Southernboy

Who was it in the '70s presented a childrens' programme which included a purported flea circus? Was it Michael Bentine? Potty Time? This product with invisible people moving things around reminds me of that Not knocking the product - I'm sure it's fun - it's just the clip sent long-forgotten memories crashing happily back into my mind

I always enjoy a visit to Gresby Mr Simon, and in particular your buildings, always full of studied character. In particular I like the semi on the right, it looks like the upstairs is pebble-dashed? Is that right? If so I'm curious to know what you used to represent it.

Hello Mikkel, I held the blade upside down, using the blunt edge to score, aligned by a rule. I think it was an X-Acto craft knife or similar. For the Crittal windows: The way I approached it was to cut the glazing oversize, and score and paint the bars ... (I used a jig as a guide as I had lots to do) Then I painted the outside of the frames ... I'd previously also scored between the frames so I could 'snap-off' individual windows as required ... The pictures show my initial experiments, practice improved them Hope that helps, Mark

That technique also works well to represent 'leaded light' windows (is that the right term?) And Crittall windows It's definitely a method I would recommend

Just skimmed through the pictures and headings and already it looks to be another exciting edition of the N Gauge Journal. Can't wait to sit down at the weekend and check it in more detail

Well done that man! It must be quite encouraging to be awarded such recognition.

Quality modelling across the board, really most impressive.

This is really starting to come together now Graham and I like the pictures you are painting, especially with all that third rail... In the first photo, I particularly like the footpath, it's nicely 'settled' into the surrounding ballast/ground - rather than sitting on top of it - if you know what I mean

There's a certain skill to making something small and compact appear to be expansive and relaxed, and you've got that skill by the bucket-load Graham. Quality work and I look forward to developments

Your buildings are an absolute pleasure to behold Mikkel. And very neat and tidy modelling too - if I'd made those you'd see Mex-Pax bleed/stains all over the place (although they later disappear once painted, but that's not the point). I really like your concept of "see through structures”, something I've not thought about before. On Frankland I put a lot of planning into sightlines - and equally structures that block or force you into viewing the layout from certain angles - but viewing through is new to me and I thank you for that insight Your last photo I particularly like: So starkly minimal, yet just those few key components on display invoke the Edwardian without any doubt. I take my hat off to you yet again!

Hello Richard, The coaches look excellent, but the picture is awfully small: Any chance of something larger or some close-up shots? I'd love to have a better appreciation of your handywork

From The Cutting Room Floor I found some of the original 1920s colour footage on the cutting room floor. I collated it below and hope you enjoy

Hello Grahame, "I have to presume members are happy with the content and style." Defintely, I think you've done a really great job Grahame. Thank you. Just a detail thing - but I'd like to see a track plan with every featured layout if possible. For instance: In the most recent edition of the NGJ I was intrigued by the Castlefields layout ( PP 18 – 21) and how such an apparently busy and expansive scene could be incorporated into such a small space. I'd love to have known how that was achieved: But it was difficult to work out from the photos. A track plan would have helped. Not a criticism, just a comment Thanks, Mark

Have we crossed wires Nick? No offence was read - maybe it's just my Monty Python sense of humour? I find the absurd and ironic quite amusing and that's how I took your comment, in a jokey way As to exceeding your own efforts: In my books anyone that does anything in 2mm is way above me. Seriously. I read the manuals/standards and I know I will never get there. 2mm is another level altogether.

Thank you all and thank you all very much again. I really do appreciate your kind comments I did quite like Nick Bastable's comment 'Totally bonkers' - because funnily enough that's exactly what the men in white coats said just before they took me away ------------------------------------- Either way: Frankland is such a wonderful getaway for me and I really enjoy sharing it with you. I'll have to build a hotel so that some of you can come and stay Mark

