kipford

98% complete. It just needs decoder, transfer added (balfour beatty) and final assembly.

A new old train for Brighton. I cannot remember the dates but it must have been around 2000 there was an article in ModelRail about road railers and how the author has built a road railer set. Liking quirky things I thought lets build some as well. The shells are plasti-card boxes with plastic strip detail on the ends (all Slaters did not know about Evergreen in thoses days). The sides including all the rivet detail are printed onto paper and stuck on, they were produced on Coral draw. The bogies are modified Cambrians. The set was converted to EM but never used because it constantly derailed! Last weekend I dragged it out again and sorted it out, which I now know was combination of a track problem (solved for DEMU) and a problem with one of the centre bogie pivot points. The bodies had also started to delaminate (the lead in PVA problem) so they were repaired and the results are what you see here. If I was doing now rather than 14 years ago I would makes things a bit less clunky, but from a distance it still looks ok I think and will now join the stock roster as it just about comes into the time frame, EWS did run them in their colours, so I could repaint them if anyone complains! A very cruel photo, shows how modeling standards have changed in 14 years! Their is also some damage I have not noticed. Anyway back to the signals tonight as my etched ladders from MSE have turned up.

Not had any updates recently as I have been away on holiday, away on business and catching up on jobs around the house I have avoided. I have a job list of about 25 items to complete on the layout before the next show at Southampton in Jan 15. Signals are the first priority and the gantry with the station throat entry signals and theatre indicators is about 90% complete, Also I though I woud pop in photo of where Brighton lives at home (no controllers etc fitted at the time). It was designed to fit around furniture in a bedroom with minimum compromise on the floor space.

Mike We had brief discussion last night on this. In principle my wife could be interested, we would need to work out the costs, our main concern is that they are quite delicate and we need to investigate ways of packing them so the they do not get damaged during delivery. We are on holiday next week and then I am away on business basically all week until the end of July, so do not expect any conclusions for a couple of months.

Couple of pictures from last weekend, first with some stock on! The dream team! A busy period Exiting the yard An interloper at DEMU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alex the static grass is a mixture of Mini-Natur and Greenscenes. The colours used are a darkish green, summer green and straw colour. A base layer of 4mm mixed medium green and straw was applied first. Then on the edge of the layout it was graduated from the board edge in with a second light cover of the darker green. On the centre sections of the layout the second layer was a mix of medium green with longer 6mm straw mixed in. Two static grass applicators were used. The bulk was applied with a Noch Grassmaster, the centre section and touch up stuff used a Green Scene Flock It. The base glue was the Greenscene flock cement. The second layers used 3M Spraymount. Hope this is of help to you.

First thanks to all of the RMWebbers who said hello over the weekend and for all the really nice comments at th show and in the posts above. For its first proper show (it had done our one day club show 2 years ago as a layout under construction) we were really pleased. I must admit to having been concerned about reliability over 2 days and also about expansion if got hot in the hall (which it did). There were very few issues, a couple of back to back problems, one point occasionally needed its end points resetting and the Kaydees on some stock appeared to stick sometimes. As mentioned by Ian earlier, the main issues were mainly operator related. We really enjoy operating from the front as you get to intract so much more with visitors. The downside is you get talking, forget what you are doing and every thing goes to rats! We also learnt that the layout benefits from 2 operators at any time, one running the station the other shunting the yard. As we only had 2 of us for most of the weekend, it meant we saw very little of the actual show. We had 5 potential exhibition invites and discussed with Andy York about an article when the layout is fully finished for BRM. Roll on Saturday we go on holiday for a week! PS my wife got a commission for some Buddleia!

Final Two photos for now. Barry building and a photo of it all set up, complete with new curtain. Just wheel cleaning and coupling check to finish (plus raveling boards for the light rig).

Richard Brighton has done our club exhibition as a layout under construction and the EXPO EM skills day back in March, but DEMU is effectively its proper debut. From the EXPO skills day though we do have two invites. Southampton in January 2015 and EXPO EM 2016, nothing particulary near Barnstaple though! Dave

Its a wrap! Well as far as scenics go. We planted the buddleia and people this aftenoon, so the next few days will be spent getting it running again. We promised some photos of the wild weed so here they are: Plus one of terraces and their gardens, excuse the leaves on the road , they will be removed. Thanks for all the positive comments they are very much appreciated. See you all DEMU

Mike Sneak preview, will be interested in opinions, we think they are a good compromise? They are made from a Seafoam base. The leaves are noch green leaves mixed with edible weathering powders, Chris my wife has lots of them for sugar paste flowers, to get them to a colour that more represents the prototype. The flowers are some scatter I bought from Carrs about 15 years ago. We have about 40 of these in different sizes to add to the layout. The pictures are a bit cruel as you view them from a further distance away. They will be planted with the stem of the Seafoam in a hole in the baseboard both individually and in multiples.

This is about as far as we will get before DEMU, the people and buddlea go in over the weekend (I will post some more photos when its done). There are still a lot of detail items to do like electrical cables, third rail safety boards, TV aerials etc. Anyway I have to stop to clean the track, wheels etc. Ensure it runs OK and there are some cassettes to finish along with some extra foam for the stock boxes. Very little of the stock is weathered yet, that will be the next big job after the remaining detail is fitted. Anyway hope you like the photos. Some are of views that a punter will never see.

To everyone who commnented yesterday, we were surprised, but non the less delighted at the reaction just adding a bit of greenery has had, thanks to you all. Simon, I will have to say no. Whilst there would be no problem getting you a kit of parts, it would require re-modelling for HO as its not just a matter of scaling from 4 mm to 3.5 mm and work/other commitments means I do not have the time to do it. Regards Dave

No posts for a while as I (we) have been flat out getting it as complete as possible for DEMU. Mrs Kipford has made all the trees, 40 buddlea plants and flocked the cliff face. The base layer static grass was put in last night with the help of Grwat Shefford and his Noch Grassmaster. Suddenly its all comming together. There will be a few details missing for DEMU but the layout will be scenically finished, dispite the efforts of work to send me away on business! A couple of photos to show progress.

Hope to post some updates soon. But lf anyone is interested Brighton will be at: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/81436-chris-kedgley-memorial-skills-day-portsmouth-saturday-8-march-2014/

A rough tot up suggests I have taken about 30 hours to get it to the paint stage in the instructions ( I have also been checking the instructions), i know Jonathan can get one built up in a day. Its probably another 10 hours for rubbing down, painting, final assembly and transfers. If you have never built a kit before then yes get some practice in before starting this one. Its very easy to build but I would not recommend it as a first time kit.

You can also use the 25mm wheelbase ones (which I have done) they are about £15 cheaper than the correct ones and I cannot see the 0.5mm the difference once the side frames were fitted. Dave

I am building the first production kit to prove the instructions. Its a joy to build you get lots of modeling for your money and its not difficult. Progress so far. Picture 1 shows what you get in the Kit (you supply the Black Beetle bits). Picture 2 shows finished sub-assemblies. Pictures 3 and 4 show it on a running in turn on Hope under Dinmore last nigh prior to starting to paint it.

Simon You are welcome to come up and see us at the SHMRC on Thursday nights whilst in the area. We have club rooms at Fort Widley on top of Portsdown hill - see our website at bottom of the post for directions. Also we have our own club show on 30th November (see link for more details) where Warren Park in roundy roundy form will be top of the bill. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/77477-shmrc-portsmouth-exhibition-30th-november-2013/ If you want more details just PM me. Regards Dave

I suddenly realised the other day its 8 months since I last posted an update on Brighton! So what has been happening? Well my other modelling life has intervened, We have had the SHMRC layout, Hope-under-Dinmore on the road and won best in show at EXPO EM, then I had to write the article which is this months Railway of the Month in the Railway Modeller. My son and co-builder passed his finals and is now doctoring in Plymouth (so that involved a lot transporting things around). Plus of course I still have to earn a living. Anyway things have moved on, they have to as we are confirmed to attend DEMU in 2014! Scenics: The station building and canopy is basically finished and weathered, but not planted. I have also scratch built the digital clock so reminiscent of the period and the train indicator screens. The Barry building has all its detail but needs weathering, again its not been planted. The terrace buildings are weathered but not planted. The hospital oxygen cylinders are finished and use home brewed transfers. The tunnel mouth was supposed to be covered with scalescene paper, but a test piece showed for some reason that it just did not look right. So the bullet was bitten and it was re-designed with laser cut brickwork, I think it looks right now. It needs a bit more weathering but the surround chalk areas need completing first. Stock: Caroline is finished and made her exhibition at EXPO EM on Woodfield Road. Although slightly tenuous we had to have a Thumper in Connex colours. It been EM’d and weathered and looks fabulous. A second 4-VEP has also found its way home. Its not been re-wheeled yet as the decision with this one is whether to keep it in NSE colours or to bite the bullet and re-spray it Connex! Anyway enough rambling here are some photos of recent events. Some shots of Caroline: Tunnel Mouth Shot down the platform Caroline, Thumper and 4-VEP Station Building Barry building Oxygen Cylinder