Northroader

Here's one that's not on the tourist trail, and it doesn't exist anymore in any case, small square tower not too dominant. In this case linked to b&w Manor House, presumably Lady SWMBO said "if you think I'm going to live in that draughty old hole any longer, etc etc..." https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=dawley+castle&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=minv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTjru-i7rTAhUmLsAKHd5WB8wQ_AUICCgC&biw=1024&bih=704#imgrc=tjiZjLWXZA7_LM:

If you find stone towers are a problem from fitting in the scale, why not a motte with some large trees. Example is Bampton, Devon. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bampton+castle&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=minv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0r9L36bjTAhUIL8AKHRtoAOEQ_AUICCgC&biw=1024&bih=704#imgrc=tn5YL0Rm6rFBhM:

Last weekend I had two visitors, plus parents, on the annual Easter egg hunt in the garden. After this, there was the usual winsome request, "grandad, can we go up to the railway room?" So off we went, plug in controllers, and have some up and down runs on the two lines. Seven year old got the feel of the controller, couple of runs and then decided to make something for the Railway. (Last year you may remember I ended up needing an aqueduct) so spotting my tray full of tree making gear, and having had how the hairspray worked explained, got to work. Meanwhile, four year old was in Canada, on the Englefield line, rearranging passengers and workman, finished and primed. I feel the health and safety people would not approve of the placing. Having made a "tree", and covered the carpet with spilt green scatter material, this was put in place, with me finding some blutak to mount it, which also was used to make a bird nesting. You will see said tree has two trunks, so forms more of an arch, but it's a pity the designer didn't check the loading gauge. As a result whilst my learned friend is getting one of those dinky little wheelbarrows with a heart shaped spade, all polished mahogany and silver work, to perform the cutting the first sod at CA, I've been gifted a ceremonial opening arch. All it needs is more foliage, a few flags, and a banner "SEE THE CONQUERING HERO COMES" ah well, back from four days caring for them, get the vac out, and push on.

Whew! Glad to see that siding, it's good to know proper tracklaying can still be done.

Is there a 'square' cab version on the way?

No, they haven't, have they?

My wife has developed tendon problems in the palm of her hand causing a finger to curl over,released by surgery on tendon. This condition known as Dupuytrens syndrome. Doctor told her it was a condition inherited from people of Viking bloodline, and I'm afraid to say I make sure this isn't forgotten.

Looks as if he's been in action?

Over on the GWML thread, I recently contrasted Bromsgrove (pop. c.30,000) with Oxford (pop. c. 150,000) with regard to electrification policy. You've got a four platform facility at Bromsgrove now, which is agreed on here to be adequate if not overkill, to two main platforms at Oxford, and recent add on bays for the Chiltern lines. They are approached by roughly six miles work extension from Barnt Green, which is progressing smoothly; and around eleven miles from Didcot, which was picked at over a year ago then dropped, and currently postponed for how long? even though new emu sets are appearing and work is pushing on as far as Didcot from Paddington. The contrast and priorities between the two jobs is what's baffling me.

I was showing my senior granddaughter how I made trees this weekend (points were deducted for the amount of green scatter powder on the carpet!) She was really gobsmacked when I showed her that you could make horsepoo for the layout. Something for the next visit.

Ha-ha.

That's a very competent level of chippy-ness, if I may say so.

Looking along the length of that, everything looks LEVEL!!! What's the game, eh?

You could just say it had got a faulty windscreen wiper at one end, seriously.

Hi, Mike, thanks for coming on. Thankfully, the Atlas Plymouth switcher can be seen over here, usually up to about £50, but I've never seen any of the KMT/ RMT stuff, just as well, I'd just be after the bodyshells. The third rail track just turns me right off. One candidate I'm considering for the caboose plus beepified sort of Atlas switcher is the NH, or maybe the B&M. "It's the B&M, Jim, but not as we know it."

Two more thoughts occur to me on this job, I presume the Longbridge service will be extended to Bromsgrove, and also assume no work is happening to quad up the wires on the inner tracks Barnt Green - Kings Norton?

