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Just a couple of shots I’ve taken. With it appearing at DEMU Showcase I’ve thought about lighting and have bought some LED clip on reading lights off Amazon. They do the trick nicely.

A lot of the Stock I’ve got. Units will be done from old clear Farish coaches with etched brass sides or a mate is now doing 3D printed bodies of certain southern EMUs.

Yes thanks Mike I had seen it and meant to link it to a post to let folks know about what the station is for those not familiar with it. Thanks for doing it for me. Just to add if anyone has any pics of the station they’d like to share please post. I would love to see them and I am sure Paul Wade would as well. Thanks Steve.

Spent many an hour sitting in that place in fact the settee that’s in there is named after me it’s called the Farmer snug. I never saw his model of Maidstone only bits of it he’s still got. Ive visited the station a few times over the years and always thought it was an interesting place nothing great or majestic about it but an everyday sort of place that’s disappeared from our railway system.

Hello all it’s time to reveal my new longish term project for a new N gauge layout. Its going to be Maidstone Barracks station and EMU berthing sidings. Before you all jump on the wagon and say Paul Wade of Tonbridge West Yard game did it in OO a few years ago. I know he did and I am fortunate in the fact that Paul is a good friend of mine and I’ve had access to his archives and also his models of the buildings he did for the layout as he still has them. My idea is to have the main lines with the berthing sidings on the inside of the layout. Those familiar with the area or can remember Paul’s layout my background will be the builders yard and buildings and the gas board land. Which is the opposite way to the way Paul built his. Rolling stock will use my existing Tanners Hill stock. The intension is to build it a bit nondescript time wise so I can go back to pre Network South East and run my Farish 4 CEP units as well as all blue EPB units I’ve got to build. I have already made a start using plans, notes and his 4mm model from Paul I have scratchbuilt the station building from plasticard and strip. I’ve also built a general store in the builders yard . The waiting shelter is 3D printed drawn by myself and my brother and resin printed by Andrew Porter. This is just a test print pictured. The layout will have a footprint of 8x2 feet.

Ryecroft Arena has been invited to the DEMU Showcase show at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall on July 23rd and 24th. With the show being in the Midlands the layout will be in Birmingham mode and Central trains units in abundance. Hope to see some of you there.

Hope you all had a good day down sarf.

Well 2 years since the layout has seen the light of day but I’ve got it set up and running a few locomotives around. I’ve got two invites for the layout Warley in November and Glasgow next February. When I set it up on Monday I was surprised it all worked ok even the signals moved when the switch was flicked. I gave it a good clean and like I said running stuff around.

No Clive as when the the guy was on about them to his mates and Dave. I was putting another train on in the fiddle yard so wasn’t really listening to what he was saying. Think I’ll put the BR transit van on at Macclesfield.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been attending to a couple of improvements to how the layout loads into the car and modified how the lights are secured on the lighting rig. Some stock has been exchanged to what we run in Glasgow and all checked along with the locomotives. Today the layout has been cleaned and is ready for its next out at Macclesfield next weekend. Details are in the exhibitions bit of the forum. Once again looking forward to taking it out and hopefully see some of you there. Steve.

Dog track don't you mean old stock car track Mick. Took a pic of it when we were down there a few years ago. Hope the layout goes ok for you over the weekend.

https://youtu.be/ECmZPBODv7g Here is a link to a video clip of the layout. Skip to 41 mins in to find the layout although the whole video is a good watch. Well done to whoever shot it. The other video footage is also within other people’s video of the show.

Hello Terry It was an excellent show as usual plenty of interesting layouts to look at and traders with their wares to buy. We have no need to go to Helensbrugh as some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had are in the centre of Glasgow. 8 of us went to the Blue Lagoon fish bar underneath Glasgow Central station. We’ve had a fish tea before there. See you at Macclesfield Steve.

Well that went well the layout operated great over the weekend and we really enjoyed operating it. There were no major problems with anything. The layout loaded in the car well and the cover I made for the end board worked great allowing the majority of rolling stock to be carried in boxes sat on it and strapped down with bungee straps. I’ve a couple of small jobs to do before it goes out again to Macclesfield at the end of this month. I would like to thank those who came with me and helped over the weekend and made it successful. Ive seen 3 videos on you tube of the layout and thanks to the people who made the videos. If anyone took any pics of the layout and would like to share on here I’d like to see what others see as a picture. Roll on Macclesfield now. Thanks Steve.

After Two days of operation the layout has worked great it’s doing exactly what I wanted it to do. When the lights went out in the hall today we turned our layout lights off as well and used the yard lighting on the layout to carry on in the dark. Hopefully we can have another good day tomorrow. If anyone has any shots they’ve taken of the layout and would like to share them on here I’d like to see them to see what other’s see as a pic of the layout. Thanks Steve.

Just wondering if there’s a floor plan available. Always nice to know who the neighbors are for the weekend. Looking forward to the trip up next Thursday hope better weather is booked than it has been today thanks Steve.

In Simon Bendall’s excellent bookazine on modeling British Railways engineers wagons, on page 17 if you have a copy There is a pic of a BR built starfish open wagon. The accompanying text says it is in rubbish and waste use collecting from stations and Goods yards and taking the refuse to railway tips. The wagon has DM Manchester refuse train on the side. I was wondering if anyone has any information on these services what they collected where there destination actually was and wagons used. Were these trains common across the network or was this a Manchester area idea. This could be a working that modelers may be able to introduce on layouts. Thanks Steve.

The layout has been dismantled ready for its trip North. The track has been cleaned. Only job left is to hoover the layout off The stock has been packed and the locos have had their wheels cleaned. Over the last couple of months I’ve been using a Gaugemaster power supply and a panel mounted controller both rated for O gauge. The controller has been placed into a box which was 3D printed to suit and is used as a hand held unit. It’ll be interesting to see how this new set up goes as it’s giving good slow running. I’ve also got my trusty Helmsman controller which will be with us as well. Just some of pics to keep people interested.

Something I’ve been doing for a few weeks is making some ends to fit the Parkside PECO grampus wagon and converting into a Tunney. This is a GW derived steel open wagon used by the engineers dept. these lasted well into the period depicted on the layout. BR also built some and it’s this type I am intending to model. It is intended as a direct replacement for the kit. I’ve only looked at the ends as yet the bodyside is basically the grampus with minor modifications. The next job is to put the rivet detail on using Archer rivet decals. This is the master which I’ll then use for resin casting.

Only just seen these they look great. I have a couple of B tanks that I planned to do the same with but it’s still on the to do pile.

As a note to the above table it will be Hillport Goods public debut. Looking forward to the weekend and getting the layout on the road.

A couple of pics as I am getting stock sorted for Modelrail Scotland and the layouts public debut. I am quite hopeful that the show will go ahead and I can finally show the layout. The loaded E bolster wagons were from a recent pic I saw on Facebook showing these wagons and a chained down load. The other pic is just a random shot across the end of the yard. I have been giving the locos I intend to use a run up and down as well. All goes ok hopefully see some of you at Glasgow next month.

No no video yet as I’d have to everything and there’s a bed to the right of the layouts scenic side. It would be something like a cross between a carry on film and it’s a knockout if you can remember it. Itl have to be when it goes out that it’ll be done. Thanks.

Go on Clive treat the fans you and Paul could both wear kilts.

A view down the layout with 03371 shunting a MCO open wagon ready for inclusion in the next trip working. Really love these 03 shunters this one is an exceptional runner and a pleasure to shunt with.