LNER4479

And for those of you who didn't make it to Warley this year, here's a picture of the trackwork at Grantham wot I took to illustrate my demo stand at the show: A job on the pre-Stafford 'to do' list is to attend to that rather odd-looking length of pink-ish ballasting that has crept in. Not sure what happened there. Also to replace the buffer stop that appears to have gone missing in action (directly above the C12's cab). Other than that, I don't think it's looking too bad. Plenty of detail that can (and will) be added over time. Point rodding anyone? Had a chat with Steve Flint (Railway Modeller) at the show and it might lead to me writing a short series of trackwork articles for the mag. I'll keep you posted.

Yes - I had a feeling Mr Stevenson had beaten Mr Theroux to it by at least a century. According to the interwebby thingy: 'This phrase is a Robert Louis Stevenson quotation, from Virginibus Puerisque, 1881: "Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour." 'Stevenson was expressing the same idea as the earlier Taoist saying - "The journey is the reward." ' Amen to that!

You are of course pedantically correct. It's just that 'cobblers' sounded funnier than 'setters' (or even 'settlers' <-- which could be a reference to (illegal?) immigrants or a cure for an upset stomach. Neither of which has got much to do with Grantham's goods yard...)

Hi Phil, Something's just nagging me about how you've swapped round the Honiton tunnel scene. Maybe I had just got used to it as you originally had it, may be the viewpoint matched the photos you showed us, maybe that, now it's moved, the wood on top of the hill that was to have covered the fiddle yard is now right in front of us... Dunno, it just doesn't 'feel' right now. Seeing as this is all foreign lands to me I've no idea where Honiton incline / tunnel is compared to Seaton Junction. Can you advise whether it is geographically 'correct' as it is now in relation to the junction or was it 'correct' before?

I know this (the depot) is all a long way off and you - rightly - want to concentrate on getting your loops up and running first, but... Can I just mention that a prototype arrangement would almost certainly have a protection point, probably leading to a short spur, to allow movements in and around the depot (the green lines) to take place without any danger of them straying into the signalled area (the black lines). Unless of course the nearest black line is intended to perform that function?

Hello there! Great to see you on here. Loving the photos of the old layout so if the new one will be an improvement then it should be a cracker. Look forward to seeing it develop

Bet you're not brave enough to suggest that to her face... Anyhow... Popped over to Ormesby last night to see how the lads were getting on(!) Couldn't get near my own layout when I first walked in the door! It was all a load of cobblers. Paul and Tom were busy cutting and glue-ing the surface covering for the central part of the goods yard (where all the delivery drays will be). These are Scalescenes printed sheets (derived from pictures of real cobbles), set just below rail height surface. We take the view that this is at least three feet away (more likely four or five feet away) from the barriers and therefore perfectly acceptable Not that it looks half bad close-up anyway! Obviously, plenty of blending in and detail that can (and will!) be added but I think the effect is quite striking already. (apologies at poor pic quality - camfone only) Me? Oh, I made a start on the end-loading dock area beyond the cattle pens. Pix of that next time, hopefully ...

I did what I could... We (myself and Mrs4479) had a chuckle to ourselves at the number of people who came up and said: 'I'm getting back into the hobby after many years away...'. I think the natural second half to that sentence - which I wasn't brave enough to add - goes something like: '...from the time before I discovered women and beer!'

Sorry... returning. Coming to you live from a German State Railways service from BHI to DAR

Have just returned from Warley with the images of the cyclist peddling round (in circles) in the middle of O'Connell Street fresh in my mind. O... M... G...

Only two 'takes' required. On the first take, the goods train became uncoupled across the junction! All unbeknownst to you, a hasty / temporary 'mod' was undertaken at the Grantham show and the vehicle now reliably follows the route shown in the vid. Trouble is, a more elegant solution will have to be found to realise the full potential of the road system - but let's get the railway part of the layout 'finished' first!

Oh - OK, then!

I'm not so sure about that because - if I may dare say - I don't think your model train is in the same position as the prototype one. If you look at the prototype picture, it's the 4th coach that is on the trailing slip of your ladder - on your picture is the first/second coach. So if you move your train two and a half coach lengths forward then I think you'll find the crossover is in the right place! however, you'll then lose the glimpse of the road bridge in the right background so another example when scaling down perspective doesn't appear to work (or does your lost 15 inches come into play here?)

Bit of a miscellany coming up... First of all, early news from Ormesby Might not look much yet, but this is the start of ground cover work in the Up Goods Yard. Card is being used to build up the ground level in preparation for fixing a printed cobbles top surface just below rail height. In the back ground is the reversing loop guide wire for the road system (needed to be installed prior to the top surface being applied). And look what I returned with? In no time at all the master building builder (Paul Bolton) had knocked up this delightful factory group from some mock-ups we'd made a week or two before (based on the aerial pictures). Some sort of factory complex (with chimney) backing on to the station approach road. Meanwhile, I've been busy down the south end, completing the basic structure of the road system and the backscene. The idea is that a 'double track' road crosses the Great North Road bridge, with a reversing loop. Although the latter is technically 'off scene', I'll leave it on view as it's bound to create some interest. Here is the view from the public side, showing the effect with the backscene in place and a basic sky blue covering. Hopefully gives a reasonable impression of railway coming straight on into the scene? Finally, I'm one of several on here roped into Barry O's demonstration team at the NEC this weekend. I've therefore been out and about round the layout with my camera and here are a few photos that didn't make the final cut. When not presenting (gulp!) in the theatre, I shall be sat sitting(!) behind a desk with a box full of (old) Peco points to mutilate so do come and say hi if you feel so moved (Stand A64). See you there!

