Mikkel

Agree, those are great scenes and the reins look good to me. Thanks for the details on the thickness of wire. It looks like you've been able to move the wagon and horses around the layout without too much trouble? I had given up on reins on my horsedrawn wagons, but this has given me inspiration to give it another go. Thanks!

A very worthy pursuit. I have sometimes thought that it would be interesting to build an entire layout only with cheap bargain finds. Maybe evn with an upper limit to the price per item. Also, I must visit the dentist more often. And train my wife better. It clearly pays off 🙂

Those new pages on Brighton Trafalgar are a pleasure to browse. Good to see it all together in an easily accessible format. It shows just how far you've come with this. An LB&SCR treat.

I bet you don't really know Corbs, I bet all you're getting from China is container loads of mystery boxes due to a slight misunderstanding when translating your 10 year contract with them.

Lovely result! And thanks for the IPA tip.

They look great Linny. I have just received the same pair from Oak Hill Works. Thanks for designing them. And thanks for making them available, Gary. Can I ask if they need some sort of cleaning/washing off before the primer?

Thanks Phil, the idea of two different liveries on one coach would certainly solve some dilemmas. But for my part I am a little reluctant about it. Something to do with the intregity of the coach - a silly romantic idea probably! Sorry to hear about the 2021 taking a fall, that's bad news. I hope you can salvage it. Fingers crossed. Thanks Camperdown. The good thing about the Liquid Gravity is that it's not lead, so the possible interacting with PVAs isn't a problem. Not that I have yet had the courage to try it in an enclosed space! Thanks for the tip about Plasticene, will keep that in mind.

Thanks, great title for the blog! Interesting to see some of your back catalogue.

It's not that noticeable in my opinion. When I saw the construction photos I only noticed because you had written it. I can well imagine the reaction when its seen live. That said, I think the videos are impressive too. It's like watching real trains moving through the landscape.

Aha, so that would be Minnie? The plot thickens! The SRM looks good at Brent, Rob. I was surprised by how long it is, not really the cute little branchline thing you'd expect.

Thanks for that, some nice stuff there. I like the Charabancs! What is the adress of your offsite blog please?

Hi Will, that horsedrawn cart is plenty of content for me. Did you print it yourself? I knew the time would come for 3D printed horsedrawn wagons. Lots of variety and presumably a quick low cost print.

Thanks Matt! It would be great to see you build these, they have a few quirks but are quite satisfying kits. They sometimes pop up on ebay, though usually at bizarre prices I'm afraid. Maybe Slater's can provide some info on when they are due back out.

Thanks all. I had understood that the Slaters re-release of these kits wasn't far off, and with some mods being made to the bogies for easier construction - but who knows. As for the livery of the E37 and its brethren, there is of course also the option of the 1908-22 lake livery, to go with the new Dapol 43xx No. 4321 in 1913 guise 🙂 Although I suppose an obvious match for that would be some standard Toplights, when Dapol get around to doing those. I still have to get used to RTR GWR pre-grouping stock being readily available, and how to approach it. It's more satisfying to modify/build your own, I find, but it does take time and I struggle with loco mechanisms.

That is superb. Given the choice between a Union Pacific Big Boy and this, I know what I'd go for.

I like that. When a railway modeller is encouraged to get out more, does he climb a mountain or go partying? No, he obviously goes to the archive for a bit of layout research 🙂 I would have done the same! It is fascinating to watch the layout come alive in these shots. A bit like those birds-eye view shots of HS2 construction, but hopefully less problematic and with some much nicer stock!

I've had a look around some of your other layouts and videos. An impressive output. Measured in scale feet you must have single-handedly covered more railway ground than most clubs would do in decades! Personally I think Penzance is your best yet. The scale really comes into its own here, being able to capture the whole area prototypically. The finished result with the approach along the sea etc will be very special. How do you find that people are receiving the scale and the linear motor approach? It can be a conservative hobby sometimes.

Yes, it's that constant battle to stay on track while also keeping it new and fresh. There have always been running sessions for different periods at Farthing, but it's getting harder to avoid mission creep. Hypothesis: When more discipline is required elsewhere in life, there is greater temptation to loosen the reins on the hobby front.

An interesting discussion. Earlier we have discussed on here how the public health acts (I remember the 1875 one being highlighted) had a big impact on town planning, including not just sewage but also wider streets, planting of trees etc. But that would especially be in the big towns I suppose. What a lovely scene - right from the front and all the way to the horizon!

Thank you Chris. You wouldn't want to do that, it would take decades! 😄 I'm not sure if I find the all brown easier. You need the lining to look really good there, while with the choc and cream it's a bit less obvious.

