Jon Grant 4472

Sweethome Alabama has been sitting unused in the cellar for almost 10 years. As part of my cellar tidy up, I've been salvaging parts for several future projects. I'm breaking up the baseboards, which will go to the council tip and the electrical components, buildings, trees and scenic bits will be used again on smaller, lighter, easier to transport layouts. Part of the layout, a small timber yard, has been retained as a small Inglenook-style shunting layout, which will be updated and improved as a small, self contained exhibition layout

My OO gauge Inglenook, Metcalfe Rd in black and white

Hi Neil. Back with a bang and full of ideas. Is that a Minerva Victory? Looks massive

A few more photos from Metcalfe Rd

One of the industrial locos (Minerva Peckett E with dcc and sound) and a tank wagon (unidentified brass kitbuild). Both photographed on my 4mm layout, Metcalfe Rd

Thanks Amanda. I'm using electromagnets in locations where I don't want to uncoupling every time I pass over and small neodymium magnets in areas where uncoupling is required every time.

Thanks Andy. I'm really having fun with the increased level of detail in O gauge wagons

I have been collecting O gauge models and kits for about 2 years now and consider that i now have enough stock to start a small shunting layout, based loosely on a branch off the Newcastle and Carlisle route during the 1930s. It is intended that there will be one mainline loco and one industrial in steam on the layout. These are the mainline locos I currently have available, fitted with dcc and sound. The jinty is a rtr Dapol loco and the others are kitbuilt in brass or whitemetal. All stock will use Dingham auto uncoupling. Watch this space

During a modelling hiatus, I started building Metcalfe card buildings to keep my hand in and regain my modelling mojo. By November 2020, I had more than enough buildings and stock to populate a small Inglenook-style layout. Less than a year later the layout was in an exhibitable form but it took another year to add all the details I wanted to include. Exhibited 5 times in 2022, it has also featured in one of the Model Rail magazines. I now consider it pretty much done and am now working on a small O gauge layout. Watch this space

Love the cobbles Wonder what Mr Wright would make of the nice clean Rutland car Jon

Shame about Twin Falls. I enjoyed watching it at Barrow. The new layout is already looking the part Jon

BN bought a load of old GP35s and GP30s, re-engined them and called them GP39-Es, GP39-Ms and GP39-Vs, depending on where the rebuilding work was done. I have done a couple, as seen in this vido Jon

AnyRail Manual has just printed out- I printed 4 pages to a sheet to save ink, so may need a magnifying glass. Now to have a bit read and then a play http://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html Jon

Thanks for the information. I'll give 'Anyrail' a go. I have one of the old Cadrails but never got the time to play with it or the time to read the humungous book of instructions. Jon

Love this photo, Mal. I must get myself a plastic pellets siding Jon

One thing I've noticed about all the track plans here, is that they have a very 'British' modellers' feel to them. They all include an 'everywhere else', off-scene track, which really adds to therealism, for me. The majority of small to medium US track plans that I see, all seem to want to run round and round, filling the available space with track. The most unrealistic of all aspects for me are the preposterous tunnels, which are built into the smallest of hills that suddenly appear, like a boil, in an otherwise flat landscape....and there are often tracks skirting the hill anyway. That said, I really need to get track plans sorted for Sweethome Alabama and Sweethome Chicago. Can anyone suggest user-friendly and easy to use software, so I can upgrade from pencil and paper...or back of fag packet...drawings. Thanks Jon

Excellent scene Michael. It's really coming together nicely and the signs on the buildings really adds to it all Jon

Nice-looking (and sounding) loco. Heard one at the NMRA convention. Wasn't that one was it? Didn't realise the UP road-tested green Class 31s Jon

Thanks Craig. Can't say I've spotted any writing anywhere near the battery slots on the CSX paint jobs. Jon

I had a go a couple of weeks ago on the CSX GP38-2, using my trusty Tamiya plastic scraper. Needs more work on it - I was using a wobbly ruler - but passes the 'normal viewing distance' test. Jon

Thanks Craig, Silly question - were the slots on both sides of the locos? Jon

Thanks for the assistance. I'll be renumbering the loco, possibly to 4246 (if I still have enough number 4's on the decal sheet. I already have a couple of QSI revolution decoders in my S1's and was really pleased with the ease of fitting and the ability to turn off the turbo sound (for S1 and S3) Here's a you tube video of the non turbo S1 alco S1 Jon

Thanks for the links Peter. Looks like I'll be nombering it into the B&O series with the original 567 engine. Jon

Here's a photo of the intended project. I intend adding yellow ends, new road ##,and a sound decoder to this little puppy, in what was classified by railfans as CSX's 4th and a half scheme - ie, any previous CSX (or predecessor) paint scheme got yellow ends (or only one yellow end in some cases) Jon