Thunderforge

Feels like progress, even if the carriage now has more of my skin on it than my fingers. Superglue really is quite sticky.

Down here in the West Country we use straw and horse dung as building material. Cob it’s called. Before I moved here I thought people had given up using ‘wattle & daub’ in the dark ages, guess we’re a little behind the times...

Not the same TheBeardedOne from Bugman's Brewery by any chance? Or are you a different bearded one? haha!

I'd probably agree with you Nick, I could imagine sealing a smokebox door with those materials, but not a boiler. I thought of the old egg in the radiator trick, but a radiator isn't as high pressure. It would explain why the smoke box door fell off in the first place!

What a great image, would be quite scary seeing that coming up the line, all stones and flames! Interesting the use of sawdust and horse dung, I presume used for cheap fuel, or a way to keep a coal fire burning but less intense? Obviously not something kept as standard practice into nationalisation haha!

It’s got a wonderful ‘I’m stuck here in the middle of nowhere with a four hour wait til the next train and the bloke in that cottage keeps giving me funny looks’ vibe about it. Will you be adding the sound of distant sheep, half hearted crickets and an occasional strangled crow caw? :-)

Awesome use of the plastic box, I just hope it doesn’t go brittle on you. We’ve had a few for the kids toys which split round the lid clips, but maybe we just bought cheap ones! Is it OO? Modern image or kettles? :-)

Slow progress, lots of fiddly cutting and sticking, but getting there. I realised the odd little synchronicity that punching the card with my hand punch to make the windows was a bit like a ticket inspector clipping tickets. I didn’t have to do that for the goods stock...

After much fiddling, fettling and floundering I’ve had another idea. Strip out all the windows from the aluminium, and glue the cut out card on instead. Then stick the glazing to the inside of the card and add details using more card on top. I guess I’d better find out what shellac is and how to use it! G’night all!

Having a go at a four wheel carriage. This seems the only way to cut out the windows. Suggestions welcome! I’ll cut the details out of card to get some layers on it. Not prototypical at all, three compartments and a guard’s box, straight sides. More pics will follow.

Mk1 Transits? D’you reckon they do 12inch to the foot scale parts? I could sore do with a new roof on my camper!!

I was going to say the smell of steam and coal smoke, but these days you can buy scented oils in any flavour you can think of.

This is a funny video about email spam rather than phone spam, but I thought you might appreciate...

If I was going to make a traverser I'd use Lego; it might seem crude but it's a medium I'm confident in! Not the whole thing, but the runners under the board. I agree with Jim, there's a lot of things in railway modelling which are hyped up, having to 'do it properly' using these methods and these products, which puts a lot of people off. I'd say go for it and if you make any mistakes and overcome them it'll be a new skill in the bag. Best of luck! :-)

That track plan looks like Maldon Market Hill, which has some very interesting operation, I was thinking of using it myself. http://www.carendt.com/small-layout-scrapbook/page-59a-march-2007/ I’ll keep my eye on this thread!

Geoffrey - fetch me my Fighting Trousers!

Another wagon painted (still no brakes!) - I think the colour is a bit garish and it might get weathered down further. The yellow paint I used is gummy and horrible to use, and I’m not happy about the lettering either. I’m working towards using the wagons for an inglenook or some shunting plank in the future, so I’m basing my paint schemes on ‘the yellow truck’, ‘the blue van’, etc) Also made a coal dock from scrap wood/foamex/brick paper, will post pics ASAP. No progress on the loco, my principle there is that if I don’t do anything I can’t get it wrong!

Thanks CK, very inspiring image!

My tongue in cheek entry to the cake box challenge! A scene from W Heath Robinson’s ‘Railway Ribaldry’; hope you all like it!

Thanks Don, I wasn't aware that brass and aluminium had an effect on each other. I shall make sure I paint the aluminium around the bearings before I slot them in!

Thank you Mark, I’ll have a look at those! :-D

Feels like a silly question but is anyone making a kit for a Peckett 0-4-0? I’ve searched but not found anything; one company seems to make a whole bunch of 0-6-0s. I’ve found a Caledonian (Slaters), and on the GWR website an 0-4-0 by Eric Underhill which doesn’t seem to be available anymore. A further question, can anyone recommend a seven plank wagon kit in brass? Thanks in advance! :-)

Progress so far on a locomotive!

Hmm, I wonder if you could simulate tow-roping with weak magnets? Maybe a magnetised bit of wire between two steel buffers, which would pull apart without pulling the wagon off the track. Probably only workable in one of the larger scales though.

Just flicking through June’s Railway Modeller and I notice ‘St Martin’s Wharf’ has a kickback Goods Shed too.