Dragonboy

Little Muddle and race. What a novel thought.

I remember reading a quote of Peter Denny’s once when he said Don’t grow old. It’s not much fun. I’m now at the stage where I have to pay to have things done because age and the loss of strength means I’m no longer the man I was and cannot do things I would have previously done without a second thought, and have no family to cajole, bribe or even blackmail. What just adds insult to injury is the fact that the cash having to be spent this way means less locos purchased to play with. Brian

Just enjoyed your video with my first brew of the day. if I may make an observation on the river, I think there are too many rocks in the river and they are all much too large to my eye. I don’t think they “fit” with the banks either side as to me they look more in keeping with a mountainous scene rather than the more rural picture which you are portraying. Brian

Well this is as close as the railway gets. Line of Beauty Although it’s far to early for Diesel young fella and I’ve not yet spotted the wee donkey

Gosh those wagon turntables don’t hang around

I’m guessing he’s just brought in a delivery for the pub of Pangalacticgargleblasters.

And don’t forget the left handed screwdriver.

My wife moved on of her own accord many years ago with the result that I now have 5 separate N gauge layouts in N in using 2 bedrooms. Getting “rid” of the wife however wasn’t an option as I’d relaid the patio and besides I remembered what happened in Brookside and our next door neighbour was a policeman. So I adopted the more subtle approach of boring her rigid with talk of wheel configurations and the merits of LMS compared to GW.

But just think what you could do in N Andy Brian - committed N gauge modeller since the 70’s - and wonder if I should have been committed as a result. Usually when trying to put transfers on to wagon kits so they are straight.

Always remember London Rd from the first time I saw it and was totally captivated by the exquisiteness of the LNWR livery - still am, but not terribly practical in N. The last time I saw the original layout was at Stoke Mandeville stadium and one of your operators invited me behind scenes so I could get a better view of the controls as I was in the process of building one myself. Looking forward to following your thread and thank you for sharing with us Jol.

I think someone suggested there was a need for bees when the buddleja flowered.

Really enjoyed your “news feed” today and whilst I’ve followed your modelling for some years now and mainly as a lurker this video has really brought home the magnitude of your project. I just hope to see more progress on this over the years please. I did however spot some incredibly over gauge tools hanging on the wall at some point. You don’t have time for gardening. Get on with your next to last project. We need to see what you have lined up next.

That’s absolutely exquisite. You’ve even made the mud look muddy. I look forward to you beating that photo.

High Andy. I’ve often wondered but what is the yellow sticky up thing in front of the loco. cheers Brian

I’ve just found this thread Mike so one I’ll be watching from now on. like others your link to the videos won’t let me in. I get a message from google “oops there is a problem” so am grateful to Gordon S for his posting.

I have to say that loco crews are incredibly well served by Modelu and you don’t have to put up with the frozen action poses of yesterday. You can have a fireman leaning on a shovel - that classic English pose that still holds good today or a driver leaning out of the window or standing with his hand raised on a regulator. I think it’s O gauge where their omission stands out because the cab interiors are magnificent in their own right but looking like the Marie Celeste, or a run away train when there are such exquisitely crafted figures seems so wrong. I model in N and always put a crew in when I finish a loco off. Spend ages painting a modelu crew and in full knowledge that you will only get a brief glimpse as it rolls by which is probably a good thing as they usually have to be amputated below the knees to fit. They do of course need a touch of weathering though. Steam engine footplates are working environments.

No I am. Spartacus

I was once accused of regressing into my second childhood but I countered that I’d still not left my first one behind.

It’s where to fit the Floggletoggle that always flummoxes me.

Why not replace wheels for a few wagons that you want to reverse. I doubt you would want to do that with all of them. Maybe also add a little extra weight underneath. Brian

Interesting comparison you make with fishing Jeff which I hadn’t thought about until your post, but as a young man my Dad and I would sit for hours by the river fishing and didn’t careless if we caught anything or not. After a fishless Saturday we would often discuss what our chances were of a pass from the management to go again the next day. Nowadays some 50 years later I find the same pleasure in modelling (as I have all my life) and I am at my happiest sitting quietly with the radio on doing the most mundane and repetitive of tasks at my bench and will put as much time into a project as needed until I reach the point of believing I’ve done as well as I can. I model in N and this week I’ve been painting coalmen and shunting staff and coal sacks - on which I’ve been using 3 different colours to create character in them rather than just splashing black paint around indiscriminately. All I need do is a light black wash over the setts and add some cinders. Brian

Well like many on here I’ve now been hedgucumcated all about pep pipes, but before we move away from this, does anyone know why were they called peps?

Wow your photography skills never cease to amaze with how you’ve made an OO scale carrot look so appetising. Mmmm maybe that goes on the list with stew

I echo the thanks above, and thank you for taking the time and trouble to post for our pleasure and I hope you are equally getting pleasure out of your posting, photography and modelling. I think the comments and banter on this thread are also as much a part of Little Muddle as everything else. Best wishes to you and yours for Christmas and let’s hope for 1. A better new year. 2. We see the engine shed door rehung and 3. We learn the mystery of the contents of the crate.