Lecorbusier

Sweaty Fingers ..... SWEATY FINGERS ...... SWEATY FINGERS ......

I found this...

looks a bit recent to me ... another angle

If a good or interesting picture exists .... which may show something of interest to many or a detail in particular clarity .... should this not be made available by publication because there is doubt about some other aspect? ... and if there is doubt but an informed suggestion can be offered, should this also be rejected - after all it may well be correct. The critical thing surely is clarity of the status of the information imparted?

Random I Know .... and nothing to do with anything .... but ....

so .... what colours would there actually have been in this image? Obviously the loco will be a vibrant splash of green. Presumably the station canopy edging will be grimy cream? .... not sure about the columns - would they have been cream with a green base? Then we have the tracks which I hazard would have a degree of orange rust, coupled to whatever the local ballast colour might be. The signals themselves will add to the variety ... and then we have the shed/warehouse in the background - presumably a deep industrial red of sorts? The variation of tone suggests quite a richness. And finally, given the reasonably strong shadows I suspect the sky is blue coupled to a warm sunny hue on what it touches. A very evocative black and white photo to be sure ... but perhaps not a wholly true representation of the reality? I would love to see a skilful model of the same scene to fill in the blanks. I love films like this.... And it must have been even more vibrant pre war I assume.

But even when dirty ... they passed through a landscape (however industrial) of colour. All the photos however are black and white. So we never get a proper feel for the reality of what it must have been like ..... a bit like we have a complete misconception of gothic cathedrals which back in the day were a riot of painted colour not austere stone. It is for this reason I think that I like photo's of model railways to be colour .... it gives some inkling of what must have been and acts as a counterbalance to the countless books of photos. Why shoot models in black and white unless you are looking for an 'art' shot? .... when you can go to the photos of the real thing for that.

But of course .... I wasn't talking about the photos taken or those avidly poured over in magazines .... but rather what you observed with intense excitement with the naked eye - and yes ... through the lens of your own Camera ... in magnificent full colour !!! Live steam no less - which sadly for many of us it is only possible to get an inkling of through the prism of black and white, and to some extent the sanitised heritage scene. Mallard in Blue .. the flying scotsman in Green ... not to mention the glorious LMS in Crimson Lake ... Surely you don't remember those Halcyon days in black and white ? however nostalgic the photos might be.

That is a fantastic picture of Copenhagen Fields Tony .... and for me it is the colour photo all the way. I can't believe you remember your trainspotting days in black and white! I also feel hoisted by my own petard a little ... I have seen Copenhagen fields in the flesh a couple of times now, and your photo certainly adds to my experience of it, which is not to say that I was in anyway disappointed by the layout in the flesh - though to my mind viewing from so far above coupled to the smallness do rob it of something ... it feels a little like viewing from an aeroplane. Tim

I don't know if this runs against the grain somewhat ... but my view on photographing models is that they are very much models. They can never look like the real thing as it is impossible to simulate actual weather conditions, distance, personal interaction etc etc - so why try? But that's fine .. the models themselves are tantamount to works of art in many cases, and worth photographing and celebrating in their own right. When I see photos of Gordon Gravvatt's landscape modelling I marvel not because I think it is real, but because of the skill with which he has conveyed a sense of realism and so transported my imagination, whilst at the same time allowing me to marvel at the technical skill. I like the black and white images ... but for me they play down the skill and breadth of the modelling which is present in the colour images, and at the same time don't exploit the artistic qualities of the black and white medium. Taking that analogy further, I would also comment that model railway photography seems very much to be a recording exercise ... very skilful but not necessarily adding anything. This being the case, for me it will always be second best to seeing the real model ... this is not necessarily the case with the finest railway images which capture a fleeting moment in time and manage to convey atmosphere and emotion alongside recorded fact.

Thanks Tony ... that means a lot. Of course I don't post all the mistakes and cock ups I have had to undo on the way ... just those pictures when I have got to a stage that I am happy to move forward with. It is the 3rd set of coupling rods, the frames have been together twice to ensure no binding and there were a few different attempts at the sub assemblies ... but all is running smoothly now! It will all be quicker and easier the next time round ..... hopefully. List of my builds to date:- A Nucast Y7 - first bought in 1991 and returned to in 2014 on discovering the Right track videos ... not a great outcome but I keep it none the less. DJH Barney ... which I have posted before. 51L, MR Diagram 351 8T Open Goods Wagon in white metal Mousa MR 7 plank wagon in etched brass 51L 6 wheel Clayton 3rd in etched brass. MR D299 scratch built from Plasticard MR 3 plank wagon scratch built from plasticard. .... And I have now started the Johnson 1F above. ...... That's the lot so far .... at this rate I shall be dead before I have enough stock for Monsaldale

Etched wagon and etched clayton coach behind DJH Barney painted in Midland colours as a trial painting experiment.

