richard i

Thanks for the likes, any views on the best way to ballast though. I need my sanity saving. Richard

this is great, i will follow with interest Richard

Ballasting, designed by the devil, enjoyed by masochists. I have tried various methods and i am open to the most efficient, accepting that the track is already laid. Remember that it is SMP and so very shallow and that it is pre grouping so NO ballast on the sleepers. I do feel sllightly envious of the auto ballaster generation who can have less tidy ballast. In pre grouping days prizes were awarded for the most tidy ballast. Ignore the cess between the tracks it will be futher cleaned up. 10ft done in the last week- only 11ft left to finish the layout ballasting........until i build the last two scenic boards. Also the milk cart is finished- it is based on a dart casting, i had to add the whip and the reins as it just did not look right without them, I looked at layout photos in the mags and it jumps out at you on horse draw vehicles once noticed. It is just a thins strip of masking tape repainted. Now on to the lady selling fish from her barrow and the newspaper sellers board- But what not date specific headline to have? I thought - taxes lowered? i wanted to keep it cheery as it is my escape to make me feel better and taxes up is too depressing but more likely. Any others? Richard

For those who thought it would never happen, ballasting has taken place, 2 more boards done! In fairness one is the fiddle yard board with only 4 inches of ballast needed, and board three is just plain track so no fiddlely bits. How did this miricale happen? I got ill and i could not face anything more complicated or taxing to occupy my mind.....and my wife took the kids for the day, so i had my first day to myself since Expo EM. Amazing what can get done when a man is left to his own devices. Photos will follow, for the unbelievers, once it is all dry and cleaned up.

I like the brake van, to save a scratch building the GCRS has/had D&S kit of the brake van. Which is where i got mine from. Which makes yours the better model as it is scratch built. Besides whats 4mm between friends? lets face it i am ignoring 2.3mm error in my track all over the place. Richard

its still not new year, so i am able to say have a happy new year old boy. Richard

thank you for the kind link, i will get on an look up their web site. Richard

yes please

Great wagon nicely done, it makes me want to hunt one down even more, next in the uk in the summer so will try then. If it is plastic it will make a change for building as all other kits are metal.

Clive I will look in to the wash, Andy would only tell me I was letting my standards slip if I do not.

i have got through the men and painted them all but the women are a bit of a struggle on colours i will keep going having looked at everyones efforts on here. They are on my layout thread. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/93006-dettingen-gcr-might-have-been-layout/page-3&do=findComment&comment=1719961 Based on the GCR in the early 20th century. Thank you for all the inspiration on this thread. Richard

Christms project progress the men are complete, the women are taking longer as i am not too fashion conscious and so struggle to get colour matching right. The men include, a milkman, to bedilvering milk to the local factory "Cluro castings" , a newspaper seller, a rich gent with pinstripe trousers, ( they were a one time only affair) and other assorted workers and gents. Then the ladies, the one in green seemed to be easy and the one in white was originally going to be a suffregette but i backed out as it would stop the layout making sense for the last 3 years before grouping. I might do another but with a sash with ruled lines on it. Be gentle as these are significantly blown up on here, in reality they are an inch high. All buttons are painted, is it visable in reality? I just felt the castings deserved it as Stradden has done such a great job sculpting them some even have shirt cuffs under suit jackets, these are picked out in white too. And now for the women. Richard

that is great info i will look into those wagons to add to the fleet.

Not yet i have 20 people to paint, 3 dogs and a milk cart and coal wagon for the road scene. Have 10 painted so far, but it is the women left and they are the most intricate. pictures to follow once they are finished. Richard.

These are all in it, so your kit choices are varied, but the best bit of the book are the line drawings for the special wagons, which have such simple lines which cry out to be scratch built. I have made a start with the Armoured J i have posted on here. Enjoy the reading, it is an excellent book. Richard

Ten foot GCR bogie sides in 4mm 3d printed, now that would be something i would be interested in. Difficult to get them in the USA. Richard P.s. love what you are doing here.

A B3, please a B3. Well one can but hope, it is Christmas after all. Merry Christmas Tony Richard

the pre christmas rush of wagons continues. First up a GCR 10 ton long wagon. I have not fitted the number as i can not find suitablly sized white numerals, does any one know where i can get some? Second by contrast a short 10 ton open wagon. Third a POW wagon fully coaled- these wagons look so much more purposeful with a load in them. Lastly a rail and timber wagon, i do want to load it up too but need to find realistc wood for a oad. Does anyone have a suggestion for a cheep load that looks great? It still continues to stun me how productive i can be when i am trying to avoid ballasting. These will now go into the rake, i have a full fiddle yard road of GC wagons now. Do i build coaches or more wagons- that is the question? Just a couple of shots of them together

Excellent and helpful advice, exactly what i hoped RM web would provide. I am intrigued by the positioning of the lettering on the insulated version. Were not insulated wagons white all over?

Actual progress, though not ballasting. Still trying to avoid that. Two David Geen kits, a 10 ton van and its smaller 8 ton brother. I can recommend these kits they went together so well and loads of info and photos on the 10 ton van to help with building. What was refeshing with the 8 ton van was a huge dose of honest about the lack of info available and what was known and what was not. Far better than trying to fob off inaccurate info or not say anything and have the builder search only to come up with the same block that the kit manifacturer did. Next up is a coal wagon and the Edwardian people are a Christmas job. Still putting off ballasting.

Not tempted to do Great Northern in Its LNER blue phase?

pity i thought no3 worked really well in the space, no2 just did not fit where it was as what would be the logic of leaving a small gap to the right when building it for real? Where as the memorial would want people to walk around it.

the show was the one at the philly exhibition centre at the weekend, My father in law had seen an advert in the local press. It was more of a swap meet as there were only 4 layouts.

And the reason for thelack of posts..... It is a scrach built top out of plasticard, do not look too closely at the paint job as it was a speedy project for christmas, my son is chuffed to bits with it as he has been asking for a rosie fora couple of year but no one does one. Also i went to my first train show State side, it is different with less manifactures but much more r-t-r on offer from box shifters and second hand. I did find a 1980s class 47 and three coaches, the 47 was $70 which is a bit steep me thinks, but then not as much as was wanted for this broken double helex. Best layout there was this representation of 1910 pensylvania , part of a modular layout so it was next to a war of the worlds board, something i struggle to come to terms with. Richard

good luck with that, it sounds like the list of stock i am building up for dettingen on my thread on here. I would love to see progress on them, either you have a lot more time than me or work much faster as i am lucky to turn around a loco in 6 months. Would enjoy swapping solutions to get results. Richard