Southernboy

Many thanks for comments and 'likes' - all very much appreciated indeed. In response to comments: Woodenhead "Do not post any pictures of Frankland being dismantled, we want to remember it just the way it was." Frankland exists in a repeating loop of 1924 – 1937. There will never be a beginning or an end David "I do hope you keep the buildings and details you have from Frankland..." Yes indeed, they are like family to me and will feature on the new layout where practical. backofanenvelope "... are you reusing all or part of FL..." Just the buildings. Baseboard etc will all be new. Ben "Will your new layout retain the Southern theme... " Frankland is Frankland - it can never change Nick "but will it be 2mm ?" I wish I had the skill and patience - just look Tim's 'Lord President' for instance! I will use Fine Track code 40 though, and continue to use smoke and mirrors to create the illusion of finescale even when it is not.

I love and cherish original features, they will be much respected, polished and burnished often But equally I could do with central heating

Special Announcement Well there’s no putting the news off any longer, it seems apart from some paperwork, I’m moving house within the next four to eight weeks. The new home will have it’s own, proper, dedicated railway room, with enough space for a slightly larger layout than I have now. I’m very excited, although as you can imagine, also a little sentimental at saying goodbye to Frankland in its current guise. No promises - but I expect the next rendition of Frankland will include working trams, underground trains, and A/C electrics, alongside third rail. The house I’m moving to is Edwardian, and completely unmodernised, so much work needs to be done. This means it may be a year or so before I can start on a new layout. But that doesn’t stop me planning though I’ll be sharing thoughts on the new layout in due course

I really like this: Quite distinctive, full of character, plus pre-grouping to-boot. I can almost hear the sea

I find this sort of stuff absolutely staggering Tim: So small, so intricate, so finely engineered, not to mention the level of skill, knowledge and patience which must be required. Although many of us know we will never achieve such fine standards - your posts spur us on to push ourselves to our own personal limits with whatever level of modelling we are comfortable with / able to achieve with the (sometimes limited) resources we have. For that reason, if no other, I always look forward to, and am inspired by, your updates.

Having a cold never helps - but hopefully a little modelling is a cheering tonic, despite frustrations with some rolling stock. You're Birmingham looks much better for it's revised coupling. Are we due for another video soon?

Well we regularly tune in on a Saturday evening for the dance music from one of the big London hotels

You've done a great job fitting that house into very awkward space. I'm sure plenty of foliage around will help disguise the steepness of the back garden / bed it in nicely. As to the steps: Where I live is a four-storey block of flats and one resident loves to repetitively run up and down the stairs as a keep-fit exercise. When your house goes on the market I reckon it's long and steep flight of garden steps will appeal to a similar keep-fit fanatic

And a merry Christmas to you Graham - your modelling is always an inspiration and a delight Here's to more 2017

Happy Christmas from Frankland Now, what time are Morcambe & Wise on ?

I'm not qualified to comment / yet can't just keep checking the 'like' button forever! So just to say this is one of my top layouts on RMWeb: Observation / replication of detail is inspiring / background comments are informative / instructive - all enhanced by excellent / atmospheric photography. I always look forward to updates on this thread and love the way it draws me into your wonderful world of modelling / recollections / of Peterborough North

Exquisite detailing inside / outside / and even tucked away in places some people may never even see.

All looking most proficient and impressive Grahame When do we get some clues about the layout upon which these fine buildings will eventually reside?

I don't know how on earth I've missed this topic I've just had a quick skim and am totally bowled-over at what you've achieved here Grahame. Quite inspirational. Some real character architecture remininscent of time and place. Your eye for detail has always impressed, but the speed at which you now seem to be churning out top-quality buildings is even more impressive again. Likewise the scope and scale of what you're working on. You've always set-the-bar for us N-gaugers, but with these models have raised standards even higher again! Topic bookmarked to keep bang-up-to-date with developments

Great stuff Mr Simon, Everything so full of character and as far as you can get from out-of-the-box! The interior details really add that finishing touch. You'll have to come up with the back-stories of who lives where and what they get up to

