Huggy

Heart of the City - Nick Lowe

I've thought for a while that modelling a Heritage railway is a good idea, as it gives you freedom o run whatever you like. Good for you

The Day Before You Came - ABBA, Blancmange

Three Times Enough - Nine Below Zero "I told ya once, I told ya twice, I even tried, to tell ya nice....."

Staying Out For the Summer - Dodgy

Appropriately enough - localised snow warning at Tillingham! While ours clears away completely here in slightly sunny Hastings today, I pressed on with the barn for my corner farmyard which I think has come on quite well. It's pretty much the first scratch-built building of any size I've done, and decided to make it harder for myself by putting it at an angle to the edge of the board, which will have a backscene behind. There will also be a small stable for the farmer's daughter's pony, a pigsty, and general clutter in due course, and I decided that as the season I'm sort of aiming at is early autumn, the yard would be a bit stodgy, with the odd puddle. I've used ordinary cheap decorators filler, and I'm glad I left the appropriate outline in the stuff to accommodate the base of the barn, which uses photo quality image of a weathered, unpainted concrete block wall, much used for such buildings in the 1950s-60s, on heavy grey card walls, the roof is Ratio corrugated iron sheet, I made the apex flashing from the same stuff, which while it shows that the sheets are actually a bit too think for scale, looks OK to me, it all needs a bit of filler and some moderate weathering with only a bit of rust, as its not supposed to be that old a building, and I will face the fiddly task of gutters and downpipes (with a couple of barrels to catch rainwater possibly) when I feel a bit more focussed (recently had a bout of flu which laid me low for a few days). Then I'll get the other smaller buildings done, and a block wall at the back between the farmyard and the railway. I'm please I thought to impress a couple of ruts in the entry track before the filler hardens, but I think I may need to smooth out the surface just a touch here and there before I get the yukky greeny brown paint on it. I shan't fix any of the buildings on the layout in place until the board is back upstairs, in case stuff gets knocked off. I've also got a bit of fencing to put in here and there.... won't put that off any longer than I have to, but it will be another really fiddly job from what I gather! By the way, there are loads of download sites for model papers and kits nowadays, but the one I used for the barn walls cover www.textures.com is a gem for "something different". They aim their images at professional architectural modellers, and there are, for example, umpteen varieties of weathered concrete wall blocks, or brickwork, to help make your buildings and roads etc look a bit different from the next layout. You can download a limited amount of any one item on any given day, but for those of us building small layouts, it's probably not a problem. Worth a look.

For the first bit of actual modelling since having a few days off with the 'flu (had to go for a three day lie-down in the end, much of it spent watching a box set of "Breaking Bad"; (I probably know as much about being a drug producer now as I do about model railway building, but there's much less violence involved with this!) I though I'd work on the barn I started for the corner site farm on Tillingham. I'm glad I left the appropriate outline in the filler used to simulate a muddy farmyard before completing the base, covered with "mucky concrete" paper, the barn itself uses photo quality image of a weathered, unpainted concrete block wall, much used for such buildings in the 1950s-60s, on heavy grey card walls, the roof is Ratio corrugated iron sheet, I made the apex flashing from the same stuff, which while it shows that the sheets are actually a bit too think for scale, looks OK to me, it all needs a bit of filler and some moderate weathering with only a bit of rust as its not supposed to be that old a building, and I will face the fiddly task of gutters and downpipes (with a couple of barrels to catch rainwater possibly) when I feel a bit more focussed. Think it's looking OK. I can use this as a sample piece of my scratch building when I get along to the club I recently joined, who are building a pretty large exhibition layout, and the fella in charge surprised me by saying after only a couple of visits, "OK you can build a Goods Shed, dimensions are.... off you go!" Gulp. And it has to be pukka LBSCR style too.... Looking forward to the challenge! Again extra pics and detail on the Layout forum at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130692-tillingham/

Definitely the hut and ground level box (got the little Ratio one to build ready), a maybe on the crane, and ah yes I'd forgot about a loading gauge! Thanks Steve, nice to get some feedback again. Well on the way now, and already hatching plans for something else...as you do!

