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Not gone AWOL with the bugs, just been to France for Christmas with the inlaws. Got some nice MR clayton and bain bogies for the stock I'm bashing. With nice food (was treated to a visit to an almost Michelin starred resturant for Xmas eve!) and good company it was nice. Now back at work... 12hrs today and tomorrow! Got some old gold painted on some clear sheet for the sleeper, and will hopefully finish the side on my Clayton brake compo today. That portal is comming on nicely Jeff, just need to raise the two ends of the slope to allow the top coper to stand talled and above the slope down bit.... Now serious question here, as i know lots of you lot have lots of locos.... Does Hornby do a loco with a leading (or trailing) bogie with a 6foot wheelbase (24mm) with pick-ups on it? The M7 is a little long (about 28-30mm) and i need one for loco project. Andy G

Well that's stuffed it, I now can't get my head through the door! Hope everyone reading this has a decent Chrimble, and heres to a Great modelling 2013! Andy G (Here till about 5am, so still some time to annoy you all!)

Jeff, having just studied your portal photo again, the top parapit wall of the original has quite a curve over the top of the arch, whereas yours is flat. Maybe when you add the stonework you could make the top centre of the parapit wall about 3-4mm taller, with a curve down to the sides? Sorry If I'm being pickky again, feel free to use rule 1 (or as we say on the railway a Form 1 (discaplinary form!)) Andy G

Thats it, now why couldn't I have said it like that? Andy g

Where does the water go? It certainly makes it down to the formation on the left hand side (through a 90* turn in the wing wall) but the right hand side is a little more difficult to see. Do they just go into culverts heading towards the river bridge seen in the old photos that I linked to about 20 odd pages ago? Thats my guess, as the stream or whatever that is there would probably be the easiest place to get rid of it. Maybe Jeff you could have a 'gusher' coming out of the side of your drop board by the viaduct? That would look quite impressive! Andy G

Jeff I'm guessing that there are no photos as you wouldn't see the loco's number would you! Anyway looking at the photos above I think that the watercourse starts being walled in (very roughly looking at it) above the left side of the portal, with it being guided into the wing wall drains, I think on both sides (you can just see the back of the drain going behind the top right of the portal). What are you going to use for the water gushing down the gulley? I've never done water and to be honest it scares me! Andy G

Jeff, Can i say that for someone who hasn't done much scratchbuilding before, you are a natural! Yes you are correct that the wing walls are canted backwards, it helps to resist the thrust of the land around it! It certainly looks the business, and with the cant and the wing walls getting narrower towards the portal (again helping with the thrust of the land) it is looking the business! (I'm not sure I explained that very well. The wing walls start at their lowest point (ie furthest from the portal) at trackbed width (TW) + say 6 feet apart, but when they are at the portal they are TW + say 2 feet apart. (Guess at measurements from top of head, not even looking at the photo above!). Does that make sense? I've just been gathering up bits from my locker, just in case I get to do some modelling over Christmas. Tonights my last shift until just before New Year, so I won't be making many appreances. Andy g

Jeff, Whats the length of your longest coach? If it is only a Mk1, may I suggest that you make it a bit bigger so that a 68ft sleeper could fit through the gap? One day you might have some running and it would be a shame to have to re-make the portals.... Andy G

Do you need the drawings of those toads? I'm sure I've got about 5 drawings of the differring types, and then there is the TVR vans etc, etc! All that polished brass is not healthy..... ;-} I've also got the drawings of a GWR drinking water tank wagon. Maybe useful for your weedkiller train? Anyway, the LNWR way is best you know! I've spent 4 years learning to do the bells here with my left hand (makes it easier with the levers) and can just about do it now. Still not natural mind! Andy G

Does anyone know where I can get 5 thou plasticard from please? I'm after some to help with a bash of some old Ratio kits, 10 thou is slightly too fat to match up with the exisiting panel sides...... Andy g

I'm not sure I could cope with a Kindle, you don't get many OPC books on it, and how would the scale drawings work out? Give me proper paper (and some more shelves, please!) every time. Jeff have you read any of LTC Rolts books? If not, hunt out 'A Railway Adventure' is well worth the money (always some on Ebay, and you could by it new too!), as is the three part Autobiography (but don't buy the Trilogy version as that is short of loads of photos). I find reading a book of his, gets you away from everything soo quickly. The only one I have struggled with so far is 'A Potters Wheel, the history of the ball clay industry', but his brief history of machine tools is very interesting! (Can you see why I'm know as excentric??) Andy G

Jeff, If you need anymore reading over Christmas, I can trawl through my scanned archive and see if there is anything else you should have. Got a shock today while I was looking for something else (GWR water tower, such filth! ;-} ) when I stumbled on another 600 pages of untitled images! Just found out that I've got some extra days off (Roster is out and these days had been defferred until the roster was published just in case my shift couldn't be covered) after Christmas, so I may take some coach bits home and see If I can start the next coach, and maybe finish the exisiting two! BTW if anyone is after a drawing for something drop me a PM and I'll see if i have it in the my MRC plans archive. Not got many locos mind! Andy G

I often say that 'feet and inches are miles better!' Mind you, mm do have there uses! I think you will do well to enjoy your break over Christmas at your Dad's. A couple of good days away will make you see a bit more clearly, and have a bit more energy to attack the next phase. I wish i could get 5 mins to do some actual modelling, I seem to have stopped fully! I suppose that I may well return after Christmas too! Andy G

