Mikkel

Kev, thanks for that info. Yes, Didcot is such a great place. I need to get back and spend a lot more time there. Pete, I find that one of the toughest part about details is deciding which ones to add and which ones to omit. I suppose the true finescale modeller would say it is necessary to get it all in, but for someone like me it is a lot about finding the bits that help give atmosphere and some reasonable degree of realism. Plus, where do we stop with details - is the cobweb the limit? It's a bit like defining the length of a country's coastal line :-)

Ah yes, I had forgotten what you said earlier about the horse shunting. On horse-drawn (and other) vehicles there is a general introduction here that I like, although not specifically about the BR period: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/gansg/8-yards/y-road.htm

Hi Pete. Oooh, that paint job looks silky smooth. When you labour over the lining, think of the end result! As you say, it will look so sharp.

Hi Rob, well I've become so used to leaning back and "watching the trains go by" on your thread. Almost like being there! Those shed scenes are really nice, I like how the locos have been positioned in the way we often see them in prototype photos. You may laugh at this, but....any chance of a close-up shot of the scarecrow?

Books are good, but there are some things you only notice in real railway environments. Here's a selection of detail shots from my recent quick visit to Didcot. I know that preservation isn't the same as the actual railways, but there are still things to learn from and be inspired by, I think. Lubricated points... I don't recall seeing that modelled, but maybe I haven't looked hard enough. It would be easy to replicate, but would it look odd in model form? Track keys. First time I've had a chance to study them in close-up since I began dabbling in hand-built track. Before that I was happily indifferent to this sort of thing! I wonder just how perfectionist gangers were back in the day. Was a rotting key like this commonplace, or would it have been replaced before it got to this condition? The key on the right is centered, thus breaking the right/left pattern. Maybe to make up for rail creep? A ballast wagon to dia P15 of 1936. I see Cambrian have a kit for it. A couple of these would make a nice little project in case I decide to do a 1940s shunting layout at some point. Peeling paint, but of a very subtle kind. How to model that? Slice up the paintwork with a scalpel, maybe? Then again, that sounds like something that could go awfully wrong! Can of worms! Two P15s in different liveries. My knowledge of GWR PW stock liveries is very sketchy. As far as I remember, there is a debate about black vs dark grey, but the details evade me. I remember reading a piece about this on-line recently, but can't for the life of me find it now. Can anyone help? We never get to model wagons that are actually braked. Would be nice to do one in model form. A small removable diorama at the end of a siding with a wagon being unloaded. And the brakes on! Close up of the DC3 (I think?) hand brake. Jim Champ has done a nice intro on GWR brake types Loco Coal to dia N34 of 1946. Another interesting wagon to model, I think. Either scratchbuilt or a modified version of the (incorrect) Dapol Loco Coal. Note the cobweb here on the N34. Now that would be a modelling challenge :-) Strings of glue maybe? Problem is, once you go down that route, everything about the wagon has to be the same level of detail! Morton handbrake lever on the N34. Note weathering on the brake lever. My first "live" Iron Mink. I do like them. I have one of the old ABS kits in the pipeline for The Depot (1900s). Very nice attention to detail here. These little things are what makes a preservation scene come alive. I assume the lighter colour on the Iron Mink doors is a temporary measure, but the question arises: Did this sort of thing also happen on the real GWR at times? Or was the painting process too standardised/systematic for that to happen? Looks familiar, doesn't it? Anyone who ever had trouble with transfers will recognize this. I don't recall seeing this kind of thing in prototype photos though. Were transfers ever used for numbering GWR wagons? The little imperfections that make it real: A bent step. Don't get me wrong: I find the standard of maintenance very high at Didcot. The question is, could we model this sort of thing and get away with it? Again: The everyday wear and tear of things. Ideally it would be an interesting challenge to replicate in model form. But the irony is that it would probably just look like sloppy modelling! Foot crossing with more room on inside of rail, to allow for wheel flanges I assume. Point levers with newly replaced boards. A nice little bit of detail to model. More replacement wood, this time inside the loco shed. Wish I'd done something like this inside "The depot". Maybe next time. Lovely copper cap, eh? :-)

Brilliant, Pete. I especially like the presentation. The cut-out picture frame style focuses attention and symbolizes the "slice of life" concept very nicely. I agree about the last shot, it captures the scene very nicely.

