David Siddall

Compact and with coal drops... the perfect layout concept in my humble opinion ;-) Fewer and simpler turnouts to build too if you're still of a mind – they really are pretty straight-forward if you go the C&L route (...he says with all the experience of having built two and some 60' track panels!) David

'Fraid I can't answer the question Chris but I look forward to someone coming up with the answer because it has a bearing on my own little project. I've also got to say thanks for the link which led me to discover the complete and utterly outstanding 'South Wales Industrial Railways' photo set by Gordon Edwards on Flickr. David

That Thumper looks and sounds superb (well, as do all your DMUs) and the four-car especially snakes across your turnouts exactly as I suspected it would. Nice video technique too – that kind of quality and focus on the subject can only be achieved by keeping the camera still :-) D

If you're going for more curves you might be able to recreate a bit more of that 'clinging to the side of the hill' look that is so much a part of the upper and cross-valley lines character and is perfectly illustrated in the photo you initially posted? You've been saying you wanted to do something from around this part of the world in 'O' for ages so shall be watching developments with interest. D

That's a rather magnificent space you're going to have there Don... though all the structural and practical considerations involved in its creation do make me grateful that current circumstances restrict my ambitions to 'micro' layouts. I think the sum total of my present challenge is whether to go completely mad and invest in some 'bendy-MDF' for the back-scene or to attempt to persuade some considerably cheaper hardboard to do the same job. I like your track plan too, it has more than a hint of some of the more appealing ideas from the Peco small layout plans booklet – plenty going on to engage the operator without overcrowding the boards plus the opportunity to watch a few trains go by if the mood take :-). D PS: A layout I always considered inspirational was Jon Dening's 'Vine Street' a good example (IMO) of imaginative atmospheric modelling triumphing over space-constraints when it comes to the thorny issue of radii ( )..

They hunt in packs in the Monmouthshire countryside Chris... several of them together in full eye-watering summer plumage are fully capable of taking down a medium-sized 4x4 ;-) Back on topic (ish)... I suspect that if your customary level and attention to detail include scatterings of waste paper then a 7-mil rendition of a bike sans spokes and standing without visible means of support was almost inevitably give rise to a little gentle ribbing. If you could make it move however you could then claim to have created a model version of the legendary 'bicycle propelled by forces poltergeistical' ... Yours respectfully.... etc., etc.,

That is one awfully nice looking 'Thumper' Rod – some models just totally 'look' like their real life counterparts don't they? Easybuild's DMU window glazing units definitely seems to need a bit of help despite their tight almost 'press-fit' nature (he says from recent experience)... I went for 'Micro Kristal Klear' in its role as an adhesive in an attempt to keep things secure whilst avoiding the risk of messing up the glazing. It seems to have worked pretty well on the 50% of my 121 I've completed so far. I'm intrigued by 131s and 133s... look forward to seeing both in due course :-) David

For a minute (well at least until I read the caption) I thought your first photo was of Blaenavon... The discovery that so many industrial railways featured heel switches – which is I think the correct terminology for a turnout with two-part (hinged) blades in the style of Peco's r-t-p offering – cheered me up no end. It has been suggested that I might have to brutalise my two hand-built C&L-based A5s before they'll be suitable for an industrial setting, even though they're real beginners efforts :-/ What a beautiful piece of modelling... not sure which I'm in jaw-dropping awe of the most, the buildings, the infrastructure or the locos? David

What a fab-u-lous piece of modelling! From a newly converted 'industrial' enthusiast :-) PS: What do you use for your brickwork, looks superb!

The wheel-drop the video shows can apparently be cured by adding a couple of strips of plasticard packing inside the vee to support wheel flanges as they run through the gap... haven't tried it myself but this was one of a couple of recommendations I received concerning improvements to Peco turnouts before I decided to built my own using C&L components. David

And there's me fretting because my operating space could end up being reduced to 7' long :-/ Fascinating 'industrials' and great scenics in a super-compact space - real inspiration! David PS: I can vouch for the existence of Bumble Hole. It has it's own lock with a slightly 'ockud' approach from the bottom through an eponymous bridge on the Staffs & Worcester canal. If you like unusual place names it's not million miles from Stewponey Wharf ;-)

It was seeing some working ground-signals on YouTube that fired up my interest in 7mm scale in the first place! Su... perb! :-) David

