fishytrains

The bridge looks fantastic, a great result for your efforts. Mike

Thank you. The outside is around 18ft each half, then inside around 16ft each half. Part of the reason it has taken me a while to get to where I am now. The working sabbatical is only adding to he length of time for construction. Mike

Some great progress there. It is fantastic when you get a block of time to devote to a project. Makes the whole layout progress seem to happen more quickly. I am looking forward to seeing the track fill this space. Mike

Nice to know it wasn't just located on me! Sunny again today, but wit a bit of a breeze.

Christmas Day in Kuwait consisted of another cast sky and rather a lot of rain! No different from the living in the UK. Christmas Eve was sunny and warm. Boxing Day started out sunny then the cloud turned up, it was warmish - 19C, but it has been a lot warmer! Mike

I had hoped to be home for Christmas to be able to assemble the two 'flat-packed' goods sheds and one signal box. However, things conspired against me, so I am still in Kuwait, but will be home for a week at Easter instead. This means that in the interim I will be building the bridge supports for where the mainline crosses the branch line by Walnut Grove station, as well as the retaining wall that accompanies it. The one problem, I am not totally sure how long the wall needs to be! Guess I will have to make some of it and complete the rest after I have paid a visit home. That then means I have a number of jobs to try and complete when I am home for the summer. The main one is to finish the fiddle yard and associated return loop, so that I have a complete circuit! I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I hope that you receive the stocking fillers you have wished for. I won't be, but I am not a jealous guy. Mike

Great photos of a very busy scene. Thank you for sharing your layout with us Gilbert. Have a great Christmas. Mike

Fantastic photos as usual. As for keyboard dyslexia, my delete key is getting worn out with the mistakes I keep making. Mike

Great photos as always. Each one of the N5 has something special about it. Mike

Great video and wasn't it cold back then! Mike

The comparison photos are excellent. Personally I like the idea of RTR, mainly because I don't have the skills to kit build or the money to pay others to do the work for me. Equally I fully understand those with the skills wishing to continue to build their own kits. Difficult one. Mike

That B17 is certainly a very nice looking loco,mind you the D11 isn't bad either. Thank goodnes I am away from model shop temptations at the moment. Mike

Nice to see your layout up and running, even if you still have lots of work to do. Mike

I think the terraced houses work and that the photos look better for that additional perspective. I also agree with the comment about the depth of field. All in all your pictures are getting better and better. Mike

I thought I would add a few more photos of the work on the layout. 75069 passing St Peters Goods yard and heading towards the return loop. A night time shot of St Peters Goods yard. I am pleased with the effect, but am struggling to get the next section of the layout lit. When I return home in the summer, i will endeavour to sort this out. 60031 waiting the off from platform 2 on the Up main at Lilac Grove. Slightly out of focus on the loco! "Ottery St Mary" heading towards Digby Junction on the Up Main with

A fantastic picture that really captures the whole feel of the station and its environs. Mike

A very interesting looking layout. That fiddle yard is very impressive. Looking forward to seeing more over the coming months. Mike.

For the past month or so I have been working my way through this thread, having first read the article on PN in MI. I have found the thread absolutely fantastic and the improvement in your photos has been amazing. I have found the whole thing an incredible learning curve and the snippets from various contributors on the running of the ECML very interesting. I will continue to follow this thread as your layout continues to develop. I will also be taking on board some of your ideas for my own layout, particularly the timetable sequence, makes it more real, even though I am modelling a 'nowhere' in particular area and running a variety of locos. Thank you for helping me to pass away the nights and in some cases days, over the past few weeks. Mike.

Thought I would give a bit of an update on my layout. It is currently sat idle and lonely as I languish in the sunshine, working in Kuwait. The layout is guarded by various fierce creatures, including SWMBO.! I began work in 2007 and have been seadily working on it ever since, when time, family life and work permit. The layout is in the late 50's to early 60's, because I wanted a mix of steam and diesel. In terms of regions, it has a mixture of locos, as I would sooner run those trains I like the look of. There is a mixture of pacifics, and smaller steam locos, along with classes 08, 25, 31, 37 and 55 from the diesels. There will be four stations on the layout, Lilac Grove, the main through station at one end of the layout, where branch and mainline merge, with a goods yard just up the track. There is a hidden return loop where a train can be held for a time before continuing its journey. On the branch are two further stations, Wlanut Grove and Digby Junction. The later is just before the merger with the mainline. The junction takes trains down to the fiddle yard, or on to the final station, Park Road. Or at least it will when this is built, as it will go over the top of the fiddle yard. This final section is likely to be some way off yet, as the fiddle yard with second return loop needs to be completed, wired and have points motors and block detection fitted. The layout is DCC, but as yet I don't have any sound locos, considering the too expensive for me at the moment. Some more pictures to illustrate the current position of the layout. This one shows the track leaving Lilac Grove on the way to the return loop and goods yard. The town is to the left of the track. This is the other end of Lilac Grove station showing the branch line to the right and mainline to the left. This is the same area just before I left the country. Whilst in exile I am working on a couple of goods sheds and a single box. These will be left as the individual walls for the ease of transport and fully assembled when on site - modelling flat packs! Mike

It certainly has the potential to be. Convergence of both mainline and branch line as well as the route to a goods yard. Sorting out the timings of the trains will be fun! Mike

I have been reviewing the progress I have made since I first started my layout in my current home in 2007. The first board to be laid contains "Walnut Grove" station. This can be seen in the distance! This area of the layout has not been modelledas yet, but currently looks like this: In the foreground is the high level mainline. The goods siding was a later addition, first appearing earlier this year. This was the first area to be modelled and hides the first return loop. The second one has yet to be built. This is how the area now looks. Still not finished fully. The main station I have been working on is Lilac Grove: This is how the area currently looks: And: The town has also appeared: I still have another station to work on and the terminus that gives the layout its name, Park Road. This station will sit above the fiddle yard. The following shows this area of the layout at the moment: There will be a second return loop at the end of the fiddle yard. Mike