BG John

Small, Broad and Totally Pointless! My part built 4mm broad gauge micro layout. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70418-small-broad-and-totally-pointless/

It doesn't make me smile at the moment. I'm currently working through my pile of unfiled paperwork, sorting out what's needed, and dealing with it, and putting anything else through the shredder beside my desk! But then I do know the difference between the shredder on my left, and the laser printer/copier on my right. I hope!!!!!

I don't know if this article adds anything useful to the discussion. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/07/21/uk-train-burkhardt-idUKBRE96K04J20130721

My X reg one was never that shiny when I had it at a couple of years old! The wheels don't look very original.

I think part of the attraction is not to relate it too closely to individual companies at the moment, as that's what the line societies cover, but to cover the unique challenges of modelling the period. Maybe we should just encourage people to put the company name in the thread title, where appropriate, or to tag it. The grouping that mainly affects me happened in 1875, when the GWR, Bristol and Exeter, South Devon and Cornwall Railways amalgamated, and the 1923 one was just when the GWR acquired a few extra lines! And there were many other amalgamations and takeovers in the 90 odd years covered. But a big question is whether it's the place for threads on pre-grouping layouts, for discussing prototype information, and/or for building individual models, finding suitable products and modelling particular period features that many companies used.

Try building a 5' long 4mm layout in a small van, with a large dog . It's not easy, which is why I didn't finish it!

That's why they're rare!

That doesn't mean RMweb isn't useful as well. The Broad Gauge Society is a great source of products, information on available models and prototype information, but not so great for general period modelling help. I'm sure other line societies are similar.

It might encourage more people to have a go too.

I thinks that's a great idea, but we need to remember than "pre grouping" covers around 90 years, from the invention of the railway. It's also been 90 years since the grouping, with the big four, nationalisation and privatisation. So it's a big and very diverse period. Having said that, we all suffer from a lack of commercial support, technical issues and a different historical culture, so it could be really useful. I look forward to the day when there's so much interest that it needs further dividing!

I just missed out on the end of steam, and have been interested in the broad gauge since I got interested in railways when I was around 12 or 13, although I never expected to be able to model it. So the railways I've actually seen were modern, and at the time seemed rather boring, and the really interesting stuff was so old that it wasn't practical for me to model then. That's why I ended up trying to model the early 1900s as a compromise! In reality though, I ended up with rather a lot of 1930s stock as it was easier to acquire at the time! If I decided to model all this newfangled diesel stuff, it would probably be what I remember from the mid to late 60s though!

Given unlimited time, space, money and energy, I'd like to model the North Devon Railway when it was mixed gauge, and I could run a mixture of LSWR and Bristol & Exeter Rly trains. But I can't see it happening!

So would I, but as you're an expert in such things, and my experience of holding anything on a gradient is limited to a van and trailer weighting less that 3.5 tonnes with rubber tyres on a road, I thought I'll be a bit restrained in my comments!

But even so, it doesn't exactly seem wise to hold an unattended train on a gradient, especially when it's carrying a dangerous cargo and there's a town at the bottom of the hill, without some way of preventing a runaway reaching the town. Even with more than enough handbrakes on, something could go wrong, including sabotage as there's no one around to stop it.

3 months to the day after she moved in, I've failed as a foster dad, and adopted her . I'm now an official member of the UK German Shepherd Rescue Failed Fosterers Club! Shame she's no good at painting or lime plastering!

As a non railwayman, it seems odd to me that a train would be left unattended on a gradient, with nothing to stop it in the, however unlikely, event of a brake failure, Surely there should be a catch point, a siding into a sand drag, or something to stop it. I parked my van on a slope this morning, with the handbrake on, and in reverse gear, but I also turned the front wheels so if it did run away it would run into a wall after a short distance, and not go all the way into the river!

Really? I think I've one in my unbuilt kit box, with things other than the turntable kit in it!

My plan includes a fiddle yard at the back, but on a wider board. It's going to be at a lower level than this, so easier to reach, but I'm still not sure about it. On a layout on quite a high shelf it could be unusable. Try a mock-up before you go any further.

I don't think it lasted very long after Dad traded it in, although it was in good condition when he handed it over. It just needed new brake pipes as far as I remember. There are a few subtle differences to the two photos I've found showing parts of it. If by some chance it is, the wing and door mirrors and radio aerial need to be removed, as they're alien features it never had!

No. It was GRX858, and spent all its life in Berkshire, apart from the occasional holiday in Sussex or the West Country. As far as I know, it only paid one visit to Wales. It was the same colour though.

I grew up being driven around in one of them. My Dad had it for 20 years from new, and replaced it with a new Vauxhall Viva a few months before I started learning to drive.

As someone else has just Liked my photo from over two months ago, of what I thought was my new dog moving in, I think I should point out that I was deceived. I've discovered she's actually a meerkat

They work for me!

Railway enthusiast training for my new friend started today, with a ride on the Teifi Valley Railway. She found it all quite interesting, and not at all scary!

I can't see the mouse!