CloggyDog

I've done 2 Lack-based layouts, with a third (at least) in development. Reading Signal Works (UK OO) complete, Nove Mesto Na Nedostatku (Czech TT) in build and Hasselhöf Nord (East German H0) in planning. All use the 110cm Lack with a fiddle stick extension off one end. I use 4mm ply sheet to box in the Lack (backscene, front fascia and end panels) just glued/pinned to the Lack, with some lightweight strip in the front corners to keep the ply panels together. A 3" wide strip of 4mm ply runs the full length from end to end attached to the top of the front fascia with LED strip underneath. The backscene piece has holes drilled through for the wall bracket's prongs. My trackbed is 2mm EVA foam sheet, glued to the Lack's surface with pva, into which I inset lengths of 1.6mm square brass tube for my wide-in-tube method of point operation - these wires come through the fascia and the 'handles' are made from modified single sections of 'chocolate block' connectors. Some of the early pics in the RSW thread show the layout under construction which should illustrate my methodology.

Doing a general browse around the net (as you do) for M152/810 info, I found this snippet on the DiskuseModely.biz forum Though I have also seen mention of RAL 1015 Ivory being used on models.

Runny fried egg between 2 slices of buttered bread, preferably with a liberal application of brown sauce. My old scoutmaster was a former rock ape, so we were quite used to service slang in our troop.

Also at SMW 2018 was a 1/72 model of an aircraft that did run (albeit briefly) on rails... IMG_20181111_110322 by Alan Monk, on Flickr This particular F4 Phantom, rather nicely modelled and part of the F4 SIG display.

My micro layouts use around 1.5-2m of LED strip lighting, usually 1 length of cool white and 1 length of warm white wired together. I power them off a 8 x AA battery pack with rechargeable batteries (2400MA/h). A full charge will easily last a whole day at a show.

Not that I'm aware of - I shudder to think of forming the complex compound curves of, say a Lightning's rear fuselage from flat sheet! Etch is limited to stuff like flaps detailing, aerials and instrument panels (the latter often pre-painted with legible dials, even in 1/72!) That said... at SMW last November in the competition area, there was this beautiful 1/48 EE P1, scratch built with a plasticard/strip frame and skinned with kitchen foil. Quite possibly the best model I've ever seen.

Many 'serious' aircraft modellers nowadays no longer build a kit as it comes (OTB - Out of The Box, as it's known) as there are numerous after-market detailing parts available, much in resin: cockpit interiors, wheel wells, intakes, jet-pipes, flap interiors, weapon bay interiors, metal pitots and aerials, bang seats, instrument panels, undercarriage/wheels and finally stores loads... and that's even before you get into the realms of conversion parts and kits. And then there are after-market decals (which to be fair we also have) For a recent Sea Harrier 1 purchase of mine (c£10 for the basic kit) I also got resin intakes (with drooped auxiliary doors), resin bang seat, resin cockpit tub, resin nozzles, AIM9 Sidewinders and rails (resin/etch) and an aftermarket decal sheet, all of which pushed the price to around £30 (and that's before paint/glue)

Yes, most definitely - the various plastic modeller forums I'm a member of are full of threads bitching about inaccurate kits with various major dimensional inaccuracies, never mind the more subtle detail stuff. And they also have to contend with poor fit or alignment of parts when they build the thing, requiring much filing, sanding, application of filler, smoothing of seams and re-scribing panel detail lost in the previous operations! We do have it rather easy with RTR! I have recently rejoined the model aircraft world, prompted by a couple of Airfix's new toolings (their 1/72 Lightnings and Shackleton, but have equally bought kits from the likes of Revel, Sword and Italeri, all post-WW2 RAF types). I've started a couple of kits and have first-hand knowledge of my previous para! I've attended Scale Model World the past 2 years and have been impressed by both the sheer variety and quality of models displayed and the high number of visitors, (with an average age maybe 10-15 less than many of the larger model railway shows). Then again, while the models on display are very high quality, the interaction between exhibitors and punters is much more limited and there's very, very little in the way of demos or sharing of techniques. And the models are, of course, static. There's no 'action' to keep the viewer entertained. From a trade point of view - there's the box-shifters, second hand merchants and plenty of detailing stuff (much of which is far, far ahead of what we're happy to accept) I firmly believe there is much we can learn from the plastic modelling world (and vice versa), if only folk on both sides of the lineside fence would venture over it! Regarding the James May programme, I found it largely informative and enjoyable, with only a few cringe-worthy moments and I'm looking forward to part 2. The programme that followed it on BBC4, about the history of 'train sets' and model railways was possibly better in that it presented the hobby in a largely positive light, including contributions from the likes of Gordon and Maggie Gravett, showing that we're not all sad weirdos!

