88C

Well in a couple of weeks it will be all over for another year. Our club layout, Ambleside, will be attending, those of you that have BRM will have seen Tony Wright's superb photos take both at Loughborough in September 2017 and in our club rooms more recently. The more observant of you may spot some of the improvements that we have made. For those of you who don't have BRM here is one of my photos but not up to Tony's standard. More to follow. Brian

An update on the layouts. The Club's N-gauge layout Kirktown is also expected to attend having been revamped to operate on DCC. Don't forget we have free parking and refreshments provided by the Summit Centre staff. You can read about Ambleside in the current issue of BRM. Brian

Hello VicZA, Welcome to RMWeb and the UK. The loco you picture is an LMS jinty and is not suitable for conversion to GWR. Your best bet is to find a pannier tank, the Bachmann version runs very well. Also possible would be a Hornby 2721 if you can live with it's compromises to fit a standard chassis. There is a Great Western section on RMWeb hidden under Special Interests. I can also recommend the website GWR Modelling, www.gwr.org.uk An excellent choice of railway and if you look under layout topics you will find some very nice GW layouts, A Nod To Brent for example. Best of luck in your projects and don't forget there is plenty of help on here but you can expect threads to wander off course. Brian edited to add link.

Getting close to our annual show so this is what we have to offer this year. Layouts Ambleside. 00 LMS. See BRM October 2018 Harrowby Hill. 00 LNER Newburn 00 GWR See Hornby Magazine February 2016 South Town 00 BR(E) Jubilee Road Wagon Works 00 DBS Tissington 00 Marmarge H0 Maloja H0m N gauge to be confirmed. Trade and Displays Footplate Sherwood Models Model Power Depot Trackside Video HMRS ERS Club sales Please note that our website is being rebuilt and is not up to date. Hope to see you there, I'll probably be trying to sell you a bargain on club sales. Brian Hunt

As part of the Gala there will be a small exhibition of layouts in the display shed at Welshpool, I can't say what will be there apart from my Llanerfyl layout. This is an 7mm layout based on an imaginary, but proposed, extention to Llanerfyl and is based in the preservation era. If you there please say hello. Brian Hunt

Thanks for the tip Ian, I'm not into Facebook so I'll have to investigate when I have a bit more time. At the moment it's a bit frustrating not being able to get to the layout, like many things, replacing the garden shed is not as straight forward as I hoped and this hot weather is not helping. Brian

Good luck Andy, I hope that your venture is a success. Brian

Thanks Ian and if you do come across any photos of Trehafod shed I would to know about it. I have asked members of the WRRC without success, they would be just as interested. A couple of years ago I went to a talk about the Barry, I can't remember the name of the gentleman giving it but he was far more knowledgable than me and one of the things that he said was that he has not found any photos of a BR freight train apart from posed ones in the docks. Brian

John, well done on building the toplights, they certainly do blend in well with the rest of your stock and make the complete train look much more authentic. You put my coaching stock to shame, I really must get on with the kit that I bought from an infamous trader at the Nottingham show a few years back. Well done, Brian

I don't know how things will go today but the next stage of the modification was to build up the landform. Not having any polystyrene to hand cardboard formers have been put in place, the bridge itself hasn't been fixed down yet but is in place as a guide. Brown paper stuck down with dilute PVA was used for the covering. Two reasons for using brown paper, firstly it is stronger than newspaper and secondly, we had a roll in the cupboard. Next step, a coat of tester pot green before the detailing begins. That will be it for a while, the garage is now the temporary home to the contents of the garden shed which has got to the point where it must be replaced. Can't complain, we reckon it must be at least 50 years old. Brian. Edit for spelling

I must admit that I had trouble tonight, the first attempt the photos didn't appear even though the file names were there as I typed. I did manage three separate posts each with one picture. Brian

The bridge. For some reason today I have not been able to post more than one picture, wonder what I have done differently? Brian

The mock up

Third time lucky? The tunnel

It has been a while since I posted anything about Llanforen but I have not been idle. I have never been satisfied with the entrance to the fiddle yard through a tunnel so I have decided to change it to a road bridge. Looking through my books I found a suitable looking bridge at St Athan on the Vale of Glamorgan line so the next job was to make a mock up to test for clearances The old Hornby King is ideal for the task, if that clears anything will. The bridge is made from embossed plastic and the parapets use Wills stone walling, well I had some going spare. Next time I will show how I built up the land around the bridge. Brian I don't know what has happened to the pictures, I'll try again!

Members 4,606 posts Posted Today, 09:09 Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting the Elizabethan Model Railway Society at the clubrooms in Sutton-in-Ashfield, to photograph Ambleside. Thanks for all your efforts Tony, Gordon, Alan and myself thoroughly enjoyed the day. As you know there is still lots to do on Ambleside and the BRM is sub-titled 'a work in progress', that will be the case for a while yet! If the photos that you have posted are anything to go by I'm sure that the others will be just as good. Thanks again, Brian.

Chris, I know that you are the go to man for GW coaching, are you now the expert on cattle as we'll? Brian

Looks like an interesting project, I will keep an eye on progress. It is also nice to see another South Wales layout. Brian

I'm staying in Exmouth for a holiday and having read good things about the shop on here I made a point of finding it. I had a few items that I wanted to buy and was successful. Leigh, the owner, was very pleasant and helpful and I may find my way back later in the week. Plenty of stock and some bargain prices, I can recommend a visit. Brian

As always, superb photos and inspirational modelling. Brian.

I took my 47 up to the club on Friday for it's recommended half hour each way and it ran perfectly through the Peco code 75 track including double slips. Another member did the same with his on Monday. So far I haven't had chance to run it on my home layout with tighter curves. I really enjoy reading about Carrog, superb modelling all round. Brian.

No turntable at Barry so 4-6-0 engines on excursions went to Canton for turning, smaller locos and the ex LNWR 0-8-0s could use a triangle in the docks. I have no memory of seeing one of these but I do remember a very slick system of getting trains away from the Island. Looking good. Brian

I knew you liked it!