Indomitable026

What? Fat smelly blokes modelling? I can see the queues of punters now - not Anyway, I got rid of my ra ra skirt years ago. ha ha ha.

How about this for that awkward hole........ ?

Micro Brewery?

Noooooooooo I've seen some nice shops in Melton Mowbray........... Think we should model them along with a nice pasty shop and a cream tea house.........

Well actually I was going to mention that I had changed my mind. I've been thinking about a row of shops instead....

We've made 40k! Thats fantastic. I remain fascinated that people are interested in what we do. Thank you all..........

I can smell it from here.......... phhoorrwwww

Oih spams. This is amazing. I can only ever aspire to this level......... Better do some more wiring.....

Would this help?

It's the Rarer Spotted Wardle.

Wow! Thats going to make a massive difference! The right hand back of the layout will change significantly. This is what I love about this hobby and building models with others. You think you know what is going to end up looking like - but actually you don't. When good friends have spent immense amounts of time and turn up with such things - well its just magic. The layout becomes alive and so much more than just 'your' layout - the project almost becomes a mini institution. Well impressed!!

Pete, I see trouble ahead!! Incorporating Owd Grinder' into the layout, say as a dead tree or derelict building? This would mean whole sections of the layout would going missing without notice. We could be at show and board 2 could disappear to 'Nigel Birds' books. We could be loading on a Friday at home and realise the same boards are down the road at Stamford, stuck in the back room of Robert Humm's books. Sugestions appreciated, but - no thanks. ha ha ha.

Nice idea Geoff, I'll go for that. But how to fix them? Glue? Bolts? Clamped? All three? Mark - It will probably be Railfeight Red because i've got some broken trailer straps that colour. The other advantage here is that I can take a 3m length and sew it to Old Gringo's trousers to stop him wondering off to those ever-tempting book stalls. Two birds - One stone!!

Why not chain with minature cow bells? The hours would roll by in the van..........

You'll be pleased to know I've changed my ways and improved the process. I've adopted a new policy of putting the paint directly on the layout and not tipping it on the garage floor first. I've found it goes a little further and the finish is a little less textured. I do need to sort the garage floor out tho, and at least get it all the same colour. Flipping eck - there are no secrets on here, are there?.........

Well I've run out of space on the bed post for anymore notches - ha ha Yes I've notched the top of the 'A frame' legs and the underside of the beams. As youv'e guessed this just allows for 'automatic' spacing of the legs and hence speeding up set up time. This in turn has the crucial benefit of bringing forward the sampling of the forbiden sauce on Friday evening set ups. Well worth the effort me thinks - especially with the Truro high life coming up........

Since the sun's been out for the last two days I've found some outside job's to do - painting. Here's a couple of shots showing the 'A frame' legs and timbers which form the 'sub frame' (the wooden braces are temporary, subject to finding some suitable chain) Better do some modelling soon......

ha ha. It gets better. Any more admissions out there?

Ooops! You're quite right it is a secret. Forget I said anything.

Chis, I'm really looking forward to seeing the pic's of your next masterpiece. Just by way of a polite reminder, a couple of ground rules; 1) No caravans 2) No portacabins. BTW; a. I didn't realise about the text photo's I wasn't receiving b. Did you see Top Gear tonight? c. The main fiddle yard has no legs.

Chris, We are a definite on for this show, I just must apologise for my increasing scruffyness in the administration department. It's pains me to ask...... But could you send me the form again - please. Perhaps we don't deserve to come - eeekkk.

Now that's impressive. - to leave a board! We forgot to take both sets of the fiddle yard cartridges for our Treneglos layout while on a trip to Wadebridge show,Cornwall a couple of years ago. It was initially a terrible sinking feeling, however since we are all natural bodgers we soon found a solution - and it kept us out the pub. We made some new ones out of RTR track and folded card board on the Friday night and Saturday morning. It was actually a really great fealing to recover from such a poor situation. - If we hadn't, literally nothing would have run!

Right then. With Truro show only a few weeks away I thought it best to dig out DitD from storage and start to consider those jobs that need doing. It's last show was Wadebridge in November last year and it has been stored ever since with my main efforts being concentrated on John's Wild West project. First Job - find all the bits.....

I can see a heavy lump of metal coming in useful when the operating staff on the layout are underperforming. The fact that it's off a diesel is even better for dealing with those pesky non-conforming steam men....... Getting ready for this Saturdays Members jamboree, it's my first, we will be there with John's under-construction 'Once upon a Time in the West'.

I went to see those nice fellows at Digitrains in Digby on Saturday to get some more sound equipment for my 37's. I was thinking I would aquire more SWD chips with base reflex speakers. We discussed the options and the possibilty of Zimo. With that another customers 37/4 appeared fitted with a Zimo chip. This had two programmes on it, one where the sound automatically follows the loco and secondly where you can manualy notch up and down regardless of speed. I was allowed to play for a while and within minutes I was completely hooked. The realism (and play value) of being able to control the notching is fabulous. No more engine noise reving upwards when the loco has actualy come to a stand. It requires a lot more concentration tho and further training for the team.... Further, because we control two or three trains at once at an exhibition and with the possibility of the points going digital as well I can see the whole show just consisting of 'number tapping' - I'm sure moderation and sense will prevail!!. Here's a shot of the Base flex speaker 'shoe horned' into the fuel tanks of 37 674. The sound is fab! Thanks must go to the guys at Digby for the their time and patience - especially when I inadvertently changed the Loco address while trying to change the sound mode. A lot to learn here me thinks. Once I got back home I also broke a plastic chassis while fitting the speaker - you can just see it in the photo at the back. I used smaller tools on the second go! ha ha.