Dad-1

I have a printed chart with timings over 1, 4 & 8 feet for speeds from 1 mph to 25 in 1 mph steps then 5 mph steps to

50 mph, then 10 mph steps through to 120.

I have subtle 4 foot markings on sleepers & use my wrist stop watch ....... a 20 mph goods train in 4 mm is quite slow.

Good fun though & you need to be quick on that watch !!!

I should add I hate fast model trains, probably why I love freight

Nice one knapper.

Dad-1

Hi naturol,

I wish my Dynamis was reliable at home, but I have so little faith in it working that

I've been taking my daisy chain of Selects to exhibitions and always had to revert to

them for reliable running. Even now it fails to communicate quickly enough with my hand

set around 6 feet away and pointed at the receiver !!

I will have to change, but the Dynamis system has cost and I don't really want to write

all that off. I couldn't sell off it just wouldn't be fair on any Ebayer !!!

Oh yes still very damp air & scenic plastering taking too long to dry. Shame as I want

to get on with this.

Dad-1

Hi Andy,

We had great fun - learning how to run the layout as one of the team had never seen the full layout before. To make things worse some of the point numbers were marked on the inside of boards, but having a bad knee he had to drive from outside !!

Managed to get it all home by 21.30 Hrs, unloaded today Sunday.

I hope you were able to enjoy the day even if you had work to do !!!

Dad-1

Thank you all for the replies,

Since a week ago Tuesday I've been packing boxes, and more boxes, then trying to find more boxes.

Well, as of today only the computer room to strip out and that will stay live until Sunday.

My run to Dorset yesterday went well and as far as I could see my 2 layouts, & 3 dioramas got there

undamaged.

One nice thing about living around south Dorset is the proximity of Buffers, they will be my local shop

and they don't come much better for scenic products on the shelf.

I'd agree with pitbull1845 (scott) it's a nice place to live ..... or I suppose we wouldn't be going there.

Sky have also suggested they will have me back on line within a few days - fingers crossed.

Dad-1

Hi Julie & Jim Bob,

The halo is another unexpected feature.

Simply that the kitchen light has a few halogen bulbs, one aimed at the kitchen sink

area that lights up part of the blind !!

So eay to miss these unexpected intrusions into ones pictures .......

until much later.

Dad-1

Thanks Jon020,

Too true a superb piece of Britsh engineering.

I gave away a K2 tanker in hemp & grey and have put a B.1A

in camouflage over white undersides out with friends that

exhibit at various shows. Kept my B.1 & B.2 and in the loft

is another kit with small engine resin intakes set. I loved

the design of all 3 'V' bombers, but the Victor was so different.

Dad-1

Thanks for the kind words Mikkel,

I can't imagine you needing inspiration from anyone like me. Your work is exceptional and

although I'd like to build wagons I have to rely on RTR, partially a time problem.

I enjoy making scenery although I'd say I'm still a novice. This layout been on the go

since October 2011 !!

Dad-1

You are both right, the rooves do look flat and I'm always intending to lay overlapping

strips, with the odd displaced tile. However I'm always wanting to get stuck into the

next project and don't get back to start, let alone finish the job. 71 and still a big kid.

As much of my stuff is stored in a garage it suffers from high humidity and this is why I

like plasticard buildings they are impervious to dampness. However to design & build

everything one wants is just too slow for me.

wiggo for gold ehh, must be another bike rider, or perhaps ex-bike rider like me.

Geoff T.

Hi Barnaby,

What does he do when the teaspoon has worn out ?

The thief of my time is weather, too cold to work in the garage this week, too wet to work outside (all last year)

This has been on the go 15 months so far ...... a marathon.

Hi Andy1963,

I do have one major advantage - being retired, but I think one has to have breaks. Old men's stories, but I remember a hectic time at work, starting early, finishing late and working weekends. When I stopped to think I realised that I was slowing so much from tiredness of the grind that the extra hours were not producing the extra work. Went back to normal and found I was getting at least as much done in a day !!

This has no deadline although is supposed to be running unfinished as an under-construction layout at the clubs exhibition in February !!

Dad-1

I thank you all for the kind thoughts - I'm back home and a little sore, but my legs are working better than they have for a couple of years.

Remember "The Strawbs" ...... First Cut Is The Deepest

If I knew how to add a picture here I would, but it's not worth starting another episode.

Geoff T.

Thanks for the comment devondynosoar118,

Getting flowing landscape isn't easy, 'cos the railway (model) prefers to

operate with a minimum of gradient change.

Geoff T.

I thank you cromptonnut ....

I've still not plastered the far side, as a beginning had to be made on the other end.

Typical for someone who likes working outside, the weather's changed for the worse !!

I believe that natural light makes so much difference to any photo.

Geoff T.

Although not ready for more photographs I can at least say 'I Think' the answer to one application of plaster cracking was the mix was too dry. I have since added two other applications and these show no sign of cracking.

