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  • SouthernRegionSteam

    Coastguard Creek - 15 months of planning!

    By SouthernRegionSteam

    Hold on to your socks - this is going to be a lengthy one! (In fact it's so long, I've now split it into 2 separate posts - the next will be up soon...)   I think it's fair to say that you are all long overdue an update on Coastguard Creek. Due to other commitments, no real progress has been made since the last post way back in March 2021; almost 15 months ago! If anything, things went backwards for quite a while, as I kept finding more and more inspiring locations that I really wanted
    • 8 comments
    • 3,303 views
The Farthing layouts

Kicking back in Gloucester

Here's an idea for a potential future layout in the Farthing series. The idea is to show a small section of the yard and sidings at Farthing. The trackplan is based on a real-world prototype, namely an interesting ladder of kick-back sidings in Gloucester Old Yard, which served a variety of purposes. By focussing on one end of the track ladder, the layout can feature a variety of stock movements in a limited space, while still following the prototype.     Crown Copyright 193
Mikkel

Mikkel

34
Marsh Lane Sidings

2mm/N gauge corrugated iron is alive and well and in a Supermarket near you...well - almost?!

When I wanted to create some corrugated iron using 2 Nescafe jar lids last year, I was well disappointed to find the lid edges were smooth instead of having a milled edge like that found on the edge of a coin. On finding this out I turned my attention to something else, model-wise.   Whilst at work about a month ago my manager asked me if I would like a cup of coffee, to which I answered in the affirmative. He told me he had started drinking the Everyday Value range from Tesco. When I went to
RobboPetes

RobboPetes

6
Ffarquhar: A Thomas Themed Layout

A Quick Update

As I have access to a proper computer for an hour or two I am utilising the time to bring you a quick update on Ffarquhar.   First up is that have now attached the Control Panel to the layout, which is bolted on and secured with wing nuts, this is so I can take it off after a running/working session and for transportation/storage.     I have also given the track a preliminary coat of Railmatch Sleeper Grime which does take away the "Toy Train" look of Peco track, the least enjoyable bit
Flyingscotsmanfan

Flyingscotsmanfan

0
The Strawberry Line

Cheddar Station

Evening all My birthday present to myself this year was the Home Edition of Coreldraw. It is quite simple to use and as promised last time I've managed to put together the plans and elevations for Cheddar Station. The building scales out at just over 2ft long. At the moment I've allowed for the building to continue below ground level, but I may well end up removing this. My plan is to use a MDF carcass for the buildings with overlays for the Bath stone quoins, door and window surrounds. These
ullypug

ullypug

11
The sleepers workspace

Name plates and numbers

Having received the Name plates and numbers for both the Double Fairlie and Lady Margaret I've spent some time today fixing them. Previously I've used Hornby Satin Cote but it took a while to set, which resulted in the smokebox plate on the Gaiety pannier tank going askew slightly,[ something I have to put right sometime]. This time I thought I'd give Acrylic varnish a go, my thinking is that it would harden more rapidly and indeed it did. The first 2 nameplates I cut from the fret with a scal
sleeper

sleeper

0
Sylvian Tennant's archive of pants!

More on the pug and much more

I've updated my blog, ready to annoy the world! and here's the jist of what I've been doing this past week... nothing too concentrated but alot of progress.   http://sylviantennantmodelling.wordpress.com/   Well my pugbash is coming along quite nicely.   I last left off at the body work and now she is all black   Here though you can see the main sub-assemblies in this terrible picture I took.     Anyway... here's the latest. There a big bits missing which will be painted over eventu
Sylvian Tennant

Sylvian Tennant

2
paddock wood bay (in a boxfile)

lights...camera...but no (tr)action...

Good evening,   Work got in the way of LDN modelling this week so I managed to complete a small task originally started in BCN this weekend whilst spending 42 with the family.   Namely, the colour light signals. Firstly, does anyone know where I can get a small 4 way rotary switch from? The Gaugemaster one is too big to allow the hinged flap to fold and the other week at lunchtime I popped into a Maplin shop and asked if that had a small rotary switch to be met with "a Wot?"   Here's the
bcnPete

bcnPete

17
AllScales' Gerlos Blog

Preparation, preparation....

To be honest not much work done this weekend, I'm still waiting for a point and large quantity of point motors. The points and motors I have received already are now mounted and ready for a weekend with the board on its side to do the wiring (it's just so much easier!).   I did escape to the country for a little jaunt to the Tenterden Model Railway show. Nice event guys! Well done!   However (and you probably knew that was coming), as this is very much a family show, why invite layouts where
AllScales

AllScales

0
Engine Wood

Callow Lane - water tower

In my increasingly desperate attempts to find excuses not to get the DAS clay out and get on with the scenery 'proper' on Callow Lane, I've been working on the Hornby Skaledale water tower, which has appeared in one or two photos in a previous blog entry.   The model appears to be a pretty decent representation of the actual structure that still stands at Ashchurch, Glos. The prototype was built in yellow brick, but this would not suit Callow Lane, where a red brick predominates. Even so, I th
Captain Kernow

Captain Kernow

12
The sleepers workspace

4101 Dubs 0-4-0Tcrane project part 3

well it's been a while since the last entry, largely due to making last minute decisions entailing much research and thought. I finally settled on the Mashima 1020 motor because I was concerned about the space that would be available inside the boiler. This model will have roughly the same proportions as the Dapol pug and the boiler area on that looks positively minute . I took Paul HW's advice and went for a High Level Gearbox I ordered the Compact Plus as that one seemed to be the smallest, b
sleeper

sleeper

1
halfwit's fantastic workbench!

Judith Edge Ruston 48DS - now running.

I now have a running chassis. I've put my own loco to one side for the time being to get my friends one finished.   Pick-ups are 1mm x .15mm phospher bronze strip soldered to copper clad sleeper material;     It took me ages to decide on the best way to arrange them, and then I tried different widths and thicknesses of phospher bronze before I was happy. The pick-up wires aren't soldered to the motor yet as this one may end up being fitted with a DCC chip.   Here it is bolted together
halfwit

halfwit

5
Show visits 2016

Mansfield 2013

If you are free tomorrow (Sunday 3rd March) I recommend you get over to Mansfield for the second day of this show. I am sure you will not be disappointed!   I first visited the Mansfield show last year and found it to be a very friendly show. This year's visit was the same. I only expected to stay for about an hour, but ended up staying for over three. So many of the exhibitors and visitors to this show are friendly and are willing to chat. Of course it helps that many are RMWeb members. I
andyram

andyram

1
Marsh Lane Sidings

Automatic couplings - weighing up the cost of conversion?

Another thing to consider when evaluating options is the cost. The more stock one owns the greater the importance of such consideration. The price of the Dapol units have been checked against the Hattons website whilst the cost of the DG couplings is via the 2mm Scale Association website.   I currently have 72 frieght vehicles, with at least another 8 to make up and at least another 10 to purchase. Add to this a loco fleet that currently stands at 4 units, with up to another 9 to purchase.  
RobboPetes

RobboPetes

6
halfwit's Wondrous Wagons!

RT Models Hudson Tipper - part 5.

I've been busy fitting the end details on these two wagons.   First the angled strengthening brackets were fitted, there are four of these per end;     I held the chassis lightly in the rubber jaws of my vice when soldering. There are tabs on the brackets which locate into slots on the end plates, however care is still needed to make sure everything sits square. This is where soldering comes into its own as the bracket can be tacked, checked, repositioned, checked, and so on until you're
halfwit

halfwit

3
Box in a box

Trackmaking proceeds slooooowly....

Progress has been somewhat slower than I would have liked... A combination of a 10th Anniversary weekend in the Cotswolds, a rotten cold and work in the house (NOT housework!) has severely limited time in the box!   As the previous entry showed, work had started on the 'quarry line' -     here the 'Up main' and another track ladder can be seen giving an impression of track centres etc. The ladder on the 'down main' eventually migrated to extend the 'up main' almost to the pointwork for t
scanman

scanman

7
david51's Blog

Back to the southern

I have attempted to download some photos of my layout. Hopefully they have come out.the layout started out as a US switching layout but was converted to British outline as described previously . The intention was to portray a might have been line near Purbeck in Dorset. In1898 a light railway was authorised from Wareham to Osmington near Weymouth but it was never built.I started the model intending to run locos that ran to Swanage.However I like different aspects of the old southern region and
david51

david51

5
Ramblings from the Man Cave

No Further Objections

Thank you again to everyone who voiced an opinion last week. It is now too late to change my mind because the levers have subsequently been installed at the up/Thame/left-hand end of the layout and I'm not planning on taking them back out, ever.     The front profile of the board has also been finalised to be a gentle slope downwards from the road overbridge to below rail level at this end. The ground is not below the rails at Littlemore but I think this makes most sense for incorporating t
richbrummitt

richbrummitt

11
david51's Blog

Bachman Class 205

Just taken delivery of Thumper from Kernow Model Centre.mine is in green livery with orange V at guards end. Detail is excellent and rivals Bachmans 2EPB.perhaps Bachman can produce a 2 HAP using the driving trailer.headcode boxes show white or red according to direction of travel. My main criticism is that coaches are not as close coupled as they could be and certainly not as good as 2EPB.running is very good and overall the model is well worth wait and good value for money.well done Bachman a
david51

david51

2
Jaakko's Blog

I need a collie!

