Southernboy

Hello Douglas, I've been following Dulverton for a while but don't think I have commented before. The station buildings and hotel are really very impressive, and more generally I have enjoyed following your layout progress. In particular I have been interested in your recent trials and tribulations with lint / grass. It's something I toyed with a year or three back, but was disappointed with my experiments (maybe for similar reasons to you) ... so put the whole thing on the back-burner. Either way, I'll be interested to see how you get on with further experiments - good luck!

Nice work Graham, is the lining done with transfers or by hand?

" ... the layouts 120 miles away ..." Not exactly convenient for moments of spontaneous enthusiasm. Something in your own home does seem a more practical option. Good luck Mr Simon, I look forward to further news on developments.

Difficult decisions Mr Simon! Yikes!

Very impressive. Thanks for explaining method and reasoning too.

For me the addition of the handles really brings the unit to life. I hope you feel as pleased with the results as I am impressed

I've been following each and every step of your work here Colin and I have to say I've found this build hugely inspirational - totally top-notch work on every level. Thanks for taking the trouble to post step-by-step updates along the way, there's always plenty to learn from all of your threads (layout included of course). Well I have one question if I may: How do you couple your units (practically rather than cosmetically)? In a few pictures I think I see a length of wire with a loop at the outside end. I guess the inside end is attached to the bogie? Do you simply drop the loop over an upright wire attached to the bogie of the adjacent carriage? Thanks Mark

Some lovely work on the station building - but the signs with 1mm lettering are particularly impressive, I had to double-check I'd read the post correctly! I'd not heard of Aber before but have now found and bookmarked their website.

A agree - the painted version looks better: Just to qualify my reasoning - It's a visual / perspective thing ... the backdrop painting is 'impressionistic' so the Plasticard looks comparatively rather too sharp and in-focus. Were the Plasticard a few inches in front of the backdrop it may be a different matter. Anyway, whilst I'm here just to say I've been following each update with dropped-jaw at the sheer scale and ambition of this project, let alone the logistics which must be involved!

6-CIT build? That made me have an excitedly sharp intake of breath! Good luck - definitely something I'd like to replicate in N Gauge one day.

Good luck with this 5Bel. It's great to see another Southern EMU on the go.

A wonderful little model - congratulations Missy on being a leader of inspiration yet again! May I ask how you produced the transfers (presuming they are transfers) for the side of the van?

Thank you so much for starting this thread. What a wonderful model railway, I'm really impressed by the scope, detail and integrity of the modeling here. It's also nice to see how happy and smiley everyone is. A great inspiration on all levels.

Breathtaking! I hope you feel proud of what you've achieved there

You've completely knocked me sideways with that Mikkel. Absolutely blown me away. I think you've taken the bounds of what the imagination projected onto railway modelling can be to a totally new dimension!

"I think you might be right about the leaving the platform roads un weathered, only draw back is the third rail will need it to blend in with the running lines." I wasn't suggesting you don't weather the tracks / third rail ... I would do that ... I'm just saying the bits of white flotsam about the place look really good too. So maybe do the weathering and then flick a few random bits of white around the place again ?? ... Although I bet when you do it deliberately it won't look half as good as when you did it by accident

Thanks for the response Graham, somehow to me the white flecks should stay, there's always bits of paper and similar blowing around tracks and it really caught my eye as making for an even more realistic picture than average ... but then again it's not my layout or vision ... and we all have different views on the picture we wish to portray ... I know on my own layout there's loads I gloss over in the interest of painting the picture MY way Out of interest, the chairs you used for third rail ... are they from Code 55 track? I tried chairs once myself and they were too high so I discarded them, but maybe I'd used code 80 and should revisit Code 55.

I'm just catching up on the layout - looking good! The station canopies are really neat. What solution did you go for in the end for third rail? I think originally you mentioned just gluing rail to sleepers (?) ... but it looks now like you may have used rail-chairs? And code 40 rail? Either way, top-notch result! I also thought your ballasting is particularly neat and realistic, and on that subject I have a question regarding the picture below: There's a few white flecks around in the ballast - is that a deliberate attempt to reproduce the rubbish that gets dropped off platforms and ends up on the track? It certainly looks like that to me - even if it's by happy accident

I'm loving the colours and textures on your scenics there - rough, ready and quite convincing!

Your back scenes are very effective - they've transformed the atmosphere completely

Just to wave my hand in the air and say 'hello' - I'm another that follows your thread regularly Thanks for posting the layout plan, I'd sort of lost track of the overview, but now feel more familiar with proceedings.

Excellent Tom, overall your work is quite inspirational, but your ballasting in particular is quite exquisite (for 'exquisite' read 'realistic' - it's just my artistic background coming into play ). Seriously though - it's good to see you back in action after your enforced down-time.

Hello Rabs, The degree of forethought, planning and attention to detail on your thread has caused me to become a compulsive viewer ... I'm really looking forward to seeing this project build over the next five years.

You don't sit still for long do you Colin! Well as usual I'm sure this will be an interesting and informative journey and so I've got my ticket right through to the end of the line Good luck! Mark

Coming along nicely Sir! May I ask how you plan to add third rail (ie. technique / materials etc) Thanks, Mark