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Thanks James, really looking forward to Barnstaple,Richard and the team have an excellent line up planned. Re the point levers I think they are Dornaplas ones, I scratch built the bases. Other ones that are worth a look is Knight wing as well.

Good spot Geoff, I will change it next time I have the transfers out, I will double check which make of transfers they were as well.

So with a good nights sleep and some rest I can now reflect on the first show with Peafore Yard. I really enjoyed operating the layout and thankfully I didn't get bored at any moment, despite only having the lower level in play. As always I took a note pad with me and noted down suggestions to improve the layout, some interesting ideas including: - Making the scrap yard crane work (quite a tricky project but one I would like to pursue in the future) - 03121 had a bell fitted, I also noted looking at some photos it had a car number plated wedged on its bufferbeam at the cab end for a period while allocated to BR. - Through wire the match trucks with extra pick ups for the 03's As alluded to in last nights post, although the layout ran well over the weekend and my fears of self destructing points did not come true, I did have a rather bizarre intermittent electrical fault crop up on the point into the scrapyard about 10 minutes before the end of the show. As the layout is out again at the Gas Cupboard in Trowbridge on Thursday night then I was keen to get to the bottom of it tonight. I find intermittent faults somewhat infuriating and this one was no exception as there appeared to be some sort of short which would affect a different part of the point each time a loco ran through. Testing with a multimeter indicated all normal and a quick check for debris between the vee and the switch blades revealed nothing. After 15 minutes of head scratching and testing the locos again the fault has mysteriously disappeared and I am none the wiser, definitely a case of "fault not found" rather than "no fault found". I took some photos while testing;

Thanks Tony, it was really good to meet you along with all the other RM Webber's who came to the show, it is always nice to put aface to a name. It was definitely an enjoyable experience being at the front of the layout and having a proper chat with people rather than ducking around lighting gantries etc. At times it felt just like having the layout set up in the living room and chatting with a group of mates while playing trains. Just need an armchair, carpet and a standard lamp! Hopefully those who had a drive enjoyed it too. Overall I was really pleased how the layout performed, a small intermittent wiring problem manifested itself 10 minutes before then end so I will need to find and fix that before Thursday.

Thanks guys, layout all packed, motor refuelled and most importantly coffee mug is packed as well. See you over the weekend

Safe trip Richard, see you on Saturday.

I have finally got one of the class 25's to a presentable state in readiness for this weekends Cheltenham show. I am really pleased with how these have turned out, Simon has captured the shape well and the picture below shows the modified loco opposite an unmodified class 25/1, note the difference in the rake of the cab windows: One area that could be improved on the new cabs is the seam line at the bottom of the cab, which is a little overstated this is only noticeable after spraying. Hopefully this is an easy fix to delete from the CAD file, or if not I would consider filling the line and rescribing: Here are a couple of other photos:

The final test tonight before the show on Saturday, and I can now say I feel ready for the show. A minor repair was required on a dry solder joint on one of the points was required so glad to have found it now not Saturday morning. I look forward to catching up with a few RMWebbers over the weekend, do say hi, I don't bite! Here are a few piccies, first off 37240 on the cement train: Also the midnight oil has been burnt and 25191 has been passed fit to run for the show:

Looking good Stu, my sort of layout

Thanks for the class 56 clarification Neil, still earlier than I thought, and only 18 months after they first landed on our shores. The modelling fund is solvent at the moment from the sale of the Lima DMU fleet which couldn't run on Peafore Yard so maybe a 2H is in order. Just need Dapol to hurry up with the 121 and 118 then announce a 119/120!

Thanks Kevin, thats most helpful, will add some 31/4's and a thumper to the to do list!

Thanks Kevin, I presume this photo was taken on the last day of Thumper operation if the 31/4's took over from May: https://www.flickr.com/photos/77243361@N07/15541413919/in/photolist-pFkNUp-dvkiDP-fMvJES-fgiqvR-aUntoz-iZxoKz-87tqZH-nr7MZ3-giho2q-gihq7Y-iZycmQ-fis3Ri-jfWSdH-aysKGE-n7ibrP-a6AHtj-9J3Lwr-oSMXgu-9f3UMD-bUEEFN-8Y8BQ8-7VY7rD-8kdJuP-neM5t7-ecJTRt-a8r6yS-ft8NTF-ebyeX7-8ZJtDJ-eLYYXr-oZGzFL-95b6oz-aftShf-by5BJ1-9f3YVF-fGzoYy-cWqCVC-cU5nhq-duBDgb-afUtMP-mHT3vi-8yxh4U-am4xFm-89uXcN-89rZ3g Also did Bath road take over the work from another depot as I don't recall Thumpers being based at Bristol?

