Mikkel

Agree, agree, agree :-) Bendy MDF, I wonder what that's called in Danish. Must check it out next time I'm in a DIY store.

Hi Mike, that's a good point about things being square and straight as key to creating an illusion. I agree very much. It's as if the brain first checks to see if things are "right" in that respect, and if they are, then it relaxes and fills in the small details all by itself - even if they are not all there! The whole issue about whether details matter or not in creating an illusion is very interesting. I think some details do matter in adding to believability, but the trick is to identify which ones. Eg as mentioned before I think the electrical conduit for the overhead cranes that you have chosen to include adds a whole lot to the scene.

Hi Chris, as far as I remember I cut the arm partially through, tweaked it to position and glued. I also added some filler afterwards. I haven't tried heating but I can see the point, especially with the plastics in these figures which don't always glue so well. Would be interested to hear of your experiences. I agree about the size variation with the MRD figures. Can I ask where you got the Mike Pett figures?

Pure magic, Mike! The office looks great too. I'm impressed how fast you model, and yet the results look like something that has taken years to do.

Oh that is just brilliant. The first shot is so full of hidden stories - a whole road movie in fact :-)

What a nice story :-) George seems like a nice guy - although I do wonder: Are those really just bee-keepers clothing, or is George in fact posted on earth to prepare the way for the Xuiri warrior tribe from the planet Saturn?

Foyle and a fist full of Whiskey. This thread is now officially perfect.

Hi Job, it*s looking good. Those embossing pens are very nice!

Wow. What an achievement, Mike, that third shot from last is just fantastic. Can't wait to see it with lights! :-)

What a neat build this is, Pete. The primer looks a very clean job indeed. I look forward to seeing the figures painted. What range are they from?

Thanks Al for showing what can be done with the Wills setts and DCC concepts lamps, but especially for a layout which is so full of atmosphere and top-notch modelling. You have a real gift for composing layouts, I think.This shot in particular stopped me completely in my tracks. When the dock module ets is all done you'll have some fantastic photo opps across the layout like this.

Now that is one of those models that is as interesting to look at as a whole layout. The bouncy seat is brilliant, and the weathering is excellent I think. Much inspiration, thanks.

I like the approach of piecing together a station with structures from different sites. I'm doing something similar for my little "sidings" layout. The research and thinking required to make it all blend together and make sense is a nice and fun little challenge. And you come up with some interesting findings, like your chicken business! I promise I will not make any foul jokes ;-)

Nice railbus. Full of character, although aestethic wonders they were not! :-) I like the overview of your layout that these photos gives. It's all very nicely balanced and uncluttered, I think. We often spend a lot of time and effort on buildings and stock etc, but your layout shows how important grass and groundcover is in giving that "real look". Here it is done to perfection, I think.

Many thanks for that info, Eddie. I must admit I got a bit confused about the loco classes. There are a couple of exhibition rooms with photos and info by the entrance, but I couldn't quite make out the detail differences between the classes. I didn't know about the fire, it must be a really uphill struggle to maintain this collection under these difficult conditions.

Another batch of photos here from the Zambezi Sawmills Railway museum in Livingstone. This train is lined up as a main showpiece of the museum. It does certainly attract the eye. Although sadly the (Class 7?) loco is lacking its bogie. I assumed this van had been used for a film or something similar, but the curator informed me that it had simply been involved in an accident on the railway not so long ago, and had duly been moved to the museum. There is no intention of restoring it, but it has carefully been painted all over silver in order to liven things up a bit. A few more photos of locos in the museum, including a couple of Beyer Garratts. The locos are standing alongside the original turning triangle (still in place). Here is the main loco works shed - also still standing and in the original location. It would be a fairly simple and interesting building to model, I think: Here is what it was really about: Dragging valuable teak timber out of the bush in bogie wagons like these. We can be romantic about it all, but it was always about the bottom line. Today the forests of Southern Zambia are sadly degraded, and the ZSR itself no doubt contributed to that. The ZSR eventually began carrying passengers. I am not sure when these coaches were purchased from Rhodesian Railways, but I did feel a pang of nostalgia when I saw them. I travelled in coaches not unlike these as a boy and young man over in Zim, and it seems odd how they are now relics of a lost age. So I sat on the swing a bit and looked at the decaying stock and thought about time, life and what it all means. Then I left the museum and walked back out into the real world and the busy streets of Livingstone. I found a place to have a samosa and a Fanta, and I thought perhaps it is not so bad after all to be living in 2013 :-)

Now that's an unusual idea for a lineside industry! :-) Don't think I have seen that one before, nice idea. Will there be 4mm chickens too? And the station is based on one at the Cuckoo line? I see a pattern! Looking forward to seeing progress, the station is a very nice prototype.

I thought I'd revive this thread and expand the scope into Zambia. I’ve once or twice considered the Zambezi Sawmills Railway (or the Mulobezi Railway as it’s now known) as a theme for an African layout (there’s a quick intro to the ZSR on Wikipedia here). I sometimes come to southern Zambia for work, and last week I finally managed to grab a few hours to visit the ZSR Museum in Livingstone. As the shot below illustrates, this is a very modellable railway - whether you are tired of US logging layouts or just would like to try something different! The musem is located in the old main site for the ZSR, which looked like this in the 1960s. Just look at the "rail-cars". Great stuff! The old structures are basically still standing. Here is the covered shed seen in the photo above (although from another angle): A few atmosphere shots below. The visit was slightly depressing as the museum is very run down, and I got the feeling I was the only paying visitor that day (it doesn’t help that all the guidebooks emphasize that “you have to be a real railway buff to enjoy this!”). In an effort to brighten up the gradual decay, the curator has decided to paint certain parts of the stock in a shiny silvery paint. The effect is somewhat disconcerting for the enthusiast, and not exactly state of the art preservation. Still, I can sympathize with the difficult position this museum is in. In a poor country where even the real railways are completely run down, steam loco preservation is hardly a priority. And although Livingstone is a tourist hotspot, there are so many other things to compete with. The Vic Falls for example! So I expect the museum runs on a budget far, far below what is needed. Below is a familiar bit of rolling stock for the British enthusiast: And while we're on the subject of familiar companies: ...who built these lovely engines, the first of which I think was known as class 7 on the ZSR: And the following class 9, originally built at North British Loco Company: More photos to follow when I get them sorted.

So beautiful, super work! Given the period implied by the monogram, I think the roof below the rainstrip should be chocolate? (but don't do it before we have confirmation from other sources!).

Hi Dave, well I was sort of thinking the next station down the line from Farthing was a halt (based on those lovely Lambourne branch halts), but who knows :-) Before you start a poll on the corbells, we will need to have a fifty page thread to discuss the range of voting options, including whether there should also be options for those who model Babylonian Narrow Gauge to 65.7

Hi Job, ah I see. So Peter Genttle's footbridge is a diorama? Interesting idea. The empty ballpoint for scribing is one of those wonderful modelling tips that is great because it is simple but you have to get the idea to do it. All grest stuff.

What an interesting and varied assembly of stock, thanks for posting these. I had to look up the meaning of your avatar, as I couldn't quite imagine what a Bavarian Quagga might look like :-)

This must be the only railway forum in the world where close-up of pastys are a regular occurence. I like the superdetail on this one, you can see the fork marks and that first tasty bite. My mother always told me not to write in books, but I suppose when you are famous enough you can get away with anything...