Fishplate

All high level tracks now painted up to a point within a few inches of the board joints on the main and goods lines. I can then blend in across the joints when everything gets put back together. I've obtained some Woodlands Scenics 'medium cinders' ballast. Started on the Carriage Sidings. It looks coarser in-situ than I thought it did in the bottle. Looks more like contaminated 4mm scale stone ballast rather than 4mm scale ash? But this is 'multi-scale' product, so up to me/ the buyer to confirm it is ok. I'm happy with what I've bought for these sidings, although I think I should have picked the 'fine cinders'. Put some PVA down each side of both tracks to contain the ballast spreading too far away from the sleeper ends. There will be a concrete carriage cleaning platform between the two tracks, so I didn't want to cover the 6ft. Components are in the post to scratch build the platform. Used a teaspoon to place the ballast a few sleepers at a time, then a small paint brush to clear the sleeper tops/ ends. Efforts so far in the picture below. Now need to soak the ballast in 50% PVA/water mix. Getting there....

Looking good. Following with interest 🙂

When in BR(S) Gauging section, we went to survey a short tunnel. Can't remember the location. Our chainman was unimpressed: "That's not a tunnel. I can stick my xxxx through that". Not convinced he was telling the truth, but we didn't ask for a demonstration.

Modified the above and sorry to hear of your experiences on RMWeb. Others (like me!) enjoy looking at layouts at an exhibition between trains. The whole layout can place it geographically without a single item of rolling stock. The vast majority of the pictures I take at exhibitions are of the layout, not the trains. I often wait until a train has gone before taking a photograph. Maybe I'm just odd. It might explain my wildly non- era specific train collection. I'm looking more at location, albeit, due to space and my wish list, non-prototype based. Hopefully, in due course, people will be able to recognise the geographical location of my layout. They may be slightly confused by the combination of stock though. Rule 1 being applicable!

Ok. 4ft 8.5inches = 1435mm. Modified at the end of steam to 1432mm in plain line and S&C. Now back to 1435mm, with some cases of 1438mm. And designed transitions between various gauges when renewals are undertaken. Then there are manufacturing and maintenance tolerances. . . . So the absolute gauge answer is site, era and tolerance dependent. Anyone doing a layout in P4, can have some more excitement 🤯. With all that excitement in the day job, I'm sticking to OO 👍

Big changes Graham. It will be sad for you (and us) to see CR2 'Beeching-ed' after all your hard work. But hopefully you'll pop up in the central operating well of CR3 as soon as possible. Which part of GB will you be aiming for? Do you have free hand? Or are you tied to a particular location/ area?

Well, challenge accepted: full size Pway (12" :1ft scale) - Design to 1mm. Modern installation techniques mean that, whilst there are installation tolerances, we frequently see installation at between 1 - 5mm to design position, both horizontally and vertically. Noting that the post installation surveys also have survey tolerances. When I first started (mid 70's), the general rule (given the equipment used then) was: Design to the nearest millimetre (log books only recently replaced with calculators, still hand written calcs) Set out to the nearest 5mm (theodolite straights, with wooden pegs and nails setting out the track geometry, or offsets from the adjacent track) Install within 10mm, then final line and level Hope that helps.

Nice to see the real locations. Interesting bit of Industrial Archaeology in that photo. Was it railway related/ served?

Out surveying with a very opiniated colleague, new to the railway, on a hot summers day. Colleague decided he was too hot, so had arrived on site in shorts and a tee-shirt. He soon took the tee-shirt off, wearing his orange vest round his shorts. The lookout blew up for a train and we all stepped out to the cess. Those of us who were looking at the train, which was doing line speed, realised what the mist was around the lower part of the train and stepped back accordingly. Our chum was not looking and, intent on grabbing the sun's rays as the train passed, was surprised to be enveloped in a wash of toilet flush and assorted contents. He made sure he looked at the trains after that.

B for me

Hi Rob, I hope all settled down now?

Top to bottom. Down Main, weathered. Up Main, baseplates painted. Up/Down Goods Out of the box.

Having succumbed to three corporate blue Newspaper vans, I then agonised over the fact I have no corporate blue locomotives. That's when the second email from Rails of Sheffield arrived..... Pristine Class 73 (JA) 73002 buffers up to the freshly outshopped Newspaper vans in Carriage Siding 1.

So am I. . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8h_v_our_Q

One of the great things about RMWeb. I know various people I follow have 'mojo absences' from time to time. Sometimes it's good to set one thing aside whilst it is being a pain and try something else. Letting the subconscious work on the set aside item can bring results I've found. Hurrah ! Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. . .. . 😀 I was lucky. I was only a few pages in, so reinstating pics wasn't too difficult. Can understand it would be a big problem.

Oops, missed that 🤪

One bloke does have his trousers inside some very long socks though . . . .

Everyone has beaten me to it. I'm too busy picking my jaw up off the floor. Superb George.

. . . .appears to be looking down on a box with a cutaway of a Lancaster bomber on the lid? Is that what's inside?

Nostalgia plus emails from Rails of Sheffield are an interesting combination. My wallet is having to have a lie down in a darkened room. . . . . .

I came across your railway whilst looking at the 'Layout Topics' page over my Christmas break. I started looking at the then current page but soon realised I needed to go backwards to get the full picture. Which is when I ended up at Page 1. . . . . Love the entire concept and the development of the prototype timetable to accommodate Christleton Junction. A thoroughly enjoyable read. A shame you (and so many others) have lost the pictures earlier on in The Great Crash. Have hit 'Follow' and see I've taken this topic to 100 followers. Very much looking forward to seeing your further progress. Ps. Our layouts have a few things in common: station on a curve, elevated tracks, so interesting bits/ inspiration picked up on the way through.

Carriage Siding 1 done. Now venturing along the baseplate on the Down Main through the site of platform 2. Had several hours available today. Will see if I carry on this evening.

That's interesting. Did it occur on CWR, or on jointed track ? Or on both?

Carriage Siding 2 has had the full treatment. Part of Carriage Siding 1 and the two turnouts have had the baseplate treatment this evening. To be continued ....

Is it a Juniper bush? Will it bring forth Juniper berries? Asking for a friend.