Grasslands

Indeed, some inspiration from these types of design could be amazing, but I guess all things have to start somewhere. Off topic, but there is a train in Final Fantasy XV that is clearly based on the loco that is 3rd down in your pictures, by the way.

I think the 3D printed figures look great!! If such a range is successful we could see some really interesting fantasy locos in the future!

Hi! @ChrisA4 yes, that is the one I used. It comes with the early footplate grid-work and smaller cab windows for the sides, but it doesn’t include the square windows for the front of the cab (I made mine from plasticard).

This is a great bit of weathering. I saw it on the BRM Instagram feed today. Well done. Your layout also looks great

Here are some additional photos of Quarry Transfer

Am I right in thinking there is a Terrier missing from the summary headline on this feed? edit - oh, apparently the Terrier was a surprise to everyone! sympathies to Andy Y and friends for last minute extra work

A box van equipped with sound? Interesting... hmmmmm. I wonder what sound it will make? New Peckett 0-6-0 and the Ruston look great, but if I'm having the Ruston it certainly won't be wired up to that shunter's truck for long (edit - the truck is apparently, plug and play, so happy days). The experimental purple A4 is nice, when did Bittern run with two tenders?

This sounds like a really good issue. I'm looking forward to this one

Here is a video I made from my footage of the show:

Hi folks, me and my bro had a great time operating Brewery Pit in Peterborough, although my Coca-Cola train caused me a few operational headaches on Saturday, so I decided to shift it into a static display format for Sunday which gave me some time to explore the show. There were some really great layouts, some of the best I've seen. The steam effects on Bournemouth West were great and the model as a whole is incredibly realistic. My fave layout was certainly Habbaniya, Iraq 1941; it was absolutely stunning!!! The Bridge at Remagen is also so, so, so good. A special shout out to John Gay and Chris Leigh who provided me with some VIP locos including John's noisey USA Dock Tank and a lengthy test run of the pre-production J70 tram. I had a lovely chat with Chris about J70's and Y6's and his early memories of pioneering diesels and steamers in the waning hours of Sunday. I even met someone who has a vague memory of seeing J70's at Great Yarmouth docks when he was a nipper! I had so many nice comments about Brewery Pit, so thanks all. I'll post up some photos and videos soon. Grasslands out!

Yep. Super slow image rendering

As I am just picking up where I left things after an entertaining divorce in 2015, I thought I'd start by adding my blogs from my 'x5 Shunter Challenge' to my RMWeb blog feed. These are all posted on www.grasslandsmodels.wordpress.com ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I have been very busy with work and other hobbies so I haven’t given as much attention to the railway blog of late. It is now time to settle down to do some modelling. So… Where do I start? I know… Let’s try and build as many kits as I can. The new duo I purchased two new brass kits back in October that both came with High Level Kit gearboxes and included options for chassis compensation. My plan was to use these two kits as a test for both gear box construction, and chassis compensation, so I could then apply these newly learnt skills to three other locos that I have been planning to build for a number of years. Then I started thinking… Why wait? The infamous five So I decided that I needed to get over my concerns about building my kits ‘properly’ at some undefined point in the future and just get on with it. There are just too many things to build and not enough time. So my plan is to attempt to build these five loco kits up to the same stage, starting with the chassis’ and moving onto the bodies. The five lucky loco kits are: BR Class 02 Diesel Shunter – DJH I have had this little beginner kit since 2004. I attempted building the chassis a few years ago but I wasn’t too happy with the motor and gears included with the kit. In addition I attempted to build the chassis with standard electrical solder and I had done a pretty poor job. I am keen to see if I can fit compensation to this loco and give it a new motor and gear box. Sentinel post war 100HP 0-4-0VBT – RT Models This attractive little 0-4-0 caught my eye when it was first released. I also liked the idea of buying it as a complete kit with all the wheels, motors and gears (sourcing wheels, motors and gears always tends to slow down my model projects), so I bought this little kit to get me back in the mood to do some model building. Ruston & Hornsby 88DS – Judith Edge Another little 0-4-0 that comes as a complete kit. I purchased it at the same time as the sentinel too. I have wanted one of these locos for a long time, as I always enjoyed visiting the orange version stored at Washford Station on the West Somerset Railway. 11001 – Judith Edge Bulleid’s super shunter with box pox wheels. This strange looking thing has always facinated me, and I have been plucking up the courage to build it for a number of years (I think it was 2010). English Electric/Hawthorn Leslie 0-6-0DE – Judith Edge This early diesel looks superficially similar to a class 08 diesel shunter. I bought this one at the same time as 11001. So do I have the stamina to build all five of these kits? Watch this space…

I completely agree, and even if they are overstocked on controllers, this isn't the best optioned railway set to get rid of them in

That's very useful, thank you! I see, thanks for that. Well.... I certainly won't be taking out a 2k loan and than destroying x2 of these to make a WR version, that's for sure. hahahah.

That is much cheaper than I expected (based on the current price of the reverse livery), but aligns with my APT-E purchase. Does anyone know what further modifications would be needed to make this the 8-car WR version?

I must admit that I find the decision to package it this way really odd. I didn't immediately realise it included a DCC controller. Would people really want to pay over £800 if they were thinking of an initial switch to DCC? Those of us who already have DCC are unlikely to want to switch control systems. I would have loved to have the reverse livery, but £800+ will not be appearing in my train saving account anytime soon. How much was the original?

Today I decided I would try posting something on #throwbackthursday and lo and behold, what do I find, searching back through the photo archive??? I discover that I actually have 'form' in imaginary livery design!

This is helpful to know, thanks Bill. Who would have ever thought a J70 tram with full valve gear would ever be manufactured. Amazing! I am just looking at putting in some orders for these, but I just want to be as clear as possible about what is defined as 'partial skirts' and 'no skirts'. Will 'partial skirts' include the metal work that follows the lower bracket of the cowcatcher right around the loco? If this is not the case, then isn't a 'partial skirt' model essentially the same as a 'no skirts' version, but just includes the cowcatchers (which sound like they are removable anyway, based on the NEM pocket discussion)? Has there been any discussion about providing sections of side plates as added etches/accessories for us to fix on where we like (a bit like the valences on the Dapol Class 22)? Regards Tom

Wow!!! I am so happy you were inspired to do this . It looks great and the suspension is really impressive. I will watch the video closely to see how you have constructed the steering mechanism. Mine is out of action at the moment with a slipped gear, but it will be up and running soon. Maybe we should all meet up at a show and drive our cars around a layout

I will hunt out issue 95 and let you know what this was all about.

Ladies and Gentleman.... I present the Bat-train. From Batman Issue #95 (1948)

That sounds like it gives me some time to replenish the train saving fund. Happy days.

Is 'tool authorisation' the step before 'tool cutting' then?

The day will soon arrive... exciting. I only wish that I had the 'model train saving fund' I had when I pre-ordered them. I can sell my body to science, I suppose.