DLT

Thanks for the info Adam, that makes it a most appropriate choice. Don't ask me how they got it there though! Cheers, Dave.

Prior to its long-overdue outing to Warley this coming Autumn, Charmouth is in need of a little refurbishment and upgrade here and there. I've talked about conversion to DCC on my Workbench thread, but some of the scenery was looking a bit tatty as well. My nice handmade wooden fencing along the front looked very nice, but was continually getting knocked and broken, so I'm replacing it with the Peco plastic stuff. The stretch of grassy bank along the front of the goods yard was so worn and bare that I'm replacing it completely. So I've removed the remains of the fence and built up the new wider bank with bits of old insulation board, messily glued down with pva. Charmouth was built in the 1980s & 90s, when hairy carpet-underfelt was the primary method of representing grass. I did consider trying out the modern electrostatic method, but then I would have to do the entire layout or it would look wrong. So for now I'm sticking with the older method (I've still got some underfelt left) and Noch and co will have to wait for a new layout. First job was to cover the ground with a mix of earth/moss/ground coloured flock: Next job is install the fence, and then I can add grass and bushes (nylon scouring pad, rubberised horsehair, Woodland Scenics foam) around it. Meanwhile, he grounded van body behind the platform has been converted into a running van, (see my Workbench) and will be replaced by this: Picked it up secondhand recently, I don't know what its prototype is, but its handmade. Needs a bit of weathering. Cheers, Dave.

What has happened is that the card has absorbed moisture from the Das and expanded (or contracted ) on one side only. When coating card with anything, its best to do it on both sides to counteract the curling. If you cant do both sides, can you do away with the card completely, and simply fill in the whole depth of the track? This would probably use a lot of Das (never used it myself, so I dont know what quantities it comes in) Using something like this http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/tiles/adhesives-sealants/combined_adhesives___grouts/B-and-Q-Wall-Tile-Adhesive-and-Grout-White-0-92L-Up-to-0-8m-9277200 that comes in a large quantity can be better if you've got large areas to do. Or you may have some left over from the bathroom... this is the stuff I've used for all my stonework. Hope this helps, All the best, Dave

I have to admit to having just come accross this thread, and being mightily impressed by the general modelling and clever conversions. Goodness knows why I've missed it, in nearly two years! Havent had a chance to read through yet, but interested to see the B4, O2 etc, as I've built these myself All the best, Dave.

DCC-ing the MVR locos is almost done, although it was a bit of a squeeze to find space for the TCS T1 chips in some locos. Even though they may seem pretty big to 009 or N-Gauge modellers, they are all pretty solid and some had literally been built around the RG4 mechanism, with very little available cavity. The T1 does fit perfectly inside the boiler castings of the Wrightlines Baldwin kit though, after a little bit of scraping away for clearance. The whitemetal castings are so thick and hefty that you can carve out plenty from inside if needed, without affecting the strength of the parts. I had deliberately left the boiler top as a sliding fit when I built it, to maintain access to the motor. The whole loco was built as a series of sub-assemblies, as these locos do not easily lend themselves to the classic body/chassis split method of modelling. Cheers, Dave.

The grounded van body that stood behind the platform at Charmouth is "grounded" no more. The addition of a Peco narrow-gauge wagon chassis kit, couplings, a coat of grey paint and some of my wonky hand-lettering has transformed it into this: A brake lever, some odd detailing and a dose of weathering. and it will take its place alongside the others. These vans had originally come from a limited-edition basswood kit from the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association many years ago, and the grounded body was scratchbuilt to match. The other vans recently had Irish-style corrugated iron roofs fitted, but this one will remain as timber and canvas for variety. Cheers, Dave.

Brilliant Chaz, a gloomy and unpleasant place to linger, very atmospheric. Dave.

Try various canals on Google Maps. The colour of the water will depend on the area and what's polluting it. My memory of the Trent & Mersey Canal is that its the colour of cold tea, born out by this image http://goo.gl/maps/szqP Most others are much cleaner! Cheers, Dave.

