SouthernBlue80s

Thanks for ideas Steve. I think I visualise the small tunnel blocked now. The left hand side I can now visualise. The right hand side with a road I think will look too similar to the left hand side. So I will drop trying to shoehorn the bridge in. And, as you suggest go with the tunnel entrance. The entrance to the small yard will come in from the back left, if I can fit it in. I am hoping I can give a realistic ish feel to a small yard with a short section of double mainline in the foreground with two bits of high ground each side. We shall see So my next tasks are to build a double tunnel portal in the style of the right hand tunnel. Modify the left hand tunnel and weather both of them. Build a dummy point motor. Paint and weather the track Paint the base board Cheers Steve

A 37 shunting coal wagons

Well I have been trying to work out what to do. At this end I will have tunnel entrances with a lane along the top. A St of steps will come from the lane down into the yard. I will build a double tunnel entrance in the style of the smaller tunnel I scratch built on the right below I think the smaller one on an angle looks better. Not sure if to have it as an imaginary branch line. Blocked up with corrugated sheets. Or whether to have an 08 lurking in there. Rolling meadows will come from the back to meet the road. Now the otherside. I am after some advice. Would a girder bridge like the one above have ever formed a tunnel entrance? I guess not? Or should I place the red brick tunnel entrance (shown on the left) directly behind the girder bridge. Did that situation ever occur? Any thoughts, pictures, ideas welcome. Both were scratch built for a layout that never happened and are too narrow for this, so both will need to be altered. On this side the lane will run down into the yard. Bedvale is now the name for this one

I will break the news today that she has been sleeping on top of it . I'm sure she will be fine with it all. And ess1uk...when do you have your place to your own next, can you get hold of the timber in time, complete the build and get it hidden in time!

Thankyou Kevin. My new layout is here. I will probably give it a proper name at somepoint. I have basics built but only a vague idea as what to do scenery wise.

45041 passing. I am now embarking on a new layout.

My cover case is 170mm high. The two boards ontop of each other are 20mm high. So allowing for 5mm clearance. All the scenery on the scenic front board can be no higher than 145mm high. The back board is code 100. On the front scenic board it transitions from code 100 to 75 finescale. An oval layout isn't the most realistic, but it is all I have room for. The next challenge is to try to work out how I can make it look realistic. I think the curves will be largely covered and just the front will be viewable. As in the section between the two bridges. It all works! 56040 and 45041 being the test locos. Cheers Steve

Unbeknown to my wife, I got around to buying the timber and built this today. I have very limited space. So it lives under the bed. Out from the bed and the case off On to the dining room table. The four wooden slats are to make it level. As the table is warped. The scenic from layer is lifted off the back non scenic layer and connected The battening on the non scenic back board is 10mm high and enables the scenic front board to be stored on top. Back under the bed she is non the wiser. To be fair she is very tolerant of my trains.

Funny you should mention the new build cookie cutter housing...as when I posted that picture, I thought to myself I wonder what that view looks like nowadays if it had been built on.

Thanks Keefer Yes back in the 70s and 80s, especially when we were young money was tight. You had 24 attempts to get a picture. Perhaps stretched over a couple of trips squinting through a Zorki viewfinder or equivalent. I wish I had had more money to go north more often or do a railtour. But not having much was the norm in the 70s 80s for many of us. I made the most of it I suppose. I was young and looking back wished I had pictured more of the every day. But when your 20 something the every day is boring and you don't realise how quickly it will disappear...and you are loco obsessed.

Unfortunately nothing that dramatic. Just both stabled next to each other. I was on a 47 hauled service once in the area and it failed. Was wondering what was going to appear to rescue us...they hooked a class 37 up to front, which was pretty unusual. I have numbers in my notes somewhere

The last five Well I hope a few of you found the pictures a good trip down memory lane. Here are the final five random pictures. All the best Steve New Street Severn Tunnel Junction St Blazey Westbury area Reading

Thank you for posting that clip. The lack of sound almost adds to the nostalgic quality.

various 47s. I have almost run out of photos to post up. Temple Meads Stratford Tinsley

56s At Severn Tunnel Juct and Hither Green

Thank you Peter. Sorry for the late reply but I have only just caught up with the thread. I will update the database with that sighting.

A couple of every day shots of rats at Milton Keynes. On a blisteringly hot summers day in the 1980s.

London Early 1980s FP OC Clapham Junction

Looking forward to the pics

Temple Meads

I want to use some existing code 100 track I have for my fiddle yard and join it to code 75 bullhead for the part of the layout that will be seen. Can someone one give me any tips. Do I use code 75 rail joiners and file down the bottom of the code 100 to fit. Any advice appreciated.

Final picture. I will put off purchasing another for the time being and wait and see if a class 45/1 or class 46 is produced at somepoint. Steve

A few more pictures of the peak. One showing an overview. Got my eye on upgrading my class 47 fleet. Again Bachmann or Heljan? Perhaps 47012 renumbered into 47285 might be a start point.

Well four years after starting this thread. Here she is. Thank you Bachmann