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We have made a start on the new buildings for East Wickersham starting with this Knightwing Portakabin which has been sprayed in grey primer, think the door needs a bit of colour though. E

I think East Wickersham has re morfed itself more times than Doctor Who. The layout was sold then repurchased and is currently under reconstruction back to it;s former diesel depot form . I am also trying to keep as much of the atmosphere of the previous layout as possible. E

I decided that the diesel depot was a bit overpowering so it has been downgraded to a Loco Inspection Point which I think is now more in keeping with the layout as a whole. Fortunately I had a Bachmann single road shed which fits the bill.

Started the job everyone loves over the weekend as the temperature was cool enough to get in the loft. I have used N gauge grey ballast which i sprayed in water first then stuck down with the traditional 50/50 mix of water and PVA with a drop of washing up liquid. When its dried and I am happy with the shape and there are no more loose bits I will give it a coat of track dirt to tone it down.

Who makes the TTA's please? E

As can be expected with the weather as warm as it has been it has been difficult to get on with anything meaningful as far as Kingshill is concerned, I suppose the answer is to insulate the loft, maybe one day. Apart from the depot building which is from the Bachmann Scenecraft range most of the other buildings are scratchbuilt this includes the cement works building the two bridges and the signal box. All are made with a carcass of 2mm mountboard covered with sheets of embossed plasticard, The idea for the signal box came from a recent edition of Hornby magazine. The station platforms are formed of Peco platform edges with embossed plasticard on the front faces, the platform surface is made using Wills plastic sheets.

King's Hill has had a few guises over the years but to be honest it has never really got anywhere near what you would call a finished layout. The track has been up and down up and down and nothing more than a test track every really evolved. A change to O gauge got me thinking again about the layout in the loft, what was the point in having all these OO gauge locos and stock with nothing to run them on. Should I sell them? leave them in their boxes in the loft or actually do something with them, so I decided on the latter although I did sell some of the stock to feed the O gauge addiction. King's Hill is actually in Kent but my layout is based somewhere in the Midlands/ North of England which is reflected in the stock that I have, no EPBs or VEPs here, so why King's Hill. King's Hill is actually built on the site of RAF West Malling and West Malling has a connection to where I live now as all the streets are named after WW2 airfields. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour was filmed there as well and reflects what it has been like building this layout, a bit of a mystery. Entering under the bridge from the right the layout passes the cement works (under construction) The cement works buildings are a mixture of ready to plant and scratch built. Then past the signal box and through the station. The signal box is a generic scratch built ARP type box not based on anywhere in particular. . The terminus platform works on a Gaugemaster shuttle unit, this allows a DMU to shuttle in and out whist attention can be given to movements on the mainline and depot. Finally exiting under the bridge to the left. Backscenes are from Townscene with some buildings mounted on card to give a bit more depth. There is also a diesel depot to the front of the layout for servicing locos. The fuel tanks are based loosely on the ones that could be found at the depot in Buxton. Operation of the layout is by 2 Gaugemaster Prodigy 2 DCC controllers, one for the mainline and the other for depot operations. This is an on going project and have included some pictures of the progress so far, further updates will follow when the temperature allows. E

Love this, great modelling. E

Hi Bob Check the frost grilles aren't stuck together in the packet, I thought I was missing one as well but they were stuck together and looked like one as they are quite thin. E

Lots of useful images here including the exhaust https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianews/sets/72157627022732378/page1 E

Hi Wayne I removed the tension lock couplings and mounted the Spratt & Winkle coupling on a piece of Plastickard cut in a triangle shape, this allows the bogie to turn sufficiently to negotiate the pointwork and curves on the layout.. The paddle on the coupling was bent over and soldered to add a bit of weight. Hope this helps. E

Afternoon folks Do we know if the Guagemaster Prodigy Advance has an aversion to ESU Loksound decoders? I have recently acquired this system and all seems fine with non sound fitted locos using a variety of Bachmann and Lenz decoders. I have 4 locos with sound decoders fitted and strangely only one will respond to the controller although all are fine using my MERG controller. The loco's will not move and no sound functions can be activated. The Prodigy does not read the decoders and just returns an ERR message. Is this a decoder or Prodigy issue? Any help or adicie would be appreciated. Many thanks E

It is a shame but with the Guildhall commanding a price in the region of £2500 for the weekend then the risk is to great for a small club these days. When you include expenses and accommodation etc it's just not viable. We are happy with the small show we put on and have received several good comments as people find the show has a more personal feel. E

How did you get the cab interiors out please mine appear to be well glued in. Thanks E

Nice pictures Richard it is amazing how much the layout has changed now. E

Have a look at these. http://www.rail-online.co.uk/ or https://www.margam-depot.co.uk/08001-08099.htm E

Has anyone removed the handrails on the engine room doors or know if they are moulded or metal? I was considering taking them off of my D3045 as the original didn't have them, rivet counting I know but just wondered if they came off easily, pictures can be found in this post. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37894-a-shunter-for-elm-park/?p=405548 Many thanks E

The underframe weathering looks superb on this loco. Has anyone removed the handrails on the engine room doors or know if they ate moulded or metal? I was considering taking them off of my D3045 as the original didn't have them, rivet counting I know but just wondered if they came off easily. E

Coming along nicely Ray. E

Looks like it, no mention on the BBC 10 o'clock news tonight only dross about the american elections which nobody gives a toss about, well me defimitely

Nice to catch up with you at Bodmin yesterday Bill. Penhallick looking good as ever. E

Coming along nicely Ray

A very nice layout, I really like the low relief buildings on the backscene very realistic. E