Phil Parker

The key is to use the right buildings - I'm pretty much using the Ratio range as they are classic GWR. If your signal box is the right colour it will be a big help for a start. Station architecture varies a lot but things like fencing and valances can make a big difference. You could use a resin staion, rip the old valances off and replace with the correct plastic ones for example. Era? Well start with road vehicles. No need for acres of cars, most people could only dream of owning one in LMS times. Plenty of horse power though, the sort that eats from a nosebag. Three wheel delivery vans based on motorcycles (Oxford diecast) were popular in large towns and cities. The list for this is huge and comes back to careful examination of pictures from the time and location. I'm sure others will be able to fill in more details though. You are bang on though when you say, "for a first attempt to get soemthing to run on, anything is better than nothing". You are very unlikely to build your perfect layout first time. Far better to build a testbed layout to get the hang of all the techniques and make all the mistakes. By thinking of it as a testbed you give yourself permission to give things a go accepting that they might not work. Once you've built the model, the dream layout will happen far quicker because of all your new skills. Mind you, we built Flockburgh as a testbed and liked it so much the dream layout never happened.

Glad to hear the supplement is inspiring people to get stuck in to some modelling - that's what it's all about! It doesn't matter if you build a different plan or ignore half the stuff I write, as long as you have a go. As John B says, the layout could easily be built SR rather than GWR. I could even see a Scotish terminus working just as well with some fish vans too. Let's face it, it is only toy trains at the end of the day so if something goes wrong, no one dies. The thing is, if you have a go you'll at least get a bit of experience, let's face it, I've made enough mistakes along the way. Then you (probably) won't make the same mistake again. The layout is progressing well. I've seen the proofs for part 2 (looking good) and am busy working on part 3. Hopefully at the Doncaster show you'll be able to see the layout finished and working. And Jon020 - Don't blame me for your mucky locos. I just suggested it...

Harry - How much less space? If you are really short of space, the David is right, go for N gauge. Either that or read up on micro layouts. Don't let the space problem stop you though. I'm sure we can help.

I can't see why it should scale although in N I'd allow more space so the design can spread a bit. The fiddle yard is a single point at the moment. For a home layout this ought to be OK. For exhibitions I might be tempted to go for a 3-way to add flexibility. Point based yards have some disadvantages but win big on simplicity which makes them better for beginners. Of course if we wanted to look at alternative yards, Edgeworth would be a good candidate.

They aren't planned AT THE MOMENT but that's not to say we won't do it. I'm going to have to find a signalling expert to sort out the details but I would like to do something in the future. Signalling is a can of worms and deserves more than just a couple of pages, which is all we could really devote to it in the third part. As far as I'm concerned, the supplements are just the start. There will be more projects popping up in BRM that use Edgeworth as a test bed. In fact next months 2hr project is for the layout. Any other suggestions are welcomed too.

Mickey - I've built several layouts without the softwood, hauled them up and down the country and abroad and never had a problem, hence I didn't mention it. As long as the plywood is 9mm thick, it doesn't seem to be an issue. Softwood does make nailing easier but only because you have a bigger target to hit with the pin. In thoery it should add strength but it isn't essential. Of course there's nothing to stop you adding it if you prefer. That's why I made the point of saying this is all based on my experience rather than claiming to be definitive. As they say on the bits of t'internet concerned with rusty old VW vans - your milage may vary.

Nope - 12 inch square. You are right, 15 inches isn't much and I've increased it from Cyril Freezers original 12! If you were to widen the layout, it would improve the model but I'd rather build a little cramped for the article.

Ohhhh - Well spotted. I've just been and measured the wood again. I'm sure I specified 6 inches but you are right, the wood is 4 inches wide. Maybe I had an off day. Personally, I'd go with 6 if you can, it makes the structure stronger BUT 4 will be fine. These boards seem strong enough thanks to the backscene being integral. The pins are easier - I bought two packets, 20 and 30mm. The 30mm ones were used and I picked up the cleaner packet for the photo without realising. My feeling is that you should always over-engineer if possible so more wood, longer pins. Yes it means a little more weight but as long as you can carry the boards OK then the stability of your layouts foundations matters more. And all questions are good. After all, that's why I wrote this stuff. Ask away! :-)

The Melbridge Dock boards are 3 X 2 and haven't moved since we built it in 1986 so I reckon you'd be OK. We didn't even varnish them! Hope this helps.

If you've seen the January issue of BRM, you'll know that I'm busy building a small Great Western Layout as a guide for anyone looking to get started in the hobby. As promised, we've set up a thread where I'll try and answer any questions you've got on the project. Don't worry if what you want to ask sounds too basic, we all have to start somewhere. Anyway, you will ask an a dozen people reading your question will think, "I wish I'd asked that". I can't promise to live on here 24/7 but will do my best to respond as quickly as possible so ask away!

If the retailer gets loads to send back, they will pretty quickly tell the manufacturer there is a problem. When the people who are supposed to be selling your product are on the phone wanting to know why they are getting then coming back over the counter then you pay attention. This works for washing machines and model railways.

Responsibility for faulty goods initially rests with the retailer who sold it to you, not the manufacturer. Hornby is no different to Apple, Ford or Bosch in this respect - if you buy a faulty washing machine it doesn't go back to the maker in the post, you take it back to the shop you bought it from. The shop should then offer to get it fixed or better still, replace it with a working version. They can then have a go at the manufacturer. If the shop chooses to put the faulty model back on the shelf, well that's their bad and not the manufacturers and I wouldn't be keen to go back there in the future. I'm always mystified why modellers buy something from a retailer and then want to deal direct with the maker when they have a problem. Ring Ford up with a fault with your new car and they point you at the dealer network. It's more practical that way, they don't have to maintain a huge number of people at the centre to deal with every individual customer.

Thanks very much. I'm really chuffed to see someone having a go at it. As you say, this is a really pleasent build - I've done 2 and enjoyed them both. OK, neither end result was perfect but they were so much more fun than buying RTR. Looking forward to seeing more. Excellent job so far. Phil

J73 - Sorry you've had problems getting hold of the Silver Fox kit. I did have a word with them at a show a few months ago and there was one on the stand. At that point I'd been asked not to mention the bookazine by the publisher but even if I was OK to do this, I don't like going "Do you know who I am?" on anyone. Even if I had, I'm not sure they would have been that excited

Interesting to read the mentions of paint not drying on FUD items. I bought a telephone box, assembled and painted it over a week ago and the paint STILL hasn't dried properly. I used a primer and tin of paint that had worked fine on previous projects so I assume that the material itself has caused the problem. Photos on my blog: http://philsworkbench.blogspot.com/2011/08/3d-printed-4mm-scale-k6-telephone-box.html Phil