Having a good tidy-up of the workbench, and then not being able to find ANYTHING!

On the subject of still water, I've used the classic varnish method. The flat plywood bed was painted dark grey, sanded as smooth as pos, and painted again. I then applied several coats of coloured varnish, Dark Oak in this case, which gives a good deep green/brown finish. This was followed by several coats of clear high-gloss varnish till the required finish was achieved. (and in places I can still see the grain....) Its meant to be a slow-moving river, but a lot of people think its a canal; I should have added some pva ripples before varnishing. I used "proper" varnish, Ronseal Hardglaze rather than this quick-drying acrylic stuff. By the way, I've actually not tried the quick-drying stuff, is it any good? I found it impossible to keep the dust off while drying, and I still think it could have done with a few more coats. Although judging by the sticky fingerprints I'm constantly cleaning off, where exhibition visitors have prodded it to see if its wet, it seem to be a success! Cheers, Dave. PS I'll stop hi-jacking your thread now...

That VERY effective Mr. Devil, how did you scribe it so accurately? Thanks, Dave.

I use tile-grout for my stonework; the cheapest stuff in a tub from B&Q (actually adhesive & grout all in one) this sort of stuff http://www.diy.com/n...to-0-8m-9277194 It has certain advantages over modelling clays. I spread it on up to about 1mm thick with a pallette knife and leave it to start drying. (if you try to form or scribe it when wet you just make a ghastly mess) When its half dry (firm but not absolutely hard) I rub my fingers over it to give it a rough texture and remove the spreading marks. You can start carving at this point if you wish. The glory of it is that when its really dry and hard, you can wet it slightly and it softens sufficiently to be carved beautifully with a sharp scriber. This means of course that if you have large areas to carve, you dont have to drive yourself mad by doing it all in one go before your material gets too hard, you can do a bit at a time. If you try and carve it when dry you will just blunt your tools. A ready-made product is the Wills Scenic series moulded plastic sheets, SSMP204 Granite Setts, see http://www.gaugemast...&strType=#5 sixth item down. Stated to be 4mm scale they look grossly overscale to me, but perfect for 7mm. I've used them a lot for pavements etc. Hope this helps, Cheers, Dave.

A fabulous piece of craftsmanship, take a bow sir. Dave.

Finding the perfect product/component for one's future modelling, and then going back to order a shedload and being told they're not produced any more... Putting down a tool and not being able to find it 30 seconds later Dave.

No not yet, but the bendability of various bits is definitely on the decrease. Dave

Hi Mudders, Doesn't look like I'm going to make it to Plymouth OR Bridport, spending most of the weekend ferrying the family around the South West. Have a good show. Please can you remind me how you did the exhibition lighting for Orchard Road? Was it a standard spotlight strip from B&Q? Many thanks, Dave.

Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that???

Superb modelling Jerry, Dave.T

A very interesting project, and those cassettes are an engineering masterpiece! Cheers, Dave.

A freind of mine has built the 7mm version of the Z, and its mightily impressive. Dave.

Quite agree; I built this kit recently (see my 4mm Workbench Thread) and its quite superb. One of the best I've ever built. Theres one problem, and thats due possibly to innacurate drawings. The bunker in the kit is designed to taper towards the rear, which is incorrect. The footplate tapers, but the bunker sides should be parallel. Cheers, Dave.

Looking fabulous in that last set of photos, and the backscene is very effective. That view across the estuary to Braunton Burrows is very familiar to me, after many trips (and seasickness) on the ferry to Lundy Island. Do you have the Bulleid pacific "Lundy" in your collection? Many thanks, Dave.

What a gorgeous layout! Thanks very much for sharing. Dave.T

Currently Planet Rock, but not for long. My copy of Ghost Moon Orchestra has just arrived. Dave.

I would be, but my copy hasnt arrived yet. Dave.