sammyboy

Just like the comments above from my fellow modellers, I also do like this idea for a track plan. You sure are going to be busy running trains in your operating sessions! Sam

And Sheff Utd fans like to use the word 'passion' a lot

We are 100% fine getting INTO the NEC, but it's just the getting OUT that's difficult!

Came back from Warley only a couple of hours ago before I fell to sleep... Anyway, about the day and my experience of the show. For the fourth year in a row, I once again enjoyed myself looking at the great layouts and buying goodies for Christmas for myself - Including some painted N Gauge scenic bits (a set of traffic lights and two mothers pushing babies in prams!) plus a Class 156 'Super Sprinter' from Dapol, who upon paying the £100 fee, out of the blue the stall owner handed me back a £10 note, saying you get a 10% discount because I offered to pay the full price?! And why do we always get lost when exiting the NEC complex? My Dad's a good driver, but the road signage to the M42 motorway is poor, and it always leads us onto the road into Birmingham, then having to turn around back onto ourselves to find the motorway again! A good day was had by all. Sam

Sorry Mark (Scruff), there's no extra room in the new bedroom for expansion of the layout as all the furniture is in the room which fits perfectly - and I'm not ripping it all up again, my Dad would kill me! Sam

UPDATE: From today onwards, the room that my layout resides in will also become my new bedroom! This is because my parents want me to have a bigger room and we are in the process of being shunted around between rooms, as some of the upstairs rooms will have different uses for them as we begin 'redevelopment' of our family home. Sam

This looks like it's going to be a good layout and will follow this project with interest! Sam (A fellow N Gauger)

The name of my 'Newbridge Junction' N Gauge layout I'm building came from looking at a railway atlas of the area around Edinburgh - which is in fact a real junction, but without a station. But in my mind, the location does have a station (a fictional one!) made up of both terminal and through platforms (6 in total) alongside a small diesel depot and goods yard (now just used as sidings for storing engineer's wagons). Sam

Hi Martin (thejamesfamily), Yes I got your private message earlier in the week - now I know what your enquiring about! The Halwill Junction topic was just an idea I had once for a future layout - and I was just interested to wonder just what the station and train services would be like if the line did ever survive into the present day? But I don't think I'll be wanting to build this layout anytime soon, as my current layout (which was started before I had the idea for this one) is taking up my spare time and I don't have any room for another layout! Sam

Highly recommend getting the Train Sim World Great Western Package - I got it this weekend from Steam and am addicted to it! It is so so much better than the existing Train Sim as there is much more things you can do, I especially like the feature where you can travel on the train as a passenger, going round exploring stations, especially both Paddington & Reading! Sam

'Newbridge Junction' is also a N Gauge layout on a single board the size of a door, which is enjoyable to operate at home - even if it is nowhere near finished! And when the layout is finished (And hopefully get a chance to be exhibited), I would very happily build another different plan on the same sized baseboards... Sam

Someone broke into my house last night and stole my limbo trophy - just how low can they get...

Not really an update of layout progress as such, but an idea: What if I operate the layout in two different time eras - 1. A 'Modern Image' setting (year 2000 - present), this is the era the layout was originally designed for. 2. 'Backdating' the layout to the mid-1960's when it was possible to see all of steam, diesel & electric trains running on the WCML. At least I'll now be able to give an excuse to buy more different locos and rolling stock and to make my operating sessions a lot more interesting - but just don't try to run trains from both eras at the same time! Sam

I'd like to see a track plan?

DILEMMA: Do I either have a running session on the layout OR enjoy the sunshine? Just as well I could even do both today!

Nice looking layout, but to my eyes the track looks more like 4mm/OO than N gauge - have you gone over to finescale? Anyway, keep up the good work! Sam

I should be going to this exhibition, shifts at work permitting. It has always been a good show, have been most years since I converted from OO to N and with a good selection of inspiring layouts and good food in the restaurant! Sam

What do you folk out there think of the Neymar transfer from Barcelona to PSG for an incredible and stupidly bonkers £198 MILLION, he'll also be paid a eye wateringly and obscene £775,477 A WEEK!!!!!!! Football has sold it's soul to the devil. Sam

A nice little layout you've got there with an interesting track plan. And it's a good idea to build more than one layout in a room, just to make good use of the space lol! Sam

When I saw the layout plan, it looked much more like the West Highland Line in Scotland with its single track line and island platform station than of any prototype in Wales. Sam

I enjoyed reading the article about your layout in this month's current Railway Modeller magazine, and some great photos too! Sam

Sorry I've not updated you all about the layout for some time and my excuse is that it is the Summer and I want to go out and enjoy the good weather! Holidays are coming up soon and as a family we're off down to Bournemouth for a week, to see my sister and her boyfriend who live down there in 3rd rail country - you never know, I'll probably return back home in Derbyshire with a load of inspiration and me wanting to build a Southern Region based layout... Sam