Madcaravanner

Whilst I actually follow this photographer There are lots of brilliant photographs of locomotives the photo's of rolling stock are sparse and lacking but that's the bits we modellers need there are some photo's there that tantalisingly show TTV's Container traffic and of course the Blue/grey coaching stock But look closely at some of the freights with vans of differing heights at roof line giving away their origins and the older hopper waggons of the LNER still running in the late 60's

I have used both the eco and Hornby surface mounted motors both are neat but I prefer to mount a SEEP motor on a plinth with a thin nylon draw bar then hide it in a building close to the trackside This is it prior to covering the draw bar with a piece of plastic and then surface dressing with scenics

WHY ? does your glass have to have it's edges treating so that they are visible I am not familiar with your layout yet but I would be hiding the edges at least 2-5 cm under the scenics so any edge is safely hidden I know our local glass merchant will ask IF you need the edges or not although Toughened glass is rather sharper than most normal glass edges

I must be one of the rare folk then I'm modelling in the 60's at the end of steam with Maroon and blood and custard and when I find a few BLue /Grey too Departmentals in Red and Yellow and Green wagons but not Dutch Loco's - Steam are filthy and diesels are cleaner Wagons are mostly wood but with a few new builds (TTV's to start) Signals mostly semaphore but going to have an odd few colour lights

Just read all 6 pages so far posted A/ I'm jealous of your workshop (no lather /blowgun or really heavy metal working kit B/ .......................................... Ok a question Where would I find a decent drawing with dimensions of how to make generic LMS signals - in wood as well as tube Got a simple reason I want to make a representation of the Up platform starter signal from Chesterfield Midland ) shows which I mean I would have loved to have been able to have this when it was decommissioned - we got the signal box signs but they chainsawed this up before anyone had the chance to say stop So I'm looking for dimensioned drawings And I'm going to keep on reading

No experience of the 2BIL but all my recent new buys of Hornby rolling stock has pin point axles if that isa help to you

Err the 29 bidders don't think so one of only 200 and double motored that ought to be run but bet it isn't

In running condition -- that is with the chimney in the down position it is no higher than a coach or closed van but I will pop into the loft and get a reading for it

Actually I think this is still in force as on those days when I do see a crane in the Doncaster -Toton 6X0x run through Chesterfield it's always at the front of the train - - though not seen a BDC for a good few years on the Main line

Apologies No Malice intended

Check out Ebay 99p to £14.99 for cheaper ones

Looks like a MK1 SK to me but any old coach could be used and as it's NE Region then an old Gresley would be de-riguere

Never seen a fixed formation of a breakdown train - all I know is the crane jib was "supposed" to trail in the direction of travel tend to have Crane and Runner Mess Van Tool Van (depending on train could be an old coach or parcels van personally never seen a 4 wheel one but ) Re Railing van some had a water tanker for the Steam Crane too As for Colour then it relates to the period up-to the mid 50's (I think) they were Black then they were Red in the Mid 70's (again not sure of date) they were painted Yellow Now you can see cranes in all colours of livery as they are used for Construction work although there are a small number of breakdown cranes stabled around the country which I believe are still Yellow (Notwork Rail livery)

OK I have been reading this set of blogs and unless I have a mental block I would like to know which scale you're using ?? Making my 4mm look positively scrappy so please put me out of my misery

Forget signal boxes I have trouble fixing the handrails on LOL My next work of art is a Carriage shed to hold 6 OO 57' coaches My biggest problem is keeping the card straight over it's length but it is working this is it on the work bench

Today I got this building on to the board the track inside is not ballasted yet. Although there is plenty of clearance on the workbench on the baseboard there is no clearance????? AND I forgot I put a gradient on part of the site for the carriage shed so I've got a little work to do before placing the shed. Once sited then I will add a few more photographs as where it needs to go looks good with it in place. Shed in place but taken time off for other things such as the next chapter

It's £12 now so looks like a typo

When I researched what I needed and what was commercially available I came to a dead stop I decided that I needed a 2 track carriage facility and had a choice of either shed or cleaning facility - I decided on a shed so started to research what one would look like and found a dearth of information so working on what I could find re buildings from the Midland Railway / the LMS / The GCR / LNER with window shapes, brick patterns. I started to feel like an archeologist doing this but it was my excuse to visit Barrow Hill and Matlock (Peak Rail)to look at and draw building features So armed with the information I drew a design for a 2 road shed capable of holding 6 coaches with high arched windows at regular intervals - which then I filled in alternate ones with brickwork slightly different to the original as if done at a later date - the windows I made by printing on to overhead projector film the window was a photo which I then altered using the simple M$ Paint and printing at 300dpi So using tons of card I worked out one wall first then duplicated it then an end wall and duplicated that this is when I realised I would have to cut individual roof trusses as visible open woodwork -it took me 5 attempts to get one right then I had to replicate it 20 times --- ARRGGGHHHH my first attempt but good experience. So now I needed to make the roof and realised it was a glazed roof so back to the overhead film and presto roof windows. so windows and roof made then covered in grey slate. this is the carriage without the roof Roof trusses in place two coaches for effect

This relates to one corner of the layout where I have three terraces of Scalescene houses altered slightly as some have continuous slate roofs there is one full house set and two (a nine and a four terrace) which are low relief these are bounded by a road which has hedges and a fence divide from the tracks

Right Simple description A 20 foot by 12 foot loft tailchaser layout - I have two Main lines and a "Branch" which is also a tailchaser pretending to be 2 branchlines The time frame is 1960's The Region is Joint Midland/Eastern region So the idea is Steam with Early Diesel mostly dirty Green, with early blue creeping in. There is an MPD with turntable and 5 track shed, a mainline station and Carriage shed capable of holding 6 coaches then a branchline station and an industrial area with individual branch Slowly building stock up to whats needed at present short of 5 loco's and a few wagons, maybe a couple more coaches. At present because of the layout being in the loft I do have trouble getting in due to recent severe illness so have migrated my workbench down to what we call the office with a glass topped desk in front of a nice window it's a perfect workbench. This is where further reports will come from via my laptop.