“Well, a nice sheep flock but the most important thing is missing: ME!” That is what my Shetland sheep dog Helga seems to be thinking…   If you model Welsh landscape you definitely need sheep, a lot of sheep indeed. I recently purchased some 4 mm scale sheep from Dart Castings to populate my Welsh field. First I painted the sheep spraying them all over matt white. Normally I use grey car spray primer as an undercoat but this time the white undercoat is a better starting point for the following
Jaakko

Jaakko

10
AllScales' Gerlos Blog

Gerlos: The mountain climb challenge

As suggested by "buffalo" in response to my last post I set up a bit of a jury rigged climb to test the locos. So I have jury rigged a piece of 4 foot long by 8 inch wide piece of ply, with a bit of a run-up...   The end is at just over 5 cm so that over 4 feet is just a bit steeper than the required slope!   First I put a completely straight track along the incline, and 4 four wheeled coaches as the train. The I tried in turn: U2 (0-6-2T), Mh6 (0-8-0), HF 110 (0-6-0), and ZB D11 (0-4-0).  
AllScales

AllScales

2
Jaakko's Blog

Caravan Camp

Caravan camping sites were one of the characteristic features of Cambrian Coast. Again Geoff Plumb’s excellent photo archive homepage gives several nice examples (e.g. http://plumbloco.smugmug.com/Trains/CambrianCoastLines/16750125_TBdHnX#!i=1496685980&k=V3bv9ww&lb=1&s=A ).The following little cameo is not based on any real location but I hope that it gives a feeling of a happy summer holidays in Wales.       The camping site is first covered with a mixture of Polyfilla, abrasive
Jaakko

Jaakko

9
halfwit's Wondrous Wagons!

Ratio 'Harvey's Bristol Cream' Van.

Another one of my more lighthearted models.   As I have the Ratio Huntsman's Ales and Badger Beer vans I decided to add the Harvey's Bristol Cream van to my collection. I found an unbuilt kit on Ebay just before Christmas, which is now built and sitting in my display cabinet. Unlike the other two, which are based on a GWR van, this one is based on Ratio's LMS ventilated van. The quality of printing is very good, better that the two beer vans;     I'm not convinced by the shell vents on th
halfwit

halfwit

4
The Modelling PhD Blog

Railway modelers – ‘Atmosphere modelers?’

Railway modelers – ‘Atmosphere modelers?’ I have been thinking recently about what makes the practice of railway modeling special and undoubtedly like many others I think ‘atmosphere’ is perhaps one of the most important elements to railway modeling certainly many of my interviewees have said so and is something that railway modellers’ think about a lot, both designing and experiencing them. For instance, to quote Barry Norman in his book ‘Designing a layout’ (1997, p.1) ‘(w)hen I modelled Lyd
Robert MacKinnon

Robert MacKinnon

0

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    • PaternosterRow
      Kyle - an update...and a visit at last...

      By PaternosterRow · Posted

      Hi Pete, excellent entry.  Can’t wait to see more updates.  Nice to hear from you again and note that you are enjoying getting out and about up in Scotland. It’s a beautiful part of the world up there - I spent a summer back in the 90’s walking and camping from Glasgow to John O Groats.  Never got to Kyle as I went up the straight chain of Lochs from Glencoe to Inverness and then North form there etc.  it’s surprising how similar to Scotland this part of world I am now in is - winter here with t
    • Neal Ball
      Autocoach upgrade

      By Neal Ball · Posted

      Maybe with the new bottle, I should have sent it back…
    • MikeOxon
      A Tender for Viper

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      Thank you Annie - I really enjoy re-creating these early engines.  It would have been impossible if the young Edward Lane had not taken a liking to them in the yard at Swindon.  By then, most of them had been superseded by later designs, such as Firefly, but he must have had a sense of 'history'.
    • The Fatadder
      Autocoach upgrade

      By The Fatadder · Posted

      If the IPA is not removing paint, a good trick is to warm it up which makes it more effective.   Though like you say after a number of uses it does loose its potency, I recently had to change mine after it got to the point where it was barely touching the paint 
    • MikeOxon
      A Tender for Viper

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      Thank you Chris - I think it's lovely too!  The Lane drawing was probably made in around 1848, ten years after this engine was delivered and after its time on the South Devon. As my final sentence suggested, I am now looking hard at 'Ajax' which had similar-looking solid wheels.

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