PaternosterRow

OMG you are a real genius.  That wiring and control board looks like it took a team of NASA engineers to construct!  Brilliant stuff.  Need to see a book about how you put all this together.  Really inspirational stuff and it’s so good for the rest of us to be put in our place by an expert modeler and engineer from time to time.     Mike.

Brilliant scratch build on the 304.  Great work. Mike

Absolutely excellent work.  You have to be congratulated for sticking with this to the finish.  Well planned and brilliantly executed.  Puts my efforts to shame.  Well done and thanks for sharing.  Could you give me a link to your YouTube videos please.  Mike.

What an absolutely fabulous layout.  Can’t believe the detail for 2mm.  Has this been in any of the magazines? If not it should be so we can see some double spread pictures.  Brilliant modeling.  Mike.

Super, super, super story telling as per usual.  Beautiful photography and figures too.  Love the cloud of steam shot.

I’m from that generation that has also found it slightly hard to adjust.  Especially for someone who was involved in the rough and tough civil engineering world for most of his life.  Yet, I’ve been constantly surprised by the capabilities of women when they’ve been given a chance to prove themselves.  Take the Women’s football cup final matches; they put the men to shame with the quality of play. I’ve really enjoyed the World Cup tournament.  For once it has reminded me of the sort of football I grew up with; no grandstanding, no prima donnas and no pampered pouches.  Just great football and bags of fair play.  Given that there are no special concessions like smaller pitches the women run, head, tackle and pass just like the blokes for the full 90 mins.  The American v England match was really hard fought and had me on the end of my seat.  The quality of the goal scoring was outstanding.  In fact I’d love to see a match between the sexes. Bet it’d be a close run thing.

Just wish more women would get a bit more involved with our hobby.

Super little cottage.  Another lovely build from the master of card.  Love the porch with its neat flashing.

10 hours ago, cravensdmufan said:

Love these photos.  Just shows what can be done with older models - when weathered they look superb.  Just look at the Hornby freightliner behind the 25.  And the rusty rails.  Great.

 

Sometimes I think we are just too obsessed with super detailed and expensive models.  Excellent modelling, and very inspirational. Thanks for sharing  with us.

Thanks for the compliment.  The hobby doesn’t have to cost too much.  However, If I had the spare cash I’d love to populate my layouts with top of the range models.  I’d probably also go down the 0 gauge route.  Yet there’s plenty of fun to be had detailing older models.  Sometimes the doing and making of things brings much more satisfaction than just buying and admiring stuff.  

9 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Ha ha yes, I suppose our childhood/formative years will always be the baseline for 'normal'.

 

I remember travelling from Paddington to Fishguard as a boy on several occasions in the 1970s, en route to Ireland. Paddington was a wonder, and blue and yellow was part of it: https://flashbak.com/pictures-of-london-railway-stations-in-the-1970s-403255/paddington-station-1976/

 

 

What a blast from the past.  A fantastic picture Of Paddington.  Thanks.

13 hours ago, Mikkel said:

A blue feast! Great shots. That's how the world looked before everything went crazy.

Thanks, Mikkel.  Yeah, the world seemed a tad more saner and safe back then.  We really do turn into our parents as we age don’t we?  Always remember my Mom saying how daft the world had become to her.  She used to reckon that it was the Space rockets that were making the weather do funny things.  Also remember her asking why on earth anyone wanted to paint a train yellow and blue.   Can’t quite believe that was all 50 years ago now!

23 hours ago, bcnPete said:

Great stuff again Mike - very atmospheric photos.

 

Colours and tones all working nicely together.

 

Tricky what to do about the car as only thing that jumps out. Is it worth giving that a wash to tone it down a tad and represent the owner who is a bit lapse on his Sunday car washes?  

Cheers Pete.

The Ford Cortina MK1 was my Dad’s first car.  We went on quite a few holidays to the south coast in that nippy little motor.   He’d have me clean it every week in order to earn my pocket money.  Oh, happy days.  

I guess if if you are going to park it by a trackside during the week then it would get really filthy.  Bet the signalman’s young son really has to earn his pocket money!

8 hours ago, Job's Modelling said:

Again some nice pictures from your layout. Love the Hornby Class 20 combo hauls a short engineering train picture.

Cheers Job.  The 20 combo was one of my favorite loco projects.  Simple too as the Hornby is a great runner.  I rewired the rear one in reverse so that they both go in the same direction and, like the real thing, it’s made the combination a powerful puller.

16 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Really like these low wide shots, Mike. Great modelling.

 

As our screens get wider, shots like these work better. The irony of it is that at the same time, a lot of internt traffic seems to be moving to mobile phones, which isn't very helpful for wide shots!

Hi, Mikkel.  Many thanks for the kind comment.

They are heavily cropped images just so I can get rid of the blurry foreground and the loft ceiling sky!  I actually don’t own a mobile myself, despite years of insistence from my wife - can’t stand the thought of instant contact!  Media changes so fast nowadays and I wonder where it’ll all end.  Even here, in Ireland, you see people walking around with mobiles up to their face.  Alas, I think the day will come when I will have to relent and get one!  I have been told that the cameras on modern phones are now so high end that they out perform most modern hand held cameras.  Wonder if this is true or just over egged advertising?

Brilliant as per usual, Mikkel.  Who said railway modeling wasn’t politically correct?  

As the old saying goes - “behind every good man there’s an even better woman.”  

Looking forward to part 2. 

Cracking stuff, Pete.

Cripes, that bloke shows just how small Kyle really is.  Yet the close up shots of the 37s makes the layout look 4mm.  I even thought that you had remade Kyle in 7mm for a moment.  All so neat and tidy as per usual and I really dig your traveling cutting mat.

That curry looked inviting!

8 hours ago, Waraqah said:

That last picture is amazing. The Hoover in particular is so realistic that it could taken for a 'live action' shot.

Cheers for the glowing comment.  Yep, that Hornby 50 is a beautiful model and a superb runner to boot.  Mind you I still love the old Lima stuff.  With a bit of detailing they do tend to scrub up quite nicely.  I nearly always replace the motors for new brushless variants and they run really well even with the limited pick up system.  The Lima HST has a new motor and it goes like a rocket.  Even with their clunkier wheel-sets they navigate the code 75 points and track quite well as long as you take down the flanges a bit with a file.

Thanks again and I hope you look in at future posts.

Mike

2 hours ago, Chris Turnbull said:

A lovely piece of modelling - well done.

 

One small point, the chevron on the distant signal should be black not white.

 

Chris Turnbull

Cheers Chris.  You know, I’m really starting to hate these semaphores.  Wished I’d stuck with lights!  It’s a good job I’ve made them removable.  Thanks for pointing this error out -  I did paint the other distant correctly so why I missed this is beyond me.  

Mike

2 hours ago, bcnPete said:

This looks terrific Mike.

 

Great to see you back posting again - always inspirational

 

Good dose for my BR Blue fix too...

Cheers Pete.  Always encouraging getting great comments from high quality and inspirational modelers like yourself. Yeah, BR Blue is great - I guess most of us tend to model what we remember from our childhoods.  

2 hours ago, Mikkel said:

That was quick work Mike. Now you just need to re-do the tracks, you seem to have forgotten that they should be the other way round.

Ah, the ups and downs of model Railway life.

2 hours ago, bcnPete said:

 

Thanks Mark

 

Have made a test strip of 60ft to try some ballast and inset track samples on...

 

 

 

Thanks Mike - will see what I can do about the vids...think they will be too big as am not a ‘Goldmember’ 

Know what you mean about the Gold member reference.  All this new business reminds me about a hilarious ‘Frasier’ episode.  The one where he and Niles join an exclusive men’s relaxation salon.  Never satisfied they both mithered on about upgrading their membership to Gold status once they realized they were only at Silver level. After much wrangling they managed to get an upgrade and got to go through to the super exclusive Gold sauna area.  Once inside, both all wrapped up in robes and smeared with lotions, they spotted what looked like a Platinum door.  They started mithering on again about exclusivity especially after being told by an assistant that the area beyond the door was out of bounds to them.  Of course, they both couldn’t resist and eventually opened it and went through. The door slammed shut behind them and, after wiping off their face masks, they found themselves in a back alleyway amongst the trash bins!  The funniest bit of Telly I ever saw.  

1 hour ago, DavidLong said:

Looking much better, Mike, but don't forget my comment that " rear of arms are white with black stripe for home signal and white with black chevron for distant signal".

 

David

Thanks, David.  Haven’t forgotten, just got to pop down to craft shop and get a tin of white.  Just wanted to see how they looked the right way round.  Cheers again for the guidance.  

