Rich Papper

Hi Ian. I promise none of us are going to get bored! It's looking great. And there might be an element of editing trickery for the sky, but it looked great beforehand. Rich

Very sorry to hear this, and as others have said best of luck to you Derek and the family. Small consolation in difficult times, but the products you’ve supplied will continue to give good use and service for a great many years along with the skills passed on with soldering courses etc. Thank you. Rich

I could never figure out why the NSE locos had an orange cantrail stripe and the multiple units got a red one on what was basically the same colour scheme. Surely the danger is the same regardless of which you climb on! Rich

Good Evening All A bit more car park progress tonight. Have been fitting details to it ready to install and wire in. First was a selection of old cars black-tacked in. Some HO scale found in an old box, some sacrificed to the razor saw to get into the narrower gap at the end. Didn't want too many as plan is to light it up at night, so feeling is it should be more empty than full. Had to get a couple of the old Hornby Triumph's in there. Then a few details added from the Scalescenes T035 car park kit. I really like the Scalescenes kits - very good just for the detailing. In this case some lift doors, signs and ticket machines. Will hardly be visible but I'll know they are there. Then four panels on the back to block off the existing backscene that otherwise shows through. I had a trawl online to find pictures of the inside of multi-storey car parks. A bit frightening how many websites are devoted to this - but difficult to get ones to the right perspective and angle. In the end I chose four images, cropped them and then printed them in a different order for each panel. Note the shortened cars! View from the front. It's only really visible close to, and it's on the upper level of a board that's 3 feet deep and 4 1/2 feet off the floor to begin with. I'm interested to see how it looks with the lights on, but haven't had the chance to wire it up yet. It has yellow LED strips that will be considerably dimmed. I did have the presence of mind to print it on matt paper rather than photo paper as I thought this might reflect shiny patches that would look odd. Hopefully get it back in place in the next day or so and then add some details to the supermarket next to it. When that is done I'll have the board out to add all the lighting connections. Also noted that Thing 1 has been running this: Maybe he knows something about the weather that I don't. He's madly excited for Warley. Need to do a shopping list tomorrow to try to reign his spending of my money in a bit! Rich

Good: very excited, just what the doctor ordered. Bad: how is my son going to afford to buy this for me for next Christmas? He'll be 8 by then and probably too big to be a chimney-sweep. Dilemma though, go for Dave or wait to see what the others are announced? Can only really justify one I don't already have (unless my wife can be distracted...) Thank you chaps.

Thanks Will. The destination blinds are just something I knocked up on the computer. The steps to illuminating them are on my workbench thread - if I've linked to the right bit, here: I've attached the Word file here below if of any use to anyone. There are a variety of sizes - I just did a few to see which would come out clearest given how tiny they are. Legibility might depend on your printer. Rich DMU Destination Blinds.docx

Good Afternoon All, A few updates. Been fettling the building end of the stabling platform on the upper level. Realised that there would be no access from the building to the platform without a door opening out onto it, and no access to the land behind it, so have added a set of steps in lieu of one of the sections of platform. Painting in progress. A bit of running too. Picked up a new VEA at the Cheltenham show last month. This set has now been fitted with hunt couplings. The medium length seems to work well with these. And a few 50s. No reason. Just 50s. Trying to make a Warley shopping list too. More soon. Rich

Unfortunately the GatEx 2fs would need some modifications to the tooling that they might not have catered for. Losing the buffers within sets is probably easy, but losing some of the toilet windows is more difficult, not sure interior is the same, and the outer ends of each set would need the recesses and jumper cables. Not sure, but there might have been tweaks to the underframe boxes too. Tell you what, if I start chopping up the ones I have earmarked for it and get on with the GLV kit they should have time to announce for spring just as I finish it! Rich

Shocked and saddened to read this. I had a few orders in too, just have to chalk losses up to experience. As you rightly say, more important things. Thoughts with his family. Rich

Never used them personally, but have seen Illuminated Models kits recommended by others on here in the past. Sells on eBay. Can't see a 67 specific one, but this 66 one might be modifiable: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225190679456?hash=item346e6913a0:g:hbsAAOSwo6FjPEeK Totally with you on the electronics. I am competent enough to put in new lights - have even done door open lights on more modern DMUs and made illuminated destination blinds on older ones (Bachmann copied me) - but then when it comes to the chip, if when I connect blue to blue and yellow to yellow and nothing happens I haven't the slightest idea why. I have binned tangles of wires and LEDs and just started again in the past! Good luck. Rich

You're probably right - haven't looked far yet as need to get a bit more use out of the one I have. Photo of the MG above illustrates my point though - it's not volume of space I need, it's flat loading and length.

