westhighlandline

Excellent work, David! Can't wait to see the Pannier on the diorama. 😍 Meanwhile, I'm digging deeper into the DLR, focusing on Cambusavie Halt as a potential subject to be modelled. It took me some considerable time to figure out the exact location from all the pictures available, mainly due to many being labelled incorrectly: the first crossing following the line from The Mound down the line across the damn would be "Cambusmore", often falsely referred to as Cambusavie. Anyway, I find Cambusavie an attractive location nearby the Loch, with only one structure, a few trees, a crossing, a single wooden platform, a single platform lamp, a stone wall and of course the waterline to be included in a reduced, small space. It'd be helpful to know if the nearby station house was to a standard type, like the ones to be found at Cambusmore and Embo? Cheers, Kosta

Having just recently acquired Model Rail's excellent 0-6-0 OPT #1649, I've developed an interest in the Dornoch Line. This thread proves to be very useful, though I can't see any of the earlier pictures, supposedly of your train, David. Is there any chance they could be reinstated? Is there any late progress? :) Cheers, Kosta

Hey Andrew! Nice to see that little layout come together. Happy to follow your steady and quick progress. I expect more to come from you soon, now that the modelling season has finally arrived. ☺ Cheers from Switzerland Kosta

Got my copy of Model Rail yesterday, and fell in love with Sandy Bay instantly! Not only for the level of detail and the simple, yet superbly integrated track layout, but for the clever scenery that draws the attention to the harbour area away from the railway. Adds more than a bit of realism to the scene. And the bridge is a fantastic little piece of art! Wish I could be able to attend TINGS. You've got a new fan now.

Hi Graham Are you using the supplied Dapol ploughs, removing the center part, or are these etches of some kind? Cheers, Kosta

Thanks for sharing! I've tried magnets on the side of the rails. They work fairly well with Kadee couplings on US rolling stock and short couplings on Continental stock, yet with Dapol couplings on UK wagons, they tend to pull over the whole wagon, depending on its weight and wheelbase. I guess the attaching point of the coupler is essential in this case. US cars have theirs mounted to the bogie, which in itself rests firmly on the track and can withstand a pull to the side. Continental stock usually bears kinematic couplers, that can swing to the side, away from the wagon's body, and allow for more clearance. Most UK stock has the coupler mounted directly to the body, so the tendency to tip over is natural given. But maybe I've just chosen the wrong magnets and wrong location.

For those of you not following any of the many Facebook groups: I've built a small micro-layout (or nano-layout) as a tribute to Neil Rushby's Shell Island. It's N gauge and inspired by the surroundings of the little coastal village of Ellenabeich on the isle of Seil. Basically, this is not a Lockdown project ... rather something that took my mind off never ending work within the last few months. Hope you enjoy!

May I ask how you fitted the snowploughs to the 26s without obstructing the coupler bearing? Did you remove the ... splitter (?) in the middle to gain access?

Hi all Seems like the modelling season has started again - I see a lot of development going on lately, and my micro is no exception. The structures are all finished and set up, details like fences and sheep have been added, and I've given the scenery a more autumnish look. Not too long ago, I've read somewhere, that credible layouts set in autumn are hard to find. So I figured I'd give it a try, as most coloured pictures of the Killin Railway from the 60ies seem to have been taken in September anyway. And I must say, I am a bit proud of the outcome, though there's still room for further improvement. I.e. I find the scatter material to be a bit to coarse in places, especially when you look up close. The pictures reveal such details much better, than the artistic eye that has put them there. Anyway, things are going well with the micro. For me, the Killin Railway is the perfect prototype for modellers, so I've spent a lot of time on research lately. And as I have mentioned before, I'm thinking of extending the micro and integrating it in a bigger layout covering the whole length of the Killin Railway. Including Lix, Dochart viaduct, Killin station, Lochay bridge, Finnlarig Castle and - of course - Loch Tay. My interpretation of Loch Tay will be christened "Loch Kay", until I have the time and the resources to re-create the original buildings, that will replace the superb, but out of place looking scalescenes structures. Sadly, I can't find any detailed pictures of Loch Tay shed. It seems evident, that all photographs have been taken from the station platform only. I can't find any showing the sides of the shed... . @andyram: I went through the topics list, can't find your thread though. I am really interested to see your progress.

Hi Dave Thank you! I am planning on staying as close to the original as possible. Which means that any train will comprise a Standard 4MT tank, plus a Thompson non-gangwayed coach and a 12 ton box van. Maybe two Thompsons and a brake van, as the Killin school train consist was made up of them sometimes . Currently, there's no Thompsons available in N gauge, so I'll replace them with MK1 BCK for the time being. The layout will be extended eventually. I do have some baseboards left from another project, on which I used to practise some basic techniques in building layouts. I am envisioning building the whole length of the Killin Railway from Lix to Loch Tay station. Maybe including Killin Junction and perhaps Glenogle viaduct to add some operational interest. We'll see. Cheers, Kosta

Starting to add details!

Dava, Thanks for the compliment! The late GraFar 4MT is on my shopping list. It will be the perfect fit for Loch Tay (or whatever I am going to call it). The 26 is only a temporary guest on the layout. Kosta

Well, since I am already at it - it's time to present the outcome of a very intense Sunday working on the railway. I kept myself busy "building" the forest background. This is it in its most current state - not done yet: I took the layout outside to check for its appearance in broad daylight, and it is not only now that I've (repeatedly) noted, that Dapol's Class 26 and 27 have a real blatant touch of petroleum colour to them. In my eyes, they should be of a dark BR blue ... am I wrong? Cheers, Kosta

Hey Tony, I wasn't sure if I could mention Model Rail in here, since this is a BRM-related forum. *ha ha*. Yes, it is a MR issue and you can find the article on page 76/77 here: https://issuu.com/mimimi995/docs/model_rail_issue_232_march_2017 Cheers, Kosta

Bad weather outdoors means lots to do indoors. So I've done a bit of ballasting and levelling up the trackbed where the shed will be. I had totally forgotten to raise the ground in that area. Now it's wait, wait, wait for everything to dry ...