BG John

I like the idea of hiding things, which is why there's a traverser under the train shed on Small, Broad & Totally Pointless .

I want to produce a convincing model of what I know actually existed, rather than coming up with a convincing argument for something that might have existed, but didn't. In this case . You can't see it in the photos, but behind the layout, and at a much greater height, is the board for the mock up of my Cameo Competition entry. I'm intending it to have a feature that I've seen described as something that viewers of the layout would find so unbelievable and ridiculous, that they would think the layout builder was mad. I've also seen a comment on how it's a feature that someone just has to model. I have photographic evidence it existed, it's referred to in a booklet I have, and I'm quite happy to be considered mad .

Cornwall isn't an independent country yet, but they're still introducing their own calendar!

This is the current track plan, drawn in SCARM. To make it fit, I've had to get a bit creative. The points are based on a 48 inch radius curve. The biggest locos on the layout will be Dapol Terriers, so this should be no problem. In earlier versions of the plan, I tried using Peco Set Track, but they are a bit tighter, too rigid, and produce a six foot substantially greater than 6ft. So I've drawn my own from flexi track, using a 48 inch radius curve, and making them flow how I want. I imported an earlier SCARM plan done this way into Templot, drew a new plan over it, and it worked out remarkably well. Once I'm happy with this plan, I'll do the same again, to use for track building. I've saved a worthwhile amount of length by using a sector plate at the end of the loop. The Colonel wouldn't have had anything so sophisticated on one of his lines, so it needs to be hidden. Using a few old trees from the EM layout I built around 40 years ago, it looks as though trees and dense foliage should work. I curved the plan to get the sector plate right into the front right hand corner, so it's not visible from any normal viewing angle. Although I'm not planning this as a Cameo Layout, I'll put wings on both ends of the scenic section to provide a further view blocker. I'm not certain whether it will be a sector plate or a traverser yet. I need to see which will fit best, and what's involved in building them. Whatever it is, it will be motorised, as the layout will be radio controlled so I can operate it from any location. I've used the loco shed as a view blocker where the main line goes into the fiddle yard. Using the fake Lego shed I knocked up this morning, it looks as though this will work quite well. I want to make sure that it's not possible to see the hole in the backscene the train passes through from the right hand end of the layout. The wing, and the trees hiding the sector plate/traverser, should help with this. The line at the front of the layout is a private siding to a mill, inspired by Hodson's Mill just outside Robertsbridge. Earlier plans used the mill to hide the fiddle yard, but I don't know if I'll actually do that, or just run the siding into the fiddle yard. It should add a fair amount of operational interest. The exit to the fiddle yard can be fairly well hidden by the wing, and some trees. There's quite a lot of track in a small space. I think this is mainly given away by looking at it from the ends, views that will be blocked. The layout is set around 1905, and at that time the track on the K&ESR was ballasted over the sleepers. I think this will make the track a lot less prominent than it otherwise would be.

Please explain "complete". It's not in my dictionary.

I think I was trying to be too clever in a space that was far too small!

No need for luck. It's a much better design . I hope .

Has he really managed to hang on to enough of other people's money, to buy a yacht that he can fall overboard from?

Are you sure there isn't one on the 4-wheel version?

You may remember my attempt to build a quick O gauge starter layout, that was too small and was starting to get complicated. Well that's history now, and I'm just starting on "Holman's End, The 2nd Attempt". I've drawn up a wide variety of plans, to fit different sized baseboards, but all to a similar design. There wasn't a lot of variation in the design of Kent and East Sussex Railway stations, so that's not too surprising! Trying to get the right compromise between a practical size, and a layout that's interesting to look at and operate, has taken a while, but I hope I'm there now. Yesterday, I made temporary space for the scenic area, and put what may become the baseboard on a table. This morning, I printed out the track plan, placed it on the board, and started mocking up the scenery. It's early days yet, but I'm happy with what I've done so far. Here are some photos: The baseboard is currently an old internal door, 6ft 6in x 2ft 6in. As I'm new to 7mm scale, my brain still works partially in 4mm scale, and this is roughly 3ft 9in x 1ft 5in in 4mm, so it's not exactly big! There are three main buildings. A corrugated iron station building, a loco shed, and an oast house to set the scene firmly in the right area. On the mock up, the station building is one I made in card some time ago, the loco shed was knocked up using fake Lego this morning, and the oast house is a low-relief card building I made for another mock up layout, with a paint tin and jar for the kiln. I'll go into more detail a bit later.

I thought I should make a last post to officially say that Holman's End is dead. Long live Holman's End. I've started building a mock up of the successful version* of Holman's End, and will start a new topic on it. * I hope .

10 minutes!!!! I've spent a good part of the morning checking I have everything on the parts list, and removing the protective paper on the parts of the acrylic frame, on my (non Aldi) printer! Now I've got hours of work assembling it. You've missing out on lots of fun by buying a RTP one .

My dog is the only one in my house who wears a collar, and it's so long since I wore a tie that I've probably forgotten how to do it up. Does that make me ineligible to be a railway modeller? I need to know urgently, as I've just discovered the reason I've done almost no modelling in the last 18 months, and have a lot of catching up to do. If I'm allowed.

Does ST stand for "Susceptible to Theft" then?

Photos?

The GWR weren't selling such new wagons at the time, but he did buy a nice, but rather life expired, outside framed, timber solebar, brake van from them for the K&ESR!

I think a 1901 built one would have had plates, and may well have been painted red. It would probably be OK as it is for my 1905 period, and if I was modelling the GWR in 7mm I might be tempted. Fortunately I'm modelling the Kent & East Sussex, and already have a few GWR opens that will be visiting. I can't add anything else from that far west, especially when I've got nearly enough wagons to operate the layout, but nothing local yet.

I have absolutely no chance of losing my vehicle in a multi-storey car park. It's too high to get in one .

How is everyone getting on with the height of their layout? I've just set up a board to start building a mock up of mine. The top of the board is currently at 53", as that's the closest holes on the trestles it's on. With a few temporary buildings on it, I checked the view for myself at 6'2", and crouched down to see what it would be like if I was 5'0" or 5'6". All three heights are great, although it would be nice if I was a bit shorter! I imagine short people may take a while to get used to the almost eye level view, that I doubt many will have seen on a layout before. I'll make up a quick proscenium arch when I can, and see how that works. I'll struggle to build it at that height though, without getting arm ache! Fortunately, the plan is to build nearly all the components off the baseboard, and build the baseboard much later in the project. That way, if my life changes before I get that far, or it's obvious I have no chance of finishing it in time, I'm not stuck with yet another part built layout. I've also set up a board at 31" on a table next to it, so I can start mocking up my non-cameo O gauge layout. The difference in height is pretty spectacular! It's very obvious that the layout needs to be designed, and the mock up built, at the right height, as it makes a massive difference to what will work, and what won't.

If it's something like that, there's an easy way to convert it to a larger scale https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=wallace+%26+gromit+train&dcr=0&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiD2PPi6dzXAhWIB8AKHdFrBw8QsAQINA&biw=1059&bih=903

What does this wonderful set look like? It could be a great opportunity for some creative and rather whimsical/eccentric modelling!

That's cheating . I don't model any period where I could run something like that .

Syringes are usually plastic. How do you make sure whatever you buy won't dissolve?

Also available in larger containers from the same source http://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Adhesives/Methane-Based-Adhesives/Item/Liquid-solvent-cement-500ml/ITM5061 Dichloromethane on eBay. These are the sizes from one supplier, so it seems the postage has a bigger effect on the price than the contents. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_ssn=proton-scientific&hash=item4d4d4efd5c%3Ag%3AjVgAAOSwI7tZ2jCg&item=332009504092&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1311.R4.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xdich.TRS0&_nkw=dichloromethane&_sacat=0 This gets more confusing! It seems that Plastic Weld works with ABS, styrene and acrylic too, so should stick everything I need. Presumably Dichloromethane will do the same. It's not one of the worst solvents http://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/Dichloromethane

Not bothered. He seems to like quite a lot of what I post, so the odd bit of disapproval won't matter .