PaternosterRow

He was definitely there!!

It looks all so neat in that box file - like something you'd buy in a shop.

Alas poor Yoric (or Aunt Augusta) - thought I'd say it before anyone else does! Great stuff as usual Mikkel - great to have action at Farthing again. Those buildings and brilliantly painted figures have been much missed - you almost want to go and have a look at the timetables over that man's shoulder at the end of the bay. More please! Regards Mike

Hi Tim, Doubleplusgood comments! I'll have a gander at Road to Nowhere - thanks for the tip. Mike

Hi David A Clergyman's Daughter - another Orwell classic that is as pertinent today as it was when first published. A young innocent, unable to comprehend her ruined reputation, wakes up on the street's of London without a clue to her own identity - all because of the vicious lies of the village gossip (Mrs Sempril). Leveson, Hillsborough and the gutter press spring to mind - vile gossip does bad things to good people. Orwell was always worried about the politicization of the English language and so was watchful about freedom of speech, but he always understood where the boundaries lay. Again, this balanced view, always aware of the extremes. Haven't read Fahrenheit 451, I was put off by the film - always a bad way to approach a book. Got to go, the two minutes hate is about to start! Regards, Mike

Perhaps I could show Winston with a model of a personal computer device. One that had an audio visual system and also put a tracker in it so Big Brother could know where he is at any one time. Hang on a minute I just got to take this call on my I phone!!!! Hi Mikkel Great to hear from you again - any chance of an update at Farthing - we still don't know who dunnit yet? Mike

Thanks Carl, It is a great read and should be in the modern curriculum if it isn't already. If you want to write plain English then Orwell is a must. Mike

Thanks for the vid Stephen Really interesting station graphics and is definitely the feel I'm aiming for. Regards, Mike

Hi Comrade. Thanks again for allowing me to pursue your original idea Regards Mike

Hi David Thanks for your comments. Down and Out in Paris and London made Orwell the father of modern investigative journalism in my opinion and I have returned to it many times. In many of the critical introductions to his novels there is a lot of nit picking and commentary about weak plot lines and two-dimensional characters etc, but I never see anything of this when I read - only genius and an acute political awareness. It was a great pity he died so young and had he lived longer he would have undoubtedly given us plenty to think about regarding modern social democracy. What I find startling about 1984 was his ability to perceive what was happening under the Soviet regime at the time. We had no real idea about the terror politics being used until Solzhenitsyn wrote his story ten years later! I heard that they are going to do a film adaptation of Burmese Days - lets hope they don't make a hash of it as they did with Keep the Aspidistra Flying!

Hi Pete Trouble is you're never alone in 1984 - Big Brother is always watching!

I was reading 1984 a few weeks ago when I came across a blog entry by Scots Region called Victory Road - http://www.rmweb.co...._fromsearch__1. A fictitious layout of a station from the novel. This really got the modeling juices flowing and I began the usual postulating when we get an idea into our heads. I had a half completed station throat model that I'd never been happy with and started to put two and two together. I PM'd Scots Region who kindly allowed me to proceed with his original idea. The original model underneath the new overall station roof. INGSOC logo - Newspeak for English Socialism Underneath the arches - old derelict London where the Proles live. The Platform and INGSOC advertisements. These were sourced from the internet. Another shot of the platform and the INGSOC logo. With most of the work been done it was easy to knock up a bunker style roof out of 6mm ply - this was covered in PVA and given a shake of fine sand. I wanted to capture the feel of the novel by using a 'Big Brother' utilitarian style overlaying the remnants of old London (Air Strip One). The four big ministries from the novel are housed in pyramid type structures so I wanted to also capture a Pharonic architectural feel - this seems apt to the 1984 theme. Orwell has to be one of my favorite authors and I'm a great admirer of his plain English prose. Many of his novels contain a gritty reality - read 'The Road to Wigan Pier' for a desperate description of poverty in the North of Britain in the 1930's. He is, of course, most famous for '1984' and 'Animal Farm', both parodies of Totalitarian society's, but he was also an avid reformer. He championed the need for a welfare system, but was always aware of the hidden dangers of ideologies and religions. Most particularly the Soviet regime of 1930/40's Russia - it seems that just causes can always be twisted out of shape by zealots or a power hungry elite. There's a lot of fun to had with this scheme and I can't wait to start knocking up an armored train. If anyone has any ideas for motive power and coach types I'd be glad to hear them. The novel suggests that things started going awry shortly after the Second World War and the only R and D that went on was related to all things military. Steam would therefore be still being used in the alternative 1984 and there would be a lot of run down engines and coach stock about.

