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"How good ARE the Brits ?" Sir they are are brilliant! Thank you for the videos which shows them as I remember hustling their way through East Anglia. However I recall the whistle sounding deeper in tone that the ne presently carried by the loco. Has it been changed? ( I have to say that had I been raised near the ECML I might have had different loyalties!) Martin Long

"Unfortunately I would say that 90% of our Club are RTR out of the Box, mint condition, and play for Metcalfe United." You have hit the nail on the head Andy and identified the reason why I no longer go to any of my local Model Railway Clubs these days. Despite the efforts of our Leader and others of his ilk, there seems to be little enthusiasm out there for extending one's skills or horizons. One club I know of has spent years re iterating the same theme with a large circuit with the dreadful Peco Streamline track upon which the latest products circulate. ( It has contributed thousands to the Peco bottom line!). No effort is put in to any improvement to the stuff out of the box in any way. This trend is prevalent even in the venerable MRC which is rapidly subsiding into this type of so called modelling where once it was the engine of change and betterment. Attendance there once was greatly enjoyed by being able to see a wide variety of models on the tracks in many scales most of which came from bits of metal or from kits put together with skill and enthusiasm and when I go these days there is nothing but a pile of Hornby or Bachman boxes, the contents of which circulate at great speed to the satisfaction of their owners. I sometimes despair of this trend especially when it morphs into "wish lists" of things like coaches in another livery etc. when it is possible to repaint them and otherwise enhance them as we have had ample demonstration here. Perhaps the imperative that we had in earlier years to try and make a Hornby R59 Brit into something that looked like one (which was achieved to great effect by the members of Bury St Edmunds MRC on their wonderful Broadland Railway.) has been annulled by the high standard the commercial models now routinely achieve. However, for me and I suspect many others who lurk here, this is not a type of modelling that I can respect. There has to be a large element of personal input which I fully accept can be frustrating and painful (picking up a soldering iron at the wrong end!), but the eventual satisfaction of creating something unique is priceless. I continue to look at this group as my MRC and greatly enjoy the diversity and talents displayed here. Martin Long

Wow the weathering shown here is just awesome. It certainly enhances the models. The Royal Scot looks so real and purposeful. They really are handsome locomotives. The coaches too are really super and look so much better for a bit of dirt and a "lived in" appearance. I never cease to be amazed at the talent and abilities shown by contributors to this topic. It is a wonderful spin off from a wonderful layout subject and it certainly helps me get some bright thoughts on these dark and dismal autumn days when there is not much else to cheer the spirit. Thank you all. Martin Long

A big thank you to all who have posted pictures of weathered stock. I think it proves the point that the models are enhanced by the treatment and look so much more realistic as a result of having the paint etc toned down. It can be overdone but you chaps seem to have it bang on! I also love the pictures of LB taken from the road looking up the embankment. They are so redolent of the time. Brilliant work. At a recent show I saw an amazing bit of kit being a vertical train storage unit which had the capacity to store several full trains using the space horizontally of just two tracks. (Barrie Walls years ago developed one for 0 scale which he called the multi storey train park.) Has anyone acquired one of these beasties? It would expand the number of trains available to LB train watchers considerably. Perhaps something to consider Tony when the Earnie Bonds pay out? Martin Long

Hi This was done a long while back by a chap called Derek Ascott who not only made a Q but also a Dean Goods from the Lima loco. The reveant articles are on the Gauge 0 Guild Gazette archive. Looking at it, I think it is a viable option and wel worth having a try out on it. Best of luck Martin Long

As ever I am vastly impressed with the expertise and modelling ability shown by the contributors to this thread. The recent pictures of the non corridor coaches were simply stunning and the coaches looked well "lived in" and certainly in the sort of condition that I remember them. The 9fs shown on here have also been brilliant with such subtle weathering too. Thank you all so much for sharing. On the subject of weathering, I have of late to offset the blues, been looking at French and German model railways and by this I mean the "model" railways as opposed to the large toy train sets that our overseas cousins seem to like. One thing which stands out is the fact that the modellers rarely weather their stock or indeed their layouts. When they do the results are really amazing and they stand four square with the best of ours like LB. I did ask a German modeller why folk there did not use weathering as a technique to enhance realism and he responded that having spent several hundred euros on a model nobody was going to risk that by dirtying it! To my mind if done correctly it enhances the model rather than devalues it. Suffice it to say that you folks here seem to be on the same wavelength and the models shown are really top drawer. My German friend would be staggered to see expensive models treated this way! Who said railway modelling is not an art form? Martin Long