I would need to check on the Portsmouth's Rob, I have a feeling 1977 was when the class 205's were in use on the Portsmouth trains, but they were all 3 car's rather than Kernow's 2 car version. Thats said I don't have space for a 3 car unit so probably could get away with a respray of a 2 car version. I do need some more 31's although my model of 31210 was a fair bit of work, I probably have a backlog of 2 years worth of work on various stock projects in the pipeline so will be a while. I have a split box peak already done, I would like to add a centre split version to the roster as well.

I agree on the weld line, alas it only became so noticeable once sprayed. I will discuss with Simon to see how they can be adjusted in the future, it maybe easier to leave the seam off and then enable the end user to scribe it on.

Apologies for the delay but here is the latest update on the class 25 cab roadtest. The delays have been due to needing to get my layout finished for its first show in the next few weeks and the glazing has proved difficult to make. I experimented with acetate sheet but struggled to get anything remotely passable and with 56 pane's to do, another solution is required. What that solution is I haven't decided yet so in the interim the Bachmann glazing has been modified to fit. Not perfect but not as difficult as you would think. I need to touch up the paintwork seams and I am still to sort how the buffer beams will secure to the cab but it feels like the end maybe in sight, and there is an outside chance 25191 maybe ready for Cheltenham.

I suppose with all this talk of class 25's I suppose I should show some photos of the work so far: The project hasn't been completely straightforward as the glazing has proved difficult to make. I experimented with acetate sheet but struggled to get anything remotely passable and with 56 pane's to do, another solution is required. What that solution is I haven't decided yet so in the interim the Bachmann glazing has been modified to fit. Not perfect but not as difficult as you would think. I need to touch up the paintwork seams and I am still to sort how the buffer beams will secure to the cab but it feels like the end maybe in sight, and there is an outside chance 25191 maybe ready for Cheltenham.

I think the 56's were later although they were new in 1977, I don't think they ventured down that far south west until the eatly 80's. Referencing an earlier post, while I am not a massive fan of class 33's, I am even less of a fan of class 56's so they are way down the to do list.

To be fair Rob, I am stretching the point the timescales a little as the photos of my 2 prototypes is a little after 1977: 25185 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/bristol-re/8642611890/in/photolist-eaHDpQ-7WtXSc 25191 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/roddymacphee/15892526620/in/photolist-qdnmtE-dHLb8X-nYVSLJ-dNUGD3-dCkSdS

Ha ha, I have got pictures of both the intended locos at Bristol.

Go for it, the layout is good fun to operate and I haven't even got the top level working yet. I will crack on with the 25's now the top level is presentable, one is more advanced than the other so will see what I can do this week

I think you have hit the nail on the head there Kevin, one of the things I was concerned about when planning this layout was the scenic breaks for the high level, exacerbated by the fact the upper level is supposed to be part of a large station so needs to portray a sense of scale, difficult with such a small area to work with.

I had a look through the photos of various flickr members that I follow for suitable photos of the sorting office conveyor, as mentioned earlier it is hard to find either photos of the right angle as most photos obviously focus on the train. I found this little gem on Robert Tarling's (Bristol RE's) photostream which with a bit of playing around in paint is passable. https://www.flickr.com/photos/bristol-re/7342301102/ Interested in thoughts feedback, worth saying that as the layout is stored on its end I couldn't put the static parcels train in place? The angle of the conveyor is not quite right and there is a slight colour mismatch but I can repaint the conveyor to match the photo in the fullness of time:

The diary for 2015 is now full as I can only fit in 3 (ish) shows per annum, the full list is: 11th and 12th April - Cheltenham 16th April - The gas Cupboard railway Thursday - Trowbridge 25th July - Barnstaple 3rd October - Chippenham

I was thinking along the same lines Rob to be honest, I hope to change the backscene near the conveyor to add part of the post office building, my biggest problem is finding a good picture of it, most of the clear ones have been taken after it has closed and been heavily vandalised so some photos shop work maybe required.

As the final weeks tick by before Cheltenham I have been trying to get the top level more presentable. The conveyor is finished and Dave helped out with a bit of weathering earlier in the week. I have added the 3 BRUTE's that had been lying around the garage for ages, as well as a couple of train spotters. I had some of the stock out for cleaning the wheels so took a few photos: One of the photos that provided the inspiration for the layout was this one: http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/File:Avon_Street14.jpg And my attempt to pose a similar shot albeit with 03121 rather than 03382: Meanwhile "upstairs" 47105 passes by on the road to Bath Road. As a western region regular it is probably not a new loco for these 2 spotters. At least it wasn't one of the 7 47555's that pop up everywhere.