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Awesome, just awesome. Martyn.

Bill ( Premier ), is a lovely guy but he doesn't do anything to modern, if you want the item bad enough then try and be old fashioned for once. ; ) Martyn.

Hi David, Lovely crisp work as usual, I enjoy following your model engineering topics and look forward to the next instalment. ATB, Martyn.

Johnd, If you read my post above I did explain that I'm new to all this. Hi Guys, Thanks for all the explanations and advice, more simple than I first thought. All the best, Martyn.

Hi Guys, Being a bit of a newbie to DCC, what is the difference between DCC 128 and DCC 28 ? I model in 7mm and am using Touchcab through a Lenz system if that's any help. In the Touchcab app on my iPhone it gives you the option of 128 or 28 ? Martyn.

I lived in dept 23 the Cruese for 3 years, and we couldn't believe it when the first winter we had temperatures down to minus 23 !!! Although the locals did say that was exceptional, the next two years the average was still minus 10-12 !! Mind you, we are talking the centre of France, and it's what you would call a " dry cold ".. Martyn.

I agree, and if you try and drill through it, like supposing that you want to place a dropper, the rubber spirals around the drill bit and pulls most of it back up. A bit like candy floss on a stick, yuk! Martyn.

Hi Chris, The layouts coming on a treat, and that's one of the benefits of building your own track you can put in a checkrail in where ever it's needed. I mean we all have some troublesome wagons not just Thomas..... : ) Martyn.

Hi Guys, Thanks for the info, as this part of the hobby is a grey area to me. When I built my station the material was laser cut mdf, it was recommended to use a special glue that I had never heard of before. It's made by " Deluxe" and called " Super'Phatic" . Now this glue is far from cheap but it is amazing stuff although I have not used it on any other materials as yet. It is odourless and according to the bottle it bonds, wood,plastic,foam,carbon fibre,GRP. It sets in around 10 minutes, so I was just wondering if anyone else has tried it ? Anyway sorry for the hijack David, back to you guys. Martyn.

Hi Brian, If I built the basic building out off plywood, what glue would you recommend to stick on the plasticard. I have heard horror stories of the plasticard warping, sometimes weeks later even. Martyn.

Looks really good Brian, I've just gone for the cheap cop out and brought the Peco version of a tunnel mouth, it should look OK with some tittivation, the building of structures is one side of the hobby that I still need to get to grips with. Martyn.

Hi Phil, The Wife and I count ourselves very lucky to live in this part of the world, what with the coast and also the South Downs. Apart from 3 years in France we have always lived near the coast, it seems to draw you back like an invisible magnet. Every weekend we walk the dogs around the harbour or along the beach back to Aldwick, but like most of the UK the area is slowly being built on and not for the better in my opinion, but we won't go there.... Martyn.

Ahh, we are a funny old lot down here, the cow would probably be use to it..... : ) Martyn.

Hi Nick, Thanks for your concern, but there's no need for any worry as you can see in the photo below all my curved stretchers are doubled up and also with 3"X1" spacing. I only routered out the grooves to allow for the curves in the side frames, so there is hardly any longitudinal stress in the stretchers, and also hardly any weight bearing down on the main frames. I can also assure you that only good quality wood glue was used in the construction of my baseboards ; ) Regards, Martyn.

Yes Phil, Pagham harbour it is, does it bring back memories for you? Martyn.

Well that did not take much research, Sea Kale, and just for you Jinty how's this info. A seaside plant with edible leaves, it mostly grows on shingle or rocky shores in the UK. There is a reasonable amount in North Wales on Pensarn beach, Abergele and on Anglesey. Martyn.

Hi Simon, Yes the stems are quite robust, just the top branches are a bit more brittle, hence me wondering if I should dunk the plants in a weak pva solution. I have been following this thread and that’s what has given me the idea, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/120848-little-muddle/page-1&do=findComment&comment=2649101 The chap imports his stems from the States and they are the best I’ve seen to date, but scale wise more for the 4mm market and also quite expensive, whereas these are freebies ( I can see your eyes lighting up, knowing you like a bargain)...... ATB, Martyn.

Hi Guys, As some of you know I’m taking a rest at the moment as the mojo has gone, not for long I hope. Anyhow the hobby is always there in the back of my mind as the rest of this post shows. I was walking the dogs this morning on one of the local beaches, when I noticed these dried out stems. These plants obviously grow on the beach shingle itself, but not being a plant buff I have not a clue as to what they are called? Size wise they look ideal for 7mm and above, and once you pluck the seed pods off I think they make a good basic structure for tree making. You could also cut the singular branches into bushes or shrubs, they are fairly sturdy but I’m wondering if a watered down coat of pva glue might add some strength to the plant. Funnily enough in the background of the first photo, and across the old harbour mouth is the small village of Church Norton. And without the seed pods, Any thoughts on this idea, are most welcome, Martyn.

Probably the cheaper option and they worked fine for me on 7mm scale sleeper widths, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82305-church-norton/?p=1357286 Martyn.

That's a lovely looking loco you have built there Heather, almost made me want to go awol from my GWR buddies...... Martyn.

I suppose you could use coloured paper instead of the real stuff, just a thought. Martyn.

If you took an 08 flat out, an automatic limiter would cut in at 24mph but it didn't just hold the speed, it cut out the engine so you had to start a fresh at notch one. It was a right pain in the you know where, so most drivers kept them at around 20mph. Martyn.

Hi Dan, Well you learn something new everyday, and cheaper as well. Typical as I only need one more on Church Norton, I have brought some "Off the Rails" items before and the quality is good. Regards, Martyn.

Hi Steve, Yes I agree and they have come along just at the right time, from what I know there was nothing similar to represent the GWR style of buffers out there. The only additional tweak I do to them is fit some 14BA nuts onto the ends of the stay bars. Regards, Martyn.