StuartMc

The photographer figure you found might be Martin Brent's self portrait, in the video he said the one on Arcadia/Rye harbour is a historically accurate (for the time) representation of himself - so maybe you found either the same figure or maybe a re-creation? That would be a lovely touch if it is!

Thanks, that's all great (and correct) - I have just finished reading issue 281! The change of address was explained in the Editorial: "the loss of our [Didcot] premises through the sad closure of our landlord's business".

Love the bark - very convincing.

Great to see it moving forward - the scale of the project is so massive I have to keep reminding myself that it's not OO gauge!

Anyone know what the current subscription price for MRJ direct from Cygnet is? I assume this address is still current: Cygnet Magazines 1-3 Hagbourne Rd Didcot, OX11 8DP Tel: 01235 816478

I remember seeing both guises of Martin Brent's Arcadia/Rye Harbour layouts back in the day, and am surprised that there doesn't seem to be any photos of this exquisite and inspirational layout on the internet at all. [I hope this isn't a repost as this is a very long thread...] Then I came across this, a video of a TV show which featured the latter. Brings back memories of those 80s exhibitions. There here would often be just one or two layouts that I found absolutely captivating. Lochside by Ian Futers was the other one that really springs to mind.

Also if you want a Harry Potter train that looks a bit better than the rather insufficient 2 coaches that in the set, there's a nice pre-order deal at KMS on a six coach set... might a bit more track to do it justice, though https://www.kmsrailtech.co.uk/advent-deals/6002-hogwarts-express-train-set-r1234m-plus-4-additional-coaches.html I added just 2 coaches to the 2 coach N gauge set we had running round our desks at work, and it made a huge difference in terms of how it looked.

Hogwarts Express for £130 using 20% off code "EXTREME20" https://www.iwantoneofthose.com/toys-cars-trains/harry-potter-hogwarts-express-model-train-set/12642514.html Might start a few young'ns onto the modelling path.

I think weathering is the best "bang for the buck" in terms of making a convincing model, and that model absolutely nails it!

I hope that works out for you, great way of easing into the layout! Great way of having terminus and through running. The only thing I would consider doing differently is maybe simplifying the 1st version of the fiddle yard to just a couple of points on a tiny board or even just one point so two sidings for the terminus and 1 siding and a through track on the loop. You might find you might need something different when you get the full layout built (e.g. length of sidings, number of trains stored, etc etc) so if you build the station part before the full fiddle yard you'll have a better idea. Or you might even decide a second station in place of the fiddle yard would give you more operational scope. And if you want to have a quick running session with a couple of trains you wouldn't need to bother putting up the large fiddle yard.

I'm not sure if I'm the only one but I find not just the scenic section of a layout fascinating, but also everything around the layout - the wiring under the board - looking into fiddle yards to see how they are made and how they operate - seeing a layout in a room, shed or exhibition enviornment (I think it makes it more real in a way than a set of disembodied pictures).

"O" gauge "Llay Main" Private Owner opens 1/3 off: https://railsofsheffield.com/products/40622/Dapol-7f-080-019-o-gauge-8-plank-llay-main-wagon-no-952 same but weathered: https://railsofsheffield.com/products/40623/Dapol-7f-080-019w-o-gauge-8-plank-llay-main-wagon-no-952-weathered-edition-

I noticed with amusement this letter in a 1995 Model Railway Illustrated - clearly this same debate has been going on for 25 years!

I have two O Gauge wagons - one from a kit and one RTR (which I weathered) - I can't honestly say that the RTR one is the inferior one I like making kits but it is the new wave of RTR that make this a great time to model O Gauge if you just want to have great looking models that are relatively affordable. I hope build a small shunting plank and it's great not to have to wait months or years to build up enough stock to run on it.

I ordered from C&L a few weeks back and (as I was warned at the time) it took a while - but it arrived in due course and I was very happy with the service. Very pleasant telephone manner, too.

Unless you are running a sparse timetable for a backwater station, I think the latter idea, with "cosmetic" second running line to make the station double track would look a lot more convincing for effectively no extra work or space. It think the two lines would need to run parallel to look convincing. You could even model a p.w. gang or similar on that line, which would explain why trains need to take the wrong line out of the station - presuming they would use a theoretical off-stage crossover. Or you could rely on the fact that individual train routes through station exists are sometimes convoluted so no one will take much notice anyway! Stuart

Not really relevant to the discussion, but it was lovely watching the one running Newmarket to Cambridge on Monday in the brilliant sunshine - just past the former junction at Six Mile Bottom.

I thought that was real when I first saw the picture! I think it's that every effective rust effect on the handrail and also the composition of the picture. Absolutely exquisite!

Last picture to show the reason for the close cropping

Hi Will, sorry to hear of your loss and hope you can get a satisfactory resolution to this! Anther option to the above would be to try specialist shops which, such as Rails of Sheffield and Hattons https://railsofsheffield.com/wanted https://www.hattons.co.uk/list/eventdetails.aspx?eventid=81 There are quite a few adverts along this line in the railway press - there is a free sample issue of British Railway Modelling here https://pocketmags.com/british-railway-modelling-magazine/mar-2020 which you can see more "we buy adverts" (e.g. page 163). Stuart

When I see pictures like this I'm not sure if I want to operate the model trains there or move there!

"Dr Dummy Details" is a great name to register with!

Free sample issue (digital) of British Rail Modelling Magazine https://pocketmags.com/british-railway-modelling-magazine/mar-2020 Also free are: "Forgotten Branch Lines and Byways", "British Rail - The blue & grey years" and an issue of "Traction" magazine.

Update to my previous reply, (which reported that it was still there in 2014) - we went for a lovely, long walk in the area today and it's still there now, although looking very much the worse for wear... it is in Ashdon at the end of Fallowdon Lane, just where it splits into two private drives.

I'm just waiting for my O Gauge track parts to arrive and start working in this scale, but here's a tip I read in an old thread that works great in 4mm and I'm going to try in 7mm: when making bends in rails, a quick way is to to support the track (2 sleepers or scraps of rail works well), place a screwdriver blade on the track in the right place and tap it with a light hammer. Very easy and accurate and gives a nice crisp bend that you can adjust afterwards. You can apparently press with a round bar if you need a radius rather than an angle (e.g. for knuckle bends).