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Just had a quick browse of the last 2 pages over a cuppa, lovely thread Andy, will take the time to read it properly this eve.

No I havent, my excuse is as the sign is on the edge of the board, the access cover is off scene!

Hi David, Thanks for your very kind comments. To answer your question Pallet lane is/was 8'6" in its shorter format, that could be shrunk to 8' by making the sidings in the Cement terminal shorter and making the head shunt shorter if you were using smaller locos, I sized it for a class 40 to fit in comfortably. It appeared in the January 2010 issue of RailwayModeller which included a track plan. Thanks Rob

I am a great believer that it is the smaller details that really bring the layout to life and a part of building a layout that I really enjoy. I try to pick up on the things that are ever present in daily life but are often missed on layouts, a prime example is fire hydrant signs which when you look for them are every where. I made 10 some years ago and had some left over from Pallet Lane so I added one to the wall by the cement yard entrance. I also had a couple of GPO boxes in the spares box so they have been added below. Before and after shots: Fixing the signal gantry has been a stumbling block of late as I need to access the area underneath to lay the track, ballast and weather it which would be nigh on impossible with the gantry in place. I am keen to keep the gantry removable in case I need to replace an LED, repair it etc. I am yet to come up with the answer but rather handily the ply that forms the upper level of the trackbed is still removable. The screws don't interfere with the track so I decided to secure the 2 lengths of track to the ply, I will then ballast & weather the track etc off the layout. I mapped out where the point is so I could cut the hole for the point control before I secured the track .

Question answered; the well was blue, there is a picture of an ex works one on page 21 of the Aberdeen Kirkhill thread. It appears the roof was blue too!

Hi Brian, Interesting that you have painted the well black on the TCV, I have seen models done in both blue and black but have never been sure which is correct as the prototype was never cleaned that much so they are dirt in most pictures I have seen. Have you managed to locate a conclusive prototype picture to work from? I know when they were Maroon the well was black.

Hi Neil, The lights as moulded are pretty accurate, some of the detail perhaps doesn't show up in the photos. I had been tempted to use the lenses from the Bachmann scrap cabs but managed to lose one (spare is on its way) so will wait until the spraying is finished and reassess.

Very modellable and I agree with Pete_Macfarlane, nice to see it left to Mother nature.

I pressed post by accident before finishing the last post. Although not related to Simon's cabs I have fitted Shawplan EE fan grilles. Bachmann made the radiator fan grille too smaller diameter, the shots below show the work required to fit the new ones: This photo shows a before and after comparison I have applied first coat of primer, I will post some close ups tomorrow but there is some further work needed on the join, especially on the version of the cab where the mould was fed from the back.

Another step forward on the class 25's this week as I have fitted all the bits in readiness for the paint shop. Simon provided me with 3D printed headboard brackets and lamp irons. The Lamp irons handily came with a mounting pin on the back of them so I drilled a 0.45mm hole to mount them in as they would be vulnerable to handling damage. The centre bracket were not included so I used the ones from the donor cabs. The handrails were made up from 0.45 mm wire. The handrails have 4 securing points, so I used 2 short lengths of wire to represent the middle ones.

I had a bit of a sort out of the spares box tonight and found the Guide dogs for the blind collecting box I had made for Pallet Lane and never fitted for some reason: I have never seen one modelled before and it is simply a Peco dog painted black, with the collar/harness hand painted and mounted on a blue piece of card. I think the dog is in the wrong pose as most of the collecting boxes I remember the dog was in a sitting pose rather than lying down. I can't recall seeing them at stations so it is unsuitable for Peafore Yard so is destined to remain in the spares box for some time. Now the class 25's are ready for the first coat of primer, I took the opportunity to spray the missing handrails and conduit for the signal gantry as well as the 3 BRUTES for the platform end.

Lovely layout Pete, lots of fan details, I love the House half way through being painted

Thanks Pete, still a few more details to add to really nail the atmosphere for me,it is the little things that make the difference.

Thanks Peter Simon has done a good job capturing the shape. I will post some more pics later, I have fitted Shawplan EE roof fans which are a massive improvement as well.

Lovely layout, looking forward to seeing it in Barnstaple in July

Thanks Dave, I found a picture taken from a bridge of a stream, the river is actually a bit wide but is in such a dark shadow due the width of the bridge.

Thanks Neil. There is a 3 - 5 year plan for future motive power, as I am short of indigenous western region locos and also ETH locos. On the list are a couple of class 50's, an ETH 47 or 2, and D1013 + D1023. The 50's are reasonably straightforward from the Hornby model, likewise the Dapol Western looks the part so should be easy to do. The 2 x 47's need some thought as the Bachmann model requires work to the underframe, window frames and smaller other bits, so may give the Vi-Spring model a go. Would be great to see you Rich!

Peafore Yard has another confirmed outing this year, it will be at Barnstaple on the 25th July which will be the first opportunity to see it "finished" with the upper level fully operational.

Nice to see this layout on here, I was really impressed by it when I saw it at Cheltenham, the name stuck with me as I once lived on Oxford Road!

Looking good Richard, looks like it will have plenty of operational interest.

Looking really good, I will try and get down to the Wimborne show to see it.

Thanks Neil, It is all credit to Simon for making the effort to produce the cabs, the bit I have done is the easy bit. I am hoping to have the loco's finished in time to use them on Peafore Yard at Cheltenham in April if you want to see them in the flesh.

I have nearly finished the point for the upper level, I am scratching my head on point control as I think the distance between the rack bed and baseboard is too deep for a tortoise motor (8cm?) which would be my first choice, so may need to stick with wire in tube of some description, I have been a little distracted by class 25 bashing. I promised Simon who supplied the resin cabs I would crack on with the work asap to road test them, but they will shortly go into the paint shop. I am fitting Shawplan EE radiator fan grilles to them after being really pleased with them on the 37's, so will fit them to all the fleet in time:

In the interests of seeing which cab fits best I started a second conversion today using the cabs from the mould that is bottom fed. These were a bit easier to fit as the rear of the cab roof had formed better although the roof is rather thin. The damaged cab had broken at the thinest part near where the mould feed is. I have repaired this cab as a spare as I am concious that as these parts are unique if the locos were ever damaged I would have problems repairing it so it is prudent to have a spare. I thought it would be worth sharing a few photos of the cutting work in progress although it is pretty self explanatory, I started with the roof first using the rivet line as a guide: The sides are then cut one by one. The old handrails form a useful guide, to cut through: I still needed to add a little filler around the roof join but not as much as the first loco. Just need to add the lamp irons, headboard clips which Simon supplied plus handrails (as well as new Shawplan EE radiator fan grilles) and it is into the paintshop.

Thanks Neil, It was quite a fun little project to do, although I have seen quite a few done over the years.