Ooh - that looks useful! (Dear Santa. For Xmas, I would like... )

There'd be a few Bacup folks reet dis-chuffed 'bout being in West Yorkshire* Ba goom - tha knows there'd be a lot of folk in Yorkshire av summat t'say 'bout 'avin Bacup in tha midst** (* or ** delete as appropriate)

Thanks for the mentions guys. For what its worth, Grantham is a private (ie not club) project which was started by myself nine years ago now. Because of the phase of life I was going through, a transportable layout fitted the bill and I was convinced that using proprietary track (ie Peco) was a viable proposition to make the project achievable. But, until I ventured into the world of RMWeb some three-and-a-bit years ago, it was almost entirely a solo project. Thereafter the project has been its own best advert and seems to have 'touched a nerve' in terms of the present team of collaborators. For all their various contributions I am deeply grateful (and continually humbled). I think everything has its time and place - it's 'moment in the sun' if you like - and, god-willing (and I think it always worth adding that proviso!), our time is now and we can anticipate an exhibition life going forward over the next 5-10 years (assuming exhibition managers want us!). Certainly, there's 'expressions of interest' stretching to 2019 at the present time. Not wishing to make any particular points with the above - I guess all projects have their own individual profile - but the RMWeb angle is an interesting one. I guess Black Country Blues is another example of a project (albeit a very different one!) of this genre. Do all of us on here constitute a virtual model railway club, capable of building the (larger?) exhibition layouts of the future, I wonder?

You beat me too it Coach! Yes, a real peach that one. Not just the loco (well worth the hassle getting it to sit on the rails) but Ducky's poles nicely fill the background. And the effect of the (excited?) spotters on the platform end is caught perfectly. Why, even the Hornby Gresley's don't spoil the view due to the fore-shortening effect. Another one for the PN gallery, methinks (PS - even the lamps are the right size and nice n straight!)

As the lucky owner of the layout where this latest creation is destined to run can I just express my appreciation for effort expended so far (and no doubt to come) - I certainly wouldn't want any lack of such acknowledgement to be interpreted as being taken for granted. Between us we're on the way to being able to turn out no less than five ex-GN 4-4-0's (and an even more impressive eight Atlantics) which should provide lovely - and prototypical - variety to set against the fleet of Pacifics. In terms of 'work in progress' list, as has already been pointed out, it is long and varied where building / developing a layout is concerned - so I'm even more grateful that others are willing to focus their attentions on the locos and stock for the layout.

Right - enough of this! Works foreman wishes to file a report... Remember this? Well, this is what it looked like after Tony offered to have a look at it Bit unfair. This is an M&L kit, made up as an original GNR D2 (LNER D4). They had all been re-built into D3s by our era so that is the idea here - hence the removal of chimney, dome and smokebox door. The motor (a Buhler) was deemed to be a lost cause, so here is the replacement - a modern Mashima motor and Markits two stage gearbox. Meanwhile, work has been required to the chassis to accommodate the new arrangement. I want to drive off the rear axle and compensate the front one (the same formula as fitted to the D2 I already have, mainly done to promote good running over the dead frogs on the slips). Here, the compensation beam has just been soldered in, using the wheel set fitted in to the existing fixed bearings to set the height. Now the wheelset has been removed and the existing bearings unsoldered and removed. Work has also taken place at the other end, with a chassis spacer required to be removed and a bit hacked out of an adjacent spacer to accommodate the axle gear. This is life at its lowest ebb; it's all rebuilding back up from here onwards. With the axle hole cleaned up, two small vertical cuts are made with the file as a guide for elongating the slot to allow the rocking movement of the compensated axle. Hole duly elongated. This has to be carefully done so as not to induce any fore and aft movement - only up and down. Motor / gearbox installed. And with both axles fitted. Rods back on and motor wired up. Looking a bit weird, undergoing preliminary running trials on Grantham MPD. To be continued...

Or as Captain Mainwaring used to say immediately after an embarrassed cough: 'I was wondering who was going to spot that first...'

That sounds fantastic! I guess any number except No.4329: If I can be so bold(!) watch out for different: Chimneys; Domes (4329 has the wrong type!); Safety Valves; Cabs; Tender brake gear; etc...! If ever there was a loco type that needs a good reference picture to work off then it was a GN 4-4-0. By the 1930's there were hardly two alike! I'll bring some pics to Warley and we can swap notes.

Ooh - this looks good Very model-able the Peak, with its abundance of tunnels, bridges, cliffs, etc. My previous layout was based a little further down the line towards Manchester (link below). You've just added another link towards us collectively depicting most of the route!

Where I came from, the equivalent verb was "to snitch" Definitely a bit Need to find something new to post...

'Twas Riddles who accompanied 6220 on the 1939 trip (and ended up doing most of the driving by all accounts) - but I guess it amounted to the same thing!