Nothing reported here over a few months doesn't mean nothing has been done, honest! Besides a month-long trip to visit family in New Zealand and Australia (from which it took a while to recover!) before Christmas, I've got a fair bit done on Tillingham, and it now resembles a model railway - in my opinion at least - rather than a random collection of stuff on a board. Talking of opinions, I had hoped that transferring the latest progress to a thread in Layout Topics might elicit a bit more comment and spur me on a bit more, but although it's been viewed a few times, not a sausage as regards any kind of comment, encouraging or otherwise! It may be totally mediocre or boring, I have no idea (hope not) so thought I'd bang a couple of recent pics on here, and link it, and see what happens. I'd assumed it was more likely to attract a bit of attention in the open forums...maybe not! Here's the link: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130692-tillingham/ or just search Tillingham in Layout topics. I'd really like to hear a few thoughts on how it's been going as I've hopefully learned a lot going along, and have particularly enjoyed getting to grips with landscaping, buildings and a bit of detailing, as well as putting in a couple more electrical feeds to iron out some faltering in the goods yard. It's been nice to have a bit of a play with locos and a wagon or two in the scenic section before I reunite the board with it's "fiddle yard" partner and crack on with the rest of the smaller stuff and do some serious running while doing so. More photos in the layout forum post.

Black Diamond Bay - Bob Dylan

Taking it back to Huje's post 61676… Sunshine Superman - Donovan

The Twelfth of Never - Johnny Mathis, Dolly Parton, many more....

New York State of Mind - Billy Joel

Nice neat start, I like small layouts because you can take it all in. Unusual to see a backscene so early in a project, could make it easier to make the rest fit in with it's surroundings perhaps.

Hi Graham, finally got round to making a thread for my not-quite-micro late 50s/early 60s BR(S) layout Tillingham, hope group members like it: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130692-tillingham/

