halsey

Back again now beginning to think of the coming winters activities................. Not a lot of boating done but what we did was enjoyable New dog (Jet) now settling in very well and Shrimp (who broke his neck) is back to normal just no collars and harness lead walking for the rest of his life. Thoughts for the winter include a possible airbrush purchase to try something new (not sure) - weathering (lots of it), conquering track cleaning (I wish), install lighting/furnishings in rolling stock wherever possible ................ that's the pre Christmas list to get me started BFN

Hi, Are there any upgrade kits available to create internals and lighting for these (Airfix) carriages? As always recommendations based on actual hands on experience would be good. Thanks in advance for your replies J NOTE - Now changed carriages to Airfix Corridor from Airfix Non- Corridor as shown here - partly to move the layouts time frame and also to provide better scope for internal lighting to be visible/show..

Hi there - nice to see I'm being quoted when I'm not even participating let alone modelling............... I suffered quite a bit with Railway "fade" at the beginning of lockdown and lost interest big time ...... so I consciously locked the door and walked away as I would have done in previous years had we been off boating for 7 months - then we sold our canal boat and bought a smaller river boat for lots of complicated but sensible reasons to do with time, accessibility from home, health etc - that is now turning into a nice project which has served us well so far ............ This spell of poor weather finds me wondering what is going on and thinking railway and the onset of winter months - wasn't it v.dark early last night? Chris you should definitely go/try DCC - yes my layout continues to satisfy (and more) I do need to think about how to get back in to it and what to focus on - lift out bridge sections continue to be my bugbear but I MUST have a "roundy-roundy" aspect so I think they (lift outs) are inevitable and the current one is the best I have "made" so far. Probably general weathering is where I will head next but I do find that is very much a task which should only be attempted when you are in the "zone" other thoughts are my first stratch-build - loco - any suggestions (worried about how much new "kit" I will need to achieve a good result) - I might get this out of my system by building an R/C trawler/tugboat instead I have organised an eye test for this week to improve my glasses anticipating more close work coming up soon.... So all good but not quite ready to get the steam up just yet. Re the layout at the heart of this thread I like the figures of eight idea as I did like the gradient on my last layout and I recall the woodland scenics instant gradient kit was fantastic making it a much easier task to get it right than you might think. I will not be back here daily but will watch with interest the development of your "Swansong"...........I think we all have aspects of this hobby we prefer and I definitely prefer building rather than operating - but my working life was the same always preferring starting something afresh and getting it operational to running it thereafter! BFN Julian

Hey - don't overly worry about me if others are finding it interesting .....I'm going to source a 2B graphite stick and woodworking pencils (if I haven't got one already in my tool box) - useful point the - "don't use anything other than B" cos it has clay in it! I've got 2 rubbers one Peco and an other (reputable but cant remember) and I don't like the residue they leave behind I will report back.

before we go off topic into chemistry lessons (which is all good BTW) practical application tips please

VERY informative - thanks Over time I have "cleaned" with 1200 wet and dry (used dry) and IPA so graphite sounds like the way to go as I have no gradients and any "scratches" will be very minor IF others agree - what is the best way to apply graphite and does this then become a regular process - weekly /monthly annually?? I accept there are no right answers here but experience is what I'm after and haven't got! Thanks My "contact" will be intermittent for a few months but I am watching.....................

Hi, I've just come back to the layout after a few weeks off (I won't bore you with why - not a problem just "life")....... Anyway........ why in a clean, dry, warm environment am I having contact (and therefore cleaning) issues?? I do find this element of our hobby very frustrating - am I expecting too much - after 3 weeks away do you all have to clean every inch of your layouts to get good running - I use a Lanarkshire converted brake van with an IPA soaked roller which works very well and is quite enjoyable - is this the best solution - is IPA the best product - what causes the surface deposits /corrosion? Can I do any more to combat it I'm not running any traction tyres or any non metal wheels

New dog "Jet" (in the foreground) .................only his second day............ Before you ask no the Lab hasn't got a tail - he lost it in a shooting accident before we had him

For those of you who follow this/my topic - life has been a bit busy - we have decide to sell our much loved canal boat and probably to give up on boating altogether, this is not completely out of the blue its just that the virus has brought it forward AND we have decide that Shrimp is now strong enough to have a playmate of his own age so we have lined up and are going to look at another Springer (10 month old) from our regular kennel who we are hoping will be a good fit. So tomorrow is viewing the new dog (Jet) , Tuesday is emptying the boat and handing her over to the broker and Wednesday is collecting the new dog. In the meantime I have been modelling - I have laid an additional length of track in the Loco Shed area and have built up a new (SuperQuick) double track Loco Shed - I now have a large number of buildings which need weathering so that is the next "project". Photo attached................

