westernviscount

I think the main difference is the BP builds were presented within a magazine format and anticipated the child not watching BP episode after episode interspersed with 10 second adverts on how "you can make money for doing *insert banal, meaningless pursuit* just like me!!!" With Yvette Fielding imploring us to like and subscribe every 5 mins ;-) In all seriousness I do see your point but the infinite choice thing and endless content fiills me with dread, a thing the hobby has helped stave off in my life thus far! Cheers

All fair comments Tom and proof of the diversity of experience in this hobby. It seems we have two opposing viewpoints, your quote above describing the exact opposite of what I value and no doubt my views are in complete opposition to yours. The problem you see as creating a house from a box IS my hobby. Not a problem, but an opportunity for absorbtion and excuse to spend countless hours doing something completely useless to anyone else other than me. I question whether you would have benefitted from vids earlier in your hobbying, instead perhaps you have developed creativity through the acquisition of skill by engaging one on one with tools and materials. This, as opposed to some innate ability being stifled until the correct level of skill handed on to you was achieved, validating your creativity. This is just my opinion of course and I accept there is a level of inner gift possibly. I also accept I might be taking things a little seriously but I love railway modelling and worry that youtube limits instead or inspires. However, times change and this is for sure, youtubers are here to stay and my view point will be all but extinct pretty soon.

It's not really a case of the hobby not being rewarding in its own right, but wanting to share it with others. You make very fair points throughout your reply Tom. I suppose motivations within the hobby are vastly different and as someone else states, it is a broad church. The desire to share with others and inspire is laudable indeed but something I dont share with you. I freely admit there is a base desire to show off but I hope it is simply pride motivating me to want to record my "achievements". (Yeah right, I just want likes!!) I exhibit, share on RMWEB, contribute to magazines etc because I love my hobby as I remember it and admired other people's layouts and wanted to be able to create the models I wanted. Exhibitions for me are an opportunity to spend 6 or 7 hours running a railway and chatting with peers and this is unquantifiably satisfying to me in its own right. If I were to present my layout as an inspiration then I think for me, I may well have lost my way as a hobbyist and potentially be suffering dunning kruger syndrome! As for demonstrating that the hobby is accessible to all, again this is laudable if a little lofty for me. Didnt this used to be father Christmas's job, delivering a trainset or pocket money buying a constituent part depending on santas (mum and Dads) budget? I dont believe people need an intermediary to understand that there is a path from trainset to being Roye England or Barry Norman, which is one of trial and error, experimentation, failure and above all, active participation in making. People actually find that out for themselves through desire and ingenuity (whoops, corporate rhetoric!!!) instead of experiencing the hobby vicariously through a screen. Perhaps i am arrogant, but I never required anyone to tell me because I was a poor kid I could still do railway modelling. Perhaps seeing a cereal box as a house is something people need to be told how to do but I doubt that very much. A youtuber demonstrating their brand new bells and whistles DCC number, a grown man submerging a trainset in a paddling pool, or someone begging for new toys would have quite easily put me off the hobby as a child...but then again, I have always been slightly odd. These examples are extreme of course and I wouldnt lump you in this category and admit I have watched and enjoyed a small number of youtube vids on modelling (inbetween dashcam footage, Boris bungles, jonathan pie and all the other crap I lose hours to). I am just concerned about the affect of these modern ways on a hobby I have used consistently to escape them...he typed on RMWEB!! Cheers Dave

The modern world is so confusing to someone who should have been born 3 or so decades before my actual birth. I can only put this "go fund me" phenomena down to online interactions not adhering to or requiring the customs and courtesies that allow most of us to interact with and exist alongside others in the physical world. One does not have to worry about appearing rude, explicitly or otherwise on the internet inhabiting a digital personae. So what? It seems many want to turn their lives into content to be consumed. The rhetoric of goals, maximization and other corporate world terms has permeated into the hobby space of some. Youtubers, influencers etc are becoming common even in our predominantly solitary, physical world hobby. Mostly I find these newly arrived railway modelling celebs mostly tedious and mediocre. But also cant help but feel some pity, in that a hobby so rewarding in its own right, appears to not satisfy the needs of an ever greater number of "hobbyists". I could of course be a grumpy stuck in the mud who is just envious! Either way, thank God for the off switch!