One is still quite damp as it was deeper to get my landscape profiles, the other mostly embankment sides has dried much faster, but neither show any indication of cracks.

It could of course be that they were added in the garage and did dry slightly slower, but yesterday my garage was like an oven with sun beating down on the roof meaning it probably dried as quickly as if it were outdoors.

Geoff T.

Hi Reemgee,

I may fancy a Scottish scene, but I'll never get around to making one. The section I really took to was just south of Helmsdale where the railway runs along the cliff tops and then on an embankment over sand dunes .... It would be a scenic logistical nightmare, but look brilliant if done well.

One day though I must finish my part built CR 439 class ..... and then that Caley coach !

Geoff T.

Hi reemgee,

A 'new' retiree ehh ....... I Hit 70 today.

I'm a big believer in running what you want, when you want ..... except if doing exhibitions where one should try and make sense of when & where, your location is supposed to be.

I'd love to do a Scottish scene, like my GWR, and appreciate BR both early & late although I'm not into post privatisation, no doubt summat to do with my age ....

Still a long way to go and no new photographs.

Geoff T.

Hi devondynosoar,

This is intended to be used at occasional exhibitions where operators in the central well will need to uncouple wagons, this means reasonably clear arm access over the inner tracks becomes an essential requirement.

Running trains is the main focus although the immediate linesides will be suitably landscaped. When tested out should we find slots where a back scene would be no problem then we could perhaps add.

Dad-1

Thought I'd add a picture taken today of one station throats turnouts, all just resting on the 1:1 scale drawingsI choose to use. Now the rear section is up and running I've got to make the final decisions on the complete station track layout. Then we'll be making up the 4 modules to hold the station. We started ply cutting today for the first end section so progression has been faster than I expected for working in a garage during winter.

Mmm.... can't seem to add pictures through this reply set-up.

Dad-1

Hi Owen,

Thanks for the comments.

All my previous layouts/dioramas have been small enough for brush painting of track to just about be acceptable. This is in a somewhat different league regarding the amount of track.

I will seriously have to think about spraying, but as you say there is the ballast to think about and an overall grey spray over that wouldn't do.without loads of rough masking. When brush painting that has always been done before ballasting.

Glad to see you think what I'm doing kinda fits a Blog's rough idea.

Dad-1

Hi Russ,

It'll have to be a half, you're driving !

Put some Ore in yesterday so here's a close up of the Bachmann wagon where the weld marks that attach to the solebar are so very obvious - Dapol are clipped on so no marks in this area at all.

Dad-1

True James, Mad as a brush !!

From what I gather very few railway modellers give their locos pet names ........

I just have two that seemed to need names. Both my little 06 shunters.

Marilyn came first, so the thinking went thus :-

Blue diesels .....blue movies ???

A true Scots heritage, I seem to recall only one 06 got to England (Tyneside?) Now they take some real hard work to make run well, a bit like climbing a mountain, Ahh Monroes, Scotlands mountain peaks of over 3,000 feet. MMmmm ..... oh yes that fits well.

She has a sexy wiggle as she moves along

Insists on frequent attention, when watched will show off, if ignored will be moody and stop.

To me she just had to be Marilyn.

Then I got a green one ...... Duncan, seemed a good Scots sounding name .....

As you can see I can't take railway modelling too seriously, if it ever stops being fun I'll do something else !!

Geoff T.

More done - the sides propped in place ......... will the rest be easy ?

Geoff T

It seemed unfair not to at least show where the fourth bridge will be.

So here is the current rough cut styrene with a Lotus Cortina Mk.1 just missing the removal lorry - there will just be room for them to pass, but think I'll have to leave paint scrapes on the bridge wall when made !!

Geoff T.

Been out shopping, don't you love Saturdays with the wife !

On return I decided to show one of my silly videos where I had a class 03 & 04 double heading a mixed goods.

This also allows one to see the simple layout.

Geoff T.

Hi cromptonnut,

End of the line was only 3 weeks work, but I was experimenting with ideas to use later.

This oval hits the now boring Cornish china clay theme - an imaginary line down the east bank of the Fowey River.

The aim was/is to have a good scenic layout with part of a cornish village and creek on a 6' x 3' base that I could carry myself in the back of the car. The entire track is set at 3.5" high to allow the landscape to roll from sea level to the road over bridge within the 6'.

For it to be useable at an exhibition I have a passing loop behind the back screen where after one train travelling with full wagons to the quay will be exchanged for another going the other direction with empties. Then the occasional 14XX with an autocoach.

I have named it St.Oval, because it was going to be set track and an oval !!

I'm also experimenting with small speakers that I hope to have in the pub and chapel with suitable sounds eminating from the buildings. I have yet to see if I can record CDs with enough channel seperation.

This more or less shows the scenic side track layout.

Yes it is going to be heavy, but I've checked that I can get in the Matiz - will be carried one above the other !!

Geoff T.