fender

and while you're there you could 'correct' other items, such as things which on your layout you feel have come out a bit wonky. probably less fiddly to get the prototype to match the model than vice versa? 8)

I agree and it should be said that WW's photography is easily as good as the modelling. the lighting and composition are really top notch.

good program that. I liked it. also liking the modelling! tunnel looks great, looking forward to the signal box.

nice video -thanks. that nearside grass area really does look good, as does all the new detailing. really passes the "close-up" test as well. I'm going to be studying that grass area again in the future for my own layout.

all those stanchions are different colours though. you could leave what you have done and then later 'weather' them individually to add a little contrast between them. also, would the blue stripes on the real ones be affecting how the main paint looks to us? maybe you could try putting a couple of blue stripes on and see how that affects the overall look. all very impressive though. terrific level of detail. every time I see a new photo in this thread I have to spend a moment checking whether it's real or not! the tunnel looks brilliant. can't wait to see it with the internal structure added.

a candidate for "real trains that look like a model"? thanks again for this daily treat.

A little boy is walking with his family through some fields when they spot a sheep with only three legs. "Poor sheep...", says the boy. "That sheep?", says the elderly farmer who overhears their conversation, "Ohhhh...that there is a fine sheep!" "But why does it have only three legs?", asks the boy. "That sheep?", says the farmer, "Ooohhh...that's a fine sheep. Been giving me top quality wool for years that sheep. The best you can get anywhere!" "Yes, but why does it only have three legs?", asks the boy again. "That sheep? Oooohhhhh....that's a fine sheep! Two weeks ago my sheepdog was poorly and that there sheep helped round up all the others. A fine sheep!" "Yes", says the boy, a little exasperated, "but why does it have only three legs?" "That sheep?", replies the farmer again, "Ooohhhh......why that's a fine sheep. Only last week, a little boy just like you, was stuck in the field over there with that bull. The sheep distracted the bull and the boy managed to escape. That's a fine sheep!" "Yes!!!", says the boy, "but WHY does it have ONLY THREE LEGS???" "Aahhhhhhh...", says the farmer, "well you know, a fine sheep like that...you can't eat it all at once!"

I'm a great fan of both your layout and your how-to videos. I've watched many of them for ideas in the past. nice to see actual pics of your layout, as well as the track plan. must be a lot of fun to operate and to work on. glad to see you here and starting a thread.

A tourist has been staying in Madrid for a few days when he decides he wants something more than the usual tapas and raciones for dinner. Seeking out something more original he finds a small restaurant down a side street and sits down inside. The waiter, after listening to his plea for no more calamari, croquetas and jamon serrano, offers the man a true delicacy: 'cojones'. "Tell me," says the tourist, "what are these 'cojones'?" "Ah..." says the waiter, "they are the testicles of the bull that was killed in the ring today. An expensive but rare delight, you will like them I promise." Feeling brave, the tourist orders the cojones. They arrive, majestic, and although he starts slowly, he soon polishes them off. "Those were great!", says the man, and off he goes into the night. A week goes by and our friend is again feeling peckish. He recalls what he now realises has been his favourite dish so far and returns to the restaurant. Delighted to see him, the waiter is soon back out of the kitchen with another serving of the famed 'cojones'. The tourist wolfs them down with gusto. "Amazing!", says the tourist, "they are really cooked well and taste so good! but tell me, how come these were so much smaller this week?" "Ah.....", says the waiter, "but you know the bull does not always lose, my friend....."

since it's sunny I'll go with the sunniest county: West Sussex? *crosses fingers*

A man comes home to find a gorilla asleep in his front tree. Aghast, the man quickly calls the zoo for help. before long a zoo employee arrives, surveys the gorilla asleep in the tree, and retrieves from his van: a shotgun, a pair of handcuffs, and a chihuahua. the zoo employee explains to the man: "right, here's what we are going to do. I am going to climb up the tree and poke the gorilla with a stick. startled, he will awake and fall out of the tree. at that point my specially trained chihuahua will run up and bite the gorilla very hard in the b*llocks. the gorilla will instinctively move his hands to cover them up, and you will then run over and quickly apply the handcuffs. got it?" "er....I think so...", says the man, "but what is the shotgun for?" "good question", says the zoo employee, "If I should fall out of the tree instead of the gorilla, shoot the chihuahua!!!"

those camtruck photos are brilliant! what a layout this is.

really liking the lighting effect with the brooding sky background. very effective.

took me a second to work out those giant loo signs there!

I've used the Metcalfe slabs before but yours look much better. I did find placing all the slabs oddly therapeutic though. really liking how it's all coming together. amazing what you can achieve in 2mm, both in terms of use of space and the standard of modelling possible at such a small scale.

can't believe I'd missed this one. terrific thread. in addition to the research potential it's very inspirational. thanks for posting.

this is terrific. very inspiring. dangerously and distractingly inspiring in fact, as I may have to have a go at this soon... good luck with the show. I love what you've done with it. sure-fire hit methinks!

you should put some of these pics on the realistic models thread. they deserve more attention!

very nice work. very inspiring. can't wait to see the footbridge finished too. I'm going to look at Geoff Taylor's site. hadn't heard of it before. what have you used for those leaves? they look real!

there appears to be some kind of heightened action in this photo. looks like a war reporter under fire?

agreed. you've got the roots of a nice addition to the layout there. I will need to branch off into this line of modelling in the future, and will leave this in my bookmarks for further reference.

more great photos, and I also like the ballast train. not something I've seen many photos of but which I have a strong desire to model. a word of warning for anyone proposing to click on Dave's Flickr link: make sure you don't have anything important to do for the next hour or ten...!

^^^^I like the subtle weathering on that 31

very nice, and at first glance it looks like there is steam emanating from the front of the loco. I think it's something on the backscene but it looks really good.

^^^very nice. the water effect really adds to the shot. that and some of the fine detail really make you look twice to see whether it's real.