A superb effort by all concerned. It is surely destined to be one of the premier layouts in 7mm in the country. I am so impressed with the dedication and the skills of the team producing this. Truly wonderful and thank you for sharing with us. Martin Long

As to the Brush in blue, I remember this well and it was the lighter blue (now seemingly called electric blue). Both the funny coloured ones were regulars around Ipswich in the sixties.ow there possibly was another one painted a darker blue which was seen around Cambridge in the 1970's. (My memory is not clear on that one. Was it a "test bed" for the all pervasive BR blue which followed? Certainly Tri-ang issued one painted that colour which had the cab window surrounds in white. The Cambridge one also had white window surrounds. Does anyone have further details of this beatie? (Did not then collect numbers and rarely did so even in steam days as I was too busy watching the engines!) Martin Long

Allan It was the former LNER and the loco is a class N2 0-6-2 tank. As it happens I am half way through modelling one of these. They worked in East Anglia but the examples we had were not the condenser fitted ones found in the metropolis. Now to me the N2 has to have condensing gear to look the part and I am minded to fit it to my one even though it would be working down to Harwich from Colchester. I even fitted an old Hornby Dublo one with condensing gear when I was about 17 and was so proud of it despite it being "short". A bit of a dilemma really. Martin Long

The sound topic is producing some thought provoking comments. Certainly the reference to a first train set with user sounds added was true for me. As most did in those times we started woth Hornby clockwork and that had plenty of noise with the tin track and the racket of the loco mechanism. In fact when I saw the late Jack Rays Crewchester in its spring drive days, I was amazed how quiet it was as I expected the rattles and crashes of my old Hornby stuff. Then when one graduated to (hopefully) Hornby Dublo , there was still a lot of noise from the metal wheels on metal track which again inspired comparison with the full size article. Even if you were of the poorer classes and had plastic Tri-ang stuff it still clattered over the rather poor rail joints of the often ill fitting grey track. So perhaps by association, I have long felt noise to be part of the model scene but not electronic sound as such. Wheel noise and mechanical noise is all part of the show. LB runs really well and perhaps could be deemed too quiet. However the lack of noise is compensated by the total realism and the ability to "lose" oneself in the landscape and just watch the beautiful trains pass by. Martin Long

Allan D. I was sorry to learn of the Bishops Castle disaster. I realise that you were working as a professional on the system but it must grieve you that all that work now is hidden from view with no body to enjoy it. I did see some pictures of the line a while back and I guess that the owner is a person of means which sadly most of us are not. Hence the overriding need to do it yourself if you want to do something which often ends in disappointment too. I console myself when the disasters happen that by challenging myself I am helping to ward off dementia and other nasty things which modelling seems to help allay. (Interesting letter about this in latest MRJ). Tony G. you are right when you say that the sounds are in your head as I too replay the noises as the loco backs onto its train and couples up and makes the brake etc.. However that works for those of us who saw and heard these operations in our salad days. What of those following who never had the chance? (The banging and crashing of the local goods yard way onto the night.) Steam sound is not for me. It sounds too "electronic" and the operator has to be really skilled to get the coasting and coupling rod clanks etc right. It wirks better with diesels but again requires some skill to evoke the noises made by the real beasts. At a recent exhibition I went to there was a depot layout which had about 20 locos all chuntering away. The noise was deafening and made me pass on as it was just too much to stand and watch the operations. The V2 Tony is stunning and fully captures the elegance of the original. Would that they had worked in East Anglia rather than the GE/GN Joint! Martin Long

Last week there was a show in our village which, as well as the customary produce, had a section for handicrafts and the like. I have just finished a model of a class L1 which has taken over three years in elapsed time so I thought I would enter it. Here it is (I hope). I was pretty proud of the beast but as ever pride comes before a fall and I did not get a prize being beaten by a bit of cross stitch! I think the judge was a lady who has no soul for trains. Martin Long