Jeff, surely you should be quoting the dimensions as 300 x 300 mm or 0.3 x 0.3 m as cm are not a 'real' Si unit......? I would tend to use the thinner material, although if there is any chance of weight (or should that be mass?) bearing, go with the thicker.... Andy G

Did a little research today, inbetween Nativity plays (My first as a father, and not something I every thought about!) and discovered that LMS built 2P 566 visited the HR sometime in the early post grouping period. Therefore the triang L1 will be modified to be this loco. This will allow me to do something that is of use to me in the end too... Jeff, will you be having spare DCC chips for visiting locos? Or do I have to buy one myself? Maybe you could have a translator van? (I found an article from the MRC on doing said conversion, the bloke did it in about 4 hours including the research. I bet it takes me about 4 weeks!! But then again I will be adding extra pick-ups etc. Maybe something for either this thread or somewhere else on here?) Andy G

You'll know its me on if the Green Moggy van (In Post office telephones livery) is sat by the box. I might even have the kettle on! Andy G

TBH it's a good excuse to give me a goal to get some of my unfinished stuff, errm, finished! Now I must find that 2P the next time I go to my parents and see what I can do with it to make it more correct too! Jeffs in for a bit of a shock when he comes to! Andy g

To get back on topic, I've been thinking about Jeff's upcoming open day...... To go with my MR carriages I'll need a suitable loco thats DCC. Now as I'm a luddite (and don't see why I'd ever need dcc) I'll have to convert one of my stud to this. I've got an old triang L1 which is masquraiding as a 2P, which I was thinking would be suitable. Now my plan is this: Disconnect the leads to the motor, sleeve both sides of the spring that holds the brushes in place, which will islolate the motor from the chassis. Then run the pickups and motor wiring via the tender to a switch for either dc or dcc. I'll have a look at changing the leading bogie to the new Hornby M7 type if the wheelbase is close, so that I can have all wheel pick-up. Any thoughts? Jeff are you getting a Compound, before I start another project?! Andy g

Sorry to hear that you aren't the May West Jeff, I'm sure it's only a passing thing. Came in this morning and one of the cats was wheezing and coughing, sounds like a chest infection to me, but she is at the vets as I type, so will find out the pain later.... Anyway, here's a shot of me and two Tresspasser's at work. Hardly the dapper style of yesteryear is it? Annabelle is holding Barnaby Bear from school, which is to help them write about what happens at the weekends.... I'm not sure he enjoyed being in the box mind! Here's a shot that I took this morning at about 0520hrs. Its 317 888 heading to Liverpool Street.. It was a tad frosty, hence the arcing! It's quite fun to watch (behind glass to remove the UV, and not for long - arc eye!) as occasionly you can see bits of the conductor wire burn off in a shower of sparks! Andy G Edited to put unit number in.

Jeff, I find it's a darn site easier keeping my 45 year old van on the road than any of this modern muck! The whole head off, to back on, took about 3 hours. Try doing that in a modern motor! No electrical sensors or ECU to pack up. Mind you It would be nice to have a heater that can warm more than the gearknob! It's funny, I rebuilt the engine for the van inbetween trains here in the box, I'm in the middle of welding up my other moggy van, but yet I won't touch any modern car, as they are just too complicated! Going to the outlaws in France is always fun... It's still compulsory to be able to change any bulb on your car in France if you are stopped by the Police. It has taken me upwards of two hours to change a tail-light bulb on the Mrs' Galaxy! I wouldn't like to do that at the side of the road in France... BTW the wiring diagram for Electrofrogs is useful, shouldn't there be a file area for stuff like that? Andy g

Sounds like a job for someone who is about to order his next load..... Jeff I think you are required here! Andy g

You set very loose goals if you are 6-9months early after 6 months... We could do with you on the real railway, where everything runs at least 9 months late! The van is NYW 884E, and is sounding (touch wood) much better now! I feel very poor compared with all you oldies with money to spare! I am very much doing things on the cheap at the minute as I have to keep the rest of the family in the style that they have become used to. (SWMBO is an ex-teacher too, but sadly nowhere near to retirement age, and her pension (in 30years time) won't be able to keep me in squalour! Andy G

Rob, Would it be possible to use your track in the shed yard as it is, but with a thick pouring of black paint over it... ? No I've not gone mad (Quiet at the back... I heard that!), but loco yards did have quite a lot of oil spread about. I realise you can't do it to all of the track, but you might be able to use it on some... The answer to removing the rest of it might be a screwdriver! Andy g

Funny enough SWMBO's dad did take a photo of me on the box steps back in the summer, now where is it? It's nice to be back at work tonight, while I've had my monthly weekend off we have had the frame oiled along with the gates, it's so much nicer to use that it was last week! Mind you its been one of those days today... The head gasket went on the van at 1030am. It did the usual BMC A series trick of burning through between the cylinders (in this case cylinders 1 and 2), but I still managed to get her home. I never thought I'd be happy to have a full 48bhp! Driving on 2 and a half cylinders was, errm, interesting and noisey! Anyway, got the head off, and a mate drove me to a Minor specialist who happened to have a gasket in stock, and then put it back together. It took longer to drive to pick-up the gasket than to get it running in the end! Cost for the job? £10. Oh, and a day lost making mince pies ;-{ Have you finished wiring up that track bus yet??? Andy G

Actually I wouldn't mind wearing something smart.... (we get issued with polo-shirts and cargo trousers).. it would be the short back and sides I would abject to... My mid-chest length hair is not getting cut for work! Andy g