PS I seem to remember looking at the Dacia Logan when we were due first child, but my wife found a review that said it was like driving around in a Travelodge bedroom and wouldn't let me test drive it!

A bit late to the party here, but useful to have some suggestions - thanks. The conversation started when I saw the photo of Rob's layout in the back of his car and I realised that in planning my next layout I had started by measuring the boot of a car that is already 9 years old. I have a Hyundai i30 estate (they call it a 'tourer'). Got when babies arrived and needed something a double pushchair could be put in easily. Love it. Bought at one year old, had a seven year warranty, but never had the slightest problem. Slightly weirdly, liked it so much when we came to need a second new one, we bought another i30 tourer. My sister (who lives next door) started admiring, and then she bought an i30 tourer. So now we have three in a row - more than some garages! Problem is they've already stopped making them. So question is what next? I reckon I can get quite a few years out of it yet, but don't want to just finish a layout that I then can't fit in a car. Strongly dislike SUVs - very poor use of space internally and whatever you power them with the extra bulk and weight are two fingers up to the environment since they use more resources to build and you can't fit as much in them anyway. Rich

Hi Rob. Good to chat earlier - thank you for your automotive pointers. Layout looks great - a very effective use of the space. Hope tomorrow is as good. Rich

I've done two 115 vehicles, but used Lima and Hornby bits so will probably have to match them if I get around to needing the other half. Not ready to start again yet! Rich

Congratulations on the article. Just had an enjoyable read over breakfast. Photos look fantastic. Rich

Only question if I do though - I had intended the 116 from L210 and a 121 DTS conversion - but what to do with the spare centre car? Rich

A couple of good video clips of Oxford Road in action have appeared. Thank you so much to those who make these and upload them. I've done drivers eye ones in the past, but it wouldn't really occur to me to film it myself. From 24:11 here: And from 28:35 here: Thanks again to those who do this - particularly those who I don't even notice doing it. If ever anyone is filming it and wants something to move please just shout - I've probably just forgotten it's there or run out of ideas! Apologies for the occasional background noise of my exasperation with Thing 1's shunting on the clips! He didn't bring any surprise Hornby 0-4-0 steam this time, but he did tend to snooker me quite frequently. Rich

Hi Jerry. A bit before my time, but that 2-BIL is an absolute beauty of a job - well done. The perfect 'in service' patina of gunk. Rich

Hi Will That is a beautiful paint job - well done. Really enjoying following this - and not just because I haven't got around to mine yet! That said, I had amassed all the bits to do L210 with Hornby and Lima, but looking at yours I think it might need to be Bachmann based instead. I've come a cropper with gloss a few times. My current choice is Humbrol acrylic clear brushed on where the transfers are going, and then very thin coats of army painter matt spray can to finish. Best of luck. Rich

A few pictures from the weekend. Layout performed well. Only gremlin we had was one of the tube trains throwing the bolts for it's tenshodo mounting bracket on the Saturday. Managed to find one of them and it held for the Sunday on that. Hopefully some more tube stock to relieve the pressure by the next show. Several asked about the weathering of the Bachmann 121. Seems to have turned out well, but I recommend extreme caution around the powered bogie. Stay safe folks. Rich

It was a bit manic at times. I did get a brief look around the rest of the show, although leaving a 7 year old in charge doesn't allow for a lot of time for distraction. Rich

Hi Wayne Sorry to have missed you too. May have Monmouth on the horizon though - make up for the flooded one last time! Very envious of working on the big railway too! Rich

Hi Ian Sorry to have missed you. I can't make it to Newbury I'm afraid - hope it goes well though. Have used up all my 'home job leave' this weekend! Very near where I went to school though - not been back in more than 25 years so may not have left that much of an impression. Hope the travelling is good - the chaps next to us this weekend had a 6 hour journey from Leicester to Taunton thanks to the M5. Rich

Back from an excellent weekend at the Taunton show. Thanks to Steve and all of the team. Only one recommendation - would be good to have a map or show guide in the exhibitors pack - I didn't even know there were more than two halls until lunch on the Saturday - and I was exhibiting! Rich