brianusa

Y'er darn tootin', as they say over here! Brian.

Hi Garry, a good idea and hope it works out. I am of the steam age and you couldn't have picked better pictures to start with as I lived in Plymouth and know the railway areas well. Sadly we are now a long way away and can only offer any memories. I liked the picture next to Ocean Siding (love that name) with the shipwreck of the "Antelope". I have seen that one deteriorate over the years and its amazing how it still can be seen. The car park spoils any view in the Up direction at Mutley while the bridge at Pennycomequick hasn't changed much. Brian.

In my case, the bigger the better! Brian.

Well said m'lord! Too many forums get carried away into slinging matches which usually ends up with members giving up and going on to greener pastures. Usually hobby forums don't have too much trouble; you can't really argue too much on the virtues of toy trains although it must be disconcerting when others laugh at your Hornby when you should have bought a Bachmann! The tolerance shown on RM web is a blessing as most scale guys would laugh at my tinplate trains and as a sometime trainspotter, I can reminisce with the best of them. Then there's always JA! Brian.

Would agree if they were in close proximity but this is an eighty mile round trip. Time, fuel, pathing, etc; surely it doesn't add up! Besides, the passengers having paid expensive fares would probably like steam all the way down. But what do I know! Brian.

Hard to believe this is really necessary! How long have engine drivers particularly steam drivers been able to 'touch' bumpers without such paraphernalia. Who thinks up these ideas anyway? Brian.

Hi Kevin, the MTH catalogue refers to their Euro line as 1/43 - 1/45 but whether that extends to the UK is unclear. Brian.

Incidentally what is the state of the 'real' Lode Star? Trapped forever in museums? This could be the fate of yours, Rob! Brian.

So what's with the turntable at SBZ? It was working OK last year and its a bit of a shame that after spending all that money on fares, the best part of the trip is behind a couple of diesels. Brian.

Those signals look distinctly Hornby O! Brian.

That's one pretty hefty switch panel. Brian.

Nice slow return with the signal. Brian.

This is a long, involved process and has been in the works for ages. Will this development ever happen and will the railway return? Brian.

Wish you better luck with this project. We had relatives who lived above the station so I spent more time watching trains than visiting!.. I would recommend "West Country Railway Memories", Oakwood Press RS25. The author, a sometime student at Kelly College tells a lot of the station and surrounding area. Brian.

Weathering? Humbug! Just leave them lout on the layout for long enough and dust will do the job! How do you think I get all my stuff weathered? Seriously, I'm a shiny out of the box soul but that's what most tinplaters are!! Brian

What you need Phil, is a nice yeast bun and a cup of tea. Perk you up no end! Brian.

The only problem in the USA is running it. While UP isn't averse to have one of its steamers on its tracks, generally the cost factor is prohibitive. US railways aren't fond of anything interfering with their freight trains especially steamers with their ability to set fire to the surroundings. The cost of running a passenger train with wages, fuel and insurance means very high fares plus few places to run puts a damper on the proceedings. No open access here! Brian.

Great work and a particularly nice model. In all honesty, I wouldn't have noticed. Brian.

What have you in mind? You don't like my layout? Brian.

<<<<SWT did not just 'give up' on serving destinations beyond Exeter - it was a rolling stock shortage..... Forgive the expression, I didn't know the reason but they ceased running there. Incidentally, there were others running in Cornwall, were there not, apart from FGW? Some interesting points raised, so what about the other way? As service is retained to Exeter and Salisbury third railed, it is possible that electrics might run all the way sometime. Its not that far from Salisbury! However, the core business as in the days of the SR and its predecessors, was between London and the south coast and these days this is well within the commuter belt. Its lines in the Home Counties are extensive and well served (some may differ) so they have their hands full already and its doubtful if any further developments would be forthcoming. Interesting to speculate though. Brian

Far be it for me to comment on these ramblings, but I will! Au contraire with everybody else, IMHO SR would have dumped everything further west than Salisbury! It only went into darkest Cornwall to unite with the B & W tracks just because it was theirs anyway. Never contributed a heck of a lot before or since which can be said of much of its lines West Whatever made them think the NCR would ever make a reasonable profit wending its way from one hamlet to another trying to emulate the GW with its coastal holiday haunts. It didn't go for freight; Delabole slate, some china clay the GW didn't get to and the odd general merchandise hardly paid the wages. As has been mentioned, the plum port of Plymouth was too much further over the Moors to be competitive and look what happened to the short lived Ocean Liner traffic. Exeter was served handsomely by the GW, providing a quicker service to the Capital, and everything between there and Salisbury was of little consequence plus the branch lines to the coast were an added expence. It is a wonder in this day and age why SWT still bothers as they gave up on the Cornish business ages ago and it will be interesting to see how the Plymouth, Okehampton, Exeter revival fares, if it ever comes to pass. Sure the old SR served a lot of places and was much loved no doubt, but that was an era before buses, cars and freeways which is the reasoning behind these comments. Brian.. ,

Andy, you could always do Portreath, complete with incline or the aforementioned Morewellham with another incline and a tunnel.! Brian

Don't know if this is the same with Dublo, but Hornby O gauge tinplate curves are more plentiful than straights which I suppose stems from the fact that there was more to the train set ovals. Brian.

Phil, I know what you mean as in my OO days, Buckfastleigh had to look just so; as far as I was able to make it. Even then I regretted I couldn't do better but it had to do. Now I crumble up Styrofoam packing, paint it black and put it in the tenders or wagons and while it wouldn't please most readers, it works with tinplate as everything else is not that realistic or to scale.. But I love 'em, scale or no. Brian.

Going back a bit, shouldn't the lining on the BR locos be more yellowy? I don't remember it being so orange. Perhaps I never saw a clean one! Brian.