Yes, the intention is for the traverser to slide under either the platform or the dock, once they're in. Funny you should mention Tweedale, there is a reference and link to it buried here, page 4, post 95. (Stay awake at the back of the class, there!) you're excused, though, as you'll see I had to reinstate the link after the original poster had deleted it. ("Panties", say no more, nudge nudge, wink wink) and yes, I did like the way scenes were arranged to cover the length of the layout, so put the link back in here for folks to see what we're going on about, as it did have some input to what I've been doing, although there's a difference in that the movements are more limited, but through more and smaller scenes:http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1827/entry-17764-tweedale-time-to-move-on/

Now that trains are starting to move, I'd best try and show how the layout has gone together, as I tend to put stuff together by eyeball and then draw a plan round it afterwards. So here's the plan, one shot of the whole assembly, and one of each of the elements involved: Now I have to fix a facing strip along the front edge to prevent stock dropping off, and then up the appearance: ballast, ground texture, platforms, buildings and bridges, and scenery. Not next week, though, school holidays and granddaughters will keep me going. On the coupler question, I'm still undecided. I've got one RTR loco which has scale screw couplings fitted, beautifully fine and delicate, like it's made by fairies, Chinese ones, of course, but I'm finding it's too fiddly for me. I like my own single link with a slotted hook, as it stops the buffers from getting close and getting into trouble, if only I can reach it in the fiddle yard. I find a lot of auto couplers get tangled up without careful handling, particularly in storage., otherwise you can only use them if everything is kept pointing the same way. Well, work some trains and build up experience.

Jason, thanks for that link regarding the KMT models and consequent use by RMT, all new to me, and definitely what the caboose is. I suppose over the pond this sort of thing is readily available for peanuts. The postal charges from the states seem to have gone mad in the last few months. Anyhow, I had an RMT meet this afternoon: Looking at them, I decided to have a "caboose hop" using one of the CNR vans, as the new one ain't got couplings yet. Yes, Jordan, you can't have enough cabooses, but then it goes on to enough boxes, gons, tankers, and locos! Up and down and through the loop, try out magnets, decide one end coupler box is stiff and overtightened, sort that out and knock off a knuckle spring, replace that, and more trundling round. The Atlas Plymouth chassis on the beep makes enough racket without DCC, even if not quite a diesel sound. So a good time was had, and in my head I'm churning round what North East line should have the caboose and how it would fit in. I don't seem to have the iron discipline to stick to just one line or plan, so I suppose rule one is going to apply...

Do you know, I've just been looking at the "RMT trains" site, and I've got a sneaky feeling that my caboose is related to the BEEP which has appeared on these posts. Someone has given a bodyshell new bogies. It feels more at home now! Thanks for your vote of confidence, Jacky, I must look again at that last boxcar upgrade you did.

Well, I put the double slip back in, and after some fun and games wiring it up, more testing. I've changed one of the tie bars, and done some trimming and profiling at that end, using the entry clearance bit of the track gauge. I'm fairly satisfied I've got it sorted now, which is just as well, as it's at the heart of the layout, and every movement uses it. Moving on to the fiddle yard end, now the slips done. I was thinking of more train cassettes, but the entry is angled to clear the scenic support for the station at the front (that's the large curved piece of hardboard in the middle of the picture) As a result a single straight cassette would lie diagonally right across the space, and so I went for two sidings, which could be approached on a curve through another point. The main snag to this is access, as I'm reaching in from the end. With a long cassette I would just pick it up and turn it, but with sidings I need to do get at the couplings, so I'm considering some form of automatic very seriously now.The sidings end in short cassettes, and there's room for two spares. In addition, the line from the small station in front extends through to end on another cassette at the left, so it is possible to do a runaround move in this station using the fiddle yard. Just behind the cassettes you may pick out three switches, these isolate the fiddle sidings and the siding in the station in front. Then in front to the right of these there's a control for the fiddle sidings point through a run of rodding. The short cassettes are 12" long, which will take the wheelbase of a small (3axle) tender loco. I've inserted a piece of packing behind the end strip to give enough clearance for buffer overhang on the cassette. I think what I'll do now is cook up a diagram to show how this all fits together. "Pink kiss' d treetop lace, blows away fine in the wind, springtime and cherries"

Well, it's like this, I went to a gauge O guild branch open day recently, and they had a small bring and buy stall there. There was this caboose sat there, and as it was £5, I just couldn't resist it, how many opportunities is there to pick up an O gauge vehicle for that? The more savvy of you could say I was still done, maybe I live too sheltered a life. Those end railings will have to go, but the bogies are quite nice and value on their own. The body is a resin casting and the base is a black plastic clip on, and no manufacturers marks. It's a nice symmetrical design, giving it a North Eastern area look, the nearest I've got to is possibly Central of New Jersey. I've still got jobs to finish off for the CNR, Englefield needs to go to California for the SP locos to feel at home, what was I thinking of? (this sort of thing)

The only helpful thing I can come up with is check your weight regularly. If you're on some gluten free diet we don't want disappearing up your watertight orifice. All the best with it all, do you feel up to entertaining us with longer posts on here? Tales of your yoof in Devon, say?

I think the emphasis on lightness of construction is because the whole lot is in fact a glorified viaduct built on arches, not solid ground. Temple Meads is certainly done like that.

There's nothing "cruel" about that enlargement, it shows a breathtaking piece of craftsmanship.