James Hilton

John that's impressive - and I'm guessing what we can't see from the pics... MASSIVE!

I like the grills and battery boxes especially! Nicely observed and fiddly too I imagine. I can't wait to see if in primer

Jon - thanks! and thanks for the chain It might be another few weeks before she's finished as I'm working on the latest issue of my mountainbike e-zine at present.

I guess the eye registers the Kadee, but then 'edits' it out - as it does with any non-scale/prototypical coupler... however the advantage of the Kadee over a small tension lock is you can still include full pipework (well almost) on the buffer beam without restricting movement

The best thing is the buffers can virtually touch each other and the gap stays constant when pulling or pushing a rake of wagons/coaches. They can be a bit temperamental and fussy with magnet placement, refusing to seperate if even slightly on a curve (annoying for me as the VGAs are just a touch to long in this regard) but they're cheap (ish), easy to fit, not fiddly and 90%ish reliable which is good enough for me playing at home

Thanks Martin!

I have got a set of the Shawplan etches and laser cut windscreen stuff but not sure which, if any, of my three 37s will receive it as all are sort of weathered and I'd be worried about matching in after I'd fitted them

Thanks chaps - I must do something about the skinny brake cylinders too!

Will - I definitely know what you mean. The footstep is scrap etch fret from the S-kits brake discs I used on my Bachmann airbraked two axle stock so I've got quite a lot of it.

Will the proportions look good to me - I hope the other two go together as well as this 'trial' one Save the money from the Viesmann lamps for some more scenic treatments!

This looks really promising Will - I can't wait to see it with some shrubbery and overgrowth on it! That will also be a challenge I expect, as it's so steep!

The character of this layout will be quite unique and it's looking very promising. I look forward to the last 2 weeks!

It must be a gut wrencher - but the quality and attention to getting the right shape despite the complexity of angles and curves will pay off with a lovely and unique model when she's finished

I think it's pretty important to do some scratchbuilding, at least in the longterm, for the bridge girder work, to capture the essence of the prototype. It's coming together and I've begun to be able to picture what this looks like in real life now

Thank you!

I note he only offers brass at present - hmm I really need Stainless Steel... I'll have a think about what could be possible, good to see the raw etch and finished product. It looks very well etched and executed - and then painted and fitted by yourself!

Where are these available from? I'd love a custom etched set of plates for a few projects I've on the go!

That's great news - we all breathe a collective sigh of relief for you!

How are you going to add rail joiners now? Can I suggest cutting some in half, and sliding the cut end first over the slip... then laying in place and using a screwdriver gently ease them across the joint?

You're a brave man - hope it all works out! You can disguise the broken chairs with some ballast - and I also added some rails in the 4ft to represent an area where the sleepers have been bolted together due to some damage to the chairs/sleeper interface Kind of looks ok! I had a situation on Paxton Road where on a hot summers day one of the points lifted with expansion so I've kind of been there - plus I remember changing an old point on my old layout. Just make sure you get the baseboard under the point smooth so it goes down flat

No worries Jon - thank you and yes I hope it will be a good addition to the weathering arsenal.

I think that's what Pugsley used on the Yeoman 59

A good use of ready to plant buildings too - they blend right in The roadway and barriers are particularly effective I think

Jam this is really getting some atmosphere and will be a unique layout when it's finished!

Great photos

Does this help at all Will? http://community.fotopic.net/search/simple.php?tab=P&txt=60014+2006

Quite interesting - looks like it has a silver cab door in this photo: http://iandelgado.fotopic.net/p28265621.html

The underframe does look reasonably black still... so I suspect your idea will work fine. I'd perhaps consider a very light wash of the brown over the whole underframe before using the powders.

Thanks guys - I think the headlight is MV Products - I bought them a long time ago for my Canadian modelling, and it was my last one! I'm trying to track them down in the UK again as it's a perfect fit

That looks like a good afternoon's work!

Thanks Tony - the photos from 1982 of DH26 show them still fitted:

http://glazebrookeast.fotopic.net/c1547689.html

http://glazebrookeast.fotopic.net/p51961894.html

See what I mean about their size? I'm in a quandry... I expect taking a file to them gently might be the best bet.

Thanks guys - Peter - yes please!

Thanks Missy - it's not bad although the Black Beetle is quite highly geared. The bonnets are FILLED with lead sheet though so slow running is improved. I've not got anything other than plain track to run it on at present though - so the real test will be when I make a point.

The 37's always looked great in Mainline I'd do the Shawplan window etch on the Vi model though - with the laser cut glazing it looks superb when fitted

Wow that's incredible progress John - awesome! I wonder if the cab roof shape is quite right? In the end on photos the curve looks a little flat, like it should be higher in the middle (or lower at the sides) - is that a trick of the camera?

Are you going to scratchbuild each set of lourvres for the doors?! That's commitment!

I look forward to seeing this progress (at speed) as usual