I started work on my first 00 layout in January 2016, having completed a "test piece" in the form of a little 009 project, more a diorama that has some moving bits than anything, because I had no previous layout building experience, and wanted to try various aspects of the hobby before committing to anything bigger. I have "previous" as an aeromodeller, RC sport flying jobs mainly, so had a fair supply of tools, balsa wood, adhesives, and decided that railway modelling would make a pleasant change from making aeroplanes that I then get to fly much less than I'd like to due to the UK climate having, it seems to me, taken a right old turn to the bloomin' windy more often than not. I still like to get out in the fresh air, but on those wet and windy days, with retirement complete, railway modelling has taken a prominent place among - now I think about it - a fairly barmy amount of other hobbies! If this sounds a bit familiar, that may be because you're one of the comparatively few who have had a look at my Blog page, where progress up until about last October was chronicled on occasion; I'm hoping that a few more views will be had on the wider forum, and welcome as many comments as you like to add to my modelling know-how acquired so far! Tillingham is a small through station on a Southern BR branch in pre-Beeching days, originally built by the SECR in the vicinity of the North Downs, in an attempt to reach the increasingly prosperous town of Maidwell Spa, via the valley of the River Till. They didn't quite manage to take a lot of traffic off the LBSC, who got there first, but have a terminus on the lower side of town that serves a livestock market, and such commuters as find the London terminus reached by changing trains on the former SER main line more convenient for their city jobs. At one point, Tillingham had hoped to become a growing dormitory town, and after a couple of near-misses by the Luftwaffe in WW2, what damage there was and what funds could be drummed up by the soon to be nationalised Southern went into a new approach road, pedestrian steps, and a car park, with plenty of SR concrete involved. But Tillingham didn't grow much after all, the short platform didn't need lengthening, though most passenger services call, and there's a regular local service on the line. Freight traffic in the late 50s period is reasonable, with a few local businesses including a sawmill, and a chalk quarry down the line in the Maidwell direction still despatching a few loads to the cement industry, while the market at the bigger town is becoming run down. Rumours are that an oil company wants to build a terminal on that site (which it will, if I run it in the early 60s instead!) which might at least keep the line open longer in the cuts yet to come..... That's the back story out of the way. The 4mm version of the station and part of the as yet to be modelled town has to fit my very limited attic office/hobby room space, and while at 1200mm x 1200mm, which is the largest I could comfortably accommodate and still move about, it's not quite a Micro layout I wanted to achieve a "roundy round" configuration in any case, and with only one of the two 1200 x 600 baseboards scenic, and three and three fiddle sidings at the back of the raised centre piece that will hold some low-relief terraced houses, a pub, and either a builder's yard or garage, when I get into that phase of the project, I think I'm managing to get quite enough into the layout without, hopefully, making it look too silly or crowded. So, here's a quick selection of images of the progress so far, with a few notes. The basic boards and track layout on the scenic side of the layout. The raised portion will hold the townscape and backscene, there are three fiddle sidings to the rear, one of which will be cassette fed. The poly sheet land form is covered with traditional plaster bandage and painted. I left a few patches showing white, to show a few outcrops of chalk, this being around the Downs. Second photo above shows the same area after ballasting (remind me to use N gauge for 00 next time - it's too lumpy!) and grass sheet coated with static grass and odd foliage. Some trees will likely follow in due course. New pedestrian access steps were added under BR Southern around 1950. Ratio stanchions used; I found that job, and the steps themselves, very fiddly, hence it looks like the vandals have been at it later in the decade...... Not totally pleased with my concrete representation at this point, but.... ...much more pleased with the efforts with the platform fencing in SR style panels and walls around the carpark, although the latter is a bit too thick due to landscaping errors. Still learning! The usual Humbrol enamel mix of matt grey and sand used on the platform fence, downloaded printed sheet on the other walls etc. Coal office and staithes made as a change from doing track and landscape work, it's the Ratio kit, and I have a couple of sack-heaving fellows ready to take up employment with the coal merchant in due course. When I get round to painting them; seem to need a LOT of light to do detail work like that nowadays...a familiar story to many of you elder modellers I suspect. General view of the Goods yard, Superquick shed weathered up a bit, coal yard temporarily in it's place (all buildings remain unfixed at this stage, the board has to be transported back up twisty stairs to my "lair" from the workshop - our old kitchen - I share with Mrs Huggy, who makes jewellery. And helps carry baseboards, if I'm lucky!) Two locos acquired so far. Yes I know; it's an M7, not a likely runner on an Eastern section line, but I haven't got an H yet, and it my have wandered in from Guildford or somewhere. My first effort at Loco weathering. The 2MT tankie is unmolested - this number is on the one now restored on the Isle of Wight isn't it? I have a Bachmann Class 205 DEMU set set aside for use in "later period" running. I'm not going to be mega-fussy about what I run, to be honest, but DO want to get hold of a 'C' Class 0-6-0 one day, as well as an H Class. I did order one of the soon to be released Class P tanks in a mad moment... it will pop up as a preserved visitor I guess, and I have already got a true Micro layout in the planning that will suit it nicely Finally, another shot of the grubby Goods Shed - I like a bit of grime - an "under construction" barn for the corner layout farm, using photo-realistic concrete block prints, , and an overall view of work so far. Note - the derelict looking station building is also work in progress, but I bought it cheap! The rusty old loco at the bottom of the overall pic is a Wrenn R1, that is very old but was the right price and quite nicely "distressed", and runs reasonably well for it's age. The diesel is nothing that was ever likely to be seen on a BR(S) branch, but again, it was cheap, and runs very well indeed, since I added a few more electrical feeds to the track. Phew! That's it, the story so far, have a look at my Blog if you want to see the bare basics so far, apologies to anyone that has already had most of this blurb sent their way, but I hope the change to the main forum will stir up a bit of interest; I will link this to the Southern / BRS section later. Ta ta for now. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/2140-huggys-blog/

Blue Hotel - Chris Isaak

Hunter Moon - Kate Rusby

Down in the Hole - Shakin' Stevens

Can Blue Men Sing the Whites? - The Bonzo Dog Band

(Let me be your) Teddy Bear- Elvis Presley

I Can Hear Your Heartbeat - Chris Rea

Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd