glo41f

Gents I am impressed with all these admissions of modelling on the go. Well doe to you all. I am in awe of folk who can produce models to a very high standard seemingly in a matter of days if not hours. For my sins I have not accomplished much as it has been too cold and dark to get involved in the shed. I do have a half done B17/5 which is proving to be a bit of a beast and I have been backdating a 05 shunter to the condition that they first were when running around Ipswich docks which has proved interesting and is something that can be done indoors. Though I am lucky to have a shed (compared with some who have nothing), I really envy those who have a modelling space which is warm and dry and comfortable. I think the term Modern Image has had its day. For me the current railway scene has little to offer with loads of similar EMUs rushing about. Efficient yes but souless. I too went through the corporate blue days when the "steam" era infrastructure was still in place and wagons were shunted in yards by large diesels. They do have a certain amount of charm too and in modelling terms they seem to be more reliable than steam outline models with better pickup and transmission systems. I can understand the attraction of N scale when you can almost have a long freightliner to scale (if you have eyes good enough to see it!). The hobby will always have a wide divergence of views and opinions and that is a great part of its attraction. Please do not spoil it by trading insults chaps. Martin Long

Greatly enjoyed this issue certainly one of the better ones. Always have a lot of respect for Jas Millhams work and the info on buildings is very clear and concise. Though the rest of you seem to enjoy Mrs Trellis's missives, I find them annoying and would rather the space was taken up with some "real" comments on issues raised or readers opinions. To have a resume each issue of the previous one is in my view a waste of a precious page. Why do the editors put up with this or are the rest of you laughing so much that you do not care? Martin

Perhaps Stoke Summit in some respects " broke the mould" for model railways in its day in that it did not have stations (of necessity foreshortened) or any other reference points to take the focus away from the trains which were running. It was the embodiment of time spent at the lineside in those halcyon days where seemingly the sun was always shining and school was a log way off. (I was usually at Westerfield bank on the East Suffolk line but I would like to have been at Stoke!) You never knew exactly what was coming next in those days. The trains also ran real distances at speed not ten feet into a fiddle yard only to return in three minutes. I first saw it at Ipswich I believe, when it was pretty new and I regret that I did not get to watch it much as I was duty dog in the catering area of the exhibition and those who have done this know that there is no let up in that department! As a concept it is timeless and as an exhibit it delivers what the public and the enthusiasts want. Those layouts which have followed the concept have mostly all been successful as, when it comes to the final analysis, we all like to watch trains running by! That is why successors like Holiday Haunts, Gamston Bank, The Summit etc are all so popular and fondly remembered. They deliver what we secretly want but feel too cowed by the High Fidelity Mafia to actually build! Martin Long

I can recall seeing the GW locos at Basingstoke though I only personally saw "Halls". One was shining the other very scruffy. Otherwise they are rare and exotic birds as far as I was concerned, I did see a very shiny Castle from the underground as we were running into Paddington and did not believe all that polished brass! You have a fine selection there and thy look a lot better for your ministrations to them. Martin Long

Nice D11 but does it have brakes? We used not to worry about such things in days of yore but their omission now is immediately noticeable. Those old kits were a gentle way of introducing us into the world of modelling and it was good too as the result stood direct comparison with the commercial models then available. Using established mechanisms was also a master stroke as the extra body weight made the works perform a whole lot better. We did not care about wheel spokes crank pin throws or even brakes and we just glad to have something that looked like what it was supposed to. Are we any happier now with the high fidelity models with all the bits that fall off when handled? Thanks to that nice Mr Gee, I have been able to see and operate Buckingham which was a great thrill. I always felt that Grandborough junction was a super layout even though rather contrived to fit the space. It can get very intense there when 3 trains arrive together. PD was a genius and he was also very fortunate to have a life calling which allowed a lot of modelling time something that most of us in out careers lacked. Thank you for the pictures and the memories. Do you have any more classic layout pictures tucked away in the Wright archives that we may be treated to? Martin Long

Gents I am loving this burst of nostalgia and tales of youth and happy times before it all went wrong! Being in East Anglia, we lost our steam quite early but I was able to visit the Southern often thanks to family there and I agree with our leader that Bulleid Pacifics in whatever form are really marvellous machines. I am delighted that so many are still around today. I have two on the go as projects and I have been defeated by the brake gear which is fiendishly clever and hopefully effective but in model terms is a source of great frustration and short circuits! I would happily model the lines of the Southern but really have too much committed to the Eastern to consider changing at this late stage. I suppose we of that era were doubly fortunate in that we could go to any of the main systems and see things of interest and that includes the likes of Fenchurch Street and Broad Street which never hosted glamorous machines. As has been mentioned, we had very little in material things in those days and out dads did not all have cars and our homes did not have very good heating. We were not the poorest by any means but I only managed Tri-ang trains though I craved Hornby Dublo. (Where did Trix Twin come out in this as no body ever mentions them. Perhaps they were just too crude cf their original Gresley Pacific.) Please keep the memories and pictures coming. It is snowing outside and I crave the comfort of the memories you are evoking! Martin Long

Stevenage was an excellent affair and congratulations to those involved on such a high calibre of exhibits. The winning layout has huge similarities to Kevin Wilson's Bucks Hill with seemingly identical track plans. I was impressed with the smooth operation especially when a loose coupled freight was backed into the goods yard over the main running lines. The 2mm brigade were really on form with two exquisite layouts either of which could have taken the cup in my view. I spoke to a couple of traders I knew who were not happy at the business they had done but they were specialists rather than "box shifters". One said he would not bother going there again. Arun Quay is a work of art and though simple in concept the execution is magnificent and well up to the high standards already set by Gordon Gravett. I came away inspired and in awe of some of the skills on display. I was also impressed at the techies at MERG and what they have produced for the hobby. LB could have a fully automated fiddle yard with auto selection of trains allowing our leader to sit at the front controls and conduct the great display! All done with wiggly amps and little boxes. To re-inforce what has already been written here, there were several uncompleted kits for sale. A Wills Schools class complete with wheels for £40 must have been the best buy but there were others of a similar nature. Are the kit builders giving up and selling on? There were some veritable dinosaurs with original K's kits seeming untouched which goes to show that the ability thing discussed here is nothing new! Lots of cheap Gresley coaches too for those who wish to use them for other purposes. Just as well I am not of the 4mm persuasion as it could have been an expensive day! Martin Long

"In my view, the problem with loco kits (even good ones) has always been 'aspiration over ability'. I'm reliably informed that over 90% of loco kits are never finished satisfactorily. They lie abandoned in dusty boxes, a testament to their builders' 'inabilities'. As kit prices (inevitably) rise, so does that cost of failure, and we have an increasing-in-diameter vicious circle." There in a nutshell is the dilemma we have. I have witnessed this issue many times in my association with modelmaking and not only with railways bit also with aircraft and maritime modelling. The problem with railways is that the money figures tend to be higher. It would be a brave person to tell any fellow modeller that in your opinion his abilities are not up to the standard that this kit demands. I would suggest that even the most tactful of us would find that difficult. Superimposed on this is the fact that basic skills are not taught in schools these days and, though I and others did not have schooling in woodwork or metalwork, we learned things from fathers and other relatives. These days these sources are probably clueless too. As a "policy" I hope to be able to get my small grandson equipped to be confident with tools and hopefully make things but he may be more interested in his electronic gizmos like his older cousin. I aspire to a fully signalled scenic section of the GE main line. This is not matched by my ability! Martin Long

"One thing which construction of this kit has brought home to me is how relatively expensive things like this DJH Pacific are these days. Complete with a motor/gearbox (supplied by DJH) it's over £240.00. That doesn't include wheels, thus, at current prices that would take the total to not far off £300.00; maybe more by the time consumables, 'plates, paint and so on were purchased. Though there isn't an RTR A2/3, what's an 'equivalent' Bachmann A2 cost? Probably half the price of this kit? Graeme King's conversion then makes very good sense. However, I much prefer metal bashing, but were I making this on commission, with a professional paint finish, it'd be into four figures to the customer. " There surely is the nub of the problem. With prices that high who (apart from our leader and his acolytes), is going to venture that sort of money on something which is not guaranteed to have an acceptable outcome being dependant upon the skill or lack of it of the purchaser? I feel that we are witnessing the end of an era which may in future be called the whitemetal era which was superseded by the etched era followed by the 3d/cad print era. Martin Long

Could you not re-chassis the old ones and use Romford/Markits wheels? That would allow more weight in the large bodies. I really like the LNs though I rarely saw one as the SR was nearly all Bulleids in the time I was watching. (I have seen the preserved one a lot though.) They have a purposeful look about them and the exhaust sound is really good when they get working. I was surprised at the work necessary on the "gate" stock. Given the price of these should they not have been "right" at the start? Anyway thank you for the pictures and the information. In awe of your productivity. Martin Long

I feel for the LN's having given good service being threatened with extinction! It is early days yet and the promised new offering may not be as good as what you have and they certainly look the part! Martin Long

