CWJ

This sounds fascinating - more of a miniature engineering project! Do you have any photos of the loco sans bonnet?

Lovely layout, I'd love to see more photos of what you have built so far Cheers, Will

To tree or not to tree? That is the question. By branching out into greenery are you turning a new leaf? Hideous puns aside, personally I'd vote in favour of the foliage. Looking at its location, away from buildings and other infrastructure, why would anyone bother to cut it down? There would probably be other shrubs in the surrounding area, for the same reason. Cheers, Will

Thanks for the photos Mick, the model looks lovely. Is the roof a bit on the glossy side or is the weather just wet in Blackmill? Keep up the good work (both on developing the model and keeping us updated here), it is much appreciated. Cheers, Will

I may be able to clear up some of the discussions about Railway Group Standards: It is possible to obtain a derogation from standards by demonstrating that compliance is not reasonably practical, or alternative steps have been taken, or both. In any case, the standard for visibility of trains (GM/RT2483) is only mandatory for trains introduced in recent years. Older trains are expected to have their lighting upgraded when practical, e.g. at overhaul. The standard requires two headlamps and three marker lights in the familiar triangular formation; one of the headlights may be used as one of the three marker lights but this is optional, and varies from fleet to fleet. I own both Hornby and Bachmann models which have got this wrong. Another common misunderstanding is that the top marker light is a headlamp - it isn't. Full details are in the standard itself here: http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Railway_Group_Standards/Rolling%20Stock/Railway%20Group%20Standards/GMRT2483%20Iss%201.pdf Cheers, Will

Wow! This is the benefit of not going on RMWeb for weeks and then coming back - just added a string of 'likes' to your viaduct photos, and great to see the trackwork starting too

Heating technician. I doubt that the chap who mends your boiler, no matter how skilled of experienced, is a qualified professional engineer. I think this is the difference Andy was referring to - indeed a very common misconception! Someone who has spent many years training to be a doctor, dentist, lawyer or architect is somehow given more prominence in British society than an engineer who has done the equivalent, a source of much frustration for we engineers! Anyway, back to ebay!

An EMU project, hurrah! A West Yorkshire-related project, hurrah! A project involving chopping up RTR models to make them into something more interesting, hurrah! That's three cheers from me; keep up the good work. Also enjoyed looking at your earlier 321 and 150 projects but the weird DEMU contraption was before my time Cheers, Will PS. Very jealous as I'd like to get stuck into a project like this but I've been assigned to various DIY tasks around the house for the next few weeks

I too bought an old (stamped 'West Germany') drawing set containing a couple of bow pens for a fiver, in this case from a second-hand tool stall on the market in York. One works well straight from the box but the compass version has one 'prong' longer than the other and therefore needs dressing. I'd recommend this to anyone lining for the first time but not wanting to invest in an expensive pen just yet. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I picked it up, but it does take a lot of practice! Cheers, Will

Slaving away in the office, I'm very jealous of you retired folk! Your earlier comment made me giggle at just how tough retired life can be: "a few journeys on the S&C, a bit of fishing, some walking and I may get a little layout work done!" On a more serious note, I look forward to seeing the second viaduct come together Cheers, Will

Have fun putting the new 'train set' together! Some photos of curvy little things with long legs to inspire you: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/43317-viaduct-area/ http://www.users.daelnet.co.uk/edmund/layout.htm I'm sure your layout will be equally bursting with S&C flavour once the scenery starts to take shape - looking forward to it! Cheers, Will

Just found this thread, great to see some imaginative scratchbuilding techniques and I'm particularly impressed with the graphics on the trams - are they home-made transfers? Little details such as the cast concrete fencing give the layout an unmistakably 'Blackpool' feel - good stuff! Cheers, Will