Hi Job, what a great presentation of Northall Dock. The painting by Atkinson looks like one of your dioramas! Will there be locos and stock on the quay, and what kind?

I'll second that. So Pointing Man has been on a health and safety course in the meantime, has he?

Another of your engaging accounts, Jon. This is how modelling really is, a lengthy messy process mixed up with real life. I really like the speedo pick-up - both your model of it and the many jokes that must be possible around the term :-) This shot shows off your amazing buffer beam detailing from an interesting angle. Oh, and there is something rather creepy about the photo. Sometimes you can't blame us modellers for being considered slightly weird! :-)

Very nice, Al. I've always found it a bit odd that we see so few of these actually built, considering how popular Toplights seem to be. I suppose it may be because of the bogies and other etched brass bits which scare people off.

Paddington in April.

Beautiful, the rounded corners look really good. Glad you're happy with the painting now.

Hi Pete, I had to go back to your first entry for this Hall to check if it really was the same one. I am not convinced, surely you are cheating! :-) It is an amazing piece of work, not only as a re-build/transformation, but also in its own right. The details you have added are really worth it, I think. When you are done you will have to post a before/after shot!

Ah, what a lovely and well modelled scene to go with my morning coffee. Helped wake me up, thanks! :-)

Great stuff, Mike. The first shot really shows what a monster of a building this actually is. However, I am sorry to say it is not prototypical: GWR sheds did not have walls that could be lifted out! ;-) Interesting point about quantity vs price/detail. Personally, I would go for the latter. If you are only buying the locos for this layout, they would have a greater re-sale value if they are better models. And if you are buying them to keep, you will want the best locos on the market... But you may have a different perspective of course. PS: Also, do you actually need that many locos for the shed? Would it not very easily come to look overcrowded? Just a thought...

Please stop this now, Rob. Looking at your layout and stock, I am getting dangerous thoughts about giving up micros and going for big layouts!

Innovation under pressure. Much impressed, Pete. Keep going, the war will end soon.

Ahem, now this is getting a bit fictional :-) It is amazing how much railway modelling has moved forward in the past 10-15 years. Looking at old magazines like Railway Modeller, the 1990s seem a very long way away! Yes there were amazing modellers even in the 1940s, but there has been a general advance in methods and appearance by ordinary modellers like us, I think.

Hi Job, how about this: Wikipedia: "The RMweb Generation" [last updated: May 3rd, 2063] "The RMweb generation" was a school of artists who spawned the "Micro-Art" movement that dominated the art-world in the 2020s and 2030s. The school gained its name from an internet forum known as "RMweb", where members created miniature 3D representations of real-world settings through the subtle blending of colour, texture and movement. Members of the school were initially resistant to fame, claiming they "were just a bunch of railway modellers". However, when art collectors discovered their work and prices began soaring, most members of the movement accepted their new-found fame and started cashing in. Techniques used by the RMweb Generation included: "Dynamic flow" (the passing of living modules through a static scene) "Flooring" (looking for lost items on the floor, as a representation of the individual's search for meaning and identity in postmodern complexity) "Swearing" (giving alternative meanings to silent objects)

A very nice "time-piece" Job. It helps to set the period. Is it the Hornby one? I like the goods on the back. I have that long parcel too on my layout. I wonder what is inside - maybe listening equipment for a 1950s Soviet spy? :-)

Hello Richard, nice to see some progress on this. Glad to hear the 43xx was saved. I personally think those cylinders need a repaint :-)

That's very convincing, I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out! What a loco it would have been, almost as strong as a Castle ;-)

I can't keep up with this thread. I need a lie-down after every post. Next week I'll take a day off just for this thread!

Hi Job, anything GWR sounds good to me. When you combine it with ale and horse shunting it sounds even better! :-) What a great scene it would make.