Pete 75C

I'm not disrespecting anyone's efforts to improve upon something - it is, in fact, admirable and I admire the skills involved. It's purely a personal opinion. I remain absolutely gobsmacked by how far we've come over the last 20 years or so in terms of "out of the box" detail and I'm happy to leave it be. Besides, I have enough trouble getting the ballast to stick down and the little people on the platforms to stand up! I just wouldn't want to mess about with what I see as an *almost* perfect model. I drove Cromptons on and off for over 10 years and looking at the Heljan model, I'd be unable to spot any faults. I guess that's because I was familiar with the real thing to the point of contempt (the cab side windows leaked like a sieve for example). I certainly haven't spent enough time studying prototype pictures to be able to discern any mistakes. I remain one of those railway modellers happy to go for the "overall effect" rather than precise detail. Pete.

Honestly... Having gone from this... to this... in a relatively short space of time, and some of you still aren't happy... Oh well, each to their own.

If this is how the current production looks, just how ridiculously fussy have we become that nothing less than perfection is good enough??? They look pretty damn good to me.

I remember Wellington Rd from that track plans supplement. An excellent idea, well executed.

Yeah right, and my kitchen doesn't have an oven in it...

I couldn't make my mind up between "Agree" and "Disagree" so had to mark it "Funny" instead. Mind you, I'm definitely leaning towards "Agree" for the large amount of imported plastic-wrapped vinyl cr*p blighting the contemporary scene.* *I was going to say "modern image" but half of you would have had a coronary...

Agreed. Wife - Living room: Eastenders, Holby, I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here etc etc... Me - Dining room: Butchering plastic kits and getting glue all over my fingers... It really is the secret of a happy marriage!

No irony or sarcasm meant at all... I am genuinely slightly in awe. You do appear to be a modelling superhero. Loved Star Lane, following Dobríš with great interest and then a couple of days ago I stumble upon Banbury. How do you do it??? Pete.

Mentioned before, but I've always been a huge fan of the 70s/80s work of Ian Futers in 4mm. The original "Lochside" in Railway Modeller was probably the catalyst, and I haven't stopped butchering plywood and burning my fingers with a soldering iron since...

You're welcome to the 319s... Having spent thousands of work hours driving the damn things, they have to be one of the draughtiest, most uncomfortable, roughest-riding units in recent memory. Hated by the fitters at Selhurst New Shed too. The rather pointless front cab door was so draughty, I know I wasn't the only one to pinch a roll of duct tape from the stores in case I encountered a unit that hadn't already been "modified"...

Ron Ron Ron - I have absolutely no problem with you disagreeing with me, but if you're going to do it so often, do I eventually get a £10 Argos gift voucher?

Change for the sake of change, no more... no less... I have to agree. I stated a few pages ago that the phrases "Steam" and "Modern Image" have served me perfectly well over the years and I'll wager I'm not the only one. Adding the simple caveat "circa: xxxx" simply refines that. What could be simpler? Feel free to reach for the little circular button with the grey cross, I'm quite used to it!

Er.... no!

I've only just begun to work through this thread (all 42 pages of it!) having not noticed it before... where on earth have I been??? Excellent job. Apologies if it's been asked before, but where did you source the fencing etches? They look particularly good. Pete.

You're quite right. I could have given him an impromptu English lesson and said "Son, those steam engines are not crap, what you mean is they're absolute rubbish". Are you kidding??? Do you want to get me lynched too...???

:no: Can I assume you disagree with me too?

Don't be puzzled. We disagree, that's all... What works for me means nothing to you. As I said, I probably over-simplify things but it's worked for me so far...

Maybe I'm over-simplifying things, but just 2 phrases have served me well over the years: 1) Steam 2) Modern Image They cover everything. Each to their own though, which is I guess what this thread is about. Just don't sign me up to anything that involves changing the way I think....

I kind of agree and disagree, if that's possible. I have nothing but admiration for the skill that went into the building of a layout like that. I don't see why they should introduce a RTR dmu from the hidden storage sidings to complete a lap or two at a scale 120mph just to please my 8yr-old. My 8yr-old, however, didn't give a monkeys about the point rodding or handbuilt track and just wanted to go and look at something he could relate to...

A show in Southend in the early 2000s: a beautifully made and fine-running steam era layout... all operators in matching polo shirts with name badges etc. The concentration and pride on their faces was shattered when my son (then seven or eight) announced rather loudly that he thought that the steam engines were "crap" and could we please "go and find some diesels now?"... Having reunited him with his mother and sister, I did pop back to apologise, but the look on their faces told me I'd be wasting my time...

I remember watching a fairly crude but busy layout at a show in Croydon years ago. Class 47s in blue and green ran alongside LNER Pacifics. I asked the operator when and where it was supposed to be set and his reply of "I dunno really" was refreshingly honest!

I'm just the right age to have grown up with the phrase "Modern Image" used to describe any layout in Railway Modeller, MRC etc that didn't exclusively feature kettles. Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say, and I find myself using the term often. To me "Modern Image" describes a layout featuring green or blue diesels and "Contemporary" is a phrase I've taken to mean anything post-privatisation with their bright play school vinyl graphics. My ignorance has now been well and truly accentuated...

My wife disagrees with everything I say. I've tried to tempt her with RMWeb membership but to no avail...

http://busmietzentrale.de/tour/tour-1.htm I must admit, this one made me smile. Preface it with "Grumpy Old" and park it in a seaside town car park...