Dava

Many thanks for the photos & information, they will enable me to make a small door of the right size! Dava

Omen have the biggest range, not cheap but see below http://www.scalelink.co.uk/acatalog/Omen_Miniatures.html Dava

I'm currently weathering and detailing my model of 'Bodiam'; with the cab removed you can see there is no bunker door between the rear sandboxes. This may not matter if you can't see it when the model is intact- but you can. So what did the bunker door look like? Unless you have a real one handy, published sources don't give any clues. The only source I've found are dismantled Terriers under overhaul - as here: http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/~uhaa009/bb/vt/72/frames.html Dava

Yes the cinder ballast effect works well. Do you know what a S&D or early railway buffer stop may have looked like? You probably need very short ones to save space. I used strip wood uprights with 'planks' across the top. Dava

All looks good. Some dark scatter material between the rails will help, could even do some puddles! Dava

A quick last look at Coxheath Sidings in 2015, in the workshop this morning, showing the whole microlayout. The Terrier is dismantled for detailing and weathering. Thanks to all those who provided welcome suggestions & encouragement, especially during some testing & wintry times earlier in 2015. All the best & happy modelling for the New Year. Dava

The Great Central runs a two-train service from 26 Dec to 3 January which is always a pleasant post-Christmas day out,and Tuesday was a good day to visit with bright dry weather, unlike the windy weather today. 92214 and 45305 were doing the honours, though the steam trains seemed like loss-leaders to the busy catering operation. 92214 departs Quorn - we just missed this train! 45305 departing Quorn The ex-Bardon Quarries Barclay shunter at Rothley Carriage Works. Dava

Welcome back, that non-clay filler looks good for ballast.You don't have too much to do. Dava

I'll hold my hand up and say I suggested this to Marc, so naturally I'd be interested in one in 7mm scale. The battery electric version (similar to the one now preserved at Ribble Steam Railway) ran in papermills, breweries, munitions works, power stations and engineering so a useful all-round shunter. I think it could work better as a simple kit than a scratchbuild. Building a power bogie in 7mm would not be too hard, Roxey do an ideal wheelset and the cost of motor/wheels/gears would be quite affordable. Dava

Clearly Gavin the black cat helped ensure it worked out! Dava

I'm interested in modelling the Type 3 battery variant of the EE/Dick Kerr Electric loco, as in the one preserved in the Ribble Steam Railway museum. The drawing from PGH in #6 is useful but the battery only locos had lower bonnets and taller cab front windows. Does anyone know of a drawing of this type? Could be useful for small shunting layouts, eg in paper (as in Guard Bridge, above) or defence (WD had them). The Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramway (Electric) loco also looks similar. Dava

More progress of a seasonal nature down Coxheath Sidings. The fascia board in front of the sector table got painted to match baseboard sides etc., and now looks a bit neater. Whilst looking for something else I came upon the wooden wine box containing an errant P class. This was given a test run and duly failed. So parked in a siding in disgrace whilst Bodiam shunted in the background, a pretext to photo a P and Terrier together, with rather dodgy depth of field. Totally anachronistic since Bodiam had been long rebuilt into an A1x by the BR era. Note the lampless buffer stop, a minor safety hazard tackled next. I make oil lamps out of strip wood, cut to length with sprue as the lamp top, then Bling paste gems added as the lens. When fitted they're quite convincing. Visitors arriving tomorrow but hope to sort out figures and details for painting. Dava

Great to have a thread we can taste..fans of Islay single malts should try (if you can say it & spell it!) Bunnahabhain from the beautifully situated distillery which used to receive supplies & despatch whisky by Clyde puffer, Para Handy style. Last year in Nova Scotia the grim state controlled liquor corp. imported an apparently Speyside single malt called Glen Parker, there is no such place. The budget priced spirit was reviewed as comparable with toilet cleaner so we did not risk actually buying one. Good to be back in the UK where state officials do not regulate what you can drink! I have long had a plan for a 7mm scale distillery layout, its the 'next one'. Ian Peaty's excellent book 'Iron rails & whisky trails' is a good seasonal companion over a superior single malt over Hogmanay. Dava