Frankland Update No. 10 And here is the news... As you may be aware, Frankland has been broadcasting on a different frequency the last few years, but here's a special bulletin as there's some catching up to do! Best make yourself a nice cup of tea and prepare a pipe before settling down. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Books The Frankland library continues to grow. First-up is not so much a book as a boxed compendium, 12" x 18," entitled 'Wheels of London', which I think dates from the 1970s. It's one of a limited edition of 3,000. It covers public transport in London from horse-drawn to the 1970s. I find liveries of the private operators pre LPTB quite eye-catching. The box also includes reproduction cigarette cards, maps and other ephemera of that bygone age. I love Pullmans, so no surprise at the next two acquisitions .... I've been following the restoration of the Brighton Belle and can't wait for a trip. Apparently it should be back in public service in 2017. Does anyone have an update on this? The following book, Southern Infrastructure, is excellent for detail and atmosphere. I can spend hours observing the minutiae both sides of the railway fence. An obvious choice for the bookshelves was the following Next is Gordon Weddell's LSWR Carriages, Volume 3: Non-Passenger Carriage Stock. Amongst other things it covers TPOs, which I'd like to see on Frankland one day. An essential addition was the Middleton Press publication 'Railways Around Frankland'. I've been meaning to buy it for ages, it's full of maps, plans and historical photographs and has become an indispensible reference. I do like foraging around in junk shops, and was lucky enough to come across an original edition London A-Z And sure enough, on page 25, you can see the streets, stations and parks of Frankland mapped out before your eyes. It will be invaluable for my modelling. In the same shop a few months later I discovered two old books related to transport / Frankland which I had to buy. In the next photograph: Most rewarding was the discovery that on the cover of the Ladybird book, if you look very closely through the window on the far side of the compartment, in the lower background you can just make out the flats and shops at the bottom of Frankland Hill, with a No 4 tram trundling by. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Traffic! The volume of traffic in Frankland isn't quite as frightful as it should be, so I decided to do something about it. I thought I'd have a go at a Shirescenes horse-drawn van. An Austin 7 Ruby Saloon A Morris Cowley 1924 Tourer A Morris Cowley 1925 Saloon And what I believe is a 1938 Wolseley saloon. It came with a job-lot from eBay a few years back. The cars all had an undercoat of grey And were then painted, glazed, and drivers added. I made number plates (with correct registrations for time and place). I also added a windscreen to the Morris Cowley Tourer. The Tourer is owned by the Doctor, who often takes his wife out for a little drive on a Sunday morning. You can see them on the left of the picture above. The van was also progressed. The cars and van were hand-painted as I hadn't yet embraced the air-brush at this point. And I reckoned a traffic policeman would be called for, so I made a (not very good) helmet to fit a standard figure of a railwayman and painted accordingly. But what did I unleash? Look! The volume of traffic on the roads these days is quite shocking! You really take your life in your hands just trying to cross the road! What is the world coming to? And it's no surprise to see in the picture below the Doctor and his wife out for a drive (well, out, but just stuck in traffic!) It didn't used to be like this in the old days! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Additions Since the last update the yards at Frankland have seen the arrival of new rolling stock. The first was this rather stylish electric Pullman. A number of the new Maunsell carriages were allocated to Frankland. These will duly be arranged and numbered in proper sets. As I'm sure you know, the subject of Southern Railway set numbers is quite a complex matter, but a quick flick through my trusty Middleton Press book 'Railways Around Frankland' (shown in the 'book' section above) quickly established that these sets are in the 251 - 264 range. A little, dinky, Terrier also came along. But it's novelty value was soon usurped by the much more imposing N class. For some reason I don't have a photo of the N class, just a cigarette card ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cigarette Cards Talking of cigarette cards: Back in July 2015 I posted a short story about the above N class arriving on Frankland, for which I created a few graphics of cigarette cards. I liked them so much that I decided to go the whole-hog and design a complete set of cards, which were then properly printed. I thought they'd be an unusual stocking-filler for family and close-friends at Christmas - people who aren't really into model railways as such, but do have a broader appreciation of creativity and like something personal at Christmas that's had a bit of thought and effort put into it. In the picture below: Top left is the little cover they came in, wrapped around with a bow of sage-green crepe ribbon (I couldn't get sage-green spectacle cord). There are actually four series that make up the complete set of cards. Series 1: Southern Railway Locomotives Series 2: Southern Railway Electric Trains Series 3: Southern Railway Rolling Stock, Including Pasenger Speed-Rated Vans Series 4: Things To See From The Train The only locomotive for which I don't have a card is the Schools. If anyone has one to swop I'd be quite interested. Anyway, the cigarette cards crop up again later ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-Subs Finally we move to the subject/project that has been keeping me distracted (obsessed?) the last couple of years ... I know some have been following progress on my workbench thread: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/66512-n-gauge-lswr-3-sub/ But for those that haven't, here is a precis. I've probably mentioned before that around the age of 12 or 13 I came across a postcard in a junk shop that fascinated me, here it is. It spoke of another time and place, somewhere that wasn't a hundred miles away, yet would forever remain intangible. I had to understand more. It sowed the roots in my young mind of what has evolved into the Frankland raison d'être. And finally the moment came to roll up my sleeves and get on with it ... I planned to make three sets of 3-Subs. One would be in original LSWR livery, the other two in early SR livery. Etches from Worsley Works ... ... and numerous reference photos I'd taken of a slightly later version of the particular 3-Subs I'm modelling, from the National Railway Museum, York. I also had drawings from the South Western Circle, and armed myself with numerous componants. Other parts were kindly supplied by Etched Pixels, viz: door/grab handles, trusses and roof sections. Holes were drilled and filed in the etchings ... Plus folding and soldering happened ... I learned a lot along the way! Various other parts I made, such as interiors ... ... and roof conduits, rainstrips and carriage-end detailing. Vents were out of a bag. Then there was lots of filling and bits of Plastic Strip and other things stuck on ... Colin Parks offered good advice on coupling (thank you), a squared loop that sits around a small lug on the adjacent carriage. I learned to use an airbrush Then production-line masking and spraying ... And my favourite part, picking out the details ... Precsion Decals were also very helpful I was really pleased at how fine the decals were - even the miniscule 'st' on 1st and 'rd' on 3rd are legible. I had feared they would break up on application, but no, they worked out perfectly. Things starting to look good ... in particular I was interested in showcasing the difference in livery between the LSWR and later SR versions of these units. Thanks also go to Mr Chapman for valuable assistance on the motor side of things. Anyone interested in further details please visit the workbench thread mentioned above. The only down-side was my new trains didn't like my old third-rail, so most of it had to be ripped out. But hey, that's where the imagination comes into play ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So now ... Let's Party Like It's 1924! ... I have great pleasure in bringing you the new Electric Trains for Frankland. Grouping of the Big Four has recently been enacted and electric trains have come to Frankland: What better way to find out more than to catch the latest newsreel at the cinema. And as a special treat I've bought us all tickets in the balcony, so best behavior please! I thank you, Mark

