Martin S-C

James - what a simply spectacular piece of film. That film of the Stirling single caused me to wonder if we can estimate the speeds. From 2:00 to 2:14 (14 seconds) the driving wheels revolve 30 times. From 2:20 to 2:28 (8 seconds) they revolve 36 times (!). From 2:45 to 2:56 (11 seconds) they revolve 51 times (!!). These timings are crude - I counted the revolutions of the con rod against a digital stopwatch, then ran the video again and checked against the timings watermarked on the video. I'm probably not spot-on but close. I am no great mathematician (nor even a lesser one) but given the driving wheel diameter can we calculate speed here?

Looks good? Good? Its looking ruddy awesome! It has the feel of an 1870s shunting engine already.

No, that's not a must-have requirement at all. My key concern is depth away from baseboard edge.

Ooh, yes, it was delicious. Quite the best I've tasted in a while. Thinking now about signal boxes/control positions. The layout will have six of these and for full operation will need six people though I will be happy to potter about on my own and could be run fully with only two (very busy) people. I have searched online for images of lever frames and mimic panels but none seems to exactly mirror what I'm after. Here's a grotty scribble showing what I would like, and a couple of photos of arrangements that come close. I am still mulling over how signal box operators will communicate with each other - I can't and won't abide shouting down the room so there needs to be a visual or audible signal. As the loco digital address will need to be passed on and I can think of only two ways to do that - by voice or by info on a screen - I am thinking headsets with mics are essential so I am still undecided whether we converse casually in regards to the next train that way or use a more railway-like representation of bell codes but using flashing lights, which I saw very well demonstrated at the Ewell show on the Minories layout. The amount of space back-to-front of the whole signal box positions is critical as I don't want to eat into my 3' wide operating well more than is absolutely necessary.

My trestle will have only 3 or 4 sets of legs as its a small gap to be bridged but looking at the timberwork of the original I shall be doing my best to duplicate it. Today the first train moved under its own power on the NM&GSR so a G&T (type: large) was consumed in celebration this afternoon in glorious sunshine on the patio outside the railway room. Neil used a couple of his own locos (diesels) for the very first test in case he fried anything but after that Wilf had a go and collected the first brake van.

Its the juxtaposition of small chuckling waterway right through the settlement that gives these places their charm. Certain things like water, fire, forests and snowy scenes have a certain primordial appeal to us and a village bisected by a stream touches something deep inside. Very calming.

Oh, plenty of interest, just that I'm so gobsmacked at your modelling skills I am lost for words! I just wish I'd had freight stock so gorgeous as these when I was into train sims.

On my build, Neil and I sat scratching our chins for a while wondering where the best place to start was, but once track began to go down and we had a defined point to work away from (in two directions in my case) it all seemed suddenly so much easier. Even if its not, it just seems that way.

Yes, you're quite right Kevin, my mistake. Having realised I was talking utter tripe again, the branch does seem a good place to try this out. Coggles Causeway has only 3 points all in 3' of each other, Catspaw has 5 all within a space of 4' 6" and Witts End has 6 all within 3' 6". Hm. Today I had a bit of a hack at the vertical banks of the River Aight at Witts End, chamfering them back to make the stream appear wider and look less manufactured. We'll be building up the banks a bit and hiding the hard edges with water plants and undergrowth. Pictures of the Blackwater trestle from the North London Maldon line attached (again) for reference to the bridge that will cross the stream here. I've added a section of the plan that shows the village the stream runs through. I'm hoping this will develop into one of the prettier and more rose-tinted scenes on the layout. The village of Loose in Kent as well as some Cotswold villages such as Bibury and Lower Slaughter are the inspiration for this. All places I have been fond of for many decades since my youth.

At first I thought the branch would be the ideal place to use them but then realised the signals on that run will be very primitive to non-existent so nothing to gain there. One station we know we'll have some "space under the boards" issues is Snarling and we'd already thought of hiding a couple of motors under the platforms so this location may be a candidate for experimenting with rodding. Thing is, if I do use it and it works well and looks good its sods law that I'll want it everywhere...

A couple more pics of the DCC Concepts Cobalt lever frame which is extendable as far as you need and which we will be using to operate signals and points and interlock them electronically (but not mechanically). DCC Concepts also do a set of scale point rodding, cranks and rollers for their surface mounted motors and I am tempted to use these somewhere just to find how how they look and work. https://www.dccconcepts.com/manual/working-point-rodding-newsletter/

Today we had track! ...and a sort of almost a stream. Thingy. ...and a big hole for a turntable to go in. ...and some very sexy point & signal levers.

Fantastic texturing on those steel opens, both inside and out.

Except it wasn't

To shamelessly steal one of Annie's wagon pictures (sorry Annie!)

I like Grimwold station building very much. Those stone gable-end arches are unusual. I also like the marsh scene, a lot of work has gone into that. Do I detect some graffiti still on the windmill base? Maybe you can get a small lean-to building or a pile of firewood or some other farmyard clutter to hide it.

Quite right, let's wander back...

These three images and others like them from an old "GWR Steam in Wales" book have been a big source of inspiration over the years. The last one "Wet Day at Pontypool" with everthing glistening in watery sunshine after a rain shower is especially evocative.

Very nice. I appear to have picked up an Ian Kirk kit in complete ignorance off e-Bay about a year ago. It looks like this one has been mounted on a Dapol or other RTR chassis. When I saw it I knew it was an old GW design, I had no idea who the manufacturer was though, I bought it simply because it was unusual.

I would like to track down copies of Volumes 1, 3 and 5 if anyone has one of these for disposal please? https://rchs.org.uk/early-railways-conference-combined/?fbclid=IwAR1gUsWgJq3BcRouncjpKEqqYVW-DAM95J-zp78Y5JIUzkyWBfN7at104Dw

That 3rd pic down with the curvy stone walls is really nice. There's something fantasy-ish about these station layouts. They don't look like British practice but then they easily could be in a very British alternative universe sort of way. I love those open verandah brake vans too.

Yes, Holmes, but did you even notice the broken bicycle? The loose chain and the slow puncture in the rear tyre? And the fact the man's lunch sack bulges with two pasties because he pinched his brothers in a momentary fit of greed. Holmes, your legendary skill is slipping in your dotage.

...and I just assumed the bloke was eyeing up the busted bike in the hope it might get him to work quicker.

I think something is needed to bring us back on topic so here are some random pictures from Pendon. Its post-grouping, yes, but these are all scenes unchanged from later pre-grouping years.

North Devon is nice too - Minehead, Watchet, Bishops Lydiard, Lynton, Barnstaple... Just, you know, nice scenery. I think we would all be wise to try and climate change-proof our layout construction as much as we can. I'm guessing palm trees will be at home in Staffordshire in 50 years time.