Is it possible to be a SuperQuick kit addict???? I built up another one over the weekend - a very good looking (but very simple to construct) kit) but it looks perfect in this spot - its not officially low relief but its only 2" deep - note the trees/orchard! Two more "in stock" then hopefully we will be allowed to go boating again - my target date was always 1st June and IMHO that's still looking possible.............

I've gone a bit crazy today mapping out road shapes with grey primer - I'm firstly really pleased and secondly very surprised as to how much it has brought everything into context after such a simple job I know it looks a bit Hornby Train set 'ish in these pics but its only the beginning to provide context and the basis of future work I had to shorten a few of the sidings in the goods/canal area to make sense of the road but again that was expected when I laid them out and no re-wiring was involved

Amazon is the only show in town............ they are probably still Oxford die cast............... they do do some cheaper versions - is there anyone else doing UK vehicles...........not that I need many, if any, more

I have had few phases of "operating" but wanted to get the really messy and "leaning over" stuff out of the way before setting it up for operation again - its quite a balance but I think I'm getting it about right - there is enough context set now for it to feel right and I've had enough of kit building for a while................ Just ordered a few vehicles - is it just me or at an average of £10 a time do they feel expensive? Not sure everything I've ordered was on the road in 1950 but it is a model not a prototype! Keep safe.....

Done and PM'd you - I would rather it stays as one BUT if its more use to others then I'm happy for you to split it - The layout already has a DCC thread and a Layout thread.

Not a problem for me .................it probably is more about layout evolution now........... It is in fact only < 6 months old and seems to provide a lot of motivation to new modellers so IMHO needs to be easy to find (and continue to follow) by those starting out and not those into prototypical modelling and scratch building. I assume you have reported it so its over to the mods to sort if deemed appropriate...................

That LMS cost me £35 DCC fitted, it is immaculate and runs like a dream

Thats because some bloke said I'd got to hide the tracks behind a wall that I then had to try to make some sense of................ I've never actually seen a fiddle yard in real life either................... Its a bit like flying double decker buses.......and your terrace seems to have the same problem - hmmmmmmmmm BTW - the shop is built on raft foundations

Latest super quick kit almost completed (BTW they are not super quick - this one is 20hrs and counting) - IMHO it provides a nice "end" to the upper street scene leading to the waste ground above the tunnel mouth - happy/at ease now "Chimer"?? Got trees and hedges on order (and a couple more kits - incl an Engine shed ) so I will have a break from buildings for now.................. Need to look for a couple more cars now

Started on the second (last) tunnel mouth today...............this will be simply modelled as an area of undulating open rough ground blending in to the retaining arches and tunnel mouth stonework Starting another superquick kit as well - so glad I bought a number of these before lockdown - only problem is I'm going to end up doing 2 winters worth of hobby modelling over this bl**dy lockdown as railway or TV are pretty much the only choices J

The arched retaining walls (courtesy of Freestone Models who now only have a couple left) are starting to take shape. I love these kits as they are very well detailed, go together well and look good especially when weathered (see the last 2 from the old layout). For the "eagle eyed" amongst you there are still some plinths to go on the bottom of the pillars once they are all colour edged and permanently fixed in place. Note the use of the silver birch bark to provide the beginnings of a cliff face on the tunnel mouth - not sure how it will turn out but its not irremovable yet............... BFN

I'm pleased to report that my/their ExactEditions "log in issue" has been completely sorted and all is working fine - I wasn't told what was wrong but it was something to do with my subscription credentials not being recognised. ALL GOOD now and great value for money........... Thanks AYM

I do this when we are away for the summer months! - next year? I'll now investigate garden fleece............... But was just wondering what other remedies are out there...................

This is a reflection of my having too much time on my hands.................. As my layout continues to take shape the subject of dust and keeping it clear is increasingly in my thoughts - whilst in the construction stages it was easy to get out the hoover and clean up and give the track a serious clean and all was well. As I start introducing details and make track runs far more "delicate" to access with something like a hoover nozzle how do I keep it clear/clean Why do you guys do with say 5 year old well refined layouts to keep dust at bay ............

FYI I've just been given a temporary access link and all is now working fine - perhaps its gone a bit "clunky" in the background but I think its still there in principle and everyone is very helpful you just need a bit of patience - something I don't naturally have but I am developing.............

I'm having a lot of issues at the moment - everyone's helpful and reasonably prompt given the times we are in but still its not resolved and is taking up too much of my time............