larryblag

I'll echo that. We too are working from home. There's a lot we can do remotely these days. Some stuff requires a physical attendance obviously but we are trying to limit this as much as possible. Maybe things will ease (slightly) after Sunday's chat with Boris?

Saw the prototype today.

Thanks James, It was well received. Made it all worth the effort.

Originally fitted to MENTOR it was unfortunately damaged during an OLE dewirement.

I was recently commissioned to build a diorama as a leaving gift for a well-respected colleague who is retiring. Inspired by Kernow Model's Limited Edition of the Hornby DVT (82124) I set to work creating a little cameo for this vehicle, the full-sized version of which our colleague had worked on extensively. For our observant friend it was detailed with the special load-measuring wheelsets of the prototype and suitably renumbered to 82111. An appropriate location was then modelled representing a siding somewhere comprised of partly slabbed track. Figures were added, plus a skip complete with an old Brecknell Willis type pantograph unceremoniously dumped in it (the significance of this you'd have to ask our colleague about).

Here's another. I do like my dioramas

Thanks Stu, yes I agree. It's surprising how satisfying it is to work on one of these isn't it? For me, it's mainly because I can already see the constraints of the (lack of) space which keeps me grounded. I've a tendancy to become over-faced and daunted otherwise. It's also easy to make failrly rapid progress and an end point which is not too far in the future. My head is so full of stuff noise these days that I have a limited attention span. Little projects like these which are easily completed I find very therapeutic. My "main" layout in the loft on the other hand - that's another subject altogether and has suffered at least half a dozen false starts. That young lady is always showing off by the way.

Nice Job Stu. Reminds me of a small diorama I made a few years' ago with some scrap bits.

Latest diorama. For another colleague Clive Barlow who retired on Friday 21st Dec 2018 https://flic.kr/s/aHskPaGKsJ

Thanks Rob, I'll take a look

Here I've gone the other way. By blurring foreground and background it makes a real life view appear surprisingly model - like? https://flic.kr/p/2cmcAQ1

When I attempted water colour painting following the excellent Alwyn Crawshaw series of books I quickly developed a bad habit. Following the project exercises I made quick progress and practiced techniques until I felt comfortable. But when I started to paint my own pictures I noticed I'd adopted a style which meant I was painting a painting - rather than trying to create realism itself. This started to carry over into my model making too and can happen when I lack the confidence to attempt to replicate "life" and instead model models as it were. With paintings of course, artistic licence and developing one's own style is to be encouraged (look at impressionism for example). But with the railway hobby I can't be as maverick as that can I?

Sorry guys and gals,I'm struggling to post an embedded image a link from my flickr albums. So here's a link to the complete album instead. https://flic.kr/s/aHskEQFSSR Yes, I was tasked with coming up with something unique, something other than the usual "clock". I'd done a few dioramas in the past and a quick visit to our local model shop (Malcs Models of Ilkeston) yielded a pair of dummy NMT power cars. The case was bought at the same time and provided the physical constraints within which to work.

Inspired by the Dapol model of the NMT our boss worked on. https://flic.kr/p/KfSqaX https://flic.kr/p/KdwADf https://flic.kr/p/KnPAJv https://flic.kr/p/KfSrLn https://flic.kr/p/KfSr7X

Early seventies, me aged betweeen eight and ten years old. Stood on my brother in law's rear garden watching all the movements at Westhouses shed. Plethora of type 1's - 2's 3's and 4's (20's, 25's, 37's and 47's in new money) and all in Rail Blue. Those days are fixed permanently on my cerebrum and the fascination I've carried with me ever since. Not at all boring to me

UPDATE. Due to circumstances unforseen - mainly that the loft is uninhabitable for ten months of the year due to temperature extremes I've made zero progress over the last two years. Layout is now dismantled awaiting sale, I've made the decision to swap scales and go "N". I have plans to build a small layout downstairs instead. I've been particularly inspired by "Shirebrook" having done a lot of spotting there in the early eighties. A brilliant layout, I particularly liked the admission that it "N" was a "challenging scale- requiring a different approach than simply scaling down 00". https://www.flickr.c...s/135257675@N08

A "Kerfufuffle" at Ceilinscombe Down A pleasant Sunday afternoon in the loft. A small mixed freight was in the goods loop and the next passenger train through Ceilinscombe Down was a non-stopper. The signalman on duty realised too late that the single slip wasn't set for the main line – worse it was in exactly the same position as it had been for the freight. This was due to him having both hands occupied at the time, controller in one hand - pint of Spitfire in the other. The resulting melee created very little in the way of noise per se and the speed of the passenger train was slightly reduced by the emergency stop button (too late) but the express nevertheless slammed into the rear of the freight train causing three vehicles to concertina up into the air and fall off the track. Luckily the class 31 loco brushed off the impact like someone brushing off dandruff from a dufflecoat and all passenger coaches remained on the track. The actual passengers waiting at Ceilinscombe Down saw it all of course – they had dutifully stood back from the platform edge expecting a bit of a draught from the non-stopper only to see it veer off behind them straight onto the goods line. Bob and Phil on the 03 at the head of the freight were safely inside the shunter's cabin having a can of tea but Mrs Lewis was vexed as the empty upturned mineral wagons had shed a bit of coal dust and this had formed a dark little cloud, threatening her washing line. Initially it was thought that Ted the guard had been thrown out of his guards van (the last vehicle in the freight train – and the first to receive the impact) but he was found alive and well having alighted moments before to relieve the three mugs of tea imbibed previously. The four oil tanks in front of the mineral wagons remained steadfast and the passenger train was propelled back the way it came. Then the single slip was set correctly and it was able to form the 16:35 to Therseno End. When the press arrived, a passenger waiting at the station was interviewed. “It was terrible!” said the bowler-hatted gentleman, “There was a cloud of dust and a massive explosion – I'm going to see my solicitor about some compensation for distress” All affected vehicles were recovered by the “Hand of God” and normal service was resumed after a delay of approximately three minutes. Delay Attribution, York are looking into where this can be buried. The signalman on duty was of course D&A tested by the “for cause” screening process and the nurse from occi-health remarked on how clever he was to not spill a drop of Spitfire throughout the kerfuffle and continued to hold his pint glass whilst blowing into the breathalyser. The investigation found that beer had caused a minor interference but that most of the blame could be attributed to their being a total lack of interlocking – or indeed SIGNALS anywhere.

Tidied up a bit. Better view of baseboards. Rudimentary setup allowing me to decide what to put where and dry-running to calculate siding lengths etc.

Ikea packaging makes brilliant "placeholder" structures to allow a feel for things. The intermediate tail lamp displayed by the 31 would've been reason to stop this train when I was a signalman. I must do something about those one day

Some video from an earlier tryout. Please excuse the deja vu passenger train behind the 31

A fresh start, finally with the space I've always wanted. A tendency to be overfaced now with the sudden expanse I'm going to tackle it in a modular fashion. Here are a few initial pics and I've even changed some things already. I'll post more when I have them but basically it's a twin track oval now with a rudimentary station and goods areas. Single slip gives access to the bay platform and a goods area. https://flic.kr/s/aHskPkvEYv

Now that's exciting too. A nice green one to go with the 3F. Could do a lot in 6f x 18"

An 03 next please Dapol - they're so cute

Chimney not quite sitting flush.