So whilst Mrs Dava was distracted with cake baking and suchlike today, off to the workshop before and after final shopping duties... Marc Smith helpfully suggested scenic treatment to soften the transition onto the sector table, so this area has been ballasted. It does look better. Maybe some grass and weeds will help too. This view (slightly rushed it seems) also shows the new screen on the viewing side of the sector table. This and other backs of buildings etc. were all painted this afternoon. Quite a lot of small scenic filling-in work has been done too. All part of the smartening-up before it goes on show. That's all for now. Maybe some figure fettling & painting over Christmas? Dava

The period before Christmas sees the warehouse and loading dock down Coxheath Sidings busy with seasonal traffic. Here Santa and a truckload of goodies are shunted into position... In the background vans of seasonal cheer are being loaded. A special train with an ex-GE fruit van being despatched for the city. Just as well we have that new Terrier for all this shunting. But an engineering possession for track maintenance over Christmas is in store. Dava

Tower models still show a few Bodiams in blue. Someone will buy your Brighton, they are otherwise sold out. Dava

Here is a little very low cost road vehicle project. I had this Matchbox Model T Ford which had seen better days. It is not an accurate model of the prototype but a reasonable resemblance and close to scale. Pictures of T's show they were adapted in all sorts of ways. So I based this on a prototype from a web photo. I drilled out the rivets to separate the body and floor pan, and shortened the body to the front seat area.Then reassembled and built a pickup rear section and front bench seat from wood. Here is what it looked like. After repainting with black and dull red acrylics and staining the wood sections it looks like this. It will serve as a pickup around the loading dock for now. That windscreen surround looks too much like a rollover bar for a mudplugger so may get changed. More from Coxheath Sidings later as there is plenty of pre-Xmas traffic being shunted and some interesting workings. Dava

Truly wonderful read with inspirational ideas & techniques for LBSCR modelling.See what track ballasted above sleepers to railfoot looks like - Lewes,p32. Dava

Great to see Netherwood featured in the Modeller. Missed the chippy but good low level detail shots. Look forward to next show. Dava

Thanks for kind comments, guys. The wood effect is actually quite easy to do, distressed low grade thin wood stained with dilute arylics on this occasion. The transition to the sector table section under the bridge will be disguised/concealed after some adjustments to the track alignment. Quite a lot of detail work to do over the Xmas break. Also that blue Terrier will not be staying so pristine clean and bright for long! Any ideas on fading the tankside lettering? It looks like the first (possibly only, depends how we get on) could be at Mickleover, Trent Valley Narrow Gauge Group event, Sat 30 Jan 2016. If so it will be the third layout I have debuted there, its a friendly event. More at the weekend hopefully, Dava

Good photos which show the craftsman built quality of the A1s as Victorian locos, rather different from the standardised engineering of later locos. Dava

The weekend sessions on detailing Coxheath Sidings continue.. I wanted to define the boundary of the railway at the footbridge end visually, and take the eye off the size of the bridge itself, so decided to build a wooden fence. This uses the thin fruitbox wood brought back from Nova Scotia. Here is the framing side which backs onto the rails. The box wood has been scribed and stained, as in the timberyard described above. Here is the fence in place. The planks have been heavily distressed, some are missing, others have gaps between them, all the scribed lines have been cut through. There are a couple of tatty adverts on the fence. Static grass around fence posts. Finally a view just showing the difference it makes. Harder for the viewer to see vehicles emerging from the sector table, so a little more intriguing. The next little project is a pickup truck in the yard. Small 7mm period vehicles of this type are a bit scarce. My collection of Series 1 Landys probably not suitable. I did find an Airfix Albion truck in RAF 3-point fuelling bowser mode in Gee Dee Models yesterday. This is 1:48 scale but provides a very good chassis & cab for a small truck. But the actual project is another recycled item you'll see next time. Finally, hoping the Sidings will get a public viewing early in 2016... Dava

Have fun with this. My microlayout also uses just one point. Surprising what you can do in a small space. Dava

Thanks for explaining, obviously complex with operating either AB or VB systems! You do a good job at Diesel galas & 37009 will be a major achievement next year. Dava

Lets spare a thought for the citizens of Lancaster around the Lune who have been badly affected by flooding after the storm. Rail, electric and roads disrupted and peoples' homes flooded. Dava