Iain Popplewell

Hi Mr Kirtley800 I was wondering if I could beg some help with my latest model. As you may or may not know I model the South Farne Island railway system and as I'm fastidious as the next man when it comes to accurately modelled railway liveries, I've got a problem. Historical facts are not exactly plentiful for the South Farne island's North Tees Railway, (loco's painted a very nice NER dark green), but when it comes to locomotives of the South Farne Iron Companies details are so vague as to be almost non existent. Luckily I obtained plans for South Farne No.1 as built by Robert Stephensons in the 1870's, plans subsequently used by Kitsons to build the superficially very similar Consett A class. You can't get a more North Eastern pedigree than that can you? Unfortunately when it comes to what colour these lovely North East England loco's were painted history has not recorded. The only history I have managed to track down is a vague oral history that suggests that the South Farne Iron Company loco's were painted red. I don't like to blow my own trumpet, but as the world's expert on the South Farne Railways, if I don't know the definitive colour nobody does. The upshot of this preamble is that unusually for me I have a degree of freedom to paint this loco any colour I like, provided it's red. I couldn't help but notice that you are perhaps RMWEB's leading advocate of painting loco's red. I was wondering if you could perhaps suggest a suitable shade of red for my loco? Yours in anticipation. Iain Popplewell.

Do you have any pictures of the final results Stephen? It sounds like just what I might be looking for. Can it be carved or scribed once set.

The last day of steam I remember that, or at least I have a final memory of my last steam engine. I was eight years old and playing with my mates in what we called "The Beck", more of an open sewer, that flows down the side of the TA barracks across the road from the mighty Tees Yard. Some time during the morning what I now believe to be a J27 or possibly a J26 passed with a coal train towards the Boro. I remember how clean it was, and we all waved to the train crew and they waved back, just brilliant for us kids. The day wore on and later the same engine running light sped back past us towards Thornaby, it was going like the clappers, and we all waved frantically back to the train crew who again gave us a cheery wave. Then that was it, we never ever saw another steam train. That was our last and remains my final memory of North Eastern steam. Does anyone know which engine this might be? It was certainly cleaned up for the day and I'm fairly sure was probably running on the last day of NE region steam. We certainly never ever saw any Tees Yard steam activity afterwards. Happy Days!

When I was five my parents were told at their first parent/teachers report day that I'd monopolised the schools large wooden trainset, (an early larger form of brio) and wouldn't let any of the other children near it. I remember there was masses of track, if I didn't give any of the other kids any, and making great long sweeping S-shaped curves across the hall floor, I was truly happy .If you ever see any pictures of my layout you'll see I haven't progressed much since. Talking of sporting prowess there's a school sports field at the back of our house and the kids seem to have to play endless games of rounders all summer. Musing on this a couple of months ago it did occur to me that during the whole of my school career I couldn't recall ever managing to hit a rounders ball with a bat, although it's probably fair to say that I was better at rounders than cricket. Crickets just plain scary! Oh God cricket, just remembered, my finest moment. The class are in the practise nets, I'm as usual loitering in the background trying not to be noticed and trying not to freeze to death in the biting North Easterly Middlesbrough wind. The games master spots me, "Popplewell what the hell are you doing, get over here and bowl?" I'm crap at bowling, worse than my batting and that's saying something. So the master stands by the nets as I begin my despairing runup, bowl my fastest bowl and delivery and the ball hits the teacher smack in the eye. He goes down like a sack of spuds holding his face, I actually thought I might have killed him! But fortunately for him he managed to stagger to his feet and bellowing with rage sent me off for an early bath, whilst my delighted schoolboy colleagues hooted derision in my direction.

Sorry if I've upset you Coachman but I floated this idea in the Wheeltappers social area of RMWEB as a means of getting the feel of how members felt about my idea. I actually think that members personally dropping anonymous tags might improve Rmweb. Obviously many people will still prefer anonymity but it might be nice to be able too relate postings to articles and layouts seen in the modelling press for instance. I love Rmweb but nothings ever perfect, it was just an idea that's all. I wasn't knocking RMweb in any way.

I've always thought to do so seems a little intrusive after all they might prefer to be anonymous. If the user name is a real name this uncertainty is removed and you don't even have to ask the name.

Hi Gareth. I note you use your real name. Great to live on the edge by using your real name isn't it, even if you actually think the idea won't catch on. Good on ya. I note Mark Saunders agrees with you. (again a real name I presume.) Has the world crashed around our ears as a result of using real names? I doubt it.

Hi Everybody. Who ever you are? Some thing that's been bothering me for some time, I think it might be a good idea if one or two of us, if not all of us, came out. Coming out not in the sense of revealing our sexual orientation, although no doubt someone will have done this at some time on Rmweb, no I mean coming out about our true names. It's really aggravating to keep coming across really interesting posts from interesting modellers and not knowing who the hxll they are. Something Mike Edge mentioned to me at Scalefour North, (Yes he does use his real name as his user name) he said that Tony Wright gets frustrated with the anonymous tags. I'm sure a lot of other modellers get frustrated too. I see no reason why you can't use your real name as your user name as long as you keep any other details, date of birth, email etc etc secret to minimise the chance of identity theft. I've been using my real name for some months now with no problems so far. It's so liberating do it! When I changed to my real name I said to AndyY, (AKA. Andy York), "It's so liberating, I haven't felt so liberated since I burnt my bra in 68! It's great. So over to you fellow members. Discuss.

Interesting points there Runs as Required. With regard to leaving things partially completed and coming back that is my method too but it quite often takes a long while. (see the unfathomable reasons set out above) I know if I followed my own advice I'd have the model finished in no time and probably pretty much to my own satisfaction to judge by the few models I have finally completed. I think it's a combination of fear of failure and laziness to be honest that holds me back. What makes my progress so slow however the real blocker is the rule of modelling that I now realise I should have included in my route to excellence posting above. 8, Never start a new modelling project until you've finished your last. I have to concentrate on one thing alone, start something new and the chances of me returning to finish the old project diminish rapidly. Having said that I have returned to lining my loco, after farting about with my new lathe for a couple of months, so there's some hope for me. At the moment I'm still feeling my way into etched kit assembly, and to be quite honest I'm doing alright, but every step is a step into the unknown with corresponding mental angst. In fields of modelling where I feel more confident I too am much more ready to experiment it's just at the moment I'm careful, very careful, to the detriment of my modelling output. Once again I am breaking my rule no.7 and spending more time on Rmweb when I should have my bow compasses usefully employed.

Thanks for the nice comments and point eight Guy I agree with that. With regard to the tea towels I might well market them in the fullness of time but don't hold your breath. Got me layout to finish first!!

I know, if I could only follow it! It's not just modelling though, when I think of what I might have achieved in life if I hadn't been me. PS. Don't despair for me I've finally started lining the loco and so far so good. I'm especially pleased to find how easy it is to make good my cockups by removing with a fine tipped brush. Hurrah for Rmweb and this thread, it's booted me out of my lethargy. Another week might see my loco finished. Well yeah maybe. We shall see. Edit: To add post script before people referred me to the Samaritans.

The Iain Popplewell route to modelling excellence. 1. When modelling summat don't stop! I don't mean keep at it 24hrs a day but don't stop for any time, ie a day or two, especially before a difficult bit like painting/lining. Invariably I end up with models taking months if not years to complete because of procrastination. 2. Be prepared to fail! Give it a go it'll almost certainly turn out not as bad as you expected. Even if the worst happens you will have gained in experience. Invariably I end up taking months to pluck up the courage to line my latest," best model I've ever made and now I'm going to ruin it for good." 3. Be brave! You've finished your model you've lined it, stuck on the name plates and it's perfect, all you have to do is varnish it. What could possibly go wrong? and anyways it's only a couple of months work down the drain. Usually by this point I'm so desperate to finish the model, and get finally on with building the layout of my dreams, that I don't care! 4. Be knowledgeable! Buy all the best books on modelling. Read them all, inwardly digest all they have to say. Then get on and do it! It's only by doing it, that you'll really learn how to do it. Don't try to become the best armchair modeller in Britain though, I'm already that! 5. Have all the best tools you can get! Having the proper tools for the job is all, and can transform you're modelling capabilities. Be careful not to become a tool collector. I've just bought a second hand Peatol lathe of Ebay. Well you have to don't you? it was a bargain at that price, I'd only have regretted turning down the chance to own one and just think how it'll transform my modelling in future. Had the lathe two months now, spent a few weeks cleaning it and rewiring it, another month or two buying bits for it, bought all the books on using it, bought even more bits for it after reading the books. 6. Get angry! You'll never finish that layout of yours if you carry on delaying, get on with it! For three blxxdy months now I've had a loco all sprayed up and awaiting lining and varnishing, thanks to that blxxdy lathe, I've got distracted, started worrying about the lining and varnishing. I'm going to blxxdy start the lining today. 7. Don't spend all your time on RMWEB. It's all right being able to talk the talk and walk the walk but it won't get your layout finished will it? Blxxdy Hxll another 45mins of modelling time wasted by me!

