south_tyne

Great to see Saxlingham back on the radar and to hear of the positive news in your personal life PGC. Although a move to frozen north is a bit drastic In all seriousness though it is great to read of your nice news. I absolutely LOVE the layout, it is a lovely setting, fantastically modelled and appeals so much in reminding me of happy times living in Wickham Market Looking forward to seeing more updates of future progress in due course. David

Hi Colin, Just found this thread! I have been a huge fan of your layouts over the years. Your minimum space masterpieces have been an inspiration to space starved modellers such as myself. I love Ledsam St yard and the tiny Foxbile Brewery Interesting to hear of your new project. I for one will be fascinated to hear and see more. 'Three Holes'.... a Wisbech and Upwell connection by any chance? Great to see you posting here. Keep up the good work and thanks once again for all the inspiration over the years David

Difficult week personally for me due to a physical health issue meaning I had to spend a day in hospital, with another round of tests now coming up. Has all had an impact and the black dog has reared again On a positive note though, hoping that this weekend will offer the opportunity for some modelling chat with my uncle at a family get together. I always find time with him uplifting due to his boundless enthusiasm for his o gauge railway!! Normally inspires me to get on with some planning of future projects I hope others who contribute here have had a more positive week!

Enjoying following progress Mullie. It's too quality modelling, cannot wait to see some of you GER tram locos shuffling some wagons about!

As a teenager I was fascinated by the W&U and I remember 'pursuading' my Dad to follow the route on the way home after a holiday staying with relatives in Mildenhall. Obviously a lot of changes, particularly the loss of the canal and the fact that the flat fenland countryside quickly returned to agricultural uses, but there are still points and features that can be identified. Let's hope Model Rail's investment in the tram locos will see an upsurge in interest in East Anglian railways, not only the W&U but also in the dock locations such as Ipswich, Lowestoft and Yarmouth. Personally I thank Chris and the MR team for driving this project forward. Whilst I am now focused on 7mm scale (having sold all my 4mm stock) I will undoubtedly be tempted by a couple of these little beauties in the course and may even develop a small layout to run them on. It is the ONLY loco that could have tempted me back into 4mm scale!! My wallet won't be grateful mind but I have started saving my pennies David

I still argue that there is no 'concensus' here, just a representative view of a handful folk who have happened to chance across this thread on this forum and is ultimately dominated by the viewpoints of a handful of individuals.

Agreed with that! The height of locomotive design in my humble opinion. Beautiful locos...

Mr Klein and his lovely locos are very persuasive in the argument, quality products at reasonable prices..... Honestly give it a go, you won't regret it!

I understand. Well maybe trade some unwanted 4mm scale items in and dip your toes into the O gauge water it's the bulkand presence of 7mm scale which often grabs folk... real trains! The MW is looking great. If you're interested in reservoir railways, the Ixion Hudswell Clarke ('cousin' to the Minerva locos) would also be very fitting! One thing I do find in this scale is because each individual item is more expensive then it makes me think very carefully about what I spend money on. It focuses the mind and eliminates any frivolous spending.

Exactly! A loco, three or four wagons and a brakevan. Two turnouts, four lengths of track and you've got yourself a layout. All of the above could be acquired for about the cost of three 4mm scale rtr locos, particularly if you can grab some second-hand wagons and points. He older I get the more I think less is more and a handful of items is far preferable to having mountains of 'stuff'. Just trying my best to tempt folk into O gauge......

Well being suggested from a number of sources can only be a good thing!

Thanks for sharing that Mark, it is a great link for those of us interested in the W&U

That's a balanced response and argument and I fully agree it is about what would be best for modellers across the region. A J21 would also be my number one choice any new NER loco would be very much welcomed

Glad to see progress is being made, looks like this is going to shape up into a great layout so I will follow with interest. Interesting design and track layout in a fairly compact space. I understand the reticence regarding tinkering with 7mm scale turnouts mind given the cost! I've always been a fan of those goods facilities at Seamer, should make a lovely little cameo. Keep up the good work

Looking great Chris! It really is a tiny loco mind. It would be interesting to see the comparison between the other locos in the Ixion/Minerva family just to put this into perspective Edit: oops sorry just noticed your earlier post showing against the Peckett and pannier tank... Shows just how small it is!

To be fair Mr Black Hat you have been peddling this list ad naseum. It is your personal wishlist and whilst I would accept that it someone mirrors the polls that are picking around, it is still what you want personally, to fit your own modelling location and area. Please don't take this as a personal slight or criticism, it definitely isn't meant as such, but it is somewhat dominating this thread. I see virtue in your suggestions, particularly as my main interest is also in the railways of the Bishop Auckland area, but ultimately they are not all going to be realised and the priority should be on the most marketable choices for Hornby (or indeed any other manufacturer). PS - and what have us Geordies and our Tyneside electrics done to offend you (very much tongue in cheek)

'Plus one' for the piano line design. I built a 009 scale version and it kept me very entertained both pottering at home and also on the exhibition circuit. Offers lots of operational potential. If you have access to any old Railway Modeller magazines there was an excellent 2mm scale versiom in the September '97 issue called Little Norton, modelled by an Edward Seed. Well worth a look if you can as it shows the plan transfered to a really believable setting. Always been a favourite of mine. David

I would agree. £174 seems a bargain mind and imagine (as with the 08 and Terrier) will attract a lot of people into the scale. Perfect for light railways and industrial settings, with the small wheelbase being a clear boon for minimum space layouts

Hi Thomas - that's a lovely little layout you've developed there. Excellebt attention to detail and great modelling. A tried and tested trackplan as well which will give excellent operational potential. I think the extra length to the inglenook design (compared to sticking at the minimum 120cm) makes the scene much more spacious. Great stuff and thanks for sharing. David

Oh if you're stretched, I'd say make one of these little fellas your priority

I would agree with the above advice. Having recently been mocking up an inglenook using the Peco templates, the setrack doesn't really offer any discernable space saing on the standard medium radius and Y point. Certainly the latter looks better in my humble opinion. The combination of a couple of Y points in particular offers a nice flow. As mentioned, all the templates can be downloaded from the Tower Models website.

I used to be of the opinion that time on here was time wasted that could be spent modelling. However I am far more pragmatic now. If I get enjoyment and inspiration from sharing here than that can only be good thing. Yes I may not do any practical modelling but, as mentioned previously, unfortunately at the moment I am not in the right head space or mental frame of mind to be able to. Just contributing here is in essence a social activity (albeit on the computer which is clearly not as good as in real life) which can only be of benefit to those of us who are currently struggling. Again on decluttering and neatness/tidyness, it is a fine balance. Anyone also prone to OCD symptoms will understand!

Thanks for that information it is really useful. I will have to have a look at what events they have on and make a plan. It should be 'do-able' in a day from up here so would make a nice run out. Cheers, David

Interesting way of looking at it. As a silver lining too, I would also suggest we would benefit from the rising standards and specifications of models, being of a higher quality than if they had come forward ten years ago.

Good thinking batman!!!