Ivatt46403

I got my hands on my Hurricane today - cracking little loco in perfect condition, really impressed with it. Great job Dave! Marcus.

I hope they're not on one of these! https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/sep/02/hanjin-shipping-bankruptcy-causes-turmoil-in-global-sea-freight

Another cracking looking loco there Dave. Does "very close to release" = in production? DJM Dave on the Ask Dave thread casually mentioned that the J94s are in production and I'm guessing they're all being made in the same batch? Marcus

Yay!

More excellent service from the model railway cottage industry community, custom loco plates have arrived from Narrow Planet, just need a J94 to slap them on now... Marcus.

I am constantly surprised and impressed with the fabulous community of people in this wonderful hobby of ours. Over the past few months I've had great interactions with Allen at Grainge and Hodder and Stephen at Narrow Planet. Today my custom boards from Grainge and Hodder arrived and they're lovely things. I've got a standard 45 degree corner board and two fiddlesticks which Allen fabricated based on some fairly scrappy sketches from me - including a very neatly done sector board. The boards are laser cut ply and go together very nicely - I've done a dry run assebly tonight. The attention to detail is really excellent - and on my custon additions the pieces are cut in such a way that they can't go together the wrong way. All the ply is also cut from the same direction, so you can tell which sides are "in" and which "out" quite easily. Photos: Very nicely packaged too The interesting thing was that with the custom additions I had more jigsaw pieces than I had instructions... But putting together the main board left me with the bits to make an addition (with stop to prevent flying trains) at one end: And then the sector board at the other: Obviously the main board is upside down relative to the other two. I'm thinking about whether to upgrade the supplied laser cut dowels to pattern makers dowels before assembly. My hands also now smell nicely of toasted wood. Marcus.

We've moved into our temporary flat now, so I've started planning "Cranford Shed" (working title!) in earnest. It's going to be based on the pictures I linked to above and built on a Grainge and Hodder 45degree corner board (http://www.graingeandhodder.co.uk/store/p6/900mm_x_400mm_Corner_Module_-_45%C2%B0.html) as I think it's a neat shape and will fit the curve I want. I started planning by marking out that board 1:1 on my workbench and playing with some track, a couple of iron ore wagons, and my 09 standing in for a DJ Models J94. The J94 is on order (I've gone for the Hattons "Hurricane") along with some plates from Narrow Planet (Stephen there has been super helpful) to rename it "CRANFORD No 3". Cranford ironstone quarry had two other Cranfords in real world (one is at Rutland Rocks by Rail) but neither were J94/"Austerity" 0-6-0STs but I've decided that they bought one in to keep the quarry in profit and named it logically. A J94 is a little longer than the 09 so it seemed like a decent fit. The white block is the shed - and I have seen pictures of it with another engine already in so I'm making it long enough for two - the second will be either the upcoming Hornby Peckett or DJ Models Hudswell Clark. It'll be viewed from the narrow end, with a full backscene (probably just sky) and arch with lighting. I was going to put a curved point in scene but it would have never fit well so I'll have a sector plate at the left and a cassette on the right. I think I'll talk to G&H about commissioning a little custom sector plate board and assembly. Electrics will be nice and simple, I was planning on getting a Gaugemaster walkabout controller for Buckden, so will get that, and build a transformer into the board. It'll just need one or two switches to isolate the shed road and end of the shed for if/when there are two locos on scene. Scenic wise I want to keep it relatively sparse - the shed will be the main feature, with probably a full or half of the trackside hut in the back left. I'll decide later where to have the coaling stage which was there, I fear it might make it a little cluttered. So that's the plan! Should be fun to build and trundle a few wagons around on. We'll see how much actually happens... Marcus.

Thanks Robin, they do look pretty reasonable and although I'm yet to figure how much room I'll need/be allowed ( ) I suspect the 5m x 4m will do the job for me. Do you have trickle heating or anything or does the insulation keep it fairly stable? Marcus.

How are you finding your Dunster House shed? We're just buying a new house and I'm considering one (a little smaller than yours) for the train room... Marcus.

Yeah it's funny isn't it - they've been there since it was built I believe. Oddly there are lots of model shops in victorian residential streets but it somewho feels strange for one to be in the middle of a brand new estate! Marcus.

