Martin S-C

Correct, that was the post. Thank you very much.

James - a long time back on this thread you posted photographs of rural people and asked the parish council to guess the dates. I recall that most thought they were pre-WWI when in fact they were the 1930s. I think there is a link to the post on the first page but its broken (for me at least). Do you know which page it was on? I wanted to link to it show someone who is asking about 1930s model figures for a railway project. Thanks and sorry for the effort this may put you to.

If you like the GNR or pre-grouping train films, this is for you. https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-railway-traffic-1898-online

Given the levels of strategic and tactical finesse the British armed forces showed in some WWII campaigns, maybe it was Poland and the British soldiers were lost?

Nothing that a quick hose with a heat ray can't fix.

More from Roger Farnworth on the Lynn & Fakenham. Also note the loco No.11, now wouldn't that make a stunning model. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/11/16/the-lynn-and-fakenham-railway-part-1/

Aldbourne in 009 was at Tolworth as well. The date given wasn't clear (or I didn't ask the right questions) but from the figures and road vehicles I would say placed it around the Great War or just prior. There was a very harmonious palette of colours used on the layout giving everything a yellowed, dusty, late summer feel. Some nicely observed cameos as well while not being overdone or too cluttered.

I had a chat with Robin at the show and he mentioned Wantage - another favourite light railway of mine. I'm looking forward to seeing it but if the gestation period for Rolvenden is anything to go by it'll be quite a wait.

Any chance you can post those update pics here, Knuckles? When I click on the twitter links I get zilch.

Tilmanstone does have a rather modern looking structure for the washery and screens. My preference is for a timber structure, avoiding 'modern' materials such as corrugated tin and concrete or steel. I'm slowly coming to the realisation that the Forest collieries were fairly provincial. Much of the output went to local household and industrial use and almost all the rest down to Lydney Docks where I understand it went to ports on the Bristol Channel, South Cornwall/Devon and to foreign climes. Mind you, photos of pre WWII collieries are always good to see and endlessly fascinating.

I think the same applies to Peter Denny's Buckingham - the layout has existed longer than the GCR did.

At Tolworth was the gorgeous Rolvenden in P4. It's set in summer 1924 but since things hardly changed around this neck of the woods I think we can still say its a scene unchanged from pre-grouping. The model included the most amazing automatic turntable fiddle yard at one end with a cassette system fiddle yard at the other meaning that the models are never handled at all. Screw and 3-link couplings and superb slow running.

Hi Dave Its about 1 in 32 but on a 3ft 6in radius curve. My other grades are either straight, or if curved, a wider radius. Problematic locos are the Kernow Beattie well tank (100gms) and the Dapol LSWR B4 0-4-0T (also about 100gms). The Bachmann/Rails P Class 0-6-0T can cope with about 7 wagons and a brake but I wanted to add a bit more 'grunt' to these as well. I haven't yet started tackling my 0-4-4T fleet but since these will be passenger engines its okay if they can't cope with a freight. I am getting there, its just a bit frustrating finding the right combination of small enough and powerful enough magnets that fit under each loco. The well tank works now with 4 off 12mm x 7mm x 1mm thick rectangular magnets. The B4s with 4 off 8mm x 2mm x 2mm put together in pairs. I am also going a bit above what will be the normal maximum load since I am using wagons carrying some Bachmann resin sheeted loads which are very heavy. The idea being that if the loco can pull the test train up the grade then it will more than cope with any service train.

I was at the Tolworth show at the weekend organised by the Hampton Court MRS. There were several pre-grouping layouts. Lee-on-the-Solent (LSWR) in P4 is a veteran having first being built in 1981 but updated numerous times since. This layout has a wonderful sense of space and calm with large areas of open farmland uncluttered by busy cameos. I'll add photos of other layouts tomorrow when the site limits permit.

Work continues at a steady pace though much of it is still below the baseboards and makes for very dull viewing. The control panels are now in place for all stations/locations other than the two termini - Nether Madder and Green Soudley. There were some complications involving the above board DCC Concepts point motors when paired up with their more "standard" below baseboard motor on a crossover, where the pair need to work switching two points together and this required a chat with the manufacturers to fathom out their intent which was completely unclear from their instruction sheet. We got over this hurdle however and about half of the above board motor units are now operational. As Neil has been working away at the electrics I have been doing the pretty-pretty cosmetic bits on the control panel diagrams and we have now begun to put up the fascia along the edge of the boards which, hiding the skeleton of the framework and some wiring has helped immensely with the layout's appearance. We are going with a slightly raised (1") edge to the fascia above all scenery levels to assist in reducing damage to the scenery at the layout edges. If a person leans their arm or elbow on the baseboard, they'll rest it on the top of this "belly board" (as I've heard them called). The presence of my bits-n-bobs shelves alongside each control panel should also keep the scenic area free from clutter such as phones, uncoupling hooks, tea mugs, and so on. I am pressing on with fitting magnets to locos but its hard work - as in I mean it is frustrating work in that the locos that really need the magnets are the small ones and these often lack room to fit them. I bought some disc magnets but these have such a truncated field in the direction of the poles that they are useless. Its back to the rectangular magnets... the ones which need more room Control panels and fascia taking shape.

The Welsh pig has his tongue stuck out.

With his cigar pouring out clouds of the noxious Black Smoke, that lies in the valleys and river courses and suffocates all who are enveloped by it. Except of course the Churchill family who are strangely immune.

Just in case anyone planned to start any long books, do not bother, the world will come to a horrible end (or at least Woking, Byfleet, Chobham and other parts of the stockbroker belt will) shortly after 9:00pm on Sunday 17th November. https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-11-08/the-war-of-the-worlds-spoiler-free-preview-a-solid-and-interesting-adaptation/

Any chance of a track plan of your father's layout, or even a couple of high level photos looking down so we can get an idea of the design? I am presuming its a terminus-FY setup?

Thanks James, my ignorance is showing again. Superb photos of Birmingham gun foundries as well, thank you very much for those, all saved away for inspiration for urban modelling.

Its the geezer representing Bath that has me puzzled. He looks like he's in a Pride march. I mean a wig, tights and ankle boots? What's with Bath to get a figure like that? James - more from Roger Farnworth on King's Lynn: https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/10/21/early-railway-history-in-kings-lynn/

I have two habits (well, two that I'm happy to mention here), one is liking the odd quirky engines, and the other is buying kits of them that will require the extra effort to make them haul enough. Oddly enough, my first thought wasn't about weight, it was about how to get a sound decoder and speaker in there.

I must be still under the weather - my sense of sarcasm wasn't alert enough to spot the humorous link.

What were your tree methods with the sea moss Chris? Just stick a few bits together to make a shape you liked, spray colour, then spray with hair lacquer and sprinkle greenery on?

I thought it was turning it when its on a turntable?