Andy C

A very successful weekend for the layout, the operators were buzzing and knocking trains from out the back and onto the boards like it had gone out of fashion. Some excellent running and the trains really look the part now, particularly the Brit on the Wakes ECS train to Oldham mind you I did like the Super D trundling around on the Royton Jct freight as well. Andy Ys pics in the gallery have caught a lot of the character of the layout and are some of the best ive seen so far - can you come and do some more for me Andy? - to use that RM Web expression "looking good mate". My one dissapointment is that no one can see the by now infamous figure that must not mention its name despite a good number of people asking to see it. I will have to get a mirror fixed onto the lighting pelmet so people can see down into the traps .

This afternnon oi mainly been packing stuff ready to go to the Manchester show. Its caused me to reflect just how much gear I actually take with me to shows! OK the bottle of Bowmore in the infamous "red box" is a little OTT perhaps but the rest of that box is full of sparesm drapes, wiring big tools, clamps. This of course doesnt include the nromal modelling toolbox. And the stock boxes. Put that with the baseboards, legs. lighting units and the support gallows and its a hell of a lot of stuff to shift - never let the exhibiting modeller be accused of a lack of exercise BTW the malt is thereostensibly just in case any operators come over faint, though its real purpose to celebrate the real launch of the layout onto the show scene!

Thanks Martin your a lifesaver I didnt want to lose all that record!

Now the control problems seem to have been resolved by that most simple of expedients, i wanted to do a few of the jobs to get progress back on track to where we should be. One of these is the engineers train - this appears early in the sequence, parks up in east siding (infront of the signal box) and stays there till late in the sequence - in the meantime the engine has detached gone back to the fiddle and appears as an engine and brake van move every so often. Ive been busy in my hotel room in Middlesbrough this week (well theres b*gg*r all else to do there) putting chairs on sleepers and painting them for the loads in the opens on this train (plus 3 dogfish and a shark perhaps the siding should be renamed Macfisheries siding?),the intention is to put loose sleeper loads in the opens and put some piles of new sleepers in the cess in the open and somewhat barren strtech between the signal box and two bridges road.

Well until ive worked out how to copy across the olf thread heres the link http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5181 Can anyone point me in the right direction not been able to fing anything in help yet and I do not want to lose what Ive posted so far!!