Nice to see the picture of the boat train. I used to see it leave Ipswich at 8.15 ish most mornings on the way to school. It was an Ipswich shed job though the loco was a Parkeston one. The Parkeston crew took it to Ipswich and were relieved there. The Ipswich crew came off at Sheffield but in the old days they worked through to Manchester. The train was one of the last steam jobs in the area as I was at that school in 1959 (all steam) and finished in 1966 (all diesel). It was a fascinating time but I have to 'fess up and say that then the new diesels were just as appreciated if not more so than the steamers! I always wanted to go on the boat train as the coach destination boards had all sorts of places thereon which I had little or no knowledge of. I did eventually make it when doing an audit in Manchester but by then the route was via Nottingham and the Hope Valley line which was not the same as the Woodhead route of yore. Martin Long

Thank you for the picture of the lovely blue A3. They really looked good in that livery. Sadly I never saw one for real but it really suits them on all the models that I have seen. It is a pity that the colour scheme was dropped by BR very early on. I am not so sure on the more purple blue that was used on the A4s though. (Could a blue loco be seen running through LB one day?) I have always thought that Leicester had a marvellous operation as far as the GC was concerned and would loved to have seen it. I spent ages once looking at the layout and trying to see how it could be adapted for a model. There is huge potential there which even includes GW locos getting in on the act. Colin Walkers excellent photos show the activity there very well. I wonder if we would be spending vast amounts on HS2 if the GC still survived? It was surely the most "sinned against" railway in the UK having been one of the most forward looking. Sad that so little remains now. Martin Long

What is it with Clubs? "I fought tooth and Nail to no avail with our Clubs Layout, but the old Guard, Triang / Hornby Dublo RTR Boys said they couldn't run fast enough on track with a bend in it???????? I was out numbered by about 11 to 1 and this is the result, AWFUL." . I too have found this in my limited time with local model railway clubs. On considering a new project or layout we always had to be mindful of members who had models dating back to the Ark with huge flanges and suspect back to back wheels. We thus had to use awful track rather than something more modern and state of the art. I used to suggest that we had a test track for these chaps which was often done but they still persisted in running their outdated stuff on the "new" set up. I now only belong to one club mostly for the social aspects and the old guard are still a major presence there. At one time a club I was involved with bit the bullet and hand built track and points which for the time looked very good. It all was ruined when a member insisted on running his old stuff with steamroller wheels which effectively wrecked the flangeways. This is why I have very little to do with clubs subsequently as they generally lack the vision amongst the members to "push the envelope" or try to improve. I would have loved to belong to a group striving to do just that but alas it never happened and is unlikely to now. Had an interesting look around one of the better model shops yesterday on a visit and was rather taken aback by the prices of the RTR items. Martin Long

Thank you for the pictures of the L1's. They were very familiar to me as my home town shed Ipswich had a whole clutch of these which worked the Felixstowe branch amongst other duties. They did rattle and bang a lot when running, in fact, once in the family car returning from Felixstowe in the dark, my dad thought the car had a problem only to be overtaken by an L1 on the parallel railway track such was the noise it was making. Interestingly I had an ECJM L1, the masters for which were made by Gerry Brown, and when it was at the MRC, Frank Dyer had his model which was scratch built and a few inches longer in scale terms! Never knew whose L1 was correct. The backscenes topic has produced some stonking examples of what is possible. Some are truly awesome and really confuse the brain into believing the depth of the view. It goes to prove the oft quoted opinion that when done well, model railways are an art form where the subjects also move. Certainly there is more to it than pure model engineering. The larger scale followers do not seem to make much effort to "scenify" their layouts focusing instead on the model locomotives. I much prefer the approach illustrated here where we are projecting the railway in its landscape. Martin Long

Thank you for the pictures of the P2's. Very impressive machines and beautifully crafted form the base model. I think I prefer the variant with the A4 nose but both are object lessons on how to get the best out of standard commercial offerings. Lovely work and beautifully finished. How fortunate we are that we will hopefully see one running again in the future. Good to see 2017 end on another variation namely caravans, motor homes and driving. We do get through some topics here do we not? I spent the festive period reflecting on my modelling and the future thereof. At the moment I am in the doldrums though still fiddling about with the odd locomotive. (in fact I have 7 at various stages of undress!). My layout is now too large for me to manage so it has to go for something that I can handle more easily. The width I have is a tad over 8 feet which rather precludes gracious curves in 7mm, so the temptation is very strong to do a final 4mm opus which will work in the space available. I will be looking hard at the forthcoming shows at Stevenage and Bristol to see what could be done. Whatever happens personally, I draw great pleasure from this thread and the comments contained therein. On being invited to put down pet hates on model layouts by out leader I came up with a list and then thought better of it. Yes it is true that some layouts are sort of pastiches of the real railways they seek to portray but then they reflect one person's take on the situation and really who am I to criticise this? I personally prefer fully signalled, "proper" operation with appropriate headlamps etc. but then I am a sad old fusspot and when you go to model shows as like as not, the biggest attractions are the "Thomas" or Lego railways or the vintage tinplate stuff which always has a large crowd watching it. I try to look for something of merit within all models and reflect on whether I can do better to which the answer is probably not! Martin Long

