Southernboy

Echoing all positive comments above - and noting the quality of the 'graphic design' of the layout plan in post No 1

Would be interested to see the 'hidden' elements of the track plan too.

Good luck - an interesting project.

I think that page is quite old.

I received an email from Osborns in December 2013 stating the results of the vote as 54% Maunsell, 25% Malachite, 21% no preference.

Maunsell green it is then

Regarding the omission of lining / some finer detailing:

People tend to 'scan' what they're looking at for familiar shapes / forms / other broad clues / as a sort-of mental shorthand - and the brain fills in the missing bits. Consistency is the key of course.

There will always be a few who scrutinise in more detail because it's of particular interest to them. For instance, I'll always study photos around my chosen era and area in great detail, but really wouldn't notice much amiss on layouts depicting another time or place.

To me Mikkel your modelling has always seemed quite exquisite and I'd never noticed you'd skipped the lining until you pointed it out - please don't dispell any further illusions

You should deifinitely get a Union Mills loco - if for no other reason than they are such classics.

The box they come in, and weight of the loco itself, the products just ooze charm, tradition, substance, integrity and craftsmanship. And you can just pick up the phone to the very nice gent that made it if you have any queries.

The lack of detail is more than made-up for by the above - and is nothing that can't be remedied by the purchase of a few detailing packs and a couple of hours at the modelling desk

Etches for curtains! I never knew such things existed.

I'll probably embarrass myself now - but I'm not quite sure exacly how many projects we're looking at here (sorry!)

Am I correct in thinking you have on-the-go the following:

1 x 4-VEP (Blue Livery)

2 x 4-CEP (Blue and Grey livery)

1 x Rake of 1951 Pullman coaches (Cream and Umber)

1 x Class 33 / 1

1 x Class 33 / 2

1 x Golden Arrow rake in reverse BR Blue and Grey livery

Either way - exquisite work Andy - expecially the rooves, I keep just ...  looking at them

Pullmans:

Would there be anything in the Pullman Profile books from Noodle?

http://www.noodlebooks.co.uk/search?searchTerm=pullman+profile

Loco:

I love the ripples. In fact just a week or so ago was observing some (not that old) units out of Waterloo, noticed how their panelling was sagging (concave) in places, and thought of you.

You're mention of the Waterloo to Weymouth services brought memories of seeing them cruising through my local station (probably mid-1970s) 

Anyway, impressive and inspiring work as always Andy.

Thank you, I hadn't realised that.

Thank you also for the link, which I'm watching now

Mark

Firstly, just to express my continued admiration for this impressive project:

The fine degree of collaboration which must be involved (and take some organising) - alongside the particular skill-sets of individual contributors (and I'm sure many others in-between) - must all add up to quite a combined effort. I have much respect for you chaps.

But a question just popped into my head:

I've never been a member of a modelling club (too much of a hermit) - and I wondered how all of this superbly extensive and finely detailed masterpiece is actually paid for.

I understand the principle of clubs and subs. But doesn't something like this cost quite a bit more than the average (not meant in a derogatory way) modelling club's layout?

How do you pay for it?

Do you charge higher subs than average?

Is it normal subs, but you just have a very high number of members which covers the costs?

Or perhaps you won the lottery but didn't tell us ...

Either way, I'm just curious really.

Probably the answer is obvious but I just didn't think of it.

Thanks

Re. the jumpers - just been back and taken a closer look. It seems 50/50 between grey / leathery-brown or buff. All post-war pictures.

I guess new jumpers were black, but weathering over time made them leathery-brown or buff (and the brown being probably more winter pictures - buff being summer - it all depends on the light when pictures were taken / moisture in the air and all that).

Seeing as you're lighting the interiors you know what I thought may be neat?

Slithers of tin foil to represent cutlery on the tables, it would catch the light

Either way, nice work Andy.

Hello again Gents, many thanks for further positive comments and clicks. All really very much appreciated.

F-UnitMad

"If you were in the Argosy, how did you get in-flight pictures of the Argosy...??!!"

Because everything about Frankland is a total flight-of-fantasy, silly!

I do like the aircraft of this era -  and Flying Boats in particular - but know little about them in reality I'm afraid. What I do know is a fair proportion of trains through Frankland are en-route to Amblesea Marine conveying officials and dispatches to all corners of the Empire

Baby Deltic:

"What we need now is another Frankland broadcast ... "

Indeed: Do be sure to check the cinema listings in your local paper around October / November.  There'll be something in the newsreel before the main feature

---------------------------------------------------

As an aside: I had an idea ...

Before Christmas I'm going to get printed (I have a friendly printer) Cigarette Cards for the rest of my motive power and passenger rolling stock, with detailed reverses as they used to do - bundle them up into sets wrapped in sage-green spectacle cord, and use them as stocking fillers for family and close friends. They'll be presented alongside one of those calenders that have different pictures at the top of the page for each month... The pictures will be my favourite moments from the evolution of Frankland.

My family and friends are the sort that appreciate something unusual, different and personal.

So that's half of Christmas done already

Many thanks one-and-all for your kind comments and 'likes' - very much appreciated indeed.

Mikkel:

" ... isn't that  a tree growing out of one of the structures?"

