TrevorP1

That’s interesting Pete - everyday is a school day! Regarding the buffet stops Nick. Hate to say it but I think really you know 🙂 , they ought to be the ‘normal’ type.

I must have watched you in action then! I used to visit the WSR a lot when I lived in Hampshire - one of my favourite preserved lines. Too far away now for a day trip but we're staying in Dunster in June so the WSR is top of the list.

I like it! That's a really nice job all round, including the signal box itself. The electronics are way beyond me! Just one small constructive observation. Is is possible to make the gates moves bit slower? I only say this because in reality there would be a poor signalman winding a handwheel round.

When I was very young, 4/5 ish, we holidayed with friends of my Dad's in Portland, Dorset. The whole family - the Whites - were fishermen, mainly for crabs and lobsters. They lived in a cottage in King Street and I remember crabs and lobsters everywhere. Occasionally they caught other things and somewhere there is photograph of White senior and me with a Turbot they had caught. I was terrified - it was as big as me! Falmouth. Many happy days spent there when I was bit older and even now when I'm much older!

I wondered about the trees first Nick but then I remembered: (From geoff79818 on Flickr) This is just by the old Royal Pier and Town Quay. I think the warehouse in the background once belonged to Edwin Jones. (A big store at the end of Queensway that old g*ts like me remember) Part of it was wrecked in the blitz.

Good luck with this one Nick - and Milford. It'll be interesting to see how our ideas for 'Southamptonish' Docks layouts pan out. Mayflower Dock may turn out to be my only layout for a while. We're in the process of some serious thinking at the moment which may result in a house move to a different part of the country. Burngullow Lane certainly wasn't built to move but if we do go it'll be to much nearer the real location...

Yes, in the 'real' world but the Loriot Y was part of 'Titfield Thunderbolt Wars'...

Thumbing through my copy of ‘Andover to Redbridge - The Spratt and Winkle Line’ by Nigel Bray and the frontispiece jumped out at me. Hopefully the caption is clear.

Thank you Phil. It was well worth doing and to be honest not difficult, just a little time consuming. A good use for all those pieces of Wills sheet that were ‘too big to throw away but too small for anything’! As mentioned I found the doors to be the hardest part.

Apart from perhaps a bit of ivy here and there, the SMS barn has been finished off. As seen in the photo of it 'plonked' on the layout rafters(?) are included for those who want the 'derelict' look. A bit of extra thought was needed where my use of the Wills cladding has increased the size here and there but nothing insurmountable. I must admit to struggling a little with the doors and so on for which card components are provided. Nothing to do with the kit as such, just my ineptitude with card components. I bottled out completely with the upstairs window and used apiece of corrugated iron instead! It's amazing how much time a small structure like this can take but it's just what I wanted for the location on the layout. I think it will look the part when it's bedded in and with perhaps a couple of farm workers munching on their lunchtime pasty.

I take your point about the security of the tension lock hooks John. I'll have to have bash with your method.

Some time back (it might have been on the Mayflower Dock thread) I think I mentioned that I was going to experiment making tension locks uncouple using the Brian Kirby system. I ordered some 'hooks' from PH designs and magnets from eBay. Due to the fact that the hooks took nearly a month to arrive as well as the Post Office doing their best to lose the magnets the job was forgotten, until the other day when I came across the bits whilst having a tidy up. The first thing that struck me was that the etched hooks have a longer tail that the Bachmann equivalent. I could see no reason for the extra length so as there were plenty of spares I had a go at snipping it off and shortening it. The tails were pretty close to rail level and were very visible. The etched U shaped hole in the PH etches seemed a little big so I also created a couple of hybrids using Bachmann hooks. In the event either worked well. Steel staples are soldered into the holes provided for the purpose. With a few couplings modified I glued one of my magnets to a spare piece of track. The result was probably predictable in that it was so powerful that it attracted the steel wagon axles... Time for a rethink! For passenger stock I use Hunt couplings and have never looked back but very occasionally the magnets do come loose or the NEM tails break, resulting in my having a small supply of the magnets. They are too weak to use permanently in the 4 foot but what about a shunters pole? That would have the bonus that it could be used anywhere on the layout. I quickly glued one to the first thing that came to hand - a coffee stirrer - and the result is below. By carefully trimming the end of the stirrer the 'shunters pole' can be rested against the rail to operate the coupling without disturbing the wagon. It took a minute or two's practice but it works very time. Obviously the other wagon has to have the tension lock hook removed so it takes a little planning. I accept that this won't work for everyone but with the moves I need it for on Burngullow Lane it's ideal and it doesn't stop the vehicles being used in other trains. I'll use the method more on Mayflower Dock where there will be more uncoupling but with a little forethought and the limited number of vehicles involved it will be fine for my needs. Importantly the wagons can be used on either layout.

Lots of carriage working programmes on Robert Carrol’s coaching stock group.

I can seen other items being delayed as well. From my understanding I believe the Chinese vaccines have been less effective than those which we have received. Also that Covid 'testers' have been bribed to issue negative test results when they should have been positive. (My apologies if this is too political. Mods please delete if inappropriate).