I'd love to hear more about the underground section if possible. Construction of carriages / track / tunnel / station / etc Any videos of operation ? Many thanks in advance

Updates here always feel somehow 'different' from the rest, a certain distinctive character is emerging and I'm looking forward to how things evolve / develop

Just looking at those last few pictures - there is so much track and related scenics / lineside work going on - and I wonder how those that work on this layout organise it all. Like is there a masterplan or spreadsheet that clearly lays everything out step-by-step? Or do you just all muddle through with stoic trust that it will all come together at the end of the day? Either way, continued good luck with this wonderful, inspiring layout

Echoing comments above - I found it difficult enough (as a first-timer like you) airbrushing my 3-Subs with just one colour for sides and another for roof. That NWSE livery is so much more complex and I really must take my hat off to you for achieving such a remarkably crisp finish. I hope you are justifyably proud of yourself!

I just clocked the use of a mirror left-hand side to extend the apparent back scene. I always liked that trick Good luck with the layout

As always, very nice Mr Simon. I opted for Kestrel Kits for my 1930s semis: You've taken the more challenging route of making your own, and what with curtains and all you've done a wonderful job "I might stare at it a bit before doing anything" - I know where you're coming from Well worth putting time and thought into these things for the most satisfactory results.

I'm glad to see Dulverton re-awakening - a very promising undertaking in my mind I particularly like your 'jigsaw' approach to scenic sections, and your buildngs that accompany (some of) them are really quite exquisite. Curved corners to backscenes make such a difference: Although they may reduce by a small % the total amount of space for landscaping, that is more than made-up-for by the overall illusionary effect. Anyway, well done and good luck that man Your modelling is quite inspirational to me

"A year." At last Frankland doesn't feel alone in the league of tardy updates Thank you! Great to see an update and progress. Some amazing modelling here. And I like the bullet spirit level (why did no one think of that before!) and the stock boxes look quite neat. In particular I'm interested to see whether you decide on bespoke etched-kits for your buildlings. I'm intrigued why you are thinking of this route rather than the usual Plasticard / Slaters / sheets /etc ? / What you see to be advantages / disadvantages / cost equation ... I'll look forward to a response around sometime this time next year

Hello Mikkel, With regard to "I'd like a better solution to the adverts though." Have you considered those machines at the likes of Boots the Chemists that print out photos for you? They're not expensive and have good resolution. That's what I do for Frankland. Here's a close-up of the side of a bridge. I don't think the quality is bad considering this in N gauge and obviously you'll get a better result in larger scales. The price is around a pound or so for an 8" x 6" sheet (other sizes available). Sometimes when looking at artwork on screen, images look a little brighter than they will print-out: I'm particularly interested in colour perspective - so for that reason I usually prepare two, three or even four sets of images - each with the saturation varied by increments of 5% or 10%. Likewise I may make multiples of each element, sized plus or minus 5% and 10%, because sometimes, although the original may be 'strictly' to scale on the page, it still doesn't look quite right when placed in situ. Of course, you could do just one print-out first, judge what changes you want to make, and then go back to the shop and print another single sheet (fingers-crossed) ... It's just my preference to avoid multiple trips back-and-forth (busy working life and all that) -------------------------------- Edit: I forgot to say - great work on the merchant's warehouse, especially the large lettering. When it comes to typography I love the idiosyncracies of hand-painted lettering / hand-set type of the pre-computer years. Whether it was national publications or local shop signs, everything exuded it's own quite particular vernacular.

Hello slowcomo, It's always nice to see another Southern layout, and one on such a grand scale is particularly welcome. Out of interest: You have a timespan of late '30s – late '40s ... but what about location? Do you picture your setting as West Country for eg? Or are you completely abstract in that respect? Like I say, just curious In the middle of the picture of your revised fiddle yard I think I see something like a 2-Bil? If correct does that mean we may see some third rail? Either way, I look forward to further posts and pictures, and wonder whether there's any chance of a track plan (or rough sketch of same) - it's nice to be able to picture in the minds-eye an overview of the layout Finally, good luck with your project of a lifetime!