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"Anything You Can do, I Can Do Better ! Robinson and Downes.


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I could be seriously interested in the GWR station building, if it will fit on my layout.

 

Hi Kev.

 

It's now fully detailed - travel posters, signs, station name board - and set on a short length of straight platform but can be removed. How's £450 suit you ?

 

Sorry about the blurred pics

 

Cheers.

Allan.

 

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N15class, on 30 Apr 2014 - 19:23, said:

ame="Highlandman" post="1432716" timestamp="1398652971"]As always Allan, such amazing work, and everything hand cut.

 

With such intricate designs and patterns do you ever consider going down the 'dark side' and having them etched or laser cut so they are more easily reproduced should you need them again?[/quot

 

It all looks fantastic Alan you have caught the atmosphere perfectly.

 

Why is it assumed that being cut by hand is inferior. Thinks have been cut by hand far longer than by machine.

 

I did not, in anyway, assume that hand cut was inferior, as I am in awe of the Masters skills. What I did mean was could time, repetitive strain injury and stress  :banghead:  be reduced by having multiple parts already produced to use.

 

The workmanship here is of the highest quality and something I can only aspire to. To own a Downes would be like owning a Cuneo or a Monet.

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The workmanship here is of the highest quality and something I can only aspire to. To own a Downes would be like owning a Cuneo or a Monet.

 I agree Highlandman my own modelling "masterpieces" tend to be more reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock or even a Jackson Bollxck.

Edited by iainp
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And where it's all ended up - in 'Tudor Corner'

 

This was wifey's idea, as are all ideas  that involve sawing up planks and knocking nails in walls, and the shelves went up this morning and bxxxxr all else has been done since !

 

But it will...

 

Cheers.

Allan.

 

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This was wifey's idea, as are all ideas  that involve sawing up planks and knocking nails in walls, and the shelves went up this morning and bxxxxr all else has been done since !

 

 

 

I'm sure when she's got her breath back she'll get on and do something else...

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And where it's all ended up - in 'Tudor Corner'

 

This was wifey's idea, as are all ideas  that involve sawing up planks and knocking nails in walls, and the shelves went up this morning and bxxxxr all else has been done since !

 

But it will...

 

Cheers.

Allan.

 

That's the trouble with wives, they never consider a back scene!

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Well JC, you didn't miss much, and here's why.

 

The Duke - whoe's mum had the bridge over the lake demolished while the old man was away filming in Cannes and who came home in the middle of the night in his Roller, straight up the drive, straight over the bridge that wasn't there and headlong straight into the lake ! - never had a 'trainset' as a boy so got me to build him one - in the old barracks in a 50 x 25 foot room where I was instructed over a liquid lunch and persuaded by a cheque the size of a gas bill that I had ten weeks to build it in.

 

So I did.

 

Then exactly ten weeks after building it, he had it torn out and dumped in skips !

 

You see,while it was operational and open to the public at 10p - yes, 10p - to go in, it was manned by some ancient old tapestry maker (It was fully automated and all she had to do was to come in, throw the main switch, phone me if anything went wrong, sit down, collect the money, and knit in between de railments of which there was many. 

 

However,after ten weeks it had notched up almost nil visitors cos by the time they had gor around to the 'Model railway this way' sign they'd all been fleeced dry by the enterance fees to the Saffari Park, Sharkland - a massive fish tank with a confused pike in it - a merry go round, carousel, donkey rides so, by the time thay got to "Railway Wonderland " they were bored, weary, wanked out and skint !

 

Cheers.

Allan

Is there any further info on or are there any photos available of the Woburn layout? I am sure I visited it in the late 1960s (is this the period of the 10 weeks?) and, as a young boy, I was blown away by the size of it. I would love to know more about it. Coincidentally, I also remember visiting the model railway exhibition in Weston-Super-Mare, probably in the 1970s, in a building opposite Knightstone.

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Is there any further info on or are there any photos available of the Woburn layout? I am sure I visited it in the late 1960s (is this the period of the 10 weeks?) and, as a young boy, I was blown away by the size of it. I would love to know more about it. Coincidentally, I also remember visiting the model railway exhibition in Weston-Super-Mare, probably in the 1970s, in a building opposite Knightstone.

 

Hi Tim.

 

This is the only picture of the Woburn Layout I can find right now - I know there are a few others but I can't remember where!

 

It was built as a commission for the Duke of Bedford's son, Lord Tavistock, a real gent and a really great guy, and I had 10 weeks in which to install it and yes, as you say, it was huge - 50ft x 25ft - and as a money earning enterprise for Woburn it was a complete and utter failure whith an entrance fee of 10p in today's money and sold about 5 tickets on a good day !

 

It was run by two very old spinsters drafted in from the Woburn Lace Making Department who called me (a good hours drive away ) every time a train derailed , something fell off an engine, the wheels usually, or things just came to a juddering halt !

 

After just one season it was dismantled, the buildings stored in a Oast House and the baseboard, with the track still ballasted down, ended up being made into a a garden shed by the Woburn carpenter and his carpenteress wife which could be seen in their garden as you drove through Missenden - with all the pointwork still in tact !!

 

As you can understand, it was a finacial disaster and built at a massive loss !

 

Cheers.

Allan.

 

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Tudor pub front going up.

 

After hammering the shelves up yesterday for wifey's 'Tudor Corner'  there was a large gap that needed filling - and a corner return building - so chaps, blame the wife, coz  there'll be more Tudor for a while !

 

Cheers.

Allan.

 

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It's Bank holiday.The traffic's backed up solid from Outer Mongolia to Cleethorpes,60 ft high waves, a regular sandstorm of Sahara proportions, a mile and a half long line of sagging bellies outside every chippy and doughnut stand , so what do you do ?

 

Stay at home and built four bays and a Tudor pub front instead !

 

Cheers.

Allan.

 

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It's Bank holiday.The traffic's backed up solid from Outer Mongolia to Cleethorpes,60 ft high waves, a regular sandstorm of Sahara proportions, a mile and a half long line of sagging bellies outside every chippy and doughnut stand , so what do you do ?

 

Stay at home and built four bays and a Tudor pub front instead !

 

Cheers.

Allan.

 

In total agreement!

I haven't used my car since last September ( which some of my friends find difficult to understand!) and it gives me the greatest pleasure using the train, especially when travelling "up country" alongside the M5 in the comfort of a 125 carriage and watching the frustration of the motorist !

Outside the chippy you say, humph ! Apart from indigestion what other satisfaction could they get ?

Model on Alan keep the faith...........but maybe have a cup of tea and slice of cake with Aunt Sally later eh?

Edited by bgman
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It's Bank holiday.The traffic's backed up solid from Outer Mongolia to Cleethorpes,60 ft high waves, a regular sandstorm of Sahara proportions, a mile and a half long line of sagging bellies outside every chippy and doughnut stand , so what do you do ?

 

Stay at home and built four bays and a Tudor pub front instead !

 

Cheers.

Allan

 

I imagine that watching you at work must be as dizzying as watching the London to Brighton in four minutes film!

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