Gaf2u you are an inspiration. If as you say " the camera can be cruel" well I can only say that your tender must look perfect to the naked eye! That lining to my eyes could be mistaken for the tender Ian Rathbone lined in his video, brilliant stuff. Why you've even lined the tender frame holes. I bet you're really secretly well chuffed with your progress. You should be. I've been procrastinating (living in dread actually), over lining a loco for a couple of months now and I think your two posts are the kick in the pants I need to get me to take the plunge and give it a go. As you say you can cock it up to a certain extent and still make good by lifting paint with a fine brush. What could possibly go wrong! I suppose in extremis you can always wipe it off and start again. PS. If anyone like me is new to postings by Peter Cross aka. N15Class,(see posting of his above), be sure to give the links in his signature a perusal some very useful info there. Thanks for taking the trouble Peter lovely stuff.

Amazing photo, not only an odd loco, but how did it end up so deeply imbedded in the ballast? Did it hit the loco in front and bounce, or did it derail for what ever reason and the panicking driver open up the regulator and desperately try too claw the engine back on to the rails digging it further in? Or is it the rails themselves that look to be curved upwards under the loco. Fascinating stuff. Or did the loco in front reverse into it pushing it off the rails. Who knows?

You can buy the digitally remastered series as an uncut film. (4hr 42mins) as it was originally intended to be seen. As Grandad Bob says watch it in German with English subtitles.

Especially when he was killed at the Alamo!! AAAWW surely he was the son of GAAWD. ( crikey that was an even earlier existence.) PS. In a desperate attempt to get this thread back on topic or something near it. Best British war film; Dam Busters. Yes I know Barnes Wallis was an employee of Vickers and not an eccentric boffin drawn to arms production, but a great iconic film never the less. Best war film ever! Das Boot. German film about U boat. Comes closest to saying it all.

Wasn't aware of that Bon Accord but I should have known that Big John was secretly fighting in the secret service even before Pearl Harbour. With guys like that fighting for good old Blighty is it any wonder that we won the war.

I've always found that the portrayal of history in film is generally correct although some historical "howlers" such as inappropriate rolling stock do creep in very occasionally. In essence though the portrayal of world war two is essentially correct. The miracle of Dunkirk was in no small part due to the presence of war time hero John Mills who as a lowly lance corporal fought a brilliant rear-guard action that undoubtedly saved the British Army. Unfortunately John Wayne was not present on the beaches of Dunkirk and the chance to reverse the German hordes and drive them back to Berlin was missed. After Pearl Harbour however John Wayne entered the war. The deadly combination of the two John's acting together decisively turned the war against the axis powers and the rest is history.

Looks pretty good Darren well done. I hope my first venture into ruling pen lining comes out so well. Doing the corners seems to me to be the problem. Personally myself and a paintbrush, no matter how fine, is a disaster waiting to happen. Any tips from Rmwebbers very welcome. PS. Your loco holding jig looks like a nice bit of carpentry and metal working.

Florence No. 12 as running on the North Tees Railway the South Farne Islands (circa 1130am 3rd Aug 1913 approx.)

I translated inOie as inYes and assumed it was a repost by the French railways to the British decision to leave the EU. If indeed my theory is correct, and as is looking increasingly likely, the drawbridge is pulled up post Brexit, Eurostar may well be rebranded outOhell.

What do you have to pat? the barmaid? or is the barmaid called Pat? It certainly sounds a lot better than having to pay for your beer like you do round where I live.

OMG. it's not is it? Having done a bit of research since posting I was rather hoping it might turn out to be De Havilland. Edit: It is Gresley!! Blxxdy hxll! I knew it would all go horribly wrong. I thought Stubby was still in Hatfield not Kings Cross. I think this may well prove my last posting on RMWEB. Oh the shame of it how can I ever live this down. I'm just a complete failure why do things like this always happen to me?

Ok Stubby I give up. Having given myself a permanent crick in the neck trying to read the wall plaque, who's the guy the statue represents? No doubt this will be highly embarrassing for me as Stubby reveals the statue's only the most famous railway engineer or summat similar, someone whom any self respecting rail enthusiast would immediately recognise. All except me of course.

Oh crikey I forgot Grantham begat Maggie. I think I'll forget that weekend away. Actually when I said Grantham looked a bit lack lustre I think it was actually Newark I was thinking about.