Captain Kernow

Yes, I passed it on the train yesterday and remembered our discussion. We'll sort something out. It is a brick structure, I've been reminded, mind you, not a stone one... hopefully not a problem?

Once Railex was over, I was planning to start work on 'Callow Lane' again, and so I've been doing a bit more work on the signalbox. The lever frame has been painted and the main structure of the box has been sprayed with a mixture of Humbrol and Precision cream colours. The box will represent one of those Midland examples that got repainted into Western Region chocolate & cream in the 1950s. I will be picking the main structural woodwork out in a chocolate colour in due course. My prototype example is the box at Painswick Road, Gloucester (on the now closed line from Tuffley Jct to Gloucester Eastgate). The levers are correctly coloured according to the signal diagram for the layout. Here is the box with the sub-roof assembly sitting on top (not yet attached). This consists of the guttering and a sub-assembly for the actual hipped roof to sit on. This had to be shortened, as the original Ratio version is for the longer 4-window box: I'd shortened the sub-roof assembly some time ago, but the spectre of having to shorten the actual moulded Ratio roof assembly was always looming. This is quite a nicely moulded slate roof, and I'd decided that it would probably be less work to carefully shorten that (by 24mm) to fit the 3-window box, as to scratchbuild a completely new hipped roof and cut new slates to fit etc. So, this afternoon I carefully cut one end of the standard moulded roof off, shortened the rest, and glued it back together. When the MekPak is dry, some filling will be required: The bluetak is to ensure the whole thing stays flat as the glue sets.

Thanks everyone for your most helpful suggestions so far. I do actually have the R.C. Riley book, as it turns out (I'd forgotten about it!!), so that's one additional photo. I'll check the other two sources suggested by Jules and Industrial when I get the opportunity and time. Thanks again.

Very nice Mark, coming on very well. Well done on getting the running nice and smooth!

Nicely understated, Al, and just what Neil Rushby was recommending in another thread somewhere recently...

I'm hoping that someone could very kindly point me in the right direction for one or two decent photos (B/W or colour) of the Peckett 0-6-0ST 'Lord Salisbury' that used to work at Norton Hill Colliery (and previously at Frog Lane Colliery, near Coalpit Heath), please. I am aware of the B/W photo in 'The Somerset & Dorset in the 1950s' (Ivo Peters, OPC), and also that in 'Somerset & Dorset Steam Finale' (Michael Welch, Runpast) and finally that in 'On Somerset & Dorset Lines' (Robotham, Ian Allen). Just wondered if there are any more out there? Many thanks.

Sorry they are a bit late, but here are some photos I took on Jerry's layout at Taunton in April: It's quite superb, isn't it?

Well, I had already got one on order, for eventual conversion to P4, so that it can crawl out of the Cuthbertsons Chocolate factory private siding on Callow Lane with a rake of box vans, but I'm very much looking forward to running the sample on Engine Wood as well this weekend. Hopefully the sample also has a coupling hook, in which case look out for it on the colliery tripper into Engine Wood Exchange Siding, before it returns back to Combwich!

How about loco exchanges? - 'Fleur' could do a couple of coal trip workings to Engine Wood Exchange Siding and 'Buntie' could shunt the wharf on 'Combwich'....

I remember when I was varnishing my DJH Standard Class 4 2-6-4T - I was using an acrylic varnish for the first time, via the airbrush, and it went all splodgy. Some quick work with a paint brush ensued, and the finish ended up looking like it had been sprayed anyway! That was back in 1998. I still haven't weathered it...

The Station Tea Rooms at Crediton, in the station building, is a fine place. I had occasion to visit it twice in the last few weeks, both occasions for work purposes, as it happens. Inside, there is this rather fine embryonic Scale 7 model of Crediton itself, inside a glass case: And just to remind ourselves, here are a few photos of the real thing, in it's present day L&SWR colours, all done by the local station supporters group: (a happy coincidence at work resulted in NR painting the signalbox in L&SWR colours as well. It had been planned to do it in green and cream, but when I overheard a conversation about it, I was able to steer them towards the older livery, knowing that the station support group had expressed a wish to see it that colour). Sorry about the motive power!...

I believe the technical phrase is 'Oh bug*er!'...

'By carefully craned cassette under more H&S Supervision than your worst nightmares' is probably a more apt description!...

I believe High Level do a gearbox combination for this kit. I certainly bought a pair of his gearboxes to power mine (in P4). Gordon Ashton has also done one in P4, using High Level gearboxes. I look forward to seeing the finished article at Railex!

Just uploaded another bit of footage of 'The Dawlish Donkey', Mike!

More footage of the shenanigans last Monday night And

I like it Chris - more stock for 'through running' in just over 2 weeks time, perhaps?

We didn't set out to build a race track, but someone did get a bit carried away with the unripened flying banana...