Oldddudders

My great - or was it great-great? - grandfather played for Sussex and the MCC, even went to Oz, which took a bit of doing in the C19. Since then we haven't had much more interest in cricket than you have.

I'm sorry you have ongoing health problems, hope someone finds the magic treatment that gives you your life back. You are far too young to deserve such bad luck.

I think Eridge is pretty basic these days - my fault again - so great to see such a spacious reconstruction under way!

A lot of really good pictures there - and your tales of chasing trains when things go adrift are very readable!

One tiny hint, that you may or may not accept - in one or two shots you have used the zoom at its wider end, in order to squeeze all of the loco into the shot. This can produce a bit of a caricature, as in the shot of 2473 on the Bluebell. Better to stand further back and use the zoom on a slightly longer setting, where the "barrel distortion" reduces.

Delighted that you have found work again. I think I recall you had mentioned being in Social Services, as are my brother (Notts) and his wife (Derbys), and I do not underestimate what an effect such a job may have on you, but being out of work must be even worse.

Coincidentally in the last 24 hrs on here I mentioned DS1169 (which I saw from a passing Atlantic Coast Express a couple of times) in respect of plans to open a new station near Broad Clyst.

These are fine models to be building. Do not hide your light under any bushels, please!

Your project is a sort of senior-scale equivalent of Jim Smith-Wright's New Street, although his compromises are fewer, as I'm not aware he has "skipped bits" to make the design, but he shares your view that the doing is the pleasure, not the finished result. A 30-year project is quite some undertaking, but if the road is the joy, rather than the arrival, so be it. The prototype certainly has lots of interest, is very busy, will keep you equally tied-up, too! I hope it goes well, even though I will be pushing them up before you near completion......

100% with you. Said, sad anorak needs to get a life!

Funny that says Dixter, as I said.

A worthwhile prototype in a charming area - but I think you may find it is Dixter rather than Dexter! I think our first Border Collie came from a farm nearby.

I commiserate on the books. I find the more I get to know about a subject - not just railways - the more I need to know, so the more books get sought. With modelling, the devil is indeed in the details, so the more you know, the more confident you can be that someone else won't nuke your latest pride and joy by saying it wasn't like that!

Interesting that in an era when there are more alternatives to books than ever before - Internet, DVDs etc - we are buying them so keenly.

ISTR that BR's exhibition trains, including cinema coaches of course, were in the '70s and '80s based at - Fisherton Yard!

Interesting to note that despite some components being bought-in from bespoking suppliers, there is still an enormous modelling task involved in assembly to the required standard, and enabling the desired level of finish. 10k views of such a dramatic endeavour seems entirely reasonable - there will be a lot more as construction proceeds, because most of us ain't seen anything like it!

More mouth-watering stuff in 2mm. Impressed!

Southern Region in the '50s is pretty popular these days, so you are in good company here. Graham Muz runs a Southern Group on RMWeb, and you will be welcome there if not already a member. Your layout sounds as if it combines Wimbledon, Richmond and Ealing Broadway - and why not? Hope to see more of it in due course, at least on here, if not in the main forum, hopefully?

Size isn't everything, we're told! But this is magnificent, too!

Your persistent modesty only serves to highlight the fact that this is all about very effective modelling. Re-working indifferent models from decades back seems a most gratifying pursuit, especially with such fine results.

Kylesku remains one of my favourites!

Given that Rastrick was born in Morpeth, I suspect he'd regard this as a "canny" idea!

Enjoying? And so you should - it's brill!

What did we get up to when we were 13 I wonder, Larry?

No surprises here - it's simply as stunning in the partial-completion as it has looked in the conceptual and component phases. Delighted it's had an airing, so others might appreciate the enormity of your task, which was never in doubt here.

Well done, chaps!

Looks promising - the depot/exchange setting is unusual, and the main line is a main line! Which era are you aiming for?

That looks brilliant. The fact that it is in 2mm is not obvious, which says a lot about your skills. Be proud!

True civil engineering in miniature, surely. I remain enthralled.

Stunning!

No question - natural light has it for almost any sort of photography, as here.

Really quite glad I'm not the guy required to coal that high bunker on the tank loco. An elevator/conveyor would make life a lot easier!

A hotch-potch maybe - but unmistakably the Belle in real colours! Important to do little "how does it look?" exercises with a project of such vast scope - it keeps the motivation going to see just how good the final result will appear.