Or... Will's silly idea No.2: If the branchline viaduct were to be built in a much lighter style it wouldn't eclipse the view of the main line viaduct - I'm thinking of long steel plate girders with fewer piers, or even one of those spindly metal viaducts (not sure if there are any left) favoured by the NER in rural areas. The kind of thing you'd find on the coastal route through Whitby or the Stainmore line. I'll stop waffling and link to some photos: http://www.bridgesonthetyne.co.uk/images/lipwood1.jpg http://www.atlaso.com/images/Trackstuff/girderbridge.jpg http://www.stainmore150.co.uk/images/Belah%20500.jpg http://ecol.org.uk/loftus/wp-content/MAX/2011_04/scn_002.jpg ...obviously if you went for the 'spindly' type (only the most professional civil engineering terminology here) yours would be smaller and less complex, but construction could still be a daunting prospect! Cheers, Will

Wow! I go on holiday for a week, come back and you've built a viaduct! Very impressive stuff. I particularly like the thick plywood base piece to space all the piers out correctly, I'd never have thought of that. I would also never have thought to use filler in the piers, but that will automatically give you nice smooth edges. By using sandpaper wrapped round a piece of wood which straddles both sides of the pier, you should be able to get it dead flat too. Excellent stuff! Cheers, Will

Crikey, this thread has got a bit serious! Thanks to Horsetan for keeping it real with a good old Blackadder quote. Can't go wrong with a bit of Melchett. Baah! Should we calm down and get back to the more entertaining matter of taking the mick out of ridiculously optimistic eBay sales before a moderator gets fed up of the heated debates and shuts the thread down? Cheers, Will PS. If you disagree, feel free to question my motives, reveal my hidden agendas, over-analyse my psychology or accuse me of bringing poor repute on your character - but I won't be listening because I come here to talk about model railways

Tim - great work so far, I'm looking forward to seeing this develop. Michael - absolutely beautiful models, thanks for sharing the pictures; seeing these makes one wonder why a decent model isn't available RTR (not that a mass-produced product could match the quality and finesse of your handbuilt Princesses). Cheers, Will

Is anyone else wondering why there's an outside loo on the end of the platform? Forgive my ignorance, but I wasn't around until 1983 by which time all trace of platform-end conveniences had vanished... Cheers, Will

Thanks for your response on the straight viaduct etc. - this makes perfect sense and I should have worked it out for myself! Wouldn't a curved viaduct be nice, though? He he he... Lovely scenery on your old layout too; I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do with the new layout. Cheers, Will

Jeff, The speed at which you're progressing is really impressive - and the baseboards are hardly a half-hearted affair! There has been something niggling me about your track plan, and I've just put my finger on what it is. On the left-hand side of the plan, the double track goes through two straight sections separated by a curve - the real railway wouldn't be built this way, so would it be possible to make this one sweeping curve? Apologies if this has already been discussed. Although a curved viaduct may look more attractive, I could fully understand if the track geometry is this way to allow you to build a straight viaduct! I hope this doesn't sound critical; it was just one of those 'speak now or forever hold your peace' moments before it's too late to change the plan. Cheers, Will

That makes a world of difference, Jon. Dapol's paint finish always looks too 'flat' in my eyes. This now has the kind of rich colour you'd get from a Bachmann model. Cheers, Will

If only I could prevent my own personal 'mid-span sag'... (apologies, someone had to say it)

How much? To paint out a yellow line and change a running number? We're all in the wrong business, folks...

Are you having a laugh Mike? When I first saw Jeff's photos I thought he was putting a new FLOOR in! He he he... Great to see good old-fashioned mechanical joints being used in the woodwork. Don't think that baseboard will be going anywhere fast. Cutting the pieces for a perfect fit is harder than it looks, as I know from my own fumbling efforts. Keep up the neat work! Cheers, Will

Neat installation Mick. I wish more modellers would choose the right colour of LEDs for their head and marker lights, as you have done! Cheers, Will

She looks fantastic Mick, keep up the good work and the photo updates! Crying out for a DRS 37 chuntering away alongside... Cheers, Will