Dinmore Manor

Dinmore, Obviously......!

A pleasure to have met Gareth at Warley, Tyseley and then at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway to survey 7820 and discuss all the details and variations. Was clear from the start that he wanted to go all out with this model, I recall him noticing that you could see through under the running plate behind the front sandboxes and over the top of the brake cylinder, he said 'I really want to include that' Looks like he has too....! Mike https://www.facebook.com/DinmoreManorLocomotiveLtd/posts/1790480441117770

53808 off to the Mid Hants: https://www.sdrt.org/…/news/joint_press_release_240720_fina…

A few more pics from a recent steam up, finally managed to get round to cladding the goods shed, needs heavy weathering now. Followed by more work on the scenics and general distressing of everything. Lockdown does have some benefits. Also hoping to finish off the fiddle yard set up today making the layout properly useable/ooerational at long last....!

A genuine steam fix with a few images from a steam up on my part built 16mm scale BLT and a video from a few weeks ago : Thanks to all for a great day Layout thread:

Had a good initial look around the exhibition, really enjoying it. So far I'm doing really well, I've not spent any money (yet) and I've yet to have my eye taken out by a piece of code 75 stuck out of a rucksack.......

Steve, you're far too kind, nothing that spectacular going on here! You really should build something smaller that you can use easily indoors, you have a fiddle yard already, which I'm sure you could adapt and use...... So I look forward to seeing what you come up with! I've even considered doing an inglenook at some point and why not, popular enough in other scales. Could be done in a little over 5'x 2'.... Mike

Excellent, amazed to have inspired someone, though all credit (blame?!) has to go to Steve Howard for inspiring me in the first place....! I like it, interesting track plan, what's the overall size and where is the layout build thread?!

As promised, pictures attached now I've had chance to fit it. Most pleased with it, made a big difference certainly, just the layout isn't anywhere near as complete as it now looks!

Photographic backscene has arrived... Made quite a difference, looks far more complete now than it actually is!

Thanks, best bit is, it can't stall on a dirty bit of track!

Sort of, being a bit of a tight git and having my own workshop I decided to save a couple of hundred quid and made my own version. Does the job.

With little in the way of Steam going on in the country at the moment it seemed a good time for a steam up on my part built 16mm scale BLT, just a bit of light relief. More about the layout here:

Whilst I can't do anything with full size or 5 inch gauge trains I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a little steam up for the first time in ages.... Still so much to do, ground works and texturing, wagon building, goods shed to finish and the rock face to paint/weather, can see that taking ages... Strangely enough I have a bit more time to do some of the above at the moment! The photographic backscene arrives on Monday so that will be a useful boost to the look and feel of things.

18ft x 24" on premium poly rather than paper 47 quid delivered. I thought that was pretty good... Mike

Thank you all very much, I have just this afternoon ordered a custom 24" tall backscene from John @ Art Printers, very impressed with both price and speed of despatch. Brilliant.

Just some 7mm scale sized ballast and a little 4mm mixed in, didn't want anything too chunky looking.

Not quite, to celebrate 7820's 70th birthday year. Mike

Not been able to find what I'm looking for despite searching. I'm looking for a printed photographic backscene approx 22 inch high, most seem to be 9 or 15", anyone any ideas?! Thanks in advance, Mike

After a period in store I've dug the layout out again and made a bit more progress with some greenery. Also some new maroon coaches. One day I might even get round to finishing off the station building and goods shed... Maybe..!

They are accucraft coupling bodies, slowly changing the actual coupling hook over to the tenmille plastic ones and bonding on a bit of wire for the track based magnets to act upon. Mike

From memory the gear ratio was around 35 to 1, the flywheels are perhaps a little too heavy at the moment, pair turned out of 30mm dia brass bar, 9.5mm thick. I might try skimming these down a little bit at some point as it does run on a bit too much some times. If I had a third channel on the radio I'd have been tempted to use a micro servo as a brake...! Though the engine will stop reasonably quickly if returned to mid gear. I have dug the layout back out, been a few too many other things going on, but now the dark winter nights have returned I've been building a second brake van and just about to do a bit more scenic work. On the look out for a photographic backscene next, min 22" high, any ideas anyone?! Shall take some more pictures when a bit more to show.

Do share pics of what you are building...

Didn't realise it had been so long, but that's probably because I've not done as much as I should, for a number of months things have been shelved and at one point I was going to get rid, but the person who wanted all the stock didn't turn up... So it's still here and now the cold dark nights have arrived a little progress has been made, the stone train is all assembled awaiting paint. Back in April the newly painted loco was used on Steve's excellent Hambleden Valley layout at the National Garden Railway Show, he is seen having a go with it below. Just day's before I painted and weathered the engine, there are a few more details to add but so far additions have included front and rear sandboxes, different cab steps, lubricators, tool boxes, coal, tank vents, riveted buffer beams, blower pipe etc. At some point she will receive some running plates, re-railing jack and a copper chimney cap of course..... A little bit of trial greenery has been added to the end of the run round loop The footbridge has some initial paint applied and now awaits weathering and the addition of bolts. The framework for the goods shed is pretty much complete so next task is to paint that then iron clad it. Slow progress but better than nothing, just got to find some enthusiasm to crack on with it a bit over coming months.

Lovely looking engine, thoroughly enjoyed my time driving it and the rest of the Hambleden fleet at Stevenage the other week