MRDBLUE17

Hi Peter, Those updates really bring your already excellent layout to life even more! The stock looks excellent and I liked your 47 line up. As to your 37 problem my EWS version 37411 which is now 406 was fine to begin with and after a short period of running bumped about a bit with a growl. Once I stripped it back a bit I found that the flywheel was loose and as a result there was no drive to one bogie so in the end superglued the brass fly wheel back in place to the motor spindle and it has been near enough fine since. I still like my Heljan 47's but having now bought a couple of the new Bachmann versions I think these are now the best models as well. Hope you get your 37 running well soon. Thanks, Mark

Hi Alex, Those 3, 60's and the DRS 37's look very nice on shed, can't believe how much you have got done with those platforms really looking very good in place and all the structural beams as well. Great to see your progress as always and keep up the good work. Thanks, Mark

Hi Kev, Those 37's look good, hopefully will get to hear them in person at some point, nice to have some variety in your fleet as well as the real ones all sound a bit different. Anyway heading off to Barrow now and should have another 37 in my fleet later today! Thanks, Mark

Looking good Alex, Careful the move indoors might just be for easier monitoring of how many new locos start arriving on shed. Its an easy argument for us to win though, "But I only bought 1 new engine and you bought 3 tops!" You just have to compare everything on an item by item basis. Looking very good and that new 60 looks very at home there! You'll be wanting a bright red one next! All the best, Mark

Hi Everyone, Found this will searching through my collection - 33030 during its stint in the North West towards the end of its working life under EWS ownership seen stabled at Victory Road. Regards, Mark

Hi Pete, Happy New Year to you to! Funny I was just looking at your layout on DEMU the other day when I was adding some details of Victory Road and thought that I hadn't had chance to see your recent updates - it gets to that busy time of year when I am lucky to get anything done at all but now Christmas is out of the way work settles down a bit so looking forward to getting back into it properly. I have got some work done this year need to add some photos soon - got the next row of edging stones on the platform down and also the brick work. I have also made 3 rectangles out of some square strip for the flower beds on the platform as well. Next job is to get it all painted and must get the station finished before Model Rail Scotland as well. Hope all is well with you, Mark

Hi Peter, Cracking job on the 47 - nice subtle weathering really brings it to life and great shot of it next to the tanks. You have a nice fleet of 47's now all that hard work is really paying off. My Cumbrian coast plan is a long term project which will be an alternative to Rannoch so I can re-use the trestles - lots of 31's, 108's, other DMU's and some speedlink/engineers workings not to mention flasks. A nice scratch built Furness signal box and small station complete with Furness seats with the squirrel ends - so far I have the seats so lots to do! Plan will be fictional but with some real elements taken from the line on it. Will also plan to use it in current period for all my DRS fleet to run many of Andi (cairns road works) efforts. But this will be several years before it becomes reality as I have a few other things to get done before. Whats next off your work bench? Thanks, mark

Hi Peter, Happy New year to you and family! I had come accross a photo on line whilst searching for a different 47 the other day of Night Mail and then next thing I see your cracking rendition of it looking spot on at Lanbourne. Really like the TPO coach as well. I have mine in out of the box condition on Victory Road at the moment and I will add some photos later in the week when I get another day off. A Blue 31 and a 108 are also in use for good measure! I plan to model a 4 coach TPO for a future layout I am planning based on the Cumbrian Coast although this will take a few years to come to reallity as have far too much to do to get Rannoch finished. The TPO I will model will be the Whitehaven to Huddersfield which use to call at Barrow. I have seen 31's and 47's on this and your train reminded me of this service! Keep up the good work, Thanks, Mark

Congratulations for those who took part and got a layout to a finished state in the timescale. I was very impressed with the overall winner, especially the level of detail in N but there were some cracking entries to vote on so well done to all for making this so interesting. Great idea Andy to run this in the first place. Mark

Hi Everyone, Just a few photos of the Christmas Steam special to Fort William and Mallaig. WCRC provide the mark one stock and 6100 Royal Scot has turned up seen here heading North at Rannoch. Just a little bit of weathering around the chimney, cab roof and some real coal in the tender along with some gunmetal and rust shades in the cab, tender area along with a little coal spilt out has added to this one. Andi - they do indeed need a good coat of grime at some point - I have a few ideas once the rake is complete. Alex - there might be something small from Santa that will make an appearance at Rannoch! Hope you all have a great Chistmas and new Year, thanks for following my layout thread and especially to Andy and the team that make this all happen! All the best. Mark

