Re6/6

What is Bates doing at Leeds sacking Simon Grayson? People have been speculating the Neil Warnock is next but apparantly he's after Huddersfield Town's manager.

Bidding is a good bit lower on this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110812929421?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 compared to the two that were up recently ....

Lovely work there Geraint. I very much look forward to seeing it at a show.

Oh yes, I know all about trying to seek out routes of old railways that 'might have been'! Lovely snap Chris.

You won't regret it! Even though I consider it the definive work on the subject (can't wait for Gordon's second one on conifers) I found that slight adaptation of some techniques suited me. The armatures were fashioned from some old soft iron wire which I had.(0.75mm or 22 SWG).It's available widely now as 'zinc plated garden wire' in 50m rolls @ around £5.

Thanks all for the kind comments. I have used 'Green Scene' fine flock GS 125 'Parkway green' on some old postiche type material as recommended by GG in the book. On reflection you're quite right about not adding more branches to this one. The next armatures will have slightly closer branch structure. Don't ask! I prefer not to think about how many that we're going to need on Balcombe Viaduct!

The form of description this bloke uses drives me nuts, not to mention gives me a headache, by using huge 'shouty' script. I gave up trying to read it.

First experiment in 'foliation'. Next armature needs more structural branches to fill in the rather bare areas.

2mm.

Yes. but with one or two slightly different techniques that suited better with the wire used (soft iron in this case.)

Here is the first attempt at a tree armature, following Gordon Gravett's methods (with a few variations in method) shown in his new book. I can't recommend this book highly enough as the definitive 'how-to' work on tree making. I couldn't have achieved anything without it's guidance. This is an attempt at a 'grisly' old oak. The small lumps need removing from the thinner wire bits. The 'greenification' is still being worked on for the right formula. We'll need a large quantity of various trees for Balcombe Viaduct, including some old large oaks, elms and some smaller silver birches. The GG method ones will be at the front and then blending into lesser ones, probably using quite a lot of sea-moss built ones.

Some common sense from a journo...... .... http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/jim-white/time-indirect-action-104138475.html Discuss.

.......more irritating is "not Hornby, not Bachmann etc....... Regarding the Ratio stuff, are we ever surprised by him and and the other fellow? What really amazes me is the number of sales these people have made. I can only assume that there must be quite a large number of 'suckers' out there in the 'collecting' field!

This has been up a few times before with no takers. Just like our friend Mr Micmcn with his 'orrible Gaiety pannier body that he's been trying to sell for a few years now IIRC at £49! I recall seeing this monstrosity twice before with no takers. Some people just don't seem to get it!

Who indeed Andrew?!

Thanks for the tip Jon.

Managed to get them all to shut up for the filming! Unfortunately the camera ran out of memory just as the loco was halfway through the crossing at the end! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_I3XoIeVUM&context=C3a8ed6cADOEgsToPDskKi7V_5QecRQ8Uy_-pvoSJC

For those who might be interested in conversion for EM and P4 Just got mine yesterday and what a lovely little thing it is. A very smooth runner and goes very well in 'snail mode' I've pulled the bogie keeper plate off and removed a wheelset (to check 'P4ability'). They have to be 'popped out' as the brass bearings are retained as a push fit in the frames. The wheels are 'meaty enough' for a turning down solution. There is sufficent length on the half axles that to fit back into the gear muff when pulled out for re-gauging. Some Loctite would probably do the trick for certainty. Also what may or may not be needed could be a few 2mm washers to go between the back of the wheelset and the outside edge of the brass bearing as it is a sliding fit on the axle.. The removal of the bogie keeper plate took a bit of figuring out, but does come away by carefully pushing in with a small screwdriver at the front where there is a split in the main bogie moulding. All in all a nicely engineered item. Well done Dapol Dave, you haven't disappointed!

The vendor seems to be a 'general' seller when you look at their other items. Obviously they think that anything 'old railway' means valuable and 'rare' It is irritating to see the term 'rare' so grossly misused in so many Ebay auctions. Now I think that this http://cgi.ebay.co.u...ME:B:SS:GB:1123 could certainly be considered rare. If there hadn't been proprietary versions now available I might have considered it! As for the value of the wagon plate, the expectations are plain ludicrous. Recently I put up four of the things (one from each company) at a well know railwayana auctions and they sold as a job lot for under £50. Perhaps some advice to these people as to what it actually is and what their expectations might be. One of the four.

A far cry now compared to the days of operating it with none!....Now that was fun!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b019lrvj/Spotlight_18_01_2012/ At 12.30 mins in.

Check out their 'other items'...lavatory seats, door stops and lots of other very desirable merchandise.