Barry Ten

A 56xx arrives at Paynestown with a short pick-up goods. Come along to the free exhibition at Lord and Butler, the Pumping Station, Cardiff, this father's day weekend - more info here.

Hi Mikkel - Thanks! The Wills sheets were shaped by gentle finger pressure, applied gradually. The thing about Wills sheets, I think, is that there have been two different types of plastics used. They used to use a very brittle plastic which not only wouldn't bend, but was very prone to shattering if one tried cutting it. The first batch of brick sheets I encountered were like this, and it was very disheartening stuff! Later I tried some more brick sheets and found that the plastic was much more conventional, capable of being cut without shattering and possible to bend with care. I even find it possible to cut with scissors. That's my theory, anyway. Occasionally (as in this week) I encounter one of the brittle sheets (this time it was in the wood boarding sheet) but all the course stone I've used has been of the softer type.

Nice to see you too, Richard! I'm a particular fan of 56xx's too, especially the Bachmann model which I've a particular "thing" for - all the ones I have seem to run so well, and they're nice and chunky too.

Thanks all, I'm always glad when anyone says it looks a bit Valleys-ish. Tim: the retaining wall is made of Wills course stone sheets. You can see where I attempted to disguise the join with some filler. John: are you calling our valleys soft?

A few more pics showing development of the station area and steps in the direction of a backscene: I am intending to keep the backscene quite minimalist, hoping to convey that lunar landscape look which is typical of so much of the valleys, but there is still work to do. The station is still rudimentary, but hopefully will start looking a bit more finished in coming weeks - however, I think you can get the general idea.

Enjoy a pint, or a fight, in the Railway Arms:

Bad Rabbit - well done for remembering those locos! I plan to keep it mostly BR this time, and not to bring too much stock - just what's been proven and tested on the layout, and (ideally) what's been fitted with sprat and winkles. I could run the A class, though, as it's a nice model. Nick: I quite like the basic effect of the liner; it's the static grass that needs a tweak. I can't be ar*ed with anything that needs bleaching!

Hi Nick - I'm in two minds about the grass, TBH -it's something I may revisit. It is basically hanging basket liner, which I think is obvious in the grass at the rear, above the retaining wall, but the foreground stuff has then been treated to an additional layer of static grass. Although it looks OK it's not the effect I wanted, which I think is due to me not using the static grass applicator correctly.

Hi Bad Rabbit - yes, this'll be at the L&B show. It was there last year but in a much less finished condition. Of course I can't believe how fast the last 12 months have shot by as there's still more stuff to do than I can reasonably achieve in three weeks!

Quite typical of the valleys, Don - there's a Robertstown near me, a Griffithstown near Pontypool, an Evanstown near Bridgend ...

With the layout set up in the conservatory, and the sun out, I thought the late afternoon light looked pretty good. Here are a few snaps of the more developed left hand side of the layout. The right side is still awaiting some remedial scenery and final detailing work after some major changes, but hopefully it should all come together in the next couple of weeks.

Those roof vents make a hell of a difference, Geoff - really lifts it. And yes, I can see what you mean about the carden shaft. Lovely model, on an equally lovely and inspirational layout...

Geoff - excellent points! I have some roof vents in the scrap box, so that will go on the to-do pile. And I had no idea that the cardan shafts were removed, so I will take a look at that as well. Here's the thread where it was mentioned that laser-cut glazing might be on the way: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/34325-shawplan-laserglaze-for-lima-mark-2-ef/ Obviously "in development" could mean a wait before they appear.

A couple of slow-burn modelling projects near the finishing line. I posted about the detailing of the 14XX over the showcase - basically it's the Mainly Trains kit applied to the Hornby model, which is otherwise unmodified, plus a few bits and bobs from the scrap box. This is a nice "one afternoon" project which really transforms the model (which is, of course, very very good for a model released in the 70s, and which has seen only mechanical upgrades in the intervening 30 plus years). The model is now painted, numbered and weathered, and awaits only a few touch-up bits and an appropriate lamp. The auto-coach is a sorry tale of woe. My model really does date back to the seventies - it's the original Airfix model, which has led a suitably bruised and battered existence ever since. About 10 years ago I decided to repair, detail and repaint it, using the excellent Dart castings. The kit modifications were quite straightforward, but things came unstuck during the painting. Rather than strip and prime it, I decided to apply BR crimson over the basic choc/cream colour of the original model. But, after about 30 layers of brush-applied crimson, the division between the choc/cream was still showing through. By the time I'd applied enough crimson to eradicate the underlying scheme, the model more resembled a crimson torpedo than an auto-coach - there was a faint suggestion of the original shape, but no more than that. So it went back in the unfinished projects box and there matters rested. This year I decided to have another bash at it so the model was extracted, subjected to three or four Modelstrip sessions, and then given a thorough clean. I then primed it, and primed again until there as no chance of the choc/cream showing. This time I applied faded crimson via an aerosol can, misting on light coats and allowing the density to build up. It still took a couple of days to get right. With the model back on the bench I decided to take a look at the glazing, and this time used the SE Finecast vac-formed parts rather than the Airfix originals. Opinions are divided on these glazing parts but for my money, while they're not ideal, it's still a decent improvement over the too-deeply recessed glazing of the original. I glazed the toplights using some of the liquid glazing material, which worked surprisingly well. I gather auto-coach glazing will be forthcoming from Shawplan, but to be honest having gone through the pain barrier of doing this coach once, I can't see myself coming back for a second go. However if I were to do another auto-coach, the Shawplan laser-cut product would presumably be the one to go for. Numbering, light weathering, etc still be applied. And for now the roof is a friction fit; eliminating the original glazing unfortunately removes the clips which the roof used to latch onto. I'll probably have to bite the bullet and glue the roof down at some point. Less involved, but still a project that's been on the workbench for an unholy length of time, is this GWR railcar. This is the original Lima model which again must be 30 plus years old. Other than additional pickups and an Ultrascale wheelset, mine is as it came out of the box. While not capable of the smoothest of starts, it's a perfectly good, steady plodder once it's moving. Again, it got the SE Finecast treatment, and a few additional details such as the cab corner window bars which are missing from the out-of-the-box model. The model still has its original paint job; damage to the lining was touched in here and there with a fine-tip pen, and then some light weathering was applied. With luck and a fair wind both these models will be operating on Paynestown at the RMweb open day; hope to see some of you there.