Gosh this topic is getting highly technical. (I am writing as one who is having great difficulty getting the polarity to change correctly on some points I have built using copperclad sleepers in a vary restricted area so much so that I am one step away from binning it all!) May I say how much I am enjoying the esteemed Mr Downes' contributions. They make me laugh and that is most welcome on these dark days. The recent pictures of LB are just great and it is becoming the sort of model that I would love to have albeit in the wrong scale for me.( No disrespect - I just could not see the smaller stuff.) This was emphasised by a visit to a local exhibition yesterday where there were some wonderful examples of modelling if you were a seagull! For the life of me I cannot see why we get upset over correct brake gear etc when all we see is the tops of locos and rolling stock. It is not always possible to bend down to see the detail either if the show is crowded. Martin Long

Gents This thread never ceases to amaze with its erudition. Being an army type, I had little interest in the Andrew and I have learned a lot from the Jutland gallop. All very interesting indeed. I have also greatly enjoyed a film on you tube shot by our leader of the great Retford model railway surely one of the best around these days. Thank you for making it available. The running seems as good as that seen on LB and it is indeed a rare treat to see trains running at full tilt over the complex pointwork. It is noticeable that the realism is enhanced by the low camera angle which makes the models appear at eye level which is surely their best aspect. Try as I might I cannot get enthusiastic about seeing coach roofs and wagon tops as that is not a view I am familiar with. I ask what the point is of putting brake gear etc and detailing underframes when in practice we do not see them except in cruel static close up shots? The near the model is raised to eye level the better one appreciates the realism. Could we have some more Retford please? Martin Long

I am presently in Germany staying with family. The hobby here seems to be in good order with a lot of local model shops and a lot of interest. There does not seem to be too many kits around and those that are are very highly priced. The RTR is well detailed and runs well but again is expensive. Young folk seem to be interested too. So why are we all pessimistic? I have several children all grown up who were nurtured with model railways and not one of them is interested in getting involved in the hobby. I also feel the day of the loco kit is numbered as the ability to make a decent fist of their construction which , as has been mentioned here, is all down to confidence on the part of the constructor. Gents let us enjoy it while we can! Good to see you at Southwold Tony. It was as you say a high quality show with some stunning stuff on display. Martin Long

Mention is made by the great leader of "threepenny bit" or new pound coin "curves" which are detrimental to good running. Now I have to confess that getting yard lengths of track to form a perfect curve when linked together is a total black art! The only way I can see of doing it is to extract the rail and run it through a bending machine so the curve is constant when re placed in the sleepers or soldering several lengths together before curving them. As this is a major problem on my outside line (due to movements caused by temperature etc.) I would love to know how you experts manage this one! Martin Long

Thank you for the wagon pictures. As you point out, the steel 16 ton types stand out in their newness which is how I remember them. I recall being very attracted to the Hornby Dublo model released in the 1950s as it looked so real (not being printed tin as the other wagons were). In one of the Meccano Magazines of the time, there was a picture of a train of these hauled by the then ubiquitous not quite and N2. I so wanted to have a train like that! It would have taken all my pocket money for the next 15 years! How lucky we were not to have credit cards then! The picture of the K2 shows how most locos looked in those days. The monochrome image conveys more about the state of the weathering than a colour one does. On the subject of "real" miles run by model locos, my friend Mr Walls reckons his A3 "Pretty Polly" has run several hundred miles. It has also worn out various parts in the process,He finds now that on the older models it is the motors that are giving up the ghost. I guess some of Roy Jackson Locos can attest to a similar mileage. I do not give much for the chances of modern models with plastic underframes lasting long without major wear but then I guess many hardly turn a wheel in anger these days as they sit in their boxes awaiting a return on the owners "investment!" I love the diversity of this topic. What lovely chaps you all are! Martin Long

Having spent an hour cleaning the wheels on a B17 loco caused me to wonder about the chore. On a big system like LB or Retford with masses of locos and rolling stock, this could become a never ending pastime! Just keeping the track clean would be a major undertaking. Is there any tips please on either task which obviously works on both layouts as the running is first class. (Presumably metal wheels on all stock is a prime requirement) Please enlighten me as to how it is done. Martin Long

Cor interesting stuff here again chaps. I liked the pictures of the A3's which shows their classic lines. I was rather surprised to see that they all had the large tenders.I thought the GC ones were always GN tender types (not that I know much as I only saw a few at KX and P'boro very late on). One of my guides and mentors in the LNER world was annoyed that the new Hattons production did not include a GN tender type which he avers would be more useful as they were seen in other areas. How many of the LB A3s have the GN tender? (As it happens I have a GN tender but no loco for it so Hattons may well provide the solution. Trouble is it is too big for my layout!) Martin Long

