marc smith

Thanks for posting that photo @Warspite And thanks to Mrs Warspite for her kind words, and of course for taking the photograph

Hello @Warspite / Stephen, Nice to hear from you, and thanks for the kind words. I still wish I had got to see your 7mm layout "in the flesh" - and wish even more that I could have had the opportunity to talk you out of dismantling it Hopefully, we can all meet up face-to-face at a show or an RMweb even again.... soon. If I can sell my 4mm "Wales, Rails, Rain & Steel" OO micro, "Ruyton Road" and perhaps something else.... I may even be able to talk Mrs Smith into allowing me space to build another layout before we move house - fingers crossed Cheers now Marc

Ah, thanks for that @Gedward I am obviously too lazy to read through the whole thread! lol In the past, I found that kneading PVA into DAS did indeed help stop cracking, as it dried out But I think that NSP clay you have used looks a better solution. The more this layout comes together, with the platform & buildings etc - the better that backscene looks. It's really got a true sense of the area.

A single engineers wagon - but it's empty... no ballasting going on here, and the yard is in desperate need....

Wow! Just resurrecting a nine year old thread... Poynton Sneer is off to a new home this week I've been having a bit of a play with it, for the first time in a while - and I have to say it's very enjoyable I'll miss this layout - I always felt that it did exactly what I set out to do, in terms of building a really small, low cost O Gauge layout, which provided a bit of a shunting challenge, and allowed for a run-round-loop. Though I'll miss it, I need to clear some space and have a bit of a "life-laundry" It's staying local - so I hope I'll be able to see it again from time to time Cheers all

Looking superb @Gedward Sorry if I missed it - but did you use DAS for the platform front? If so, did you mix in some PVA to aid a bit of flexibility or avoid cracking? I've long thought about carving my own stonework, but I usually end up using plastic card or embossed card etc As others have said "that way, madness lies" - but done well, it looks so good i.e. - so what if I end up (even more) mad than I already am?

After seeing your superb layout "L'heur Blue" and realising what the moving car added to that wonderful scene..... I thought maybe you were also considering a similar mod to that bus @Barry Ten

That 37 is making me want to give my BR Blue one an airing - I haven't started detailing & weathering it yet. Great to hear you're still inspired. That 37 will add more impetus to your modelling mojo Looking great matey!

Yes Al, I think that having the wheels at an angle (even a slight one) does look a bit more interesting, giving a less out-of-the-box appearance.... Even if it could be seen as a subtle touch. Nice work sir Will you occasionally reposition the bus, from time to time?

This layout is coming together very nicely indeed @Gedward

Hi @TechnicArrow As others have said - those buildings really help give the mock-up a sense of place, and immediately demonstrate the atmosphere of an industrial or wharfside location. It's always good to re-use your materials wherever possible too. If you need to reduce them down a tad, or add "extensions" - then so be it. They are certainly ready to be planted on another project. I really like the plan and overall design too. Very nice indeed. I'll be watching with interest. Best of luck with the move, and with your new course. Congratulations on graduating too

Hi again @ManofKent Fair enough re the clearances for your proposed locos. However, at some point in the future, you may fancy trying a different loco, perhaps an 08 or 03 shunter, or a Jinty? Of course, you may have already dismissed such options. I do think though, that some sidings & headshunts can just "look" too short to the onlooker.... Again, that also depends on the surroundings, the buildings, scenery and the overall setting. When I first saw your plan, I was picturing an occasional wagon of coal arriving, as supply for the loco shed - just for an added manouvre and something different. You could still achieve this, using two locos of course. Looking at the plan again, I'd be tempted to lengthen the siding at the rear, and maybe model it running in to a warehouse or factory. So if you were ever tempted to exhibit this layout, you could load or unload a wagon. Again, that's just a suggestion though - but you must forgive me.... I'm always looking at adding occasional and alternative movements or operations. You never know - you might end up getting invitations to exhibit this layout, and that's something I'd recommend every model railway builder do, at least once or twice - it's good to see RMweb members projects "in the flesh". Cheers, and again - best of luck with it. I'm eagerly awaiting seeing this progress EDIT: I meant to add that 2 wagon length sidings do tend to look short - but again, depending on the setting and overall design, they can be made to look perfectly plausible.

