BG John

Things are still happening. The 1200mm length of Tufnol I had to order to get the 611mm I need for the sector plate was a bit slow arriving, and there's other things going on in the workshop at the moment, so that will have to wait for a while. I can't do any track laying until that's done, but as I've got almost nothing to run on the layout that's not a problem. I've stuck down the new cork underlay ready for when I can. I'd started using Wills embossed stone for the buildings, and that's still what I'd like to use eventually, but for now I'm making fairly quick short term buildings for all the small/tiny layouts I'm working on. Once I've got enough stock to operate them I'll think about replacing or upgrading, but for now I'm just aiming for neat and presentable buildings and scenery. Life's too short, and I've wasted too much of it! I'm getting lots of useful practice, ready for the time when I've achieved all four of my teenage modelling ambitions on a modest scale, and I can concentrate on doing things to a really high standard. This is the first building I'm working on. It's a warehouse to go in the front left hand corner to help block the view into the fiddle yard. To achieve this it needs to be at an angle, and in partial low-relief. The front is Scalescenes, from the Low Relief High Street Backs, that has some potentially useful buildings in it for kit-bashing. I've built this following the instructions, although I've had to cut a bit off the left side. The end wall is new, as are the floors that are an odd shape. Hopefully it will all fit together, and fit snugly in the corner of the backscene.

I found them from your link. I just couldn't find them before that!

Thanks Russ. I searched, but didn't find them.

That's a great idea thanks Ray. I've been meaning to get some shellac for ages, to try other things with card, so you've encouraged me to order some.

This may not be the canopy you're using, as I think it's only available in 4mm so far, but it might be helpful. Being almost incapable of building anything according to the instructions, this is what I've done with mine. I turned the roof inside out, so the boarding is underneath. It's going on the front of the Scalescenes Low-relief Factory, so the pillar spacing had to be changed to fit round the doors. I cut a piece of 200gsm card the full length of my three kits, and stuck it to the top of the roof, then covered it with Scalescenes Corrugated Iron, before I added the trusses etc. So I had a one piece roof to work with, rather than three separate parts. I'm planning to add some square section wood the thickness of the trusses to the bottom of each truss that will fit into holes in the building at one end, and be supported on the L-Cut pillars at the other, to make a canopy over the platform and siding.

If more batches are being produced, can we have a 19th century version please? It might tempt me to add something Bodmin & Wadebridge like (before it turned into another boring ordinary railway) to my to-do list!

They're on eBay? Where?

It's going on Cheapskate Cheapside Yard. I'm not spending money unless it's absolutely necessary, and certainly not before I've searched my stock of bits and pieces for something to knock about .

I think that will do. I'll have to find something to make a chimney pot from sometime. Any extra work can be done when I see how it looks on the layout. It's not bad for a free 4mm scale kit though, and well worth using in 7mm.

I seem to be slowing down a bit, but I am working on other things too. To go with the rather rough and varying size gutters, I'm adding ends to a similar standard! I'm colouring small bits of printer paper with a black felt tip, and sticking them to the ends of the gutting with tacky glue. Once dry, I'm cutting off the excess with a small pair of scissors. I stuck one last night and trimmed it tonight, and it seems reasonable, so have now stuck paper to the rest of them. These are really cruel enlargements, but the one I've done looks acceptable in real life. I've also added the bargeboards and ridge tiles.

Looks like Locomotion has had it too! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/weathered-locomotive-OO-gauge-Locomotion-heavily-rusted-and-weathered/301845967961

Is the CB09 still the best, and cheapest, blade to go for? I'm still on my first blade, but will have to start thinking about buying more soon.

I suppose another way way round this is to set it in a country where the line was built by the British, who gradually lost their influence to Uncle Sam, and the Americans had to supply smaller than usual stock to fit the British loading gauge!

Any progress with this? I'm getting a bit bored with planning end to end layouts, so might do something similar in O-16.5. Not sure about the two countries though, as it might start giving me expensive ideas. I've already got two Bachmann On30 coaches, but they're a cancelled export order bought by a British railway!

It's supposed to be small and quick, so make one of each. Then you only have to decide which to do first!

But it's in French! And Google's translation is confusing!

All the discussion seems to have been about using plasticard, but is anyone using it to cut card? I'm especially interested in whether the blade blunts sooner. Are there some types of card that work, and others that don't?

On the Peco point bases I posted about recently, I managed to push the screw holes out with the nose of a pair of pliers.

As it should do. It's reminding you that the cab end is the front, and you need to turn it at the end of each journey!

Yolo seem to be a specialist supplier of Silhouette machines and all the extras. It's where I bought mine. http://www.yolo.co.uk/ Incidentally, I'm the John you were asking about them on the Colonel Stephens Yahoo Group!

From my interpretation of what I've read, I'm inclined to say the Portrait, as it doesn't seem that the Curio does anything extra that is very useful for railway modelling. It seems the Curio will cut deeper, but only on softer materials than plastic. And the Portrait is about half the price. When I bought mine I was advised that the wider cut of the Cameo wasn't a benefit, but the wider carriage could reduce the cutting pressure on hard materials.

I don't feel at all bad about it. I'm quite pleased actually, as I like to create quirky things! I enjoyed doing it too. The PVA under the first lot of cork underlay is currently setting (I hope) under various lumps of wood and weights. There are a couple more bits to go down when I can take the weight off. I've ordered a sheet of 2mm Tufnol for the new sector plate. I had to buy a baseboard sized sheet, 1200mm x 300mm, to get the 611mm length I need, so will have plenty left over for future projects. I thought of using ply instead, but what I have is too thick, and I don't think would have produced such a good end result.

The baseboard is pretty much finished now. It will need some sealing and protective edges, but I'll do that later when I see what's needed. Not the most elegant bit of framing, but considering its history, rather unavoidable, especially for a cheapskate like me doing it with whatever I had lying around: I've added a raised end to the fiddle yard to stop trains running off the end. I need to buy (shock! horror!) some materials for the new sector plate, so will do that later: It's not likely to fall apart! The backscene is 4mm ply from different sources, framed with the timber from some old pasting tables I was given. The hardboard from these tables may well appear in a forthcoming project, as I'm running short of ply: I've tidied up the corner of the quay. The plan is to put a fairly large low-relief warehouse in the corner to help block the view into the fiddle yard. Then I'll work towards the back, adding features that help hide more of it. Then I may well add a curtain as suggested by Shortliner: The train shed and loco give a better idea of the size of the layout: It's a good idea to check that your locos comply with the standards! This one ever so slightly bends the rules: A quick attack with a jigsaw and sandpaper (to the layout!), and everything is fine:

Brilliant. Thanks. You posted a picture of something similar some time ago I think, but that makes it really clear. I was thinking of doing it anyway, but using something like a black bin bag, or maybe even printed paper with a picture of the rest of the station on it. I was concerned that anything too stiff might damage stock running through it, as my 4-4-0ST has some delicate bits. I'll add it to the list of things to experiment with.

It's got a backscene, screwed and glued in place. It looks as though my idea for blocking much of the view into the fiddle yard should work pretty well. It won't be possible to hide it anywhere near completely, but I think that's to be expected. I can ballast the track onto the sector plate to help as well. I had a nice little package from Shortliner with some non stick oven liner, so can start experimenting with the fiddle yard.