Ivatt46403

Thanks! I do like the lamps - I'm so glad I waited and found the right ones rather than putting up with something. The next thing I need to source or build is a couple of running in boards. The photos I have seem to suggest they remained LMS hawkey type ones for quite a while, LNERGE of this parish has a friend who has the blue Eastern region boards, and I've seen a photo of a blue ER one for Kimbolton (here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82496-buckden-station-mr/?p=1481134 ) So, I can get either made and will probably go with a hawkeye from here: http://tracksidesigns.co.uk/epages/950001489.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/950001489/Products/TSHE0001 Irritatingly (well sort of) whilst searching for the running in boards I found that smith's do a proper LMS platform seat etch: http://www.scalelink.co.uk/acatalog/Smiths_Components_for__OO__.html Which I'm almost certainly going to have to buy now and replace my lovingly made LSWR ones! Marcus.

And here's another from the other end, with Ivatt 46403 pulling in with a short passenger with horsebox from Kettering. Marcus.

Lamps are in, benches are painted. The lamps don't work yet as I'm going to wait until everything has dried before wiring it all up. Really need so sort out the platform edging and the gaps under the station house and platform! Marcus.

Well the problem becomes that if you are being truly accurate (and your efforts on the trackwork suggest your very particular ) then having a clear enough photo that you can count the sleepers on the real thing and it's a different number of sleepers from your otherwise spot on model then it might grate - but only you can know yourself. At Buckden I reduced the station building by one outbuilding for size and it's starting to annoy me. Could you make a little board extension so that the whole point is on one board but it just has a sticky outy bit for the point like a jigsaw? Marcus.

If you shorten the distance between the catch point and the diamond would the catch point still do it's job? ie with it in your new, closer position would a derailed train fowl the line the catchpoint is designed to protect? Marcus. (and if not do you care?)

OK so I admit that describing the colour and then posting a dark photo is kinda dumb/mean so here's one with the lights on: Marcus

Got some painting done today. I'd primed the lamps last night (halfords grey car primer) so they were ready for colour tonight. I've used Revell "Email color 39" dark green, with a little white mixed in to try to get the faded green that was in the colour photos from Raunds, I think it's worked ok. I also test wired them - can't seem to get them to work with DC (which they should) but the AC supply from my ancient Gaugemaster model D did the trick, and there's a handy rheostat to control the brightness: The benches got a blast with the airbrush too in the same green. Pictures later when I've touched in the ironwork in black. When I plant them tomorrow (hopefully) they need to go in a circular flower bed as per the photos. I popped into Boots today to stock up on Braun electric toothbrush heads which come with little coloured plastic rings so you know who's is who. As I'm the only one in the house with one I have retasked them with a few coats of white (Wilko white enamel primer, which is not as good as my trusty halfords grey) and they should do the job nicely. Marcus.

I know! Me too - it's really sad. It's also sad seeing so much of what was left of this line being bulldozed - I've seen three station buildings go in my lifetime. Marcus.

I greatly admire you Paul - I loved the original (OO) version and watched and felt your pain with the first few crossing builds, I'd have thrown the whole thing at a wall long ago - you're perseverance is exceptional. It looks so good - the full junction is going to be a masterpiece. Marcus.

Lovely signal box and a very good use of the ipad - definitely need one for modelling work now Following along with interest. Marcus.

Yes I think Huntingdon East will be fun - and I think the first thing I can do before I have a room/house to start is build the engine shed which I know you did a version of for Diddington. I'm going to need at least the bridges south of the station, and was wondering whether I'll have space for a version of the Godmanchester bridge - I do like your one very much. I don't want that too close to the station so we'll have to see if there's room. St Ives could be fun - plenty of interest there and you can pick the bits you want from the GN/GE side of the station. Marcus.

I've been searching for good enough station gas lamps for Buckden for a very long time - they're such a big part of all of the photos I'm so familiar with I couldn't settle on anything which wasn't perfect. So I was thrilled when I saw these little beauties from DCC concepts (http://www.dccconcepts.com/catalogue/f/taper-post-gas-lamps) which arrived yesterday: Mark (46444) shared some lovely colour pictures of Raunds just up the line, which demonstrated that they were green so as you can see I've masked them off for a respray. I do have precision SR green (P93) which is what I did the box in, but it's always seemed a bit too vivid for my liking - maybe it's just the effect of seeing old photos but I think they did fade by the sounds of it. So I think I'll do them in a bit of a darker green like the woodwork for the station, and the seats the same. Marcus.

Amazing photos of a fab layout - how do you get such great depth of field? Are they stacked or do you know some kind of black magics? Marcus.