Mike

Very sorry to hear this news.  My sincere condolences to you and the family.  

Mike.

14 minutes ago, DavidLong said:

Hi Mike,

 

Photo 1 (HST) All arms should point away from the track to which they are adjacent i.e. towards the trees!

Photo 4 (DMU) Arm is pointing the correct way but rear of arms are white with black stripe for home signal and white with black chevron for distant signal.

Photo 5 (HST) Both arms should point away from the adjacent track as bracket by DMU.

In all cases the lamps will have to be moved to align with the spectacles on the moved arms.

 

Hope this helps.

 

David

 

Edit: the signals have an LNWR look about them. This would be unusual in the HST era as they would most likely have been replaced by standard LMS or BR upper-quadrant signals.

Cheers Dave.

I was going to use the layout to run br steam and the few green diesel locos in addition to my BR Blue.  It’s really just a generic run around scheme.  Do you think I ought to just replace the signals with LMS types?  I have indeed pulled up both main signals tonight and made a start on turning the arms around and also putting lamps, ladders in correct positions.  These are indeed the old LNWR types, but they seem to be designed to allow the arms to fall instead of raise.   They were a cheap Ratio kit off eBay.  I will indeed repaint the branch one.  Thanks so much for pointing out the errors.  Whilst I’m no finescaler, I do like to have things about right if not exactly right.  

Thanks again, Mike.

8 hours ago, DavidLong said:

Hi Mike,

 

Some more very nice modelling as usual. Just one point, are some of the signals the wrong way around?

 

David

Hi David,  don’t know.  I’ve never been that great at accuracy and have no idea about all the rules of the British system etc.  However, I think my ups and downs are the right way around.  For example the 125 is on the left and therefore the up.  The double signal faces the oncoming train with the main signal taller and on the outside.  The Branch signal is on the inside and lower.  I understand that to be the convention anyway.  The main down is on the right - the signal faces the oncoming train.  The branch down with the Lima 101 held at the signal should be the right way around, however, I’ve just noticed that I’ve put the lamp ladder to the front of the signal arm instead of at the rear.  Is that what you spotted or have I got it all wrong?   Please, please give me your advice as it’ll save me a load of embarrassment before I post more pics.

Cheers, Mike

David, scratch all above.  I understand now, the arms are pointing the wrong way on the main line signals.  How on earth I managed that is anybody’s business!  Thanks for pointing this out and I’ll get on right away in correcting them.  I thought I’d followed the build instructions but obviously not.  What a dummy I am.  Less haste, less waste, eh?  Please let me know if I’m correct in my assumptions.  Much appreciated.

Mike.

1 hour ago, Simond said:

That long shot is really lovely.  I do like “trains in the scenery”.

 

Can’t afford enough real estate to make it happen in 7mm, but I do like the “heft” of larger models.  Compromises, compromises...

 

best

Simon

Cheers Simon

It’s bad enough having to compromise in 00 let alone 7mm.  I damn lucky to have the extra room to do what I can in.  Houses over here are much cheaper than in the UK and consequently much bigger price for price.  Mind you, I still couldn’t afford a Pendon like space - more’s the pity.  

Cheers for the comments.

Mike

1 hour ago, Mikkel said:

You do get around Mike, from Orwelian dungeons to rural brambles! 

 

Great stuff again. I'm particularly taken by the distance view. It's fascinating how a grass bank and some brambles (ok, a lot of brambles!) can create such a convincing and effective scene. Not that it happens by itself of course - the modelling is excellent as always.

 

Regarding the last photo... I don't know how to tell you this gently, but those corners you see on maps aren't actually corners 

 

 

Hi Mikkel,

Yep, I do plough on with stuff.  My wife has definitely become a bit of a Railway modelling widow over the last few years.  Mind you she don’t seem to mind too much as it definitely keeps me out of the pub!  I also suspect she rather likes the sound of whistling and general noises of satisfaction that emanate from the loft.

Regarding the corner - you try telling the Ordnance Survey people that! Which reminds me of the time when my wife and I went on one of our many exploring trips. She firmly declared that a certain place we were trying to find did not exist.  That was until I found that she was only saying that because she left that particular OS Map at home! Probably should have written ‘and here be dragons’ in the white space!

cheers for the comments and nice to here from you.

Thanks for the great comments.