LNER4479

Jasper Carrott IIRC (about 25 years ago) Valerie Singleton never looked better!

I make that more or less exactly one day. Ah well, it was nice while it lasted... (opportunity for possible actress - bishop quip there methinks?)

I just knew 'ol CK would be along to put us back on the straight and narrow...

GWR as in 'Gresley Was Right' perchance?

I can't bare to hear that sort of criticism - she can join my photographic party any day of the week...

Watched the opening 90 seconds ... before realising that the full thing runs for 4 hours 56 minutes. Yikes! I do actually need to stay awake during the course of today... It is of course excellent stuff; one to watch in several sittings methinks.......

On a recent visit to Little Bytham, I plonked my camfone on the south end bridge and switched the video on. It starts with a sports report and weather forecast but bear with it - some trains do eventually appear!

Tres amusant Yep! sock (stocking actually) over the end of the tube. It got sucked up itself once in a momentary lack of concentration. Took more fishing out of the bag than I was expecting!

I have done some of it myself (before Barry wrenched the diluted PVA from me!) I found it manageable in bite-sized chunks, say about 2-3 feet per session. After that, I had to go and do something else and return to it the next day. But Barry seems to be able to keep going all day - wot a trooper! It is worth it though when you end up with a picture like that at the top of this page (#2876).

One has to be a Bulleid specific! Do you have No.20 or No.34? Coming the other way? Why - No.22 on that railtour, of course!

'Enry the 'Oover was brought into play last night as a result of which half a jar of the cinders-earth witches brew was recovered. What was left was top hole ballasting all round and the errant pink stretch* duly eliminated - you've got the job (*bet that provokes a few fnarr-fnarrs)

I think she once made a fleeting appearance earlier in this thread - I distinctly remember you telling us that your optivisor had steamed up.

Now then, Duckie - calm thy ruffled feathers! I too am excited at the prospect of the noo track from Beer. T'would of course fit 1930's ECML just splendidly - but I'm more minded to start saving my pennies for the humungous scheme to come. Meanwhile, back at SOSJ, I recommend now in particular that we lay using the foam option. That way, if you do decide to relay / upgrade in the future then at least your existing track can be re-used (I'm not so sure if the proposed noo track will fit the existing foam however?). Mind you, you do say that the track near the tunnel was / is FB anyway... Nice to see the charming young female photter back as your avatar - wonder how many days she'll last this time? G Stephenson

Great news! Will certainly be considering this product for future projects. By page 7, everything else has been said, methinks...

He's not the only one...

Perfectly OK for the red-blooded though!

Yes, absolutely correct - the 'six foot' is a minimum prototype dimension and can be greater. The obvious examples are ex-GWR broad gauge lines and any new build high speed lines, the obvious example of the latter being High Speed 1 which has a far more 'continental' look to it. The 'six foot' typically breaks down in station areas where other railway paraphernalia gets in the way - Ducky himself has the perfect example with the support for the station footbridge causing the two principal tracks to widen the gap between them to go round it. The only factor I would point out is that, in the mid-nineteenth century, when many of railways were laid down, the railway builders would have used the six foot minimum whenever they could - the evidence is all around us in all the bridges, viaducts, embankments and tunnels they've left us. I bet it's a strict six foot through Honiton tunnel - why dig a tunnel out any wider than you have to? The other evidence is the number of times a glass of drink gets knocked over sideways in the 125mph ECML HST I'm travelling on by the WHUMPH of another one doing a similar speed in the other direction! See - we've started a track thread!

50mm track centres, which equates to 12' 6"; the prototypical dimension is 11' 2" There isn't really an equivalent to the '6 foot' dimension in OO cos the track gauge is narrower than it should be... But we aren't going to start a track thread here are we boys n girls?

Neither would any of the battleships, I seem to recall... The aeroplanes wouldn't fly, either...

Re teaching: TELL ME - I’LL FORGET SHOW ME - I’LL REMEMBER INVOLVE ME - I’LL UNDERSTAND VERY interesting topic! Thinking on, I don't think anybody ever directly taught me any aspects of making a model railway. I was taught woodwork in school so perhaps I might have applied some of that to baseboard manufacture? But, like others who have commented, I have most certainly been inspired by the work of other modellers. In terms of overall approach and modelling the prototype - David Jenkinson. In terms of building locos and stock (not that I do masses of that), when I was younger I guess I had a mentor (of sorts), the late Peter Sykes who was a family friend and a MMRS member. I never actually watched him build anything, he never actually showed me how to build anything per se but I was fascinated by the locos he was building and he passed critical comment on my early attempts. He did however lend me the Guy Williams book on loco building and did learn a lot from reading that. Basically, I think anything has the potential to inspire you if it is well done and somehow strikes a chord. And some people have been kind enough to make comments about my own approach to using Peco trackwork to create prototypical track formations. Nobody taught me that; I just did a bit of research on the prototype and kinda figured it out for myself (making mistakes along the way). So perhaps we are both inspired by and have the potential to provide inspiration to others in equal measure? The rest of it is acquired by practice, practice and more practice. IMHO

Thanks Rob for this and other kind comments you have posted. To the 'bigger projects' list, add the Rustons building down the south end, as that is only a mock-up at the moment. I'm hopeful Paul B will be willing to tackle that in due course; the 'old' shed building is on my 'to do' list for 2016 (once Nottingham has been and gone) and work is currently progressing on the station canopies, which is the main unfinished eyesore for the station itself (roofs and chimneys are actually more prominent than the buildings themselves in the main!). Hopefully we should be there or thereabouts by Warley. Sorry that domestic priorities see you confined to barracks at the moment but, not only are there further shows later this year, we also have a more-or-less full diary (subject to confirmation) for 2017 & 2018 so hopefully there will be future opportunities for you.

I'm more worried now as to whether Jonathan is planning to stay for the Sunday...

Hi Ducky, A bit late to the party, sorry (had a bit of a busy weekend!) Track laying is brill (well, I think so anyway) Curves are quite kinky, but laying them to the alignment pins will have them c0ck on (or should that be 'drake on' in your case?) We can easily 'sort' a 6 foot centre Peco X-over for you so do plan on that basis Can't help you with floating not pinning - but if it works for you. I have to confess that I've lost the plot slightly as to what combination of foam/ballast/track you're planning to use round this side of the loft (or is it still under consideration?). Is this just a trial therefore or is it stuck down for keeps? If you're going to use Peco n foam, then spraying before laying for both will make a big difference visually and is a quick way to get to a decent appearance. Standing by for a further call to action if required...

No, not as such. The idea is that, once all the ballasting is done, is to go back over it all again and tone down, weather, detail (etc) in a homogeneous fashion.

Thanks Phil, It wasn't for me to say but, now that you've highlighted it, I'm quite pleased with the effect in that shot myself. In the traditional steam era (different approach these days!) there often seemed to be a clear demarcation between the main running lines, secondary lines / sidings and the area between and to the side (10 foot and cess respectively). I like to think that the photo above is getting some way close to representing that. Incidentally, Coach - if you're looking in - what you're looking at here is the non-foam tracks laid on 3mm cork, which is placed up alongside the foam. With the Peco laid on this (and then ballasted in the traditional way), the height differential is minimal - if anything, the relief lines / sidings are slightly lower that the tracks in the foam which is how it should be. True trooper as he is, Baz is here now as I type, working on the untreated length of track (the Up Relief) that the K2 is stood standing on: