Tim V

Looks like things might be happening, how long before Temple Meads gets taken over?

Remembered where the early stuff was, it's on http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/ordsurvdraw/index.html

I think you'll find the OS started long before Heathrow Airport existed, I remember it was called London Airport before! Some of the really early mapping, at 1" scale is on the net. It makes very interesting research. Some of the mapping pre-dates canal construction, though I had a particular interest in looking at Swindon after the canal was built but pre-railway. It is a great loss that the OS didn't start large scale mapping till late on, still we're lucky to have what we've got.

I have to ask Andrew, how was an operator able to drive off the end of the layout? Wasn't there a stop block?

It is important to realise that, in research, there is no one source that will answer all your questions. The OS mapping is a source, but it has to be taken in conjunction with other sources like the railway's own survey (if done, if it survives), aerial photography (English Heritage have some for English sites), signalling plans, local authority plans, deposited plans for new railways (which can show previous installations). The fun is in tracking it down and coming to an educated decision. Over to you!

The recording of track etc features is not the primary purpose of an OS map. It is in fact incidental to the main purpose which is for rating. As such, do not rely on OS maps. They only give an indication.

Historic weather conditions are available, what date were you interested in?

It strikes me that there isn't much head of water on that tank Captain. It's barely above that 08. You may need to raise the tank. It's not unknown for RTP buildings to be undersized. Other than that, as usual, your modelling is superb!

It's a nice thought Mikkel, but the NRM's record with layouts isn't good. Take Heckmondwyke for example.

Thanks for the support Chappses, and possibly it was a very early outing when the Captain was pushed (willingly I thought) onto the lever frame. I tried to catch him out by sending through two codes at once on the different bells, but being the pro he is, wasn't caught out. It is when you meet professional railwaymen you realise that the layout just might be clicking the buttons. I've met quite a few over the years. At York, the chap in the audience by the box said "you don't precede train on line/line clear with call attention. Ah I said it wasn't done like that on the Western - passing a copy of the 1936 signalling appendix to him. Ah he said - satisfied!

There comes a time when you realise that no matter how much you like your own creation, that it ultimately has a shelf life. I've realised that Clutton, now nearly 24 years old, is getting near then end. I've done pretty much all the shows I've wanted to do, there are a few left to do, and bookings go into 2016 now. A couple of major shows I might have liked to go to like Manchester didn't materialise. So I promised Chris Challis that Clutton's final show would be where it started at. So Railwells it will be, probably 2018. I suppose I've gotten tired of the criticism that not enough trains are running. The attention span of the average exhibition punter is about 20 seconds (I should know, I've seen more than enough layouts that didn't command 10 seconds of my time). I've seen too many models of other peoples' models. It seems that striving for correct operation is wasted on 90% of the exhibition visitor population. So is it the skip after Railwells, or something else?

The goods sheds at Midsomer Norton and Pensford were built in stone, while the station buildings were brick. I have some pictures of Norton shed if you want a different challenge.

Perhaps that is why we are unlikely to see a preserved box of this type. Though it's LMR, the Dean Forest railway have a "modern" box at Lydney. Other railways have put traditional style boxes.

There comes a time when accuracy from the camera at 2cm becomes irrelevant. The aim of a TOU is to work reliably. Try to think outside the box. Certainly I saw a number of ideas in the track book, also there are any number of ideas in back-number magazines. Try and think bigger would be my advice.

Your jerky table sounds more like stickiness in the movement, rather than the drive. You need to sort that out before considering motorising. The movement on the table needs to be absolutely smooth. Motorising brings attendant problems with alignment, that manual operation avoids.

Have to dig out the early FOD pictures, maybe a clean shaven apprentice Captain in there somewhere, perhaps on the platform, or maybe directing the crowds, oh the joy of youth!

So not much done over the break Jerry....

I think that was my first GW book I had to! I encountered the FOD in the early 70s, I went looking for Bilson Junction and found nothing - it had been razed. The DFR had restored 5541 and were running it on a few yards of track behind the platform at Parkend. Got some pictures somewhere. Can't remember if I took the Captain over with me - memory gets hazy after all these years....

Still Evesham (WR) to differentiate from the Midland box.....

As no one has posted a picture of Evesham, this one dates from the 70s, before the former railway land on the left was developed. Glad the name of Rose Heyworth was cleared up, I was reading very faint marks on the back of a picture. I thought the picture of Kidderminster would be more interesting than a recent one, the view the other way from the bridge is even more different from today, but not appropriate to this thread.

So the shed will be finished for S4N....

Marsh Junction - this might go well in the changing face of Bristol, as the link road goes over here Hungerford 25/06/78 Kidderminster 14/08/78. I have more recent pictures, but this is interesting for the rolling stock. Do Onibury & Kidwelly still survive? I've also seen in my collection (but not mine to post) Keynsham & Somerdale, Rosehay North(?), Hayle Wharf, Exeter City Basin.

Not a plywood wonder, but BR built. Bathampton in 1970.