Thanks Fair Oak. I find myself moving the goal posts for my modelling period at the moment, which of course immediately leads to too many options and choices! 🙂

My GWR E37 tri-compo is ready for painting, built from the Slater’s kit. Earlier I did a blow-by-blow account of the C19 build from the same range, so this post will focus on new experiences and things that were different. There was more flash around the windows than in the C19 kit, especially at the bottom. The window edges are quite thin and hard to distinguish from the flash, and therefore easily damaged when the flash is removed. Inspecting the sides from behind helped. This time I remembered to drill out the holes for the door furniture before assembling the sides. A drawing of the interior layout can be found on the excellent GWR Coaches website. The E37s had two lavatories at the center, accessed from the neighbouring First Class compartments. The kit does not provide for this, so I rebuilt the arrangements to indicate it. No arm rests though, or loos in the lavs! I fitted the seats with a slight gap each side. I find it easier to fit the glazing that way. The bogies in these kits are designed for inside bearings, but I prefer ordinary pinpoint bearings. So as in the C19 build, I applied a bit of freestyling (thanks again @Darwinian for the idea). I used Wizard waisted bearings (ref no. 40002), with the tip filed down to accommodate the axle boxes as can be seen on the r/h bearing here. The axles boxes themselves also had to be opened up inside to fit over the bearings, done with a round file as shown. The brake shoes were a very tight fit against the wheels and tended to jam. I know others have had the same problem. I found that it helps to bend the folded brass tabs that hold the brakes backwards, then gently bend the brake shoe itself forwards to align with the wheel. The E37 kit has Dean 6’4 Bogies (left) while the C10 kit has 8’6 bogies (right). Selecting coaches with different bogies is a nice touch by Slaters. The two types of Dean bogie in direct comparison. On top is the Dean 8´6 wheelbase bogie, which actually has a shorter overall frame and springs than the 6’4 wheelbase bogie below it. Queen posts also positioned differently. The queen posts have to be cut to allow the bogie to swivel. Trial fit of the bogies. I then fitted the underframe details. A slight problem here: If fitted as per the instructions, the vacuum cylinders collide with one of the bogies. So I moved the cylinders a little to one side. Next, the footboards. There was a factory error with one of the long footboards and one of the solebars, both oddly divided at one end. So I built up new end parts from styrene… …which wasn’t too noticeable when fitted. The lower footboards were then fitted to the bogies. I used my own spacers (in the box) to adjust the ride height of the bogies. I find the etched ones that come with the kit a bit fickle. Once I’d found a good ride height for the bogies (i.e. the minimum required to let them swing freely), the center footboard sat too high. The brackets for the offending footboard only have one fixed position - so I resorted to a crude fix, using pliers to first straighten and then gently re-bend the brackets at a lower position, as seen here. The kit provides for sprung buffers, but I went for fixed ones. A great drama ensued. One buffer ram got stuck in the housing too far out, locked solid by Loctite. I raged at the injustice, the Universe darkened, planets imploded. Eventually I managed to remove the buffer beam, carve out the buffer housing, cut off the buffer ram, shorten it, and butt-solder it back on the guide. Given my soldering skills, that was a miracle. The rest of that day I was Alexander the Great, conqueror of worlds. Modelling involves epic battles every day, who needs TV 🙂 The gas lamptops and piping were fitted using handrail wire from 51L. The lamp tops for the toilets add a bit of character. I did the piping for these with microstrip (later filed neat). It strikes me that toilet lamp tops are poorly covered in the literature. Can’t think why. They are rarely seen in photos, but I assume that’s what we see in this Paddington shot, on the second coach in platform 5? As built the coach weighed in at 87 grams. That felt a bit light. I believe Iain Rice said 25 grams per axle. I like my stock a bit heavy so went for 110 grams total. The extra weight was added using Liquid Gravity from Deluxe Models, stuck down with thinned Card Glue from the same outfit. I’ve been monitoring that combo on other stock for 10+ years, so far all is well. So that’s where I’m at. Didn’t have a coin to indicate size, so grabbed an Oryx. Very disorienting, scale is an interesting thing. Door handles, vacuum pipes, couplings etc will be fitted after painting. I’m pondering the livery. The plan was to go for the full pre-1908 chocolate & cream as per my normal modelling period and illustrated on the box. But the 1908-12 all-brown is growing on me. Decisions, decisions.

Thanks both, I will give it a go. I have previously had success getting the VAT/duty waived with replacements, but not the £20 import handling fee as they claim it still has to be handled again.

Just had a close look. Methinks the link is plastic. Can anyone confirm?

Lovely runner, until this happened: Looks like a direct break, nothing untoward prior to this happening, the otherwise lovely model just running in quietly at half speed. Happened after about 25 minutes running. Return label doesn't seem to work for overseas orders, but I have no doubt it will be sorted via e-mail. Import fees due again though.