Gentlemen Something for the brains trust. I have the sad task of disposing of some models following the passing of a dear friend. One of them was a super model which had been professionally painted and worked like a charm. The finish included the brake blocks being painted a rusty colour and other small touches which both the late owner and I thought added to the model. (I have never seen a loco with black shiny break blocks. The ones in the store at Bridgnorth are rusty before they are fitted!) However the potential purchaser on looking at this exclaimed that the model had been weathered and as such was not as marketable as if the brakes had been painted black! If this is true, then it to me reflects a perception of perfection which never existed. Now I like seeing models that look workmanlike and purposeful such as those that grace LB. They are entirely believable. Am I in a minority here or do you chaps feel that models should be pristine just out of the works paint shop with no fire set in the firebox? Martin Long

Thank you for the pictures of the wonderful 2mm models. It just goes to show that fine detail is not the prerogative of the larger scales. All kudos to the builders involved. I have to say that I am very tempted by 2mm as a change from the big stuff. It would mean I could do a bit in the house and not in a cold garage which on a winter's day, is infinitely more preferable. I have to confess to acquiring the 2mm starter kit at a recent show and who knows it may be the start of something new? However the baseline is that the source "N" scale products are not in themselves "cheap" and when added to the costs of re wheeling etc. 2mm is decidedly an expensive option and one which demands a high skill set. There have been some wonderful pictures here of late. It helps to keep the enthusiasm going which is not easy at the moment for me. Thank you to all who put the inspirational pictures on the thread for us all to enjoy. Martin Long

I have some sympathy with folk who have purchased built up kits in good faith only to find that they are not the locos they thought they were buying. It is not always possible to try before you buy and the prices being obtained must reflect the high risk factor involved when trading at a distance. I made some shockers in days gone by and would not sell them but i\ gave them away to folk who reckoned to be able to improve them. I really feel that made up kits (unless done by a real expert) should not command a premium as surely the fun has been in the making rather than the result or have I got it the wrong way round? Having said that the A1's on here are really something else and really look the business. I remember using glue to try and make Wills and K's kits. They would disassemble without warning! My main claim to fame in the 1960s was I was the only person around who managed to get a K's ROD to work! My nadir was a Cornard Models B17 which defied all efforts to make it together. The boiler was not round and the firebox sides were so thin you could almost stick a finger nail through them. (I never saw one built other than the one described by one Mr Evans in the MRC - but did it work?) I hope we will now see lots of pictures of Cornard Models products still going strong! Martin Long

Even though I am a committed GE type. I have to say the the Great Central locos have a grace and elegance that is hard to resist. Who cannot be impressed by a Jersey Lily in full GCR livery. (They even looked good in LNER green). Sadly I never saw one for "real" but have seen the preserved examples few though they be. As to the A1's well you cannot have too many in my opinion. Again handsome and well proportioned and purposeful. Again I wish that I could justify one on my line! Having so many on the books means that Tony will soon be able to offer spotters days when we can all sit with our noses looking over the tracks with our ABCs and individual fruit pies! That would be something! (At the recent GCR show there was a chap collecting numbers on one of the better stocked layouts so the interest is there!) Thanks for the memories. Martin Long

The pictures from the helicopter over LB showing the freights were top class! There cannot be too many layouts where the fast goods can whizz by the slow one like that. How prescient the pilot was to spot such an opportunity! The A4's also superb. There was a reference earlier to locos "waddling" along the track. This was not unknown and I can recall the WD's particularly proceeding with a crabbing motions as the power was applied from each cylinder. I have also seen the same motion on B1's (to a lesser extent) and K2s. It was down to wear more likely with them. So a bit of movement when the loco is running is not a real issue in my opinion. I have been told by ex footplate crews that Gresley pacifics "rode like a coach" but could also get bad when running up for mileage shopping. It is such a shame that so many today will never be able to witness such things again. Martin Long

Dear Killybegs Did you ever see the CDR in its prime? Another modelling idea of mine that bit the dust eons ago. I have to say that your approach is a good one if your wonderful Brit is anything to go by. I found it inspirational and totally redolent of the big green engines that I loved as a lad (and still do - I have models in 2/3/4 and 7mm). Regards Martin L.