I like that cab roof tarp, chuff, something not often seen modelled. John's suggestions would enhance it further. I'd also suggest looking beyond the lineside fence - military modellers have been doing tarps better for years. Traditionally, a lot of the AFV modelling folk used very thin lead foil sheet to do tarps, both rolled/folded or deployed over a load or vehicle. It's stiff enoigh to hold shape, pretty robust, easily worked and adds weight to light wagons! A cheap(ish) source is the wrap around the cork on fizzy plonk, but it is (was?) also available through the wider modelling trade in sheets up to about A5 size. Of course, take the necessary precautions when working with lead. Other common options are Parafilm (available from pharmacies/medical suppliers), thinly rolled milliput/squadron putty, ali foil, and pva-soaked tissue paper. Plenty of good references/vids out there on the net.

At the Kenavon show the other month, a former worker at the Works shared some very useful info about the despatch of new signals - the posts were sent out 'undressed' with no fittings and usually loaded on the Prawn (30t BoBol Cs), with the fittings (lamps, arms, bearings, etc) in an accompanying 12t van. He also said that the posts were set out without the underground section fitted, as that would be done on site. Likewise gantries were sent out without posts fitted, unless they were very simple/small ones. He also recalled at least one whole small signal box timber upper level being despatched on a lowmac, so that's another possible load to add to staircases and crossing gates. So that helps with my outbound traffic. What I forgot to ask him was about inbound, removed signals from site - were old signals brought back for component re-use (and if so, were 'whole' signals loaded, or were they also stripped and just the undressed posts loaded on Prawns/recovered fittings in vans), or was it standard practice to just scrap old signals on site?? Likewise redundant gantries? I'll shortly be making up a couple of scrap cable loads (21t min, 13t sands), plain tube loads for the Prawns (2mm brass tube, painted white) and I'll be looking at how to make a batch of lineside cabinets (both wood and metal styles) for loads and general scenic items.

It's been a good few years since I've done one of these. My previous effort was spotted on a number of layouts over the years and now resides with Messrs Woodcock and Norton. I'd started it's replacement some time ago, as a demo at a show (in fact, much like the original which was done one Ally Pally on the demu stand!) The basis is a Dapol (nee Airfix) kit which provides the chassis, outer ends, inner ends and duckets The rest is an exercise is microstrip and many, many tiny slivers of plasticard. Main framing is Evergreen 40x40 strip, planking (or remains thereof) is 1.5mm strips of 10 thou. IMG_20190303_115442 by Alan Monk, on Flickr For this one, I've added a stove from sprue and micro rod, plus the ducket wings. The brake standard is a whitemetal casting from Wizard/51L. Handrails are 0.45mm brass wire. It's currently sat on Romford EM wheels, but will take OO as well. IMG_20190303_115423 by Alan Monk, on Flickr The 'ashes' covering the floor were the sweepings off my cutting mat, mixed in with the black paint and liberally smeared around. IMG_20190303_182037 by Alan Monk, on Flickr A rough coat of black acrylic started the paintjob, then the bauxite was almost dry-brushed on the more intact plank's, before more black was gently dry-brushed on the charred plank ends. The handrails, brake standard and lamp brackets were picked out in dirty white and finally a rusty wash over the duckets, stove, buffers and lamp brackets finished the main paintjob. The lettering was done with a fine white paint pen. IMG_20190303_181938 by Alan Monk, on Flickr

