artizen

Surely you can't be serious? And don't call me Shirley! Sorry - couldn't resist. Don't mind me - just working late on a Saturday night. I have to say the Man Cave is pretty spectacular - something I can only dream of.

OT but interesting when talking about Steampunk - http://www.archangeltheseries.com/index.php

That's scary because I actually do wear a white shirt with thin black knitted wool tie (an original from the seventies) along with my handmade steampunk waistcoat and top hat with many badges and pins. Once I finish radiation, I am threatening to wear the top hat to cover the lack of hair on one side of my head until it grows back so my sister-in-law has knitted me a beanie! Most modellers in Brisbane have seen me "dressed" at shows. The hat is my trademark but really it was originally so I could be seen from anywhere in the hall. You have done justice to the art of steampunk - thank you.

Speaking from West New Zealand, yes the Kiwi is good eh?

The walls look great.

Waaaaay back I went to a Floyd concert in Auckland NZ. Best bit was the flying pig - caught everyone by surprise. The only regret from those times was missing out on Led Zeppelin. Sigh. The days of my misspent youth. I don't think you will have much trouble completely filling the wall with "art". Do you have a suitable political statement you could add in or would that date it too much?

I start chemo this week Anthony so I might have to pass on the meeting. We will see. I don't envy you doing 100 points with decoders and wiring in N scale and then hiding them under the layout!

Have you seen this thread Jason? The rust streaks might be useful. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/22315-adventures-in-code-55/page-22

32 tracks each! This is more serious by the day. Shame I can't visit for the next few weeks.

In 1:76 scale the heavier line looks fairly chunky. I would go for the finer weight. You only need to stretch the line enough to take out the slack between posts. That way you still have maximum stretch left for when you will inevitably snag the fence while working on the layout. Not sure if applying the line in situ or with a jig is the easiest method as my scale is 1:24 so I glued the fencing directly on the layout. Also remember the line is actually flat not perfectly round so the heavier material can seem distorted under some lighting conditions.

You can't forget the load test!!!!! Make it a good one.

Is that really a blue loo in the St Blazey Haulier box or a converted phone box?

Can you have the scenic break painted on something (such as a sheet of plywood or masonite) off-scene and applied to the layout at differing heights to gauge the effect?

The weathering on the two locos in the Flickr shot needs attention as well. Track looks good, do you think they used PVA with washing up liquid as well?

$NZ75 is huge by local NZ standards. That's why the village is marketed mainly at overseas tourists. However, lots of other attractions are cheap enough and I have been known to pay around $186 here in Brisbane for two tickets in Gold Class (with some food) at the cinema to see The Hobbit in 3D. All I can say is, absolutely no movie is worth that much money to see - it would be cheaper to buy the DVD and watch it at home with a pause button!

My sister lives about two hours from Hobbiton but at $75 each for a two hour guided tour (the village is on a private farm) we have always considered it to be too expensive. But after reading Trip Advisor, it seems most reviewers are happy they spent the money because the setting is pristine with more to see and do than they expected. Maybe next time I go over for a wee visit.....

You know - in about 100 years from now, someone will stumble on those two photos held in a disused data bank somewhere and will agonise for hours and hours about what was the correct colour for EWS rolling stock!!!!!! Amazing what a slightly different viewpoint does to the colour saturation of the same object. Makes me realise that trying to get something right from B+W photos and really old crappy Orwochrome images makes life harder than it needs to be!!! For those that don't know - Orwo was the East European version of Kodachrome but failed miserably when stored in conditions anything remotely damp (all the colour fell off!!!).

Yes - you have nailed it. I should have known you would after seeing all the samples you keep bringing to meetings!!!!!! (I need a smiley with a top hat.)

Maybe build a quick jig to get accurate spacing? What sort of wire - electrical? I would suggest something like piano or guitar strings - it would probably be straighter and stronger.

I have feelings like that Branchie for a house on Little Huia Road overlooking the Manukau Harbour! Amazing really what little bit of this planet you feel attracted to.

The end wall looks very realistic with the subtle texture in the paper. Well done!

Another vote for sky - please!

Now doesn't that lovely young lady on the broads look just like Prince Harry?

I was always taught to measure from a known edge to the same edge of the following item to get an accurate measurement. Measuring centres was never discussed (because you then need to measure - accurately - the centre of each item before you can even get the final measurement, thereby introducing unnecessary errors). My templates and plans on how to build the dioramas for my current layout only give me the distance from the edge of the board to the nearest rail head. I then double check that each board aligns correctly across the track before final gluing down. I hope this makes sense.

Funny - in NZ where the ground shakes on a regular basis, you are required to screw all your trophy cabinets and bookcases to the wall if you ever want to claim insurance. The houses over there must be made of sterner stuff? As for the sky falling in - perhaps sunny skies so everything could go out in a blaze of glory? ( ) That's a particularly awful joke there Gilbert as I would never want anything bad to happen to this particular work of art.