380John

Might have a crack at that myself looks well worth the added effort. Know the feeling, jumping on flights to get to different ships and home again was never simple for me! John

That TSO is a fine job, looks very good. I have the original TPO and wished it looked like your TSO! Have fun in the sand! John

Hi Andy, Such an interesting and well presented background to what appears to be the making of a fabulous railway. You look to have made a fantastic start and with such a cracking space to use also this has all the makings of a fabulous project. Will be following this one! Enjoy, John

Hi there, Just to echo the others really, I laid my ballast then after it had dried, used a clean damp brush and 'washed' the sleepers. I then used a variety of acrylic paints mixed with water to form a wash. These can be diluted entirely to your desired to concentration and taste. I suggest starting quite watery and building the different layers up until you reach the look you are after. Great thread will follow with interest. Cheers, John

Must be fun berthing one of those lumps this time of year! I prefer my ASD! Look forward to seeing more of wormdale in the coming months! Cheers John

Hi Nick, Great to see you back and glad your problems are all sorted! I understand how frustrating not being able to run anything is as we have just moved and the garage is being prepared for its new role as a layout room! Have a good holiday (much better than being at sea this time of year!) last few weeks at work have been horrendous!! All the best, John

Some very nice work as usual! All the very best for the festive season!! Merry Christmas John

Looks excellent thank you for sharing. Anymore pictures? Would like to see some action! Cheers, John

Fantastic mate! I know the place very well. The layout looks excellent. Thanks for sharing. John

Hi MIB, Fair play to you for doing this the way you wanted and not following others. The standard of your work is second to non and the way you have gone about your layout design should be of inspiration to many. I like what you have done and as a matter of fact have taken some points which I will be using myself. Set-track doesn't have to look that 'bad' and with subtle details can be made to look great and work well in different settings. All the very best with it, Kind regards, John

Hi Nick, Ah I'd heard various stories about the company since then. They didn't seem to be as glossy on the inside as they were on the outside! Apologies for the thread hijack!! Keep up the fantastic work and all the best to Jerry! Look forward to seeing more modelling and watching this progress. Cheers, John

Hi Nick, No problems, I've double posted and quoted the wrong thing before too! I was a cadet with Bibby and whilst they were still joined with Meridian I took advantage of the spring college break and had a few weeks on board the Blanca Del Mar (this would have been April 2008) you may well have been there. I know Jerry was the longest captain I served there with. Well it's the ship handling I always enjoyed the most and wanted to learn more about, so I'm now Master at Svitzer on their big ASD escort tugs based in Milford Haven. A challenging but rewarding job. Plenty of boat handling and some nice coastal runs. Only problem is that South Westerly wind!!! Cheers, John

Hi Nick, Fantastic modelling and great to see such a dramatic landscape modelled to such a high standard. Hope you are enjoying your retirement i did a small trip for seatime with Iscomar ferries whilst gaining my OOW certificate. Spent sometime on the Andrew Weir RoRo's too. Still at sea and finding it difficult to get regular modelling time!! Cheers, John

Nice work Pete, will be keeping an eye on this. Lovely to see a layout with such atmosphere where even before its finished you can place it geographically just by looking at the pictures. Were those NYMR pics taken at the autumn gala? Had hoped to get to it this year but a bit difficult stuck out in the Irish Sea!! All the best, John

Absolutely fantastic! Really enjoyed reading and druling over the layout and pictures!! The only thing I could thinking of all the way through is why haven't we seen this in a magazine?! This has set a new benchmark and I echo the wow's and brilliant' of others on this thread. Great work mate, and surely a magazine feature would be the crown on this and well deserved too!! All the best! John

Hi just found this and had a read through. Very impressive stuff, lots of hard work and a fascinating project. There's something captivating about a model railway which runs its way through changing seasons and scenery. A trait which some of us 'indoor' modellers I'm sure would love to have. After all recreating 'real life' in miniature could have no more realism than a railway whose scenery changes around it. All the very best, John

Good job on those cabinets! Lighting looks excellent, those night time shots are very atmospheric. Looks very tempting to join the night shift crew in that box! Cheers, John

Hi Neil, It's taken me about a week on and off but iv finally finished catching up on your layout from start to finish. Congratulations on an inspiring layout with plenty of eye candy! It's a fantastic layout and extremely life like. I'm pretty new to the hobby in a serious sense and have found your thread great for ideas and your explanations and how to guides make things look easy. I'm in the northwest myself, over at frodsham looking at the possibility of joining a club but I'm away from home 2 weeks of the month so don't know how this would work. Anyway well done! All the best, John

Cheers for the update Terry, looking forward to that article! Thanks John

Oh ok cheers, nice and simple. John

Nice work Terry, I have recently acquired some railroad Hornby HAA's also. Don't suppose you could explain or PM me on how to replace the couplings with NEM pockets? Cheers, John

This is unbelievable mate! So real Im surprised you havent needed security clearance for these shots! Well done!

Well said mate! Keep up the great work.... I'm looking forward to that magazine article! Well deserved! John

Hi Terry, Just spent the last two days reading this thread! I'd come across your videos whilst on YouTube before and just found your thread here. It really struck me how the hobby has been in your life through the ups and downs and I think most if not all of us here can relate to that. It's nice to know that the hobby can be there for us through the good and the bad and having this community here is not only a great resource but the friends you make can also provide the support and determination to get through. Your thread is a great testament not only to a fantastic layout and first class modelling skill but also to the strength and friendship to a great website and community here. As for glebe road.... Pffft on a bad day I'd feel like giving up when comparing my work to yours but on a good day I'd say the inspiration your layout gives me is top notch!! Many of us are better at one or two aspects of modelling but you seem to be top rate at all of it! I'm not one for creeping but me this layout is fantastic!! Well done mate I'm watching!! Cheers, John

Hi Simon, This looks excellent mate, very good work. I look forward to seeing the progression. Not too far from the actual location myself, (lived in Runcorn for past 27 years now moved to Frodsham) really great to see a familiar place modelled to such a high standard. I can almost imagine seeing a oo gauge train roaring through the magnificent 'acton parkway' 4mm layout only to appear in 2mm a little while longer here in your fantastic surroundings. Well done, keep up the good work! John