Hi Kev, You have made a lot more progress than me recently, work is too busy at this time of year to get any modelling done but once we get into the new year things quiet down a lot so looking forward to get some work done then! Happy Christmas, Mark

Hi Alex, That depot is going to look superb, you can really get a feel for the place with your updates. Hope you have a good Christmas, All the best, Mark

Hi Dave, Merry Christmas to you, it has been great following your updates this year and I'll look forward to more of the same next year. I know I'll look forward to your 2006 stock fleet - especially with class 60's on engineering trains in the station itself! All the best, Mark

Hi Peter, Great photo of the 20's in the fading winter light. Hope you have a Happy Christmas, all the best for 2011 and I'll look forward to your updates in the new year. All the best, Mark

Hi Everyone, Thanks Pete/Dave for your comments - Pete I wished I had a modelling project in the car after the 4 hours I spent sat on the M8 the other week - I still had to work when it snowed as I can walk to work in a different store when it is really bad but only had to do that once so far - hopefully we won't get it too bad this time! Dave, not had chance to do the white lines on the wheels yet but the photos will be great for that and just let me know when you are about next. Had my Christmas visit home this week and on Tuesday called in to the Train Shop in Morecambe to pick up a few things that Richard had for me. Bachmann always seem to deliver the days I appear and the good news was that instead of just getting the genny autoballaster wagon 2 flat top ones were also waiting for me. Hopefully the other 2 curved tops will appear before I next get home so that my rake for Rannoch will be complete. 37425 has been put to work on them straight away as I have seen a few youtube clips of this loco earlier in the year on the line although the wagons were much filthier! I also got a SDJR 7F 53809 as I travelled behind it on the NYMR and always liked the design of those engines from pictures in books so it has returned to the mainline and will be performing on the Jacobite stock in the future on Rannoch. Not sure I'll get much more done this week so in case I don't get the chance before, I'd just like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and thank you for following my thread this year, for all the comments and support and all round general banter! And finally I hope that Santa is good to you all - the real one has been in our store and he thinks I have been good! So we'll wait and see. Thanks, Mark

Hi Dave, I'm glad you still have so much work to do on your layout for 2 reasons, first it means we will get to see your updates of all the new little details and stock as and when they appear which by the sounds of that list will take a fair while to do and second its nice to know other people create massive jobs list for their layouts as mine seems to grow with every little bit I think I have completed! Nice updates and if you want photos of Haymarket shed there is a road on part of the old track bed for Princes Street Gardens with a large layby which provides great shots of the depot now. The old shed building is still part of the depot and there is a road on that side too but at a lower level. There has been an extra new building at the station end built in the last few years and all the storage tanks have also been replaced in the last couple as well. Shame though there aren't any nice locos like on yours anymore! Great photos as always, Thanks, Mark

Hi Peter, Always nice to see your new stock updates and 613 is no exception and looks good in its fresher paint scheme. I really liked your 31 on the engineers service a few pages back now. I can see me adding a couple of 31's for my future project next year with the Reggie and railfreight ones from Hornby. Keep up the good work as awlays! Thanks, Mark