I gave in to the sirens of temptation and earlier this week ordered a BR green set 'lightly weathered' from TMC. They are absolutely not needed on a western region layout but they look really nice models and something to appreciate for what they are. It looks like Plymouth Railway Circle are going to be running a few railtours into Cornwall... Very much looking forward to them.

There's a spot on the farm track at the St Austell end of the layout where I always imagined I'd put 'something' but I had no real idea what. Then just before Christmas I was putting together an order to Scale Model Scenery and noticed they'd just launched a small barn. It's even based on a prototype on the outskirts of Mevagissey, not 20 minutes from Burngullow, so well worth a whirl. It's a comprehensive kit with everything needed, even included roof beams. Stone texture paper is also supplied and while I would use brick paper (as in the buildings on Mayflower Dock) for me model stonework has to have relief. My plan has been to use the 4mm MDF shell and cover it with spare odds of Wills stonework from the bits box. Gaps were filled with De Luxe Materials 'Perfect Plastic Putty'. The other day I found out quite by accident that this stuff can be applied and worked neatly into place by means of a damp tissue, at the same time removing excess. My efforts would probably make a stonemason scream in agony but it doesn't look too bad to me. Grey primer has already gone on and I'll post some more photos as I go.

At risk of derailing Rob's thread, I can't help thinking that the two big players in the market, particularly Hornby, are gradually moving towards the collector/Sunday supplement/'family' market. That's their prerogative, they have shareholders to please. The new smaller concerns plus Dapol - there are quite a few - will be left to supply the needs/wishes of the rest of us. Occasionally the big two might produce something 'useful', eg the Thompson Pacifics and the V2 for the LNER bods, but I think our Counties, Saints, Bulldogs and elderly panniers are going to come from Ireland or Canada, maybe even Wigan or Sheffield. Just my feelings, not wanting to start a war! :)

Since my last post I've been plodding away when I can with the various buildings. I'm doing them at this stage so that I can be confident where the inset track has to be. The one below is a corner of the goods warehouse which is a combination of the type used in Southampton by the Union Castle Company and Cunard. I must admit to being surprised at the amount corrugated iron used in the docks - perhaps that's why there were so many corrugated iron sheds in Southampton! Model wise, the shell is 2mm MDF. Scale Model Scenery brick and slate paper has been used and the corrugated iron areas are Slaters, left over from my clay dry roof. The light has caused a shadow underneath the 'joins' on the front making them look huge - in reality they are the same as the sides. This area awaits painting. Doors are printed paper as are the vents which were intended to be roller shutter doors. Much to do but it's getting there. I took a lot from the evocative black and white image below which I think must have been taken the run up to D-Day. (I've no idea of the source but if there's a problem I'll take it down). These dockside sheds were massive, often long enough to take 12 or 15 bogie coaches and 3 or 4 tracks wide, the larger shipping companies and several. Next a view looking the other way. The corner pub is based on a Petite Properties kit. The other three are based on buildings near Southampton Docks. The one nearest the pub is long gone but others still exist. There will be a wall where the mock up is. It should be about 8' or 9' high but I think I'll make it a bit lower so that the buildings can be seen. Lastly a view of how it works together. I'm not sure yet on the buildings adjacent to the warehouse. They will just be backscene elements but the Plymouth Barbican goods warehouse will figure somewhere. The red lines will be walls and the green, a gate.

Anything is better than that... Even the Caley blue Fairburn tank!

Or an elderly pannier or saddle would surely create a foam fest on here... 😀

John, in my book you get A* for the lever frame alone.

For me - and we’ll all have different ideas/opinions - when sprinkled on freshly applied static grass the earth will go down between the fibres and create a more natural appearance to rough grass areas. It has to be finely sifted though, almost dust. I generally apply it with my thumb and forefinger in a very random fashion. Gently tapping the side of a full teaspoon also does it but it’s easy to apply too much that way. I usually use the blended turf to add more texture/different weeds etc at a later stage after the static grass. The best thing you can do is make up some test pieces and practice/experiment. You’ll find you get better as time goes by but it’s usually easy to go over areas at a later date. I find it’s best to paint the base structure with an earthy or maybe green coloured paint, although some don’t bother. Another idea is to apply the static grass over a base of very cheap ‘grass sheet’ eg Javis. Either way stops any white plaster peeping through. The main thing is get stuck in and have a go! 🙂 You own experience is worth a million words.

I also use WS blended turf exactly as others have suggested. I find it invaluable . The real soil just takes the ‘edge’ off of the static grass. The idea is not mine though - it came from the builder of the extremely large 0 gauge layout… Simon ???? Sorry the name of the layout escapes me at the moment.

Re the static grass. One thing I have found useful is to sparingly sprinkle finely sieved real soil over freshly applied static grass. Obviously experiment first. I have a small supply of Cornish soil for that purpose. The soil is ‘cooked’ in the oven to kill off any bacteria. (20mins @ 150c for the record!)