This. Very much this! If you run DCC, insulating tape all along the outer sides, full length. My club's O gauge layout uses cassettes - a mix of loco-length and multiple longer (2-coaches max) which are aligned/powered via small bulldog clips. So a 4 coach rake (or equivalent) would use 3 cassettes. Slots cut in both ends of each take simple plasticard end stops. I think our cassette bases are mdf and the fiddle boards are toped with ply, well gloss varnished. TBH, it's still a scary prospect making sure the cassettes are properly aligned/connected and they are a pain to even slide loaded ones across the fiddle board, never mind try and lift them. I'd always prefer a traverser arrangement.

Could that be achieved via a drop in one-piece card backscene? Perhaps allied with coving in the corners? I'm facing a similar issue with my Czech TT micro, so will experiment with some small coving mouldings in the back corners and a length (w + l + w) of thin card with my backscene either printed or applied to it. Thinking the coving will keep the card from creasing into the corners?

Many pre-Nationalisation fitted van types lasted well into the 1970s and would have worked across the network. Paul Bartlett's website has photos of that type of wagon, including one at Staines in the mid-60s. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/lnercoveredmerchandise

I'm guessing 7mm, given it's posted in '7mm+ modelling ' Certainly LNER origin, both body and chassis. Nothing similar in either the Parkside or Slaters ranges. Is it plastic, brass, whitemetal??

Could I interest sir in a part-made MTK Thompson 6-wheel BZ? 1950 Stratford product, lasted into the 70s, ideal for a Sheffield-based layout. Get 'em while their 'ot! Only 2 known owners, one of whom is fairly careful(ish). Possibly Body/ends only, but I might have the ali floor somewhere... If you're really (un)lucky I might even be able to find between 1 and 6 of the axleguard/axlebox mouldings too! I'll dig the bits out in time for Showcase Ally Pally, as it looks like we'll both be there (I've been roped in to drive Oldshaw) I now have a Comet one in the tuit pile and so the MTK one is kinda superfluous.

IIRC, there's a header fuel tank in the upper part of that bonnet section right in front of the cab. Part of the loco start-up procedure is to pump (by hand as new, electric pump on some later survivors) to prime the fuel system before starting. There's a breather vent on the roof from that header tank. Over-enthusiastic pumping will fill the (30gal?) tank and force fuel out of the vent. To replicate, I've used a dark mix of my usual matt leather/metalcote gunmetal mix, applied quite liberally.

For US model(l)ers, there are a number of online magazine resources. The TrainLife site has legitimate copies of various defunct magazines available - Prototype Modeler, Mainline Modeler, Rail Model Journal, etc. https://www.trainlife.com/pages/the-magazine-library And some of the US Railroad Historical Societies produce a modellers magazine (either regular or occasional) - some only have the most recent few copies freely available (older ones can be purchased): Pennsy RR: http://www.prrths.com/newprr_files/newPRRKeystoneModeler.htm New York Central: https://nycshs.org/for-the-modeler/nycentral-modeler/ B&O: http://borhs.org/ModelerMag/ Seaboard/Atlantic Coastline: http://www.aclsal.org/seaboard-coast-line-modeler.html Nickel Plate: http://nkphts.org/modelersnotebook/

I'd be more tempted to keep the carrying handles and stackability, I think. Especially if I were to do multiple micros!

