keefr2

That's what I thought too! No offence intended Chris,just confused me a bit - but then that's easily done! I look forward to seeing more of your excellent modelling as the layout progresses! keith

I'm really enjoying following your layout build Chris, but have to say I'm somewhat confused by your 'A promise unfulfilled' post. You appear to have been so dissatisfied with your 4mm layout due to the increasing standard of RTR models, that you went 7mm scale to make it 'less easy' because you would have to do more actual modelling, & then tore up your 4mm layout. But then you finish with "And then there came Ixion. Proof indeed as Guinness and Heinz have said in the past that good things do come to those who wait." Surely however, with the now increasing availabilty of high standard RTR 7mm models, you will eventually have come full circle and be back with the dissatisfaction of it being 'too easy'? Or am I missing something? Keith edit: spelling

Good job it wasn't windy..... American trains really do make ours look puny, don't they?!

Surely there'd be plenty of clag when all those volts melted the diesel engines...?!

Plastic Padding or Isopon P38 will sort that out ....

Have you looked at the rest of the set it's in Marc, I've been busy saving them all - superb stuff! I'd like to add my thanks to ailg8048 for the link! Looking forward to seeing your layout based on the pic... !! keith

Knowing me Marc, I probably saw it on someone elses layout, thought that's a good idea, promptly forgot all about & then 'came up ' with it when looking at the brass rod & tube in L&B!! And talking of playgrounds, ours was on Swansea Vale - site of a hundred or so years of dumping from the copper industry smelters! It was great, like the barren, desolate surface of some alien planet - & as Doctor Who was the new in thing on telly it was ideal!! It's just a wonder given the colour of the 'rocks' & pools of stagnant 'water' there, that we didn't all grow up into two headed monsters like something the Doctor would have fought...!! Agreed that the photo Brian posted is very modelogenic...!

And there's me thinking that for once I'd come up with an original idea! Last time I was in L&B I bought some Albion Alloys brass tube & the correct sized brass rod to slide inside it - I was going to try almost the exact same idea that you posted there on my sliding fiddle yard...!!

Just googling Pennsylvania rivers shows a mix of all types Chaz - broad quiet flowing; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Middle_Delaware_River_above_Walpack_Bend_crop.jpg rocky white water ones; http://pawatersheds.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/YB-sojourn-2011-300x199.jpg & small sylvan streams that look like somewhere in Hampshire (but maybe not this year?! Sorry...!) ; http://www.jjsjigs.com/_staticProxy/content/ff8080811fee7bcf011ff2f4a99302b3/P4191747.jpg The funny thing was when you mentioned it, my mind immediately went back 30+ years to my A level geography, & I imagined they'd all be black & choked with coal dust & debris from the mining industry - I seem to recall a lotof images back then seemed to show that, or I may just be remembering wrongly. But they certainly don't seem to look like that anymore! keith Edit: oops, sorry, I missed your link - I was replying to the e-mail notifiaction of your post & hadn't read it again.

Coming along nicely Marc - your lack of modelling time certainly doesn't show - you've almost got a complete layout & I'm STILL thinking about starting mine...!! I like the door in the front of the bigger building - you could put a hand rail alongside the track there to stop someone stumbling out & onto the track. For some reason that's a detail I always like! Yes, weird isn't it?! keith

I wonder what the estate agent thought when you arrived for the viewing with that lovely model railway in tow...!! "It's OK, we just need to check if it fits before we can consider making an offer..!!" Thanks again for taking the time to sort out the videos Chaz, as has already been said, definitely the next best thing to seeing it live! keith

Excellent Chaz, thank you for taking the time to put the video together & posting it! Really nice to hear the locos without the extraneous exhibition background noise too! I really love the shot of the 24 (sorry, Sulzer type 2!) as she comes to rest under the goods canopy - very atmospheric! Keith

Thanks for perservering Chaz, neat video & as Buckjumper said, the next best thing to seeing it live after missing Basingstoke. Reinforces what a nice layout you've built & how well it runs. Even in a video the perceived mass of 7mm locos make them look much more realistic when running than 4mm. I have a direct comparison with a very similar black class 04, & the amount it 'waddles' (even on dead flat straight track) is ridiculous compared to your yard pilot! keith

Good anti-burglar device....!