Hi @ManofKent, as Keith says above - it's always well worth getting some point templates, a loco and a couple of wagons - always best to check clearances and siding / headshunt length before you start laying any track. I always draw the plan on the back of some leftover wallpaper (or a piece of lining paper) I'm sure Mrs S thinks I'm mad - as I shift wagons back & forth, and generally make sure everything works and all the movements I might want are possible Playing trains..... and I haven't even got any track! lol You really don't want to get half way through your build, only to find you can't do the manouvres you were aiming to do, or that wagon will only clear the headshunt with that one loco... or that slightly longer wagon doesn't fit.... etc etc. The plan looks good though. Those Peco short radius Y points are a real boon for space starved modellers. My suggestion would be to move that first point on the left hand side, just a little further to the right, to ensure more clearance. Are you allowing for an added cassette at the entrance to the layout? You might also think about a 3-way point, instead of the two points at the back - that way, you'd end up with slightly longer sidings. Of course, some folk don't like 3-ways.... they are a tad trickier to wire, and a tad trickier to see which road you've selected, especially if there's something like a wall in the way. I probably wouldn't place a tunnel at the entrance to the layout. You might find the loco shed in the foreground acts as the perfect view-blocker on its' own, alternatively there are lots of warehouse type buildings you could use rather than a tunnel. Let us know how you get on. Looking forward to seeing what you opt for. My own thoughts on building a layout into a pre-defined space, are that this can really help to focus your mind and your plans. All too often, at the doodling stage, we are tempted to add another siding, tack an extra piece of baseboard on the end etc etc. Best of luck with it

Looking great @SouthernBlue80s The pics of those nicely weathered & rusted mineral wagons, and the slightly grubby 37, sat in front of that photo backscene.... .. well, it sent a shiver down my spine - in a good way, of course

Layout looking great Mike. Just wanted to add all my best for your health check-up too

All very neat & tidy work Mr Gilbert.... as ever It's looking really good too

Great start, and very quick progress, and it's another layout that I'm sure will be a winner I don't know how you find the time & energy to build all these layouts @Gilbert Are you drinking 30 cups of coffee a day?

Ah, it's definitely not "more importantly" matey But I'm OK, thanks for asking. Still in work, still under threat of redundancy - apparently, that should now be the end of this year. Still not getting any modelling done - I need the space. Wayne is interested in buying "Poynton Sneer" from me, and I could do with selling my Steelworks at night micro layout, maybe another layout and some stock.... then I'll have space (and the all-clear from Mrs Smith) to start something else (or even finish off another layout I started building sometime back). Really like the look of that new project "Cropper Street" - I've been doodling a really small plan myself lately, the aim of it being to use up some of the EM bits & pieces I had left over, and for somewhere else to run my Ruyton Road stock. Looking forward to seeing more info & pics of Cropper St, and looking forward even more to a time when we can all get to a show, sit down & have a good natter - catch up with some RMweb pals, and talk trains again

Any more progress on this layout @Gilbert? Hope you are keeping well good sir?

Sorry to have only just caught up with this sad news. Even sorrier to hear of Geoff's passing Geoff invited me to several shows, and I'm glad to say I was able to make the club's show a couple of times. It was always very well run, and Geoff was a smashing guy to speak to. I'm so saddened to hear this news

Some nice ideas & suggestions from @Rivercider there. Great photos too - thanks for sharing those good sir. Yes, the TMD has been overdone a bit (but years ago, I recall the same being said of Branch Line Termini... especially the GWR variant) - But I think, using different structures, rather than off the shelf items, or run of the mill kits, it's possible to make your layout stand out a little, and create a unique atmosphere, despite the basic concept being "generic". A different plan or design will also go a long way to making your layout look "different". Of course, achieving this is the tricky part. You want your layout to stand out, but not be an "impossible" or obviously un-prototypical design. Good start - Nice work on the baseboard & backscene - I'm looking forward to seeing this develop

Glad to hear that Great Tedium On Sea still has its' railway. Still looking fab @Neil - as ever