Loconuts

Are they letting to onto the reserve with this Bird Flu about? I think there are restrictions at Arn.

Looking good Chaz, like your method of doing the scenery profile, me thinks I will try that method myself on Verwood Creek when the weather gets a bit warmer. Can I make one comment though and that is your tie bar on your switches, I think based on track diagrams I have should not be as long as the two ties either side for the switch stand. The connection between the tie bar and switch stand is usually a metal rod. But however you might have evidence otherwise as my evidence is based on information of the D&RGW RR and I have not got the time to go off looking at other railroads. Got a Depot building to get on with and not a lot of time to get it done. John

Nice collection of coffee cups I see. Growing the ground cover in them?

Not sure about that but the amount of people I used to see on one moped in Taiwan and Thailand would have out done the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display team and they even had their shopping on board with them.

Seeing some of the things our friends transport out in the Far East on their motor bikes and scooters a layout would be no problem.

I totally agree with this post as from someone who modelled the GWR for 30 years. Unfortunately Oxford Rail does not appear to listen to the critics and is totally out of touch with the true modeler and more in keeping with the glass case fodder. They need to do the same as Dapol and get someone on board who knows the subject. (Look at their recent 08) Will the Dean Goods sell, yes on price alone but if they had made a correct model their market share would be bigger. Oxford Rail is going to get a reputation for incorrect models as all their output so far has had inaccuracies and this is not good as the manufacturers are dealing with a dwindling market place which is going to get more competitive.

Looks like you brought the pub home with you last night !!!!!!!!

I like the hole for the key in the chassis.

We have chilli beer down here in Dorset, something of an acquired taste.

Bet she does not look so good with no make-up.

It won't be the pub you will be going to but the gym for fitness to lift those boards

I agree with the comments that have been stated to date. I had been in touch with Phil over the content of the MRE in the last couple of months and the decline in the quality of the posts. There had been no modeling input for some while and it felt that the RTR brigade had taken over, a lot of those were collectors. I was unimpressed with Brian's constant polls, what was the worth of them, just look at the results of the last of them. I for one do not look at the MRE now as I have no interest to the drivel being served up. I hope Phil Parker moves onto better things.

Build the layout down the pub, problem solved

Well it has been well over a year since this project started and has got as far as baseboard legs and numerous pints of beer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Damian, don't you think you should get some track down before deciding what you are going to run on it?

Some of the tooling is in the hands of ABS Models so there is no chance of seeing them again.

True, I was disappointed when I saw 'Hursley' in the flesh having seen all those marvelous and realistic photos in the MRJ. As Andy York will testify you can do a lot with a photo and taking great care composing the shot makes it. If you take Mudmagnets excellent photo of his diesel depot one or two things let it down. One is the sheen on the cabs of the loco's and the other is the background in the top right of the picture. I have noticed that a lot of photos of model diesels have that plastic sheen on the roof area. As modelers many of us are not photographers and the thought of composing pictures does not come naturally, I am just the same with what few pictures I take ending up with photos I would not dare to publish here. But my son, who's hobby is photography and knows how to compose pictures, has done a photo using a Willys Jeep abandoned in a field of static grass. If he still has the photo I will get him to publish it here. His background was real trees taken in the New Forest and the whole lot was photo shopped together. Loconuts

Have a look at this for realism http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/27770

For how much longer for with all these anti drinking crowd coming up with these stop drinking campaigns which seem to happen every month. With lots of pubs going out of business every week they need support

That's more like it, I was getting cheesed off with all those ugly shaped box things, so common. Loconuts

You are all looking the wrong way, the old Triang Dean Single and Caley 123 would beat them all if you could get them to stay on the curves. Loconuts

It depends on what zone the layout is based in, there are some parts of the States that has a climate similar to the UK and many parts of Northern Europe but other parts are very different. Take the Southern States and the most common tree is the cotton wood, northern areas near the Canada border and mountainous areas we have conifers and aspens (Colorado). Desert it is a different story. The States has many climate zones and one needs to research the zone your layout is set in. Mara Harbour is right for its zone, east coast where they have sea fogs that bring moist air to the land and a temperate climate, very much like Cornwall UK. However similar conditions occur on the west coast but there they have conifers like the Redwood. Try this site http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/regional-guide-native-trees or http://www.treeremoval.com/us/guide-to-trees-of-the-united-states/#.V-Koh_ArJdi. There are a lot of sites that will give information to the flora of the States. Loconuts

You can turn a 57xx into a 27xx. I done one with a Vulcan 57xx. Loconuts

I have found you need belt and braces if the layout is going to shows, so everything gets a track feed, frogs and all. Do not need motorise point switches, the Blue manual ones work equally well. I only switch the power to the frogs with permanent power using link wires to the blades. I have also just discovered the servo motor switch machine produced by Gaugemaster (Cobalt Analog) which retails at £13 pounds, £3 pounds less than the usual Tortoise switch machine (£16). I get these Gaugemaster units from Track-Shack who provide a excellent next day service. There is also a cheaper version available. Loconuts

I think you guys are missing the point behind the Oxford Rail marketing strategy regarding their models. It is very obvious that they are aiming these models at the collectors market and not at the precision end of the market. they dropped several clangers with the Radial and now are going to do the same with the Dean goods. Oxford Rail are going to use these models as platforms to produce various liveries and the collectors will be happy to buy them, they do not care if the firebox is the wrong shape or if the smokebox door and the cab is wrong as long as the price is right and it comes in various liveries they are happy and yes if it looks roughly like a Dean goods or Radial. I am waiting to see if Oxford Rail are going to produce the Radial in Southern livery with two sets of safety valves on as they have shown in the announcement of the loco. Loconuts