Just to add to comments above: Exquisite modelling, you've captured the character of the buildings perfectly and done so really quite convincingly.

Excellent news

Lovely models there, and a very interesting period. I guess on the one hand a lack of particularly detailed history for this era can be quite frustrating when it comes to research, but that can also work to advantage in allowing a little 'artistic licence' when recreating the rolling stock and associated details. Either way I'll look forward to furure posts

I'll look forward to your N gauge birds then As always, delightful modelling Mr Simon.

Nice to see things happening on Gresby Simon. On the back of the garage, the little white box thing sticking out: Is it an alarm? Or motion activated exterior light? Or maybe the inhabitats of the house are voyeurs and it's CCTV for spying on the neighbours gardens! Just curious

I'd paint the inset area first, using two or three washes, drawn in by osmosis. Then I would use a dry-brush technique, drawn across the surface of letters and frame. The finish would be reasonably crisp, but not 100% perfect, which in my mind suits old signage. Finally perhaps, a little brush with weathering powders.

"I'll probably regret this... started paving the platforms with individual plasticard 'stones'." Judging by the picture, I'd say well worth the effort. Any scene is a composite of the details within; so the more convincing you make each individual element; the more realistic the overall picture. The danger of course is someone may end up thinking they're viewing the real thing, and you wouldn't want that, would you! Either way, excellent, quality modelling throughout

I have to say this is a really interesting project. A proper challenge and quite idiosyncratic. I've been keeping an eye since the start and always jump on updates, but haven't commented as I can't really contribute anything of use: Nevertheless, the point comes where one has to post some sort of appreciation over-and-above just ticking the 'like' box So here I am: Absolutely wonderful stuff Mr Stubby. What a fascinating subject and coming along nicely

Nothing wrong with a little self-indulgence from time-to-time A nicely observed scenario: I'm noting the road sign in particular, which is exquisitely modelled, but also the height gauge (terminology?) over the road bridge, and fences / gates, all quite subliminal. Well done that man