Erm, yes, (thinks quickly) - it symbolically represents the faltering of the building industry in the great depression

Baby Deltic:

"...It looks like the front driving wheel of the T9 is off the road".

I can confidently say it is not. I just checked the original file, enlarged it, and scrutinised it thorougly.

Well thanks again everyone for popping by, it's been lovely chatting, but I have to get back to Frankland now...

Mark

Thank you John - noted - and much appreciated.

Mark

I think the curtains in second class were disposed of quite early on - I certainly remember being quite struck by the fact that the 'posh new trains' became 'less posh' quite soon after entering service ... or at least it seemed like that from a young perspective. The big plastic runners for the curtains remained in place for quite some time after the curtains were abandoned - which sort of added insult-to-injury. I'm sure curtains remained in first class (could be mistaken).

'Rooves' or 'Roofs' ?: Ignore the spell check Andy.

Depends on the voice with which you wish to address your audience. I like mine to be idiomatic. It's a subjective matter,  rather like whether you believe in using colour perspective or not.

My one quesion is this -  (and I hope others will help out) - I seem to recall the colour of jumper cables as more leathery-brown rather than black? (I'm just looking at 'A Southern Electric Album' - Michael Welch - Capital Transport - it certainly seems like that) ... although looking at page 50, bizzarly the cables are blue!

Really quite delightful and impressive in equal measure

For the Rergency Terrace I notice you have some lovely balcony railings along the first floor façade  - were these bespoke etchings? Or a commercially available product?

I can't remember how I strayed into your thread to be honest ... just took a quick glimpse last night ...

Today I'm looking at the first photo in post 2 and particularly enjoying the pale 'eggy yellow' of the cab fronts.

I have to say that tone looks quite an authentic reproduction of the sunbleached / years of service colour I recall from years back. Equally it could serve as accurate 'colour perspective' (?)

Nice to see the orange curtains ... when these trains first came out I thought the curtains made them quite posh

btw, PM sent through another forum btw in case you wondered where it is.

Mr Fothergill, a real delight to see you posting again

A PM is coming your way ...

"This enables a number of trams to follow one-another around the circuit, bunching up at the various trams stops".

Wouldn't mind a video of that at some point. There's something about trams queing up at a stop and then departing as service demands which somehow appeals to me 

Hello Mr Simon,

I've been following your workbench (and clicked 'like' many times). You've really been working hard and have some exemplary stock as a result ... I'm impressed by the volume 

But may I ask what happened to the layout. Similarly your tram building?

I know we all wander off in different directions with our modelling from time-to-time ... so my query is just out of general, friendly interest

Clarendon Road sounds like it could be in South London to me ... and it has a ring of the suburbs to it. Equally it could be anywhere in the home counties, is sufficiently vague, yet to those in the know is a good pointer to your source of inspiration.

I'd also be concerned that Tamworth Road would suggest to some minds a Midlands location.

Anyway, good luck!

A broadly related question here ...

Am I right in thinking that in earlier days tails lamps were red, and in later years white? And if so, around what year did that change?

Firstly to say thank you to Mikkel. For some reason I missed your post of 19 November. I do like the photos and many thanks for taking the time to post them for me. I much appreciate it and will be scrutinising them after dinner tonight

Hello Pete.

I used code 40 for my third rail, and as you say, slices of Peco insulating joiners for the pots, which were glued to sleepers. 

The rail was threaded through and all looked good. The joiners were a reasonable fit for the rail - a little loose, but retained it ok.

Since than a couple of the 'pots' have 'popped off'. I used Araldite, maybe there is a better glue (??)

Either way, I'm interested in investigating other methods, such as soldering pins to rail (as you mention). Whilst my method did the job, it wasn't the 100% satisfactory solution I'd be happy to unequivocally recommend. 

I know others have simply stuck suitably sized plastic strip to sleepers to represent third rail, and with N gauge being more about 'visual representation' compared to the definition required in larger scales, perhaps that is ok. In fact I was pondering on it a couple of days ago, and wondered whether wafer-thin slices of plastic rod (for pots) with plastic strip on top would do the job (??)   But I've not come to any conclusion, let alone tried-and-tested any alternative methods.

I have wondered about whether there's a 3D printing solution for making pots. 

I am aware of layouts which have taken the pin and solder route. From pictures I've seen they looked good, but I don't know whether they stood the test of time (as per your query).  

Sorry this reply doesn't give you a straightforward answer, but please do let us know which route you take and how satisfactory (or otherwise) you find it.

All the best,

Mark

"I will try and start a separate thread for Kirkallanmuir soon."

I look forward to that Caley Jim. From what we've seen to-date I think it will be quite interesting.

Impressive - I'll keep an eye on this - especially with regard the 3D aspect.

I'd like to incorporate a working (London) tramway on a future layout.

Funny, but until I saw you Grimsby and Immingham car their I'd never noticed the clerestory roof was stepped like that before ... 

All I can say is 'awe striking'.

Having chanced upon the pictures in post 327 I had to go back to page one and follow the story in it's entirety. 

Superb modelling plus!  Hugely atmospheric. I'm half-convinced I could just pull my boots on and take a bracing walk through your landscape.