Kingfisher looks lovely a real credit to you and indeed to Hornby as the basics look right. Interesting gallop on tractors caravans and the like yet another topic for the record. You never know what is going to pop up here! I have spent a lot of time recently looking at old magazines. I used to regularly read and avidly look forward to the Meccano Magazine in the 1950's/60.s. It had everything in it that a lad could want except I never had enough pieces to make the models featured therein. On the railway front they often published pictures of readers layouts and almost without exception they were all circular ones of the train set type. Did anyone try to create a model railway in those times using Dublo products? Love these pictures of trains running through LB. Surely carriages would ride at differing heights due to load, springs and other "odd" factors. The bottom line is that the trains look wonderful as they whoosh past so who notices? Martin Long

You never cease to amaze with the swift production of this magnum opus. You write that it is going to be taken to exhibitions but that will be a major undertaking and require detailed planning as well as a large vehicle. Your locos will run "real" miles and perhaps wear will become an issue over time. It is a fantastic effort and hopefully will be an excellent ambassador for the hobby wherever it goes. Martin Long

Love the pictures of the line up of the various locos at LB. It must have required a total possession order on behalf of the publicity department to get that lot sorted! Lots of interesting special notices to the signalmen involved too. Some of the locos seem to have escaped Works Grey after assembly too. Perhaps more shots such as these could be forthcoming on themes like all A4's or A1's and such (I am sure you get the drift). Now that the possession orders have been done it is mere a matter of regenerating them! Happy New Year to all Threadsters! Martin Long

Back in the days when I was in 4mm (Which may soon be repeated), I made some acceptable Gresley GE "shorties" from the then Hornby offerings. I recall cutting the sides from the ends and then re arranging the various sides to make what was then considered to be a very acceptable result. I guess it would be possible to do the same again and the coaches are seemingly abundant on the second hand stalls. Martin Long

Regarding the Kirk coaches, Ian Kirk is a very approachable and affable man. I have passed many a pleasant hour with him. I cannot say if he passed the rights of the 4mm coaches on when he concentrated on 7mm but it would be worth emailing him to ask. He spends a lot of time away so just do not expect a quick reply! Martin Long

By contrast with our leaders manifold achievements in 2017, I regret that I can report very little. I have been involved in a spiral of doubt and discouragement and perhaps misplaced effort which has permeated my modelling ambitions. I have also had other things thrust upon me such as clearing two late friends estates which have taken an inordinate amount of modelling time, I have to confess that I have oftimes thought of giving up on 7mm as the space and money tied up in my efforts would get me a very long way in another scale! However, I am always cheered and encouraged by visiting this thread and particularly the wonderful pictures that are posted here. Thank you so much. Martin Long

Thank you for posting the film on the Streamliners. Some of the archive footage shown was most interesting. I hate to say it but I gained a respect for the streamlined duchess which hitherto I have regarded as rather bulbous and ugly. I hope the proposed backdating of LB will enable at least one of the streamlined sets to be seen and who knows perhaps Mallard herself on that run! A lovely interlude on an otherwise nondescript day. One thing no white roofs on the LNER standard stock in the film. Martin Long

The A1 is super. You must be torn between all those you have available' Which one is the favourite for the train of the day? What a fortunate chap to have the choice. Since it is that time of year, the compliments of the Season to all who lurk on this thread. What a year we have had discussing RN ships, Classic cars and a multiplicity of other topics not railway related. Let us hope for a similar eclectic mix in 2018. Thank you everyone. Martin Long

I just loved the video film. Thank you so much for providing some welcome cheer on a cold and damp day here in the East. I also thought I spotted a new loco perhaps "Silver Ghost". What a marvellous system LB is and the operation is absolutely spot on. The viewer is totally absorbed into the picture and not even the curves at the ends detract from the overall impression of watching a real railway in those wonderful times (well they were for railway types not so sure about everyone else!) What was really impressive is that there is no sense of seeing a small scale model. The eye is convinced that the railway is real. Only a lack of exhaust detracts from the illusion. Truely a craftsman at the top of his craft (as indeed are all the others who have helped make it all happen.) Fantastic! Martin Long