ColinK

Yipee

I've spent the last couple of hours without success, trying to find colour photos of the Derby Research Centre Claytons (anyone know where I can find some?). Instead I found this video which includes interior and exterior shots of APT-E. Apologies if it has been posted before.

You were looking at the A4!

I wasn't sure what you meant by May, but now I know - an exhibition in Lancaster to commemorate the closure of Green Ayre, staring the model. Sounds very interesting, date now in diary.

Jamie, I'm glad that you put up the big picture of the actual Lancaster Green Ayre up by your layout. I though it put the whole layout into perspective. It also helped me as I moved to Lancaster long after Green Ayre vanished, enabling me to see what it used to be like.

Guy Davis, Skunkmello.

Kes, if you need some stronger card for you buildings, why not cut up a box file? You'll then have a boxfile layout! Not forgetting with the bridge supports (post 18) you've already got the pizza layout! Perhaps everyone with a layout small enough to go in their motorhome could get together and hold a model railway show on a campsite. The Caravan Club Site at Burrs would be ideal as its next to the East Lancs Railway. Returning back to topic, I'm very impressed with your progress and minimal expenditure. Looking forward to seeing more.

Looks great. You must be a serial building maker!

I really liked the bit on the DVD showing the making of foam stones for the canal edging. I'll use that method on my G scale indoor layout where the scenery has to be light weight and cheap.

The loco hauled trains seem to have had a rough time recently, with a fair bit of late running, some dmu substitution and at least one cancellation. Not all has been due to the trains, but signalling problems and dense fog. If you are travelling round the coast using the 5 minute connection at Barrow betwen the two loco hauled sets, do note that the connection is not always held.

Really useful to know of the improvements. Might now use them under 0-16.5 locos.

My 05 arrived has arrived back from Howes with their sound chip fitted. It was clearly a tricky job squeezing the decoder and speaker in, so well worth paying Howes to fit it. I gave it a quick run yesterday on Carnforth Model Shop's test track (many thanks for letting me use it). It does sound really good, indeed the amount of bass sound it makes is very impressive. No connection with Howes or Carnforth model shop, just a happy customer.

Had to cut a driver at the waist last night so he fitted into my 05 cab. Ouch.

Two coaches were in the Locomotion Models display case at Shildon on Sunday. They looked superb to me. So if the finished model is going to be better, it will be fantastic. Really looking forward to recieving mine.

Now do I buy a blue one, or do I wait and hope they produce a weathered blue one?

I often see the morning train between Carnforth and Lancaster. I saw 422 on it one day last week. Three times recently its been a dmu instead of the 37.

Your DHP1 has to be model of the year.

Howes are now selling a sound chip for the 05.

Might make good business sense for freight operators to buy lots of paths for 60 mph trains, but without all the hours spent in loops while faster trains went past. Would reduce freight operators costs and probably increase railfreight volumes. Passenger trains would have to trundle along at 60 mph too.

Interesting as always Jim. With all the time you spend stuck in loops, it makes me wonder how much more attractive (and cheaper) rail freight would be of it wasn't sidelined so much. ColinK

Perhaps the next development could be a diesel with the steam heating boiler blowing off?

Eric Clapton, Forever Man. The version of 'Layla' on the live disc is brilliant, but much different from what you are probably expecting.

I picked up a secondhand copy of Railways Illustrated May 2015 yesterday. It includes an article on DHP1.

Does anyone know how deliveries of the sound fitted ones are progressing? I have one on order but don't want to distract Kernow if they are busy fitting the sound chips.

I've just ordered one. I couldn't get the 'gift aid' option to work though.