Northroader

Now looking at the attached picture, you’ll see there’s a lot of work I should be getting on with, but I was burbling on about scenic backgrounds a couple of months ago, so I thought I’d show where I’m going to on that, now that if got the hardboard back support all ready. This is nice and smooth with rounded corners, having square corners would never do. (One of my pet no noes) The dimensions I need to cover with the scene is 84” x 15” (2130 x 380) what I’ve got is a scene from an old line I did a few years back which is 52” x 11” (1320 x 280) Now, really I suppose I should start with a fresh piece the right size, but it’s a shame to waste, paper is expensive, stocks are low, I’m idle, excuse, excuse, and so I’m thinking of reworking this one. I use cartridge paper from an art suppliers, which comes in a big roll, dear, but plenty of it. Generally I cut it down the middle to get two equal strips, which determines the height of the scene, although with a bigger layout more height in proportion would look better. I just clip it in place with small homemade brass clips which I paint to try and match where they go. When I first tried doing backscenes I tried to do it as a one off complete scene, but with chops and changes I find making a patchwork quilt works well, particularly where dimensions change as here. Also there are usually foreground buildings painted flat which need to be tailored to fit so they appear between the actual buildings for the layout, you’ll see the foreground in this scene is rather empty because of this. Then there’s also a need to get the levels right behind the road overbridge. I’m trying to give an impression of where the South Downs meets the sea, something like if Birling was more of a gap, or if Alfriston was shoved down to nearer Cuckmere Haven. It wouldn’t be at all a commercial proposition from a railway point of view, but it would be nice to step down from the train into this setting?

Thanks, Jacky, I am busy, but afraid to admit to you that the energy is being aimed in other directions than North America, mainly old English, but also a bit of old French, might be able to start a thread on that soon. My oldest granddaughter (eight) loves to make things, particularly trees, so I got her a woodland scenics kit for her visit over Easter, but the glue wasn’t the best choice, although the model shop guy recommended it, —- how to get a kid totally sticky!!! The little one (five) was in on the edge of that, as I was keeping her away from the controller. Her other trick is playing with the people dotted around the line, and posting them inside the diesel for a ride. (Part of the repair is disentangling them out of the bogie belt drive!)

Sorry that there’s nothing been happening here for some time, I haven’t fallen down the plug hole or anything, but all my modelling effort has been going on the other lines I have. There’s a few jobs staring me in the face on Englefield, must try and square these up. Occasionally I run something through, I suppose I’m more of a builder than an operator. Some time back my five year old granddaughter had a session, but just messed about with some erratic driving. When she’s laughing and enjoying herself, what do you do? I ought to have given her the Atlas Beep, which would have stood up better, but one of my GPs caught it. Another job, now, so far I’ve reglued the support for a bogie centre on it, and that end bogie is slowly getting stripped down for a fault check. It all builds up your experience, so can’t be bad.

But of course, mon ami, you could forget sis unhealthy feex you ‘ave wiz Norfolk, and open ze PLM branch line Chateau Aking.

The Staverton Jersey flights were worked by Air Intra, if I remember correct. At the time my son was about eight ( he’s over forty now!) and I used to make him models of airliners, and I did him one of these. Anyhow, there was a model show at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff and I was invited to bring his collection along. During the afternoon I was approached by highly attractive blonde women who explained she was fascinated by that model as she worked as a stewardess with them. “I’d do ANYTHING for that model” she says, durrhh, picking my jaw back up from the floor———, (Ive still got the model!)

Just racking me brains, I was thinking of toffee apples, but what would the dip be? No, your idea of building up a”skin” of pva glue, Thin dilute coats? then sand, might have legs.

This is the best livery for those, however:

Strange affair, it takes all sorts, but...

The situation with wires through Swindon is that the up and down mains have continuous cabling, contact and catenary, now from west of Steventon to at least as far as Rushey Platt, west of Swindon. Some of the loops east of the station have got wires, but not so far the lines on either side of the up island platform. Also there’s quite a bit of the auto transformer line to go in around the Swindon area. The overhead from the M4 bridge west of Wootton Bassett to Hullavington has been done for several months.

Damme, sir, the yarns of goings on up the tidal creeks of East Anglia with shifty German spies and impecunious Pyramid contractors is an integral part of this thread. If any of these blighters come up before me on the bench I’ll soon show them what’s what, don’t you know. Just because the guv’nor is away sunning himself in the High Peak, we still must maintain standards, and that includes the high quality of written evidence my friend from the Sunny South is producing.

Put a squirt of washing up liquid in your mix, water, plaster, pva glue, whatever. This reduces surface tension and you get a better mix which will spread right through your kitchen paper.

Good luck with finding Mable Thorpe, she does like hiding in trees.

That was so beautifully written, as the situation unfolded, that I really felt a sensation in my pysche, pray accept this pyramid attached to a Norfolk castle as a token of my esteem:

Actually, I was drawing parallels, but I think o’Doolight is drawing a few pyramids beyond the sheep.

It’s a strange coinkydink, with all this Greek flying round, that I was viewing an artwork today (me, art gallery? honest, guv) and my mind immediately turned to the CA thread. So your preraphaelite for today, by Michele Tedesco, entitled “ A Pythagorean school is invaded by Sybarites” (you can’t make this up!)

Brexit means Brexit..

Excellent work as ever. One thing to query, would you have a lamp placed halfway between the retaining wall and the siding, where it looks as if it’s in the middle of a cart access road?

I ‘ave to keep my eye on ze vital supplies, Kevin, mon ami, you naughty Engleesh, you misspell everysing wiz you brasszer! A bientot, Routier du Nord.

I’ll send somebody out to look for you.

And it’s just as important to cater for broad and narrow gauge on here:

“Ferry interestink..... bot stoopid!”

Did somebody say “women in trees”?

Looks great fun, although spearing shopping trolleys looks a tricky job. “Jib-booms and bobstays” as miss Nancy Blackett would say.

It really ought to be a RNAS ship from Glencruitten?

Do they still get “double bubble” for bank holidays?