Hi everyone, Not as much work as I would like on the layout but a nice parcel arrived today with a couple of new wagons for use on Rannoch. I got a couple of the the partially cleaned weathered silver bullets from Kernow and I am very pleased with how they look. I have seen pictures of the odd wagon on the WHL on the back of various workings including the Alcan trip and also on the back of Ferrywagon rakes from the paper mill. I have tried the cargo wagons on the layout but they just seem to big with my tight corners so prefer my VGA rake instead which I have added one bullet to the back of the other is on a Mossend to Fort William working as seen heading North through Rannoch. PNEYorkshire had asked about my ballasting and weeds - I have now done a further section of ballasting which I am trying to break into hour sessions at a time. This means I don't rush it and usually get it how I want each bit to look first time. The Ballast used is a mixture of woodland scenics, fine and extra fine brown and dark brown and Nairnshire modelling supplies scottish pink 2mm size ballast by Carrs. This also has some grey extra fine granite chips mixed in on some sections. I use a little glass ramekin dish that you get with those chocolate desserts to mix up enough bllast to do each section. Before adding any to the layout the grasses have been added - This is the packs from Gaugemaster and I have used the dark green one. It has a web like backing and is cut into thin strips or whatever you reuire and glued in place. The photo shows the end of the siding which is really over grown and stock doesn't run on - for the other sections I did I used smaller amounts of grass so that trains can still run over it without any issues. The ballast is then placed onto the layout using a metal spoon and then tamped and spread using a stiff paintbrush. The flat areas are pressed gently with a finger to firm down slightly and the ballast shoulders are carefully shaped by pressing with your fingers to create a nice rounded mound once you have heaped on enough ballast. I keep an old fairy bottle which I top up every so often with some PVA wood glue, water and a dash of soap there is no exact science to my mix but is probably around 30% glue content. I tip a little into a small plastic pot and use a syringe to drop the glue in place. Don't rush this section especially in between track sleepers drop it drip by drip and it will soak in and won't mess up your hard work. The ballast shoulder area will collapse in places when doing this but don't worry just add a little more ballast shape and add a little more glue and it will soak in and stay together. Whilst wet I have added some of the extra fine dark brown to create more weathered, dirty ballast patches and some extra jarvis dark green scatter has also been added to the areas that will be more weeded. The section also includes some rough grass from a hanging basket liner. Later in the process more greenery will be added from woodland scenics materials and hopefully the long grass will also be built up once I have made a grass tool. Hopefully this gives you a better idea but if you want to know anything just ask. Thanks for looking, questions comments always welcome - next week all being well Rannoch will be home to a preserved southern kettle which in reality should be good over the steeply graded line! Mark

Hi Dave, Kestral looks great in those black and white images. Apart from the lack of snow that last photo looks like the new M8 car park I was in on Monday whilst attempting to go to work! Thanks, Mark

Hi Everyone, I decided to bite the "bullet" and order 2 of the partially cleaned wagons from Kernow, I had really wanted the fully weathered ones but having missed out due to the speed at which they sold out went for a couple of these ones as they use to run on the WHL to Corpach so they are not out of place. I think they look really good as they come although one of them might get a little fresh dirt over the clean patches for some more variety to my fleet. Dapol have done a superb job on the finish of these and well done to Kernow for doing them. Yes there were some minor finger marks around the main barrel but a very slight wipe downwards with my finger cleaned it right off so not a really an issue at all. I put mine straight into service and the pictures show it on the back of a Mossend to Fort William service. Many thanks, Mark

Hi Kev, That new board looks really well made - those alignment dowels look very useful, can you let me know who does those as they would be much better than the bolts I currently use on my boards? As for all that extra space at the ends ideal for the multiple units, snow ploughs and additonal locos - just think of all those extra services you can now run! Thanks, Mark

Hi Kev, Thats quick progress with your new boards and very solid looking compared to my lightweight ones that Rannoch sits on. I might need to have a listen to these new 37's once you have tweaked them as I still have a few more that need chipped and would add some variety to my fleet as I have another 2 37/4's to do at some point. Have you had any more snow in Barrow? Thanks Mark

Hi Dave, 26025 looks really good in that photo - I really enjoy looking at your shots of the trains running as you capture them so well. When my viaduct is finished you will need to come and take a few shots on trains passing over that whenever you are in Edinburgh. I'm glad to see so many trains running in your Ashes to Ashes time warped world - Did I possibly spot Gene Hunt at Waverley? Certainly wasn't so many trains today with the big overnight freeze! You probably ran far more than Scotrail today! Great to see your updates as always, Thanks, Mark

Hi Kevin, Thanks for adding those photos - looks really good with the match wagons as well. Those 73's are weathered very nicely and make that a really well modelled train to run on your layout. Thanks, Mark

Hi Dave, That last shot of the 105 sat in the mound tunnel popped into my mind today - Funny thing with all the snow up here I attempted to get a train from Waverley today to Livi which eventually left from Platform 18, through the right hand portal of the mound to the signal just beyond. After sitting for 20 minutes the service returned back into Platform 18 from where it came due to a points failure! Shame it was only a 156 and not a 105! I think that trip must be some sort of record for the shortest jouney in Britain! Still at least my boss saw the funny side of it when I phoned her! By the way your model needs some snow sorry I didn't get any pictures but it was up to rail height today! Thanks, Mark