Its odd that it is happening on different tips ? I had this with one of my tips and I managed to sort it by using Powerflow flux. First I put the tip into the powerflow and let it sizzle for a while. I then put a decent blob onto the solder itself and melted the solder through the flux and this seemed to do the trick allowing me to re tin the tip. .... might be worth a try.

Thought I would post an update on where I have got to on my first etched loco kit attempt .... the Craftsman 1F 0-6-0 tank (I have built an etched wagon and etched 3 wheel coach prior to this). Compared to Sir, the progress is shall we say leisurely !!!! .... but then all of this is pretty new to me and I can't dedicate as much time as I would like to modelling. The upside is that it is a great way of unwinding after a busy or stressful day As I am working to P4, the craftsman chassis was no good, so I am working from a pair of Gibson milled frames .... in the end the only parts of the original kit I have used for the chassis are the cast white metal sandboxes. I am using this as my first bash at CSB springing and have decided to have a go at building it as a set of sub assemblies so I can take it apart for painting and maintenance... the wheels drop out by sliding the CSB wire out of the horn-block tags. Here are the various assemblies. The brake gear springs into the capillary tubes set into the frames and the sand pipes locate into holes set in the base of the sand boxes. The ashpan and spring etches were kindly sent to me by John Redrup at LRM from his spares/scrap bin. I have made them into two separate assemblies which bolt directly to the chassis. The gear box is a high-level offering and the horizontal in line restraint a design suggested by Dave Bradwell. The horn blocks and guides are also by High Level. Here is a picture of everything assembled onto the chassis - I notice from the photo that the pull rods at the back need a tweak to set them level ... luckily this is easily done. The coupling rods are the universal inside motion etch which Dave Franks has recently added to his arsenal. And finally a couple of pictures with the body ... as far as I have currently got ... mounted on the chassis. In the second pic the chimney, dome etc have just been loosely placed in position. A bit rough here and there ... but overall I think its ok .... the photos are pretty unforgiving - which is why I find the work posted here by experienced modellers so inspirational.

As far as interlocking is concerned, the new (ish) leverframe etch now available through scalefour stores looks fascinating if thats what floats your boat. I can't make out if it floats mine yet! Maybe for a very simple set up such as would have operated at Monsaldale ... we will have to see. Have to admit that at the moment the complexity blows my mind

Can I suggest another type ... which I think I fall into ... The slightly diffident ones. Those who actually would really quite like a go, but don't push forward and may well need some encouragement .... either through politeness or nervousness .... particularly when something is as complex and as precious as Buckingham. Having never operated a complex proto-typically run layout (or any sophisticated layout come to that) I have no idea if I could play for hours or would get board once the skills had been mastered. Your description of the experienced operator session does sound a lot of fun though! I do know I like watching such things when I have the chance.

Personally, I find it fascinating how I regard my print and slide collections from travels in days gone by. At the time I was passionate to record the special and the significant ... for me major architectural masterpieces etc or beautiful scenery. I went to great lengths to frame the shots excluding distractions and extraneous things which I felt at the time might detract from the images. What I find now is that the vast majority of the images I have I can download bigger and better versions of following a simple 5 minute google images search ... the acropolis/Hagia sophia/the alps etc etc. What is much more interesting to me now are the accidentally caught street and village scenes ... what people were wearing, what cars were around and how many, the advertising hoardings, what was in the shops etc etc - ie the mundane and everyday which gave a true picture/snapshot of life at the time. When something has gone ... it is amazing how fascinating/interesting it becomes. Hopefully with the advent of digital images the recording of the everyday moving forward will be much more thorough.

Rod Stewart and Jules Holland discuss modelling on Jeremy Vine here.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000b4vn It starts at 35.05 mins in ... one of the more adult discussions of modelling on the media perhaps?

model railways on the BBC .... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50403561

The MRJ article is dated 1989. I understood from the information board that the model was started in the late 1970s.

I thought it was rather wonderful ( I spent a good 20 mins looking at it in detail) and would love to see it operating .... I was lucky enough to be gifted the first 150 issues of MRJ a month back, but as of yet I haven't got as far as 31 ... I shall look it out as soon as I get home.

I paid a flying visit to the South Devon Railway today as I was in the area. I went around the little museum they have there and was surprised and delighted to see a 4mm model of Ashburton station tucked into the rear of the room. I thought it was nicely conceived and well modelled if somewhat unloved and exhibited simply as a display diorama. The modeller was Chris Lamacraft - the model in EM gauge and it appears that it was quite widely exhibited in the 1980s? Is anyone familiar with this layout ? Was it a well thought of exhibition layout? Are there any archive photos of it in operation?