A friend mentioned this thread to me yesterday, very neat idea. What are the internal dimensions within the ply inner, please? Thinking this might be a good (stronger, more protective) alternative to a boxfile

Many thanks for your kind words, Compound and Zoidberg. Yesterday's Kenavon show proved a very worthwhile first outing for the 'finished' layout and attracted a lot of interest. Especially welcome were the 3 or 4 guys who served their apprenticeship and/or worked there and were all willing to share very useful info on the outputs, wagon loadings and even the regular practicer of bagpipes! Many thanks guys! Lots of other positive comments from locals who remember the works. Good to know I've captured the look and feel of the place correctly. Earlier in the week I'd worked up and printed the method of operation (draw 5 wagon cards from the 8 in the hat), which proved successful - I think I went through about a dozen or more rounds of the 'game', occasionally swapping wagons in and out of the 'active' fleet of 8. This kept the operational side fresh and interesting. It also allowed me to invite other people to have a go. Operationally, the only niggle was the too-frequent stalling of the short-wheelbase locos (88DS and the Sentinel) across the single-slip, despite scrupulous wheel and track cleaning. I'll investigate how to resolve that, hopefully without pulling up any 'concrete' or track... And many thanks to Richard for the invite to the Kenavon show. 3 more outings already in the diary for the layout this year: 29 June WrecRail in Market Harborough 22 Sept Loddon Vale club's Earley show 29 Sept European Railway Association Edgbaston (in EpIV Deutsche Reichsbahn form as Lesen Signal Werke)

Earliest 350hp repaints into blue were around 1966/67, the standard at the time specifying a brown shade below the footplate. This only last a short while before black running gear became the standard for all subsequent repaints. As for the longevity of the earlier green... well, the last couple of green 08s (by now carrying TOPS numbers) didn't disappear until 1980! So I'd say in 1969 the majority of the 350hp fleet would still be in green, with wasp-striped ends. There were still a few hundred that gained TOPS numbers in the mid-1970s whilst still in green (and 1 still in pre-56 black!) , which were either repainted or withdrawn over the next 5 years leaving the remaining fleet in blue (barring one or two 'celebrity' repaints back into green - Stratford's 08531 being a fairly well-known example)

Those photos are rather interesting in that they show the post-war rebuilding of some parts of the works, not due to the attention of Herman's chaps, but a planned rebuilding to update some buildings and facilities. I think the loco is the 4-wheel petrol Simplex used until the 88ds #20 replaced it in the 1950s.

Turning to the layout itself, I realised I'd not got round to fitting the wheel stops at the end of each siding to prevent recalcitrant wagonry punching holes in the large corrugated shed at the end. I knew I had some US made whitemetal ones somewhere, but after a good rummage could only locate 1 pair. So I set to with the plasticard, scalpel, files and MEK to make my own. The body of the stop is 40 thou, 6 off 12mm x 5mm blanks were cut and then shaped together to ensure consistency, using one of the whitemetal ones as a visual guide. The 'legs' which sit over the rail are 12mm x 2mm strips of 10 thou. I'm not going to add the bolt detail, as it'll be hidden by the 'concrete' paving the track is inset into. A base coat of Humbrol Metalcote steel is drying now, then I'll dry brush some 'old rust' shade over and install.

With an exhibition fast looming for Reading Signal Works (Kevanon show in East Reading, next Saturday), my workbench is full of wagons being fettled ready. Fairly common in the various photos are cable drum carrier conversions of Bogie Bolsters. Those converted from BoBoL Cs and Prawns tended to have 4 or 5 cradles for cable drums, but this photo on Paul Bartlett's site caught my eye https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brbbe/h6ef72e05 A former BoBoL E, at Reading, with 2 cradles. A much more manageable project! A Lima 'YZA Brill' was located in the stash and buffers, bolsters and couplings removed. The bolster recesses in the floor were infilled with 10 thou plasticard. The drum cradles were fabricated from Evergreen 2mm channel and 2. 5mm angle, plus more 10 thou plasticard. I estimated dimensions and angles from photos, and think I got them about right. IMG_20190217_091451 by Alan Monk, on Flickr The side handrail stanchions are 1mmx1mm brass angle (left over from another project) with a 0.7mm handrail. The originals looked quite crudely done, so the slight lack of finesse isn't bothering me! I've retained the Lima bogies for now (as it's a quickie project) but I will replace in due course with the Cambrian or Stenson ones. IMG_20190217_105731 by Alan Monk, on Flickr Just need to paint and weather it before next Saturday!