naturol

well its all coming to a head, Today I had my picture appear in the local paper, stood in front of my layout, informing all of the Cardiff show, occuring this weekend, further details on this site.......... other than a poor quality image on the show site, this is the first public presentation of Sanatorium road, and im still not convinced how the layout will be taken, a modern image 00 layout based around an end of yard head shunt, with a small terminus station adjacent, and a Network rail facility loosing resembling that at Taff vale sidings at the rear of Canton Sheds, CF. its my first venture into DCC with sound and digital pointmotors, and was built to run my collection of scratch built stock, from RHTT, HOBC, stone blowers, travelling twin cranes, war flats with excavators, test trains, an SGT. and various other stuff, I build from plasticard and anything i can lay my hand on, the time line to date has involved a four month build, with all finaces being drawn from the sale of my last layout, waun gron park, on Ebay, the long term plan was for BR2975 to assist as operator at the show, but in the eleventh hour he is off to a stag weekend for his future son-in- law, to which i too was invited........a tad frustrating, which resulted in my recruiting a mate with no operating experience to spend 2 hours last night playing trains..... the Dynamis controller causing much gnashing of teeth when the signal is interupted...... what joy. my intention is to offer some potted tweets, based around my experiences as a sole operator taking my new layout to a two day show, helping with the organisation and set up, and hopefully uploading some pictures. another chum has offered to video some activity on the train set, and up load it to you tube to which I will forward a link, this exercise is purely a learning curve for me to familiarise myself with blogging, the layout is now boxed up, and sat in my van, outside the flat, awaiting 2.30 pm tomorow, when I finish early and make my way to the set up of the show, I have had some rather humorous texts from local builders with whom I work, who knew nothing of my noctural activities until my smiling chops appeared in the Penarth Times...... oh I laughed. thanks for reading. Paul.

sorry, but Upstairs in John Hall Tools in the arcade was my haunt for models and trains...... after being taken by my Dad to the both buds and the one behind the now st davids centre... specialised in lots of airfix slot cars and scalextric but im younger than you lot...... only 36 last year..... i used to have a grated cheese crusty cob and a sasparella in the arcade cafe where it splits by john hall tools.... now to remember all that.... i have just forgotten something important......, oh yeah , I was 35 last birthday... whoop whoop. Rol minor ( by a long way) Sanatroium road is looking better now, more scenery added and all running, unsure how my home made stock using card and wood will go down mind at the show very apprehensive. i hope no one turns up with binoculars to inspect the infrastructure work, they might get a splinter at that close range..

the sceptic in me had the idea of binoculars to view a layout at close quarters as very much a bit whoop whoop, But........ what a fantastic experience, i can liken it to the moment that Chris Nevard showed me pictures of layouts taken in studio conditions with decent light and no background interfearance for the first time, none of my hotch potch 3 pixel tatt with a flash. a first class 3D experience which easilly fools the mind to beleive you are in the scene, in real life, ( helps having a very good quality loco to focus on mind, with fine detail a plenty ( Hornby -08 ) and then a Dapol 67 in EWS livery on the N gauge layout next door, Yes I can confirm. the binocular view is highly recommended. great chat with Randy... and he looked after the layout for ten whilst i nipped off, Top Gent. all in all, a great weekend, shame about the slow puncture on the van and the new tyre needed. doh Rolz.

just had a splendid day at the waterfront museum on swansea marina adj to the leisure centre, there is a solely model railway exhibition there, mainly displaying the various Neath club layouts and assorted modeller stands, also trade support from MIB and others incl war world scenics and amberly tools, some cracking childrens layouts that really had the younger ellement transfixed, ( Sir Topham hat is operating one layout.........) IT IS FREE........ and still on tommorow. from ten till 4pm, car parking in the multi storey op. is freee on sundays to boot. come along there really is something there for the whole familly troop.

Greetings all. I dont mind throwing my hat in the ring.................... happy to take a welsh based layout to a welsh show, had a build fest of late and will have three available come the end of the summer, but only for a short time as one at least has to go...... space for storage is a killer in a two bed flat. lol, but the girlfriends garage is now suffering as its well damp.... castle works, a small steelworks based on allied steel and wire. waun gron parc halt, a diorama of the cardiff city line station, and sanatorium road, network rail stabling point loosly based on something similar to taff sidings at the rear of canton. Marc. see you on saturday at L and B show. i will bring some of the scratch built infrastructure machines i have made to show you. Rol Minor