Gosh Pete - fast progress on this. The 3rd rail looks spot on to me - the 4 CEP looks beautiful - the detail is as crisp as my 4mm one! The more I see 2mm FS the more I like it. Mike

Hi Pete Simply brilliant planning again! Those sketches are marvellous and explain everything. I can just imagine what will happen at airport security - they'll have it out of your bag and you'll be delayed a couple of hours because they'll want to play trains and marvel at how you've been able to squeeze a completely functional layout into your hand luggage! Mike

Hi Peter, What a lovely layout. Interesting curves, beautiful buildings and that lighthouse is superb. Can't wait to see more of this take shape. Regards Mike

Nice one Frank. Like the title! Detailing and weathering are superb. Are you an airbrush or dry brush man? I'd like to buy an airbrush, but I'm still a bit unsure of having a go after ruining a perfectly good Bachmann Class 40 a couple of years ago. I'd like to think there was an easy way of achieving a finish like that on your tender, but know it takes practice. Any tips or advice? Regards, Mike

Another great idea Pete. Can't see anything wrong with the wood skills - neat and precise work as ever. Wouldn't bother with screws if the glue is doing the job apart from using the heads for cosmetic reasons - the glue over the surface area of the hinge should be a stronger fix than the screws in my opinion. That seems like proper cabinet maker's wood and I wish it was available over here - lovely looking stuff. Another interesting project to follow. Regards Mike

Hi Pete - thanks for the comments. Happen to think your work is high quality and fast too! More so, given that it's only 2mm scale. Firstly, I only work part time here in Ireland, but I'm not one to sit on my proverbial all day. A dedicated shed man, I'm always working on something or other. My wife thinks I can be a bit obsessed with the modelling sometimes, but it keeps me happy so she tolerates it. We bought a new bungalow here and I converted the loft a couple of years ago so there's plenty of space (32ft x 16ft with an additional storage cupboard) for my layouts. Did most of the work myself and because of the recession was able to get the materials and velux windows quite cheaply. The next one will be a generous 15ft x 6ft run around that will accommodate a couple of slot in 8ft long micros - front and back. One will be a third rail scheme on an arched viaduct and the other a section of the WCML. I did a couple of micros some time back that provide a glimpse of what I want to eventually achieve - take a gander at my blog at http://www.paternosterrow.blogspot.ie to have a look at them if you like. Cheslyn is a bit of experiment for me as I really prefer gritty city scenes - suppose that's because I grew up in Birmingham and not far from a railway line. Cheers, Mike

Had a recent birthday and with the money bought some goodies. However, the credit card bill revealed a bit of an overspend and collars were duly felt. But after much wailing, gnashing of teeth and a few recriminations the new stock was quickly whipped out of the box for a few update shots. The Bachmann Warship is a beautiful model and whilst the grills are only moulded they really give the impression of something beyond. However, the cab crew are a bit on the naff side so they'll have to be replaced. Great runner with fantastic running lights. This is the fiddle yard - the wording on the tube of paint says it all. It really is basic, but that's all I want from it. The control panel end is ever cruder, but it all works. The above pics of the whole model with interior lighting off and on. Finally, the Bachmann weathered private owner wagons - really beautiful - had to have them from the moment I first saw them advertised. I've got some more coaches on the way and am toying with the idea of using some NEM Kadee magni-couplers - anyone used these before? If so, what's your take on them? So much more to do yet - I'm already starting to think of the next model!

I remember that information film like it was yesterday! Never put us off messing about in the Tame though.

Gosh, if only I could get my electrics to look a tenth as neat as that!

Hi Pete, Thanks - yes, I was surprised how adding a frame can lift the whole thing. I can see why they put them around pictures now. Thought a dark brown or black maybe? What do you suggest? All is not lost in the garden by the way - lifted my Charlotte Potatoes and was quite pleased with the result. This self-sufficiency lark isn't so bad after all! Mind you, I'm glad to be back at the modeling all the same.

The fascia and lighting units and have now been installed - nearly there! I use a glue gun to speed things along and have found it an invaluable tool when it comes to baseboard construction. If you're going to use one though, spend a few quid on a good one as I learnt the hard way with a cheap Aldi type first. I bought a Stanley gun and it really heats the glue up - the hotter the better - you have to watch your fingers mind! I picked up a couple of display tube lights in a sale, but think I need another tube to brighten it up a little more. These pics were taken with just the display lights on in a darkened room. The yellowness may disappear if there's a bit of daylight hitting the front so I'll try again on a bright day. There's the fiddle yard, some more electrical work, scenics and a loading bay to construct yet. The list gets longer!

Been off line for a while as the veg patch and garden have had to come first. Mind you, given the awful wet weather here it has been a bit of a waste of time. I've returned to the model for a bit of light relief and decided to hack off a couple of inches from the back scene as I was disappointed with the look of it when it was first attached. I only ever wanted gentle rolling hills in the distance and not the mountains of the previous version. This is part of the build process I suppose - not actually knowing how something will turn out till you've tried it first. The first pic shows how the perspective works a lot better I think. The Hornby Dean Single - does anyone have any suggestions about how to make that awful leading bogie look better? I just bought the August issue of Railway Modeller with the free GWR supplement - it has some really good time line pictures of the trains and logo development. Really is worth a read. Time for a few well placed trees and to complete the loading dock now I think.

Hi Pete Been off line a bit so have only just started to catch up. The web site is superb and is a great way to demonstrate your design process. I agree with the lack of clutter comment and it is much easier to understand your planning process and the rationale behind it - those drawings and mini plan models are brilliant. Agree with you re the comment about the build process being the more pleasurable part of the hobby. Fantastic stuff and hope you intend to keep both RMweb blog and the website updated. Hope it's not too hot in Spain, but it has got to be better than here in Ireland - June and July have been a complete wash out and my veg patch has suffered badly despite much attention. Modeling on hold a while as the garden has had to take precedence, but I think I'm getting withdrawal symptoms so it is back to the loft for a bit! Regards Mike