They're very friendly in person too! With a very nice tidy shop in Portishead.

Back on topic, I came across this photo again today: http://www.phantasrail.co.uk/steam/Cranford4t.JPG And I think it might make a nice basis for my little side project. Looks like a nice gentle curve with a one (maybe two?) road engine shed and I like the little lineside corrugated hut on the left. A couple more here: http://www.phantasrail.co.uk/cranford.htm And apparently that's "Loddington No. 2" but a DJ Models J94 could make a nice "Cranford No. 3" perhaps? Then a few beaten up mineral and tippler wagons to trundle around? The buildings look nice and straightforward to knock together too. Can't quite work out exactly where it is though. Will have to look through the maps. Marcus.

You reckon? I have been fretting about how to get that faded look. It's a lovely little model and I'm a little afraid of "harming" it. Roof's definitely going to need a respray too - which will be tricky to mask. Marcus.

Weathering's not a bad shout actually, as I want to get my 09 into more this condition: Marcus.

Or trees? I need some trees.

Two final (for now) phone pics of Buckden as it was taken down ready for the move; Pickfords are coming on Friday, so the layout is now crated ready for a few months storage at my mums (in Buckden!). Kirsty wasn't sure what the air holes we for, until I pointed out that we didn't want the station master (Stan Smith) to suffocate. Still thinking about a little project to be getting on with, although to date I haven't got much further than thinking that a Grainge & Hodder baseboard might be a good start... Marcus.

A few phone snaps tonight as I was packing up Buckden for the move: An unusual visitor here, with my rather too clean Mainline liveried 09019 (the real one of which I've driven in Taunton thanks to RMWeb!) on the shunting duties The last passenger train to leave Buckden for a little while! But it's not 1959 so services will return in the Autumn! This little line-up is my problematic kit builds that don't have boxes! best wishes Marcus.

Also, catching up on December's Railway Modeller, I see that the Hornby D16/3 4-4-0 is out. Although unlikely to have made it to the Kettering and Huntingdon, they were certainly on the Huntingdon and Cambridge end of the line and probably visited Huntingdon East, so something to join my shed! I imagine Alex and Mark will be needing some too. In fact two of the Hornby offerings, 8825 and 62530 were on Cambridge shed in their lives. Marcus.

Me and Kirsty very much enjoyed watching that video last night (well, I enjoyed, Kirsty tolerated.) Lots of food for thought, I do like the little narrow gauge trains running along hedgerows. Perhaps unsurprisingly given who's likely reading this thread the consensus seem to be 4mm industrial ironworks for my little project. Certainly makes sense and I would be able to integrate it later to my larger planned layout, or at least use the locos and rolling stock. Now the challenge it to find a scene that would make an interesting to operate minimum space iron stone plan. Will need to spend some time flipping through Tonks. Marcus.

Good lord that trackwork looks so good! Marcus.

Hmmm, you know what, I think these might be a bit high. Although I based the height from comparison of photos next to the lamps looking again at those and pics of other hawkseye boards I might need to shorten them a bit. Thanks for the ironstone intervention! Will certainly think about some ideas! Marcus.

In other news we bought a new house yesterday. It's got plenty of space in the garden for an sizeable train shed, but it'll be a little while until we move in and build it. There's also likely to be a six month limbo period where we're in a temporary flat too so Buckden will likely go into storage for a bit. But I'm happy at the stage it's at right now so I'm ok with that. We went to the Weston Super-Mare show today and saw Ian Goose's lovely Boggs Yard, a minimum, three point 7 mm narrow gauge industrial layout and it got me thinking that a project like that might be a perfect little filler to play with whilst we're in temporary digs/building a super shed. SO I'm considering a minimum space, three point project along the lines of either: 7 mm narrow gauge 7 mm industrial 4 mm nuclear sidings (I have a DRS 37 and a flask which I really like) 4 mm ironstone (either narrow or standard guage) The last of course could keep me in Kettering and Huntingdon territory. Thoughts anyone? Marcus.

Buckden signs painted and planted:

Hoovering is one of my favorite parts of ballasting... Marcus,

Of course what point a luggage barrow without some luggage? Added here are some modelscene items which came free with Railway Modeller a while back, painted with a base of Phoenix LMS freight bauxite then drybrushed with a little acrylic colour. Marcus.