Thanks Bogie! They're certainly not for the feint hearted. I took one look at the etch and nearly didn't even start, then I nearly gave up again when the first leg took well over an hour. Then the second one I started to get the hang of it and then by leg six I think they were actually coming out approximately how they were meant to. Some things I wish I knew before I started: He's not kidding when he says clean out the jig - even when it looks free it still has burrs that really don't help. Turning the bottom leg scroll around a pair of fine tweezers is easier - and it helps massively if this bit actually fits in the jig. A combination of tweezers turning and placing, fingernails and my tiny brawal/pointy stick eases the etch into the jig. Tinning every very sparingly is definitely worth it - I used a tiny little peg to hold it in place. The seat back sacrificial formers DO have a right way round (look for the downards turn for the seat) and unless you bend them out a bit really don't fit - having the seat in the main jig whilst trying to get the first sacrificial one on really helps As the instructions say - work fast with the soldering! I've also now ordered from squires the tools I wish I had when I was doing it - namely some self closing tweezers, tweezer stand and helping hands with magnifying glass, which will make the next etches (I have a couple of other things from Roxey to do) much easier. Marcus.

Second seat done today - went much better, kind of wish I had another one to do now Also added some gates to the station fence and added a little flower bed (currently empty) in front: Marcus.

Hi Mark, Thanks - I've sent you an email. I always look out for Twywell from the A14 - it's increasingly hiding behind trees and looks to have been heavily modified. The other thing I like to try and spot is some of the buildings at the Islip furnaces site (just before Twywell station coming from Huntingdon and on the other side of the A14) which are now on the Dodson and Horrell and I think some of the original buildings are still there. Yes I'm happy with the plans - just need to find a big enough house now.. Marcus.

Lovely pictures! Marcus.

Thanks Mark, Photos would be great! Colour pics are pretty tough to come by (and I still haven't got a copy of Steam Railways in Colour: Around Northamptionshire). I think I like the idea of keeping the palette mostly green (apart from something in the post, but maybe that'll get a re-paint). Yeah I've been along the A14 a few times of late and have seen the clearing of Thrapston Midland Road - nice that the estate at least has a railway name but it's another of the station buildings gone. I like the glimpses of the railway along the A14 - and the Thrapston viaduct of course. We keep meaning to go to Cranford Hills and Dales park to look at the old Ironstone workings too. I love my J15 - I have the early crest 65356 which is Cambridge shed already. Marcus.

The question now is what colour I paint the benches, options are: Brown wood slats/black metalwork Maroon/crimson lake all over Green all over (as the rest of the station seemed to be green). Marcus.

A couple of very small treats came in a very small envelope from Roxey Mouldings today. The first for me to tackle (and my first ever etched kit!) is this LSWR bench, which, although not quite right for Buckden I couldn't find anything that looked quite like the ones in the prototype pictures. Goodness it was fiddly! I think I was starting to get the hang of it by the end of the many hours this one bench took, so hopefully number two will be better! Marcus.

Our flat is going on the market tomorrow, so I've started to plan my new railway! I'm anticipating having a bigger space (basement/attic/supershed) so I'm thinking Huntingdon East will fill a corner nicely, some snapshots from SCARM (which I really like) below. I've tweaked the track plan at the throat on the right to avoid a curved crossover but I think it still works out, and I've simplified the access to Huntingdon North from the mainline. The branch will head off to Buckden from the bottom, and the double tracks of the GN will link around behind the scenes of Buckden to one of the doubles leading to Godmanchester so that I have two continuous run loops. Buckden is going to be the wrong way around, as for Huntingdon East to be an internal curve and Buckden facing into the room you're going to leave Buckden towards Grafham and arrive in Huntingdon! I fancy having either Cranford and/or Cranford East sidings so that I can include some ironstone traffic and railway but I will have to see what room is actually available.

That working is the RPOD today: http://www.railway-centre.com/ Marcus.

J15 65356 shunts a cattle van into the dock siding:

I was IN Cranford over the weekend, and a glimpse from the road suggests that those buildings by Cranford East Sidings (which I think were workshops) are still there. In a state of some dilapidation, and in the yard of "ED Truckin", but possibly worth a trip to photograph. Marcus.

It's funny where inspiration comes from, the start of Buckden came from a shot in Branch Lines around Huntingdon (Middleton Press) showing a train sitting on what is now the road that I took to school everyday. We're going to move in the new year, likely to somewhere bigger and so a large attic/garden for a train room is in the brief, so I've been thinking about the expansion of the layout. After seeing Kettering Furnaces No. 3 in North Wales I went back to The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Pt 5. In that there's a (pp 68) theres a great shot of Cranford and an 8Fin the exchange sidings at Cranford East Sidings. A quick trip to historic OS showed this rather nice track layout: With the tramway (standard guage) meeting the sidings, the old bridge from the earlier route to the workings to the north, and the engine shed. I think the exchange sidings could make a great "on scene" fiddle yard for the expansion, with, here, a great chance model some of the ironstone works too.