After a similar baptism whilst trying to solder I have a new philosophy... ...if you can't glue it together think long and hard before buying it! You however mate appear to have cracked the mysterious dark art and when your fingers heal (and your 'Mrs' has forgiven you for burning the carpet) you'll no doubt be lobbing etched kits together and all sorts :-) David

I think the term for the outcome of your endeavors will be 'compact and bijou' Don. Spent the last two weeks in our new larger tourer and on more than one occasion found myself pondering just how much smaller scale layout I could sneak into the storage space under the fixed double bed without risking a major diplomatic incident ;-) D

Dunno about getting the wretched stuff off... apart from polishing/sanding/grinding/turning type abuse which I had to do on the 121s wheel tyres which came heavily blacked and were remarkably reluctant to pick up current in that state. However for application I've had quite good results with Carrs Metal Black – they do one recipe for steel and one for brass. D

Noooo... all you'll do by saying things like that is give the weather fairy ideas! We're planning for a few weeks t'other side of the river from Padstow starting mid' July and if it honks down the whole time we're there we'll know who to blame ;-) David

I am so liking that :-) The interior's a bit special too... are those 1st class seat frames actually wood grained? D

Will try and get down to admire the 'real thing' in all its glory – Newport's only 'down the road a bit' and hopefully I won't need to work all weekend! David

Won't repeat your pic again because anyone who's built a Slaters wagon is probably familiar with the fragility of some of their smaller under-frame parts. Its why I decided to make replacements for those 'things-that-stop-the-brake-gear-falling-off-onto-the-track-hoops' out of brass shim on my box van and all subsequent Slaters wagon kits :-) D

I think you'd be struggling for 'plausible' there Rod, but I agree they are superb models – I saw Brian Daniel's take on one at the Bristol show ;-) I once built a 4-mil layout where I could swap the semaphore signalling from upper quadrant to lower depending on whether I wanted to run BR(M) or BR (W); I could also swap the signal box which was the only region-specific building. Providing your layout's infrastructure isn't too tied to a region/location you could run in BR(S) mode from time to time – you've got a 33 after all! David David

I'd be a very happy chap if I could achieve this standard of restrained yet high quality atmospheric modelling – a really inspirational layout :-) David PS: O gauge Class 14 kit due from DJH fairly soon(ish) – I have one on pre-order :-)

Hell's teeth Chaz... is there anything you can't do (...really, really well to boot :-) David

The depth of ballast using the method I've gone for would seem to depend on the size of the grains Rod and it does indeed require quite a thick layer of adhesive. What appeals to me about the technique though is that it's quick and gives a nice tidy consistent covering. I've certainly seen photographic prototype evidence of ballast not coming right to the tops of the sleepers. Maybe, since the ballast I'm using is quite fine, I might add a second layer. I'll wait and see how it looks when I've had a go at some more. I have to say that your new pointwork's looking very classy... your new 4-car set's going snake across it in some style. I can almost hear the prototypical clatter of multiple 4-wheel bogies :-) David

Hi Alan, I know that the formulation of 'Studio Gum has changed over the years – back in the 1980s when Health and Safety seemed to be mainly concerned with obvious physical injury it was perfectly acceptable to handle and breathe all sorts noxious substances in the printing industry! Cow Gum was readily spreadable out of the tin when its consistency was not dissimilar to EvoStick. We used to use lighter fuel to thin and dissolve it (it needs a petrochemical solvent). I'm just beginning to wonder whether there might be any chemicals still in Studio Gum composition which might effect plastics but I'm guessing its unlikely as you need an awful lot of Butanone to seriously soften the plastic C&L use for chairs and sleepers – not however something I'd have to worry about since my sleepers are ply timber. Initially I'm going to have a go with Copydex as it can be bought in both small (tester-size) and larger quantities at very reasonable cost from our local DIY store. It's water soluble but its downsides are that it can go stringy as it dries and it stinks – I think it has something like ammonia in it even though its frequently used in schools! The tracklaying approach I've seen suggested using either would be to spread the adhesive fairly thickly over the track bed, place the track and lightly pin it in place (Peco track pins?), shake ballast over the top and then tap the surrounding baseboard to settle the ballast grains. With the usual provisos here's wiki page which covers both types of adhesive David

What an outstandingly brilliant piece of modelling! A mere 'like' just doesn't do it justice... David PS: Great video too... camera fixed (not flailing around all over the place), great composition, pin-sharp focus and nicely restrained editing – captures the subject perfectly :-)