And finally, the photo as appearing BRM. Was thrilled with this of course! Cheers

Having revisited this thread I realise I left it unfinished. I completed the coach and am pretty happy witht he results. I posted a pic in the realistic modelling forum and was happy to have it included in BRM. The coach is parked in the "cameo position". Having responded to advice, the steps were removed and the filler pipe converted to a hand grab. Some Dart castings sacks and parcels were added and an excellent modulu "veranda leaning guard" is posed with a brute. A detail view of the end with weathered gangway, new comet buffers and buckeye coupler. And finally the overall view of the work. I finished this about a year ago but I forgot to updat this thread. As the coach will be mostly obscured I am happy with the pevel of detail. Next time (which there won't be) I would address the dreadful roof seams. Cheers

I have recently replaced the platform lights hopefully giving more of a western region feel. The post was cut from cardboard repurposed from old sketchbooks. I have found this material gives a good representation of the concrete used for these 1940/50's lamp posts. The lamp fitting was turned out of some laminated plastikard, mounted in a mini drill and turned to shape. A small piece of brass wire creates the fitting . The post is painted a humbrol wood colour and weathered with powders to create the concrete look. The previous lamp posts were revamped to create under canopy strip lights.

Thanks Mike, I was happy we these although they might be just on the right side of "over the top" Ha ha, well i suppose with careful planning, a few of these could be done relatively quickly, particularly in the absence of an airbrush!!!

A trace of oxidization.

A couple more older pics. Dogfish using powders on matt finish black. A couple of conflats and.. A close up of the floor using enamel paints. Wood colours dry brushed onto tacky black.

A couple more older examples for those who are interested. Previously posted pic. A walrus sprayed matt black, streaked with powders and a flat brush and hit with the slightest wiff of matt varnish spray. More powders and decalfix Heavy powders and decalfix. A mix of techniques using enamel paints for the planks and powders and decalfix for metal ends.

Hi Bob. I tend to let it dry to the touch, which with acrylic is pretty rapid. I probably go over with the white spirit within an hour.

Well spotted Mike. I must say there are several wagons and brakes in my fleet which are incorrect. I cant blame modelmaster for this as I tend to go with what looks right for me. Impatience to complete often takes precedence over accuracy for me, which I certainly dont think is the correct approach!!!!

More pics of the lms ratio kits after transfers (railtec)

A couple of pics of wagons I have been working on, playing around with some processes. The end metal bracing treated with powders fixed with matt varnish, left todry then painted over with acrylic brown. Attacked with white spirit and a cocktail stick. Empty conflat using dry brush wood coloutlrs on a black ground. A parkside 13t open and BD container with more powders fixed with varnish, painted over with acrylic and attacked with white spirit. More acrylic over enamel paint, this time scrubbed with a fibre brush.

Another meat van kitmaster/parkside hybrid

I recently finish one in humbrol rc423 carmine which is acrylic. It seemed to represent the maroony colour of the containers I have seen in photos but I used the modelmaster white lettering transfers which I doubt is accurate but is fine for me. With the weathering it just reads as being slightly different to the bauxite wagons. Cheers Dave

I agree, my point being (which I did not make clear in fairness) is that I didntt think they were Gibson wheels. I am hopefully mistaken and I just got a couple of dodgy sets.

Are markits the old romford ones? I thought Gibson were a good quality wheel and the latest peco 4mm kits have been supplied with some fairly ropey ones. They are all black and with metal axle and tyre, with a plastic wheel disc. The mould of the wheel disc is not always true so there is a pronounced wobble to most of my most recent builds.

The wheels are useless in the new kits so I would say it is likely economies have been made elsewhere. I don't know this to be true of course. I am sure you have found your own work around but I tend to use a sprue cutter to snip the main runners attached to the part I need., then use a curved scalpel blade to complete the removal. Cheers

Thank you chaps, very useful comments all round.

Hello all, I have used Springside tail lamps on my models for a number of years. This remains my favoured approach but I have a set of Lanarkshire model supplies white metal lamps, both tail and side lights. I bought these as I felt they were a little finer, but there is now the necessity to paint them. The bodies are straightforward of course but I wondered if anyone has a tried and tested method which makes for a prototypical look i. e. Not a blob of signal red! I model pre tops so am thinking about the BR Traditional lamps. This also means I don't intend to add LEDs. I have thoughts of leaving the white metal exposed for the forward facing lenses of the side lights and a deep Ruby red paint for the rear facing with perhaps a dot of gloss varnish. But, I would like to hear further/better ideas Many thanks in advance.

Very very nice. Can I ask where are the transfers from?

Yes!!! Just stumbled on this thread. I love Dapol kitmaster kits! My Dad made me the station set way back when and they represent many a happy memory playing trains. Here are some I have built and modified more recently. A de-branded esso tanker with MSE ladder, pre-weathering. A 20t brake finished as the LNER predecessor of the BR standard Brake van. Duckets are glazed with humbrol clear-fix. Air piped brake. 20t standard with underfloor trusswork and footboards scratchbuilt. By this point I had started to use .33mm handrail wire instead of .5mm Meat van with replacement doors.