those things as and when wiring needs to be done or complete sections at a time including traack& wiring. I have stored my stuff back under once the frame and top are fitted then remove it once I have finalised track position and wiring is to be done,I then progress along from one end to the other until it is completed. I have to do it this way as I have no spare space. I know you have (or had) some larger white goods which are more difficult to move unlike my boxes.

Dear 'Yes man' Can you please donate a £10.00 to Jims railway fund? Well it was too good a chance to miss

Thanks Andy I turned 60 near the end of last year and have had a couple of thorough MOTs over the last 18 months or so and all is OK. Obviously I did get the full Temp, BP and ECG thing yesterday for collapsing but after a spell of irregular heart beats possibly the trauma of it everything returned to well within normal limits. I was going to clear the gutters out today but the glare from the missus told me all I needed to know, made my son laugh. though Chris Thanks, just saw your message come through as I was about to post, it would appear to be a one off but the GPs will get in touch if they feel the need. Cheers Jim, being an absolute for those here today

Hi Andy My first and long overdue post on here, but as I have a bit of time on my hands today it was too good a chance to miss. I love your backscenes once again and It tempts me to have a go, afterall if I don't like the result I can soon cover it with a photo one on a board. it's just finding the time. The layout looks great and I will follow it though I may not post very often as It is very similar to my own with a main junction station and branch, as you will always be far ahead of me I will see how yours turns out before copying any great ideas. Keep up the great work

Another minor crisis in the household yesterday which ended up with me in A&E. We had just eaten a rather hot chili for lunch and while doing the dishes I came over all hot and dizzy and started to say to Linda 'I think that heat has got to me as..' the next thing I remember is opening my eyes on a cold, hard tiled floor. I did think to myself I feel quite lovely and cool down here but why did I come here? I then heard Linda on the phone going through an emergency call and was told not to move as there was a small pool of blood under my head but after twenty minutes it started to get a bit too uncomfortable so I sat up wrapped in a tea towel, Anyway ended up in A&E plenty of checks, head patched up and sent home. I've now been ordered by wife, son and friend to take things easy, so it looks as if I will have plenty of time on here for today anyway.

Hi Jeff I also have L girders under what is the main station layout, mine is only half the size of yours, supported every 5ft, it works fine for me but that was to suit my budget and peace of mind. If you want big that's fine too and I can't say I'm surprised because as you have said many times before that's how you do it and it makes you happy. I may smile and say 'flippin eck Jeff that's a bit OTT' but that's just you and we are are quite happy to accept that. Keep up the good work. Jim

Mikkel I googled it myself later and yes it is the same company, different packaging now of course and three types to choose from, instant, 10-15 secs and around 60 secs. I know a lot of people prefer solder but when I come to build my last whitemetal kits I will still stick to what I know as I'm happy with it.

No, not Araldite. It was a fast setting superglue called 'Hot stuff' if my memory is as good as I hope it is and it was also used on the 1804, Saint and County as well as a selection of coaches and wagons, all still firmly held together. Mind you there could well have been that special ingredient 'substance X' in there 35 years ago that is banned today! Jim

Hi Al It's been quite a while since I have had time to post on here but things have moved on really well, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing a few more shots once everything is back in place. I'll also be interested in seeing how well the backscene stays attached to the boards and if any rippling occurs, hopefully not but it is one of the reasons I've not done mine yet - just not brave enough to risk it. All looking good though and another reminder to me to make more time for modelling and get on with things, soon I hope. All the best Jim

Hi Mikkel I have one of these too, though mine will need a lot updating to match this, I also glued mine together back around 1980 and it is still holding together perfectly fine. As for shunting I see no problem with that as I seem to remember that a saddle tank was based at Tiverton Junction along with a 517, I'm assuming for my needs that the saddle did most of the shunting with the odd goods run up to the Exe Valley, so use it it as you see fit. I shall be referring back to this when the need arises so thanks for posting. Jim

Nice work on the figures Chris, you're progressing with them much faster than I am. I have sorted my workshop out a bit now and have all my figures together rather than spread here and there, I was amazed to find I had around 120 or so with only 20 of them painted. It looks as if I have a lot of work ahead of me yet.

I quite like that rickety livestock pen in the picture if that's what it is, I might make one of those later for Hemyock though not as big as that one appears to be.

All over now. I was allowed through the edge of the police cordon to access our friends house as I'm caring for her pets, though when I said I would unlock the back gate and walk the long way round on my return they did say that would be a good idea. There were 10 police cars, the chopper and armed police everywhere and all nearby residents were evacuated and marksmen hidden in their gardens but they all seemed pretty relaxed about it, there did seem to be more of them than us at one time. About an hour later the they kicked the door in and after a couple of shots he was arrested, all other family members are safe and no-one was injured. Back to the quiet life now, well apart from the gossips over the next few days. Jim

Flipping heck! I thought nothing ever happened in this Village but we are under siege by an army of police and a helicopter. According to my wife who logged into Facebook a little while ago the residents just a stones throw away have been told to stay indoors and rumour has it an armed person is about, currently that particular street is cordoned off with chopper still overhead. I've locked my shed and come indoors, don't want an incident in there. Jim edit Yes it has just been confirmed as a gunman currently holed up in a house.

I got 1384 from Peter K which was the other loco on the CVLR around the turn of the century, still yet to be built though, hopefully in the next year. As for 1300 I am looking at modifying some other tank kits that I have as I never found a kit for the model.

Hi Chris Back to paths/pavements for a moment. I popped up to our church this morning where there is a history and display of this village. I spent a fair bit of time perusing the old photographs c1900 supplied by older village members for information. A long way from Wales I know but interesting all the same. The main road (to Scarborough) is as you say stone decorated with copious amounts of dung on the up and down sides, the pavements seem to have a large stone edging and possibly a fine stone infill to the cottage walls (no front gardens along here), I'm assuming fine stone as I can see no evidence of of larger stones and it is not smooth. They do look cleaner and in better condition than the present time though, proud villagers no doubt. Away from the main street there are no pavements and the road surface and garden paths all seem to blend seamlessly between small grass verges. On these minor roads everyone seems to walk in the middle of them, much like they do now. One final note, there were no street lamps, much too rural I guess.

Hi Chris I managed to purchase a couple of books on the Histories of Hemyock and Willand which are the villages closest to my stations, they have been extrememly useful in identifying details such as paths, as far as I can make out they are just a mix of earth, ashes and stone (probably). Certainly no pavers anywhere or concrete. However down in Somerset at my Grans old cottage the paths were huge uneven stones much the sam,e as were laid in the kitchen, my dad said they were just as deep but I can't verify that, he was born there in 1922 though so he knew the history of the old house from my grandad born there in the 1890s. I also obtained some photographs of an old farmhouse I lived in when near Epworth, N Lincs and that showed dirt/stone paths annd also the yard where they did the threshing. Keep up the good work Jim