Mikkel

Thanks Mike. That's an interesting idea about using some of the Paddington scenes as a backdrop. Must give some thought to that. This particular depot isn't supposed to be quite that large, but a selective use of some photos might work. Of course that would mean accepting that it was black and white. But definetely worth testing, thanks.

Thankyou Sidecar, is that a promise about the pile of coal? Anyway the weathering of the wall has now progressed, ie toned down a bit. It actually looks better, so thanks to the camera :-)

That's a very interesting project. I like the idea of using Google Earth/Streetview for searching suitable prototype buildings, I hadn't thought about that. The building looks really good. I sympathize with your work with the Wills sheets. Knowing how difficult they are to work with it must have been very laborious - but the end result was clearly worth it .

Yep, sort of like the cords on the floor of our living room that I've been meaning to fix neatly in place for the last couple of years. Except I just don't see them anymore :-) Thanks Jim, I look forward to the "micro-detailing" with all the goods, lamps etc. Oh, and the yard behind the depot needs to be done too...

Thanks Pugsley, I wonder if it can also be the other way round sometimes: That the camera records things exactly as they are, while our mind picks up all the different impressions and blends it all together into a processed version of reality? Wow, this is getting into philosophy now...

Job, thanks. Yes I have some non-GWR wagons planned too. Including LSWR, MR and maybe M&SWJR (if I can find one), as a way to indicate the location as somewhere between Newbury and Westbury. Hi rc, many thanks. The brownish shades on the wall look a bit odd in some photos though. The levers are nothing but a sliver of plastikard with a cut at the top. So yes you could say they were scratchbuilt :-)

That's very effective Rob. As you say it has a very believable depth. Great modelling!

Thanks Mark, yes one of the cranes will be turned out over the track, ready to unload. The other one will be over the deck. I was surprised to see that photos from Paddington showed the cranes left in all sorts of positions when not in use, and some with the hook lowered and other with it raised high. I would have thought thee was a standard rule for this, but maybe noone bothered.

Hi Jan, thanks and yes you have a point. It's just annoying when the photos don't match exactly what I see. I have a new compact camera, and I'm quite happy with it but I think I need to work on the settings a bit. The contrast is quite high.

What a delight, Nick! The cameo with Jack Collins and Marjorie Edwards works extremely well. Partly because they are good figures, but especially because you have positioned them just right, I think. I wonder if there is something going on between the two? Or maybe they are just discussing penguins. Very nice to see some goods stock too. I like weathering on the Loco Coal, very effective.

I spent an enjoyable morning installing my two shed cranes in the goods depot. As previously mentioned, the cranes are copied from the ones used at Paddington Goods, although similar types seem to have been used in other large goods depots in the 1900s. I have not been able to find any technical specifications, but I doubt if they were able to handle anything heavier than light goods in vans and wagons. The cranes were scratchbuilt using plastikard and various other bits and pieces. I've decribed the build here. Looking at prototype photos I noticed that when a shed had multiple cranes, they tended to be grouped together in strategic positions. This makes particular sense with these cranes, whose purpose was to move goods from the vans/wagons to the cartage bays. I therefore placed the cranes so that they were able to swivel between the goods stock and the cartage bays, thereby allowing goods to be transferred directly, as per the arrangement at Paddington. One of the cranes was placed so that it could also reach the balcony of the mezzanine floor. This is inspired by the arrangement at Hockley. The safety chains for the balcony have been temporarily removed as I wasn't happy with them. The cranes were operated by a lever which connected to a mechanism beneath the deck... ...and the lever was protected by a small cage. The latter hasn't turned out very well and I think I will have to redo them with more care. We discussed the livery of GWR cranes here. In my case I opted for the wonderfully ambigious "Medium Grey". Photos of the prototypes of these particular cranes alongside wagons suggest that their colour was not far from GWR wagon grey. Finally, a photo with the roof on. I do like the look of these cranes, it's a very neat design I think. The final photo also illustrates a couple of challenges that I have to address as the next step: The weathering of the walls is a work in progress, and is tricky because it shows up too strong in photos, while it looks fine in reality. I am also repainting parts of the roof structure, as I wasn't entirely happy with the shades I had used. It never ends, does it? :-)

Weed growth, that sounds good, looking forward to it... (first time I ever used those words in the same sentence!)

Thanks for the double headers, Rob I have to say though that the short train with the Siphon is very appealing. I'm amazed that there are no short siphons available in RTR form yet, surely they'd sell well?

Great stuff. The grass is very nicely done and I really like the track by the crossing. The row of sheds adds a lot to the scene. Maybe the grass in front of them needs to be worn/cut a little?

I like the angles of the buildings, Job. Clearly very well thought through.Will the lid be on during viewing, or will you remove it?

The "cloudy wine look". Very nice way of saying it :-) Amazing that those windows are just prints!

Good to hear that you've got to the actual construction stage. I was assuming that you're using the jigsaw approach because you need manegeable subsections? Otherwise Khris may have a point? In any case it's a nice layout plan, I like how it seems well balanced.

Hi Robin, well a Star should just about do it . A bit busy at the moment, but you know how it is: can't help having a quick look at RMweb every so often.

Traitor! Don't think the GWR brotherhood didn't notice that. You have one chance to make up for it. And you'd better give it your best: Don't forget what happened to Aunt Augusta....

Well, we are very fortunate that Philip Ogleby has provided us (and the Northall Gazette) with such interesting information... That warehouse looks pretty good for a quick build. Job! I like the lighting behind it, the effect is very nice.

Adrian, thanks very much for the links to Graham's posts. His photos of GWR chairs are very interesting, as are the notes about Gun street. When he wrote "An almost insignificant piece of railway property, with one or two sidings, a catch point and a capacity of around 15 wagons per siding"... I felt immediately like modelling it myself! I was interested to read about corrosion of rails inside the damp depot, not something I would have considered modelling. His link to Keith Norgrove is also interesting, hadn't seen that site before. Your modelling of rust and paint in the photo above is brilliant. You are right that it would be very hard to get that effect in 4mm - I doubt that I could.

Simple and real. Your stress over the weather situation doesn't show at all in the photo. Model railways really is an amazing world of smoke and mirrors! :-)

Right, I see what you mean. The road across the river sounds like a good idea.

What I especially like here is that you have avoided the cute or cranky factor that sometimes creep into small/micro layouts. It looks like a real bit of railway. When the back scene is in place you can take some great eye level shots, I think.

Hi Mike, thanks for the info, and yes it does indeed all make a lot of sense. I am pretty sure your roof is a lot more square than mine, especially after I dropped it on the floor! It will be interesting to see how the mirror effect works out. For my goods depot I still have this possibly harebrained scheme that I will set up a mirror, take a photo and then use the *photo* as a backscene. This would avoid the problem that moving stock is reflected in the mirror. But who knows if it will work. I look forward to seeing more of your superb work.