bridgiesimon

As for Tractors on rails, what about these although a little further afield. http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/tales/israeltales05.htm By the way, I have only just found this thread and am blown away, that working crane is awesome!! Best wishes Simon

If I put Peppa Pig on a hog roast I would get a roasting from my niece, she loves her! Great idea about the spit roast though! Best wishes Simon

Did he have something similar on there? Not seen a rabbit popping out of a hole before but am aware it has been done a few times before. Am now wondering what else can be made to move without going too far into the realms of silly/gimmick. SImon

Cheers Ray, the rabbit was really easy, just a servo mounted under the board with the rod through the right hole and a rabbit on the other end through the scenery. Best wishes Simon

A couple of updates for now - Trees first, I have now completed a batch of 8 different tree skeletons and sprayed them this evening with a, hopefully, differerent shade on each ready for some dry brushing etc when they are dry as well as some creepers etc maybe on a couple before foliage work starts. I have also been working on the rabbit All quiet on the slopes, and a little blurry! Wahay, we have company! Just need to adjust the rabbit pole as he/she is a little sideways and floating off the ground at the moment but i am really pleased with the distance out and that when in the back position, it is right out of sight! Best wishes Simon

Tis an old paint brush with a big blob of blutac on the end to hold the body for spraying. There are littler mail boxes outside each hobbit hols though, visible in some of the piccies earlier on I think. best wishes Simon

I have to be very careful how I say this incase somebody mis understands me - I have been drilling a hold into a rabbits bum! Yes it is true, there is now a hole right up the rabbits bum that I then glue a rod into!! not sounding any better is it!! Seriously, I have fitted a rabbit onto a rod to me mounted to a servo so that on the flick of the control unit,it will pop out of its hole under the rock stack at the front of the layout - There is a hole through the scene under the rocks behind the rear rabbit here. Best wishes Simon

Lots to do today - I have 8 tree skeletons made up and coated with bark goo ready for painting and foliage Here are a few of them - I have now sprayed the latest loco body, another rebuild of the Dapol pug kit built to run on a Grafar class 04 shunter chassis. this needs finishing with details - handrails/driver/coal etc. Oh yeah and I have been playing around with the possibility of another large scale layout with the construction of this building - The starting point, a Christmas pressie with a bottle of beer and a glass in it!) I used a section of blue insulation board to cut and carve a suitable stone base for the tower, this material carves and takes paint really well. With the first few details added and the windows and doors cut out, you may also be able to see the top and a floor through the door onto the balcony. This is the internal floor behind the balcony More piccies to follow later Best wishes Simon

Just had a reminder that we are also booked into the Yate show on Saturday 13th February!! Best wishes Simon

Show booked so far - Saturday 20th February Narrow Gauge South West Show at Shepton Mallet 5-6th March Romsey Saturday 11th June Plymouth Saturday 18th June Gloucester Saturday 30th July Bridport With a couple of other possibilities in the pipeline. Best wishes Simon

Added foliage last night, too late to photograph but have done now. Off to the Weston Show so may get the other one covered later. Best wishes Simon

I have been tree making today - Wire skeletons then sprayed ready for the foliage to be added over the next few days, pleased so far but am aware that I will need loads more of these for the layout. Best wishes Simon

A quick update before additional piccies are taken - The lighting is now installed behind to, now painted, fascia. It has a dimmer switch included so I can adjust it for the location and to possible mimic day/night etc. It just needs a piece of curtain made to fit across the top to cut down on ambient light onto the scene, this will be with velcro to make it easily removable. Am really pleased with it. Best wishes Simon

I am off work (Holiday time) this week and plan to get some more work on the layout and a few piccies over the next few days so should be an update or two on the way. Best wishes Simon

All the Hobbits and other folk from Hobbiton End would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and several pints of mead or Ale or whatever else you enjoy. Best wishes and Happy New Year from me as well Simon

Ok guys, a quick question - I really like the finer look of this track but am concerned about making the track as I have not tried anything like this before and am not great with a soldering iron, how straight forward is it to get a good enough standard for trouble free running? I would aim to build a small 1 or 2 point shunting puzzle style of board as a trial before starting the next main layout obviously. Best wishes Simon

Awesome, I will go and get a copy, congratulations!!! Best wishes Simon

Next update - The sides have now been cut, sanded and checked with the canopy on top - the point at which I realised that the pieces that used to sit happily behind the sides to position the canopy now do not fit so had to trim those down as well. I put the second coat of satin black on the fascia this evening, just need to sand and paint the canopy tommorow and a piccie will follow then. I am much happier with the view now. Best wishes Simon

Had a look at Polpendra and I am thinking that I need to lower the lighting canopy by around 3 1/2 inches, across where the bottom of the wooden strip is in this not great piccie - As you can just about see, this lower position ensures that for the average viewer, the backscene covers up behind the canopy so no more unsightly gap through and over the top of the backscene when I cut it tomorrow. best wishes Simon

Mate, this is looking awesome, I defy anybody to only look at these piccies and recognise it as N gauge!! A real credit to our scale!!!! Best wishes Simon

That is the hope, the fascia is now all marked ready for the saw! best wishes Simon

Fascia filled and sanded, although a bit of a mess, I think it is looking better already - (Apologies for the terrible piccie, twas taken on the phone) The next task is to cut the sides to lower the pelmet I plan to chop along the red line to remove the green hashed area. It has always bugged me that when viewing the layout is in this piccie, you can see through above the backscene so this is what I am aiming to hide by dropping the pelmet this much so the viewing line is around where the blue broken line is I have also sourced and priced up the lighting stuff ready to acquire when the car is sorted assuming it leaves us any finds at all!! best wishes Simon

Fascia has now been cleared on the plaques with minimal damage and sanded down ready to get marked and cut, hopefully this weekend. Bit too dark for a piccie but will post a couple when I work on it more. best wishes Simon

Now that the shows are out of the way for a while, I am going to give the layout a bit of a revamp and refresh, not too serious but a good list of tasks - Strip off the exhibition plaques, fill any damage from removing them and repaint the fascia after cutting it lower - At the moment the eye line when standing in front of the layout across under the pelmet is above the top of the sky backscene and it has always frustrated me so time to sort it. Oh yeah and to make a display board for the exhibition plaques and information sheets that can hinge on the front of the layout as a protector when in transit, maybe removable as it would be in the way where the layout is set up at home though. I have also had a bulb go in the lighting and for the cost of a new bulb, not taking into consideration that the others are the same age, is not far off the cost of replacing the whole lot for LED strip lighting complete with power and a dimmer switch so that is another job. I also have a section of ply ready for a new scene for across above the tunnel but at the moment I do not have good enough ides for what to put there that will fit into the scene correctly, different enough from what is already there and not a cliche church/castle etc. Well, lots to think about, will keep the updated going as I put the changes into action. Best wishes Simon

Very interesting image thank you Kevin, most appreciated, not one I have seen before, now added to the file. Progress if slow, lots of research going on as and when time allows. best wishes Simon