F-UnitMad

With you lads on that score.... :angry: If only there was utterly odourless glue, solder and paint around, at least I could work on models indoors even if the layout is up the shed.... and yes, I know acrylic paints are not supposed to smell, but according to my SWMBO, who has a highly developed sense of smell (and asthma), they "stink"..!! Some of us have to suffer for our hobby!! Ruston; you're not the only one with DCC troubles; I've recently took the plunge with an NCE Powercab, as I was recently given some US HO scale locos, 3 of which have DCC Chips... so far they aren't working at all, and I haven't a clue why, yet....

I haven't visited this thread for a while, but I see nothing's changed... both Sandhills and Waverly West keep posting pictures of the real thing here... :D

If you'll take it as the compliment it's meant as, this picture looks like it's straight out of Model Railroader... :) :)

...but not near all those drums full of inflammable liquids..!!

Fantastic shot, Ruston - only enhanced by the 'steam'... it's a good overall view anyway, and really captures what this layout is all about! B) Re the Landy; who says it's what the oil drums are delivered in?? Considering how heavy those drums are (ever tried moving a full one? ) I for one would not just assume that the Landy was used to transport them - and even a Transit wouldn't be able to carry many - it is merely parked in that area (amazingly considerately, as someone else has said!! ) while the driver is on other business - maybe he's the Works Mechanic fixing something in the shed? stick a toolbox and some junk parts in the back to give that sort of impression, maybe..?

Saw this at Warley/NEC a few years ago; I love the way they describe the Lancaster on the website as "Non-flying"... :lol:

I've never seen a glass table used as a baseboard before, either... This layout is certainly breaking new ground..!!! B)

It certainly is... can you give us a bit more description of what you've done, Warren, as the photos jump from what looks like a rather lumpy mess, to very nice ashphalt . Can you describe the technique for us...?

I have no idea how much these two locos would cost new, but he didn't seem to do too badly out of them as spares/repairs non-runners...

Great stuff Brian. I'll have 55 015 in Blue with Finsbury Park White Windows please... :D Only kidding... although I have to say - assuming the usual "Tower" price of £425, that this is one Heljan loco I would be quite happy to pay that amount for, had I got that sort of money. It still seems a bit steep for the smaller Bo-Bo locos, but this looks worth every penny.... B)

If that's his idea of "runs well & looks good" then he must've borrowed someone else's layout to photograph it on....

He seems quite proud of the fact it actually works, too...!! "functions as a pretty good shunter"... ?!?!? yes, well, isn't that what it's supposed to do...???? :D

Nonsense mate, that concrete looks absolutely great!! - you should've said you made it look like that deliberately, then we'd all be hailing your scenic genius!!! It's made Pic of the Week, anyway B) (which reminded me to catch up on your layout!! )

Excellent work as ever, Brian... I don't think Heljan (or should that read "Tower"..?!? ) will have any trouble at all selling this model...

Another one for the "It's O Scale so it MUST be Expensive" school of thought... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LIMA-0-No-XXX-BR-Class33-DIESEL-LOCO-CODE-3-/300441722040?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models £120 for a badly-re-painted Lima 33 with a missing sideframe...?!?

:lol: :lol: Class !!!!

A neat looking idea and one to watch!!! What radius points are you planning on using? Your templates look almost like Lima points to me. Those are very tight indeed - 2ft radius I think - and from my experience even short 4-wheel wagons are going to struggle to go through them (especially the reverse curve in the crossover)without buffer-locking, with scale couplings. Marcway 4ft radius points might be just a bit better.

While we're on about things Great Western, what did I miss about the old Lima O scale Brake Van...??? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LIMA-GW-BRAKE-VAN-O-GAUGE-/250634707490?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models £59.99 B.I.N. ? I paid less than £10 for mine a couple of years ago...

Nowt wrong with that loco ... Hornby models of the time always had the buffers a bit high...

Strangely, (and it must just be me) I found HO the least satisfying of the three scales to work in. It was a bit too big for the "wide open scenery" look, and needed all the detail you can omit in N scale, but the parts are so small & fiddley I found it much easier to do in O, which yes, does have a 'heft' and 'prescence' the smaller scales can only dream of... Cue gratuitous O scale F-Unit picture... *sorry*

Seconded, in all respects!! If I couldn't have my O scale locos, I'd go right back to N scale. B) This layout is a bad influence!!!

Unfortunately it's an oft-repeated complaint about O scale. It would be easier to stomach some of the high prices if the quality matched, but somehow the old attitude in Britain that "It's O scale so it must be expensive" seems to be applied regardless. More a case of "What price can we get away with charging?" than "What price is this really worth?". Another thing irks me about that sort of kit, just from looking at the box lid; okay - leave choice of wheels and coupler to the buyer (itself a bit of an out-dated notion, now, I think?), but no Transfers...???? Slaters do the same... to my mind it means the kit seems "incomplete", and also opens up a whole minefield of what transfers to get (assuming any are available) and their accuracy for the model. All I know is, I hope no wagon experts ever check out the numbers on most of my wagon fleet ... Wagons... schwagons.... Sorry, Rant Mode OFF.