Rumblestripe

Museum quality.

I wouldn't have dared! Looks another good issue for me. Anything from Mrs Trellis in the letters?

Looks nowt like a 9F, harrumph! Seriously, that is astonishing

Didn't make it I'm afraid (minor family drama) hope everyone had a good weekend and please more photos!

Thanks I've emailed the Classic Car club to see if it is possible to attend with them. Should be good.

Hope to get to this. The Tanfield is my favourite preserved railway it has a really different feeling to the big lines And "Legends Of Industry" is well worth attending. What are the arrangements for Classic Car owners? I took mine a few years ago and was rewarded with a free ticket for the railway (unexpected but appreciated I should add) I may try to convince a couple of Classic owners to have a run out.

The old film is rather lovely. Have you seen the re-interpretation from the wonderful Public Service Broadcasting?

That's got it! Like it very much. Good job.

Link still not working for me?

Right away mate! Terrier, Gresley, Grosmont.

Just accept it for what it is. A sequence of shots of steam locomotives in beautiful countryside. I really find myself shaking my head at people watching it and getting annoyed about the ridiculous narrative and continuity errors. I suppose it is a sort of "who can spot the most bloopers" competition? It's OK. It shows the railway to great effect and will no doubt draw visitors to the area (who incidentally will not be disappointed) Job done

Looks good, I've watched a few programmes featuring the estimable Mr. Strawbridge and found them interesting and entertaining. The female presenter in the foreground of the publicity shot looked familiar and, after a bit of digging, I found it was a lady called Claire Barratt who was in a previous C4 series you may recall called "Salvage Squad" where the team would restore various old mechanical contrivances such as a Centurion Tank, a Snowtrak and a Tram! She is described in IMDB as an "Industrial archeologist and steam/civil engineer". This should be good.

Some lovely little films uploaded to You Tube by a gentleman called Alan Snowdon. This one shows a ride from Darlington to Middleton in Teeesdale from DMU front seats in 1963 and it is rather charming There are other videos on his "Channel" to check out too.

Cream is the best colour to let down a colour as paints fade the binder will tend to yellow so adding cream is your one stop shop! You have to be careful with blues though as adding yellow may introduce an unwelcome green tinge, in such situations use a light grey.

Can I suggest you try Artists Gesso. It is a curious substance. It shrinks to a thin layer and provides a superb grip for Acrylic paints. It also costs "buttons". This is the translucent version. You simply glop it on quite roughly but making sure it covers the whole painted area. Wait a while... And this is how it dries, notice how it has "shrunk to fit" all the detail on the figure returns. I just use a cheap version from a shop called "The Works" which seems to be on most high streets, I think it cost me £1 for a tub that will probably last me for years. Give it a try. You'll never go back to Halfords Primer (perhaps) and you can do it without having to wear a mask or waiting for good weather! *Sorry I don't have a more "Railway" example to show but I took these shots to document painting a 28mm figure of Terry Pratchett's "Death" for another website.

I came to Vallejo acrylics via figure painting for wargames as this is probably their core user base. As such they are designed to be handled frequently and occasionally roughly a job they do very well. I would suggest that your problem with the paint being easily removed is likely due to your preparation. A good primer is vital for adherence, I like "Artists Gesso" and find that Vallejo sticks to that extremely well.

Just checking back in on progress and... wow. As much as anything I'm in awe of the work ethic and focus to produce something on this scale. Please excuse me if this is telling you something you already know but have you checked the aerial photographs held on https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EAW042534 This image is from 1952 and there is a higher resolution image available for purchase which may reveal details of the surrounding rooftops if nothing else. Hope this helps Keep on doing what you are doing.

A few points, firstly to the person bemoaning the lack of freedom to let his dogs off the leash. Do not let your dog off the leash around livestock. I was hearing from a farmer only yesterday of an attack by a "family dog" on his flock that left twenty plus lambs dead. The family apparently simply walked away. Leaving the farmer with the corpses to collect and the cost to count. There is one caveat to the instruction to keep your dog on the lead and that is where you find yourself in a field with cows and calves. Cows have been known to trample people who they think may be a threat to their young. If you are threatened by cows, release your dog, the cows will be more concerned at the presence of the dog (wolf!) and will protect their young from the dog. The dog should be quick enough to outrun the cows without problem, leaving you free to exit the field by the shortest possible route. Stay safe and respect the countryside and those who make their living in it. Less seriously, get your sheep breeds right, even at 1/76 you can tell the difference between, for example, a Swaledale and a Cheviot. Even if it is just getting the correct colour of face, fleece and legs! On the subject of the sheep of the northern fells, in the Lake District you will principally see Herdwicks and some Swaledales. The Herdwicks are "hefted" to their land and are not fenced in but are allowed to graze the fells alone in the summer months taking their lambs with them to familiarise them with their land around this time of year. It's a fascinating subject and a little research will add to the authenticity of your model. Oh and finally, can someone please make a decent set of model sheep some of the offerings are painfully thin, a good healthy lowland sheep is almost circular in cross section!

A couple of "left field" suggestions. 1. East Tanfield on the Tanfield Railway. Not really a "station" but a single platform with a short bay and a run round loop and weed grown sidings. 2. Aysgarth Station (Wensleydale Railway), just need to put the track back!

Some years ago, RMJ included an A3 size print of a photographed model in a natural setting with the simple caption "THIS is a Model Railway" Semley deserves that accolade. It is a masterpiece. The debate on weather (or not) is tricky. It is difficult to judge the appearance of a Victorian/Edwardian railway against our experience of an ageing and aged infrastructure. A pre-Great War railway was the pinnacle of the technology of the age, NASA or CERN not some battered old DMU rattling asthmatically along neglected and overgrown tracks. The bricks of the buildings were of the highest quality only a few years old, the woodwork freshly painted, the standards of cleanliness exemplary, you could eat your dinner off the boiler housing of a shunting locomotive let alone an express. Perhaps the PO wagons are a little too clean but that's about it.

But apart from that, what have the Romans ever done for us?

It would be interesting to hear if any of those who have rubbished the "new" show already had a dislike for Evans? Because as far as I could see, this was the same Top Gear with different presenters. If you don't like Evans this isn't going to change your opinion. I've read quite a lot of the online reaction on various sites and my thoughts has always been that people have already decided it was rubbish before it started. The criticisms are largely what was wrong with the previous incarnation plus the dislike of CE. My two pennerth? Evans was OTT, Matt LeB was actually pretty good, I enjoyed his review of the Ariel Nomad and it was rather beautifully filmed. He has good comic timing (as you'd expect) and great deadpan delivery. The section at "Top Gun" with Sabine was contrived and reminiscent of the Clarkson vs Apache Gunship item of a few years ago. I liked the Star in a Reasonably Priced Autocross Car as the "Autocross Sections" should be a good indication of driving skill and commitment (I predict a few upside down Minis). For me, it was flawed but interesting enough for me to give it another go next week. I'm told the "Extra Gear" programme on BBC3 website is pretty good.

Ahem, not the only missing LNER Pacific! The Raven A2 Though granted even less likely to be produced as RTR than the Thompson!

You're making the rest of us feel pretty inadequate, please keep it up! This is awe inspiring modelling. Sir, I salute you.

Something like this can be easily achieved using webcams, you can get "Full HD" Webcams for as little as £20 (and cheaper for lesser resolutions) you would need to install a cheap network switch (£20 should cover it) and plug a laptop or perhaps a cheap tablet to display the feeds from the cameras.