Thanks Chaz, I really do hope I can get to one in the future. Best Keith

Hi Chaz, hope you have a great show - unfortunately our plans for a weekend in Hampshire have been thrown into disarray by a bereavement in my son in law Jon's family & it looks like the trip is off. The only silver lining is that the R.A.F. have flown Jon home early from Afghanistan. So, after missing Warley & now Basingstoke it seems like I'm destined not to get to see one of my favourite layouts, but I guess that's a small price in the greater scheme of things.... Have a great weekend! Keith

Will do Chaz. Keef is a throwback to a girlfriend in college thirty years ago who had a lisp. 'Nickname' seems to have stuck! And I do enjoy trainspotting at DG - but haven't started taking down the loco numbers yet....! Keith

That's very nice looking carpentry Chaz - you mentioned before you used to be a teacher, wasn't in woodwork was it? Very professional looking work there, & shows my 'carpentry' up for exactly what it is - rubbish!! Plans are now just about final for our visit to our daughter in Alton this weekend, so shall hopefully be seeing Dock Green in all its splendour on Saturday!

I agree with Pete, you just solved my 'simple way to electrify a cassette' conundrum!! Thanks also Keith

Bendy MDF? I've not used it, but it's recommended by a lot of top layout builders. http://www.bendymdf.co.uk/ Our local B&Q & Wickes stock it Keith PS - I really like your mock up!

Me too - amazing what memories a model railway forum can produce isn't it?! It doesn't help with my trying to remember when I actually last saw a policeman on traffic directing duty though - these days if the lights fail it's every man for himself - at least it is around here!

My son was looking for a new laptop just before Christmas, & looking for one not pre-loaded with W8 now appears to be like looking for the proverbial hens dentures (although now he's used to W8 he loves it!) However, there was a similar post to yours on Geoff Fosters 'Rails to llangunlo' blog. When Geoff bemoaned how much he hated W8 on his new laptop, this was posted; "Geoff, a little program called "Start8" is your friend.. When I had to upgrade to a W8 laptop it was the first thing that IT friends advised me to install, and it was the first thing that I did. Basically it makes W8 look like Vista/W7, but you still have the potential to use the W8 mode and all the advantages under the skin like *much* faster search." Geoff responded with "I think I have got on top of things, by installing 'Start8' I now have the old style Win.7 and Vista start menu. I found out how to disable the annoying swipe function and reset my mouse wheel to give smoother scrolling. " So maybe that's the answer if you have to have W8 foisted on you...? keith

That last shot with the railway at roof top level is just superb!! (They're all great, I just really like that one!)

Great post Chaz - it brings home just how much work exhibitors like yourself have to put in for the public's entertainment! My only experience of 'exhibiting' is as a member of a static scale model club. When we display at shows, it's just a matter of unpacking the models (aircraft, armour, cars, ships etc), giving them a quick dust & putting them out on the table in some semblance of an 'aesthetic' display! We do have a detachable shelf arrangement that we use at the rear of the table at most shows, & even assembling those is enough hassle for us, we'd never be able to cope with assembling a layout, putting up the lighting, getting the electrics working etc...!! And I'm glad to hear that, as I suspected, your worries that no one would be interested in your excellent layout were indeed groundless! My daughter & son in law currently live in Alton, so I'm already scheming to try & get to stay with them when a certain model railway show is on in Basingstoke next year - I'm determined to get to see Dock Green one day & as my plans to get the wife to agree to a weekend in Brum came to nought, I hope to have more luck next time! ATB Keith

Or even remove one completely, put a small stone in the lamp & some broken 'glass' on the floor underneath - and then set PC Dixon off on the hunt for the local urchin with the catapult...!! More excellent work Chaz, some really great ideas & inspiration coming from your superb layout! Keith