Northroader

She was only the platelayers daughter, but she knew the gangers length.

Para Handy would say “Chuist pairfect”

Shaping up really well, just tell me the electrics all work o.k.?

I think a basic need is not to have the scenic background having a right angle in the corners where the back of the scenic section meets the ends of the section. I generally cut the baseboard to a curve of about 4” radius at the corner, and fit the scenery round this. I have tried making the back to fit a half ellipse, but this is wasteful of useful corner space. The actual backscene, printed or painted, needs support, and I do this with a 3mm hardboard sheet. At the curved corner you can curve the support to fit round the corner if you give the hardboard a prolonged soaking, then hold it to the required form and let it dry out. The other thing to watch is if the scenery has a straight horizon, to break it up with trees, buildings, or hills at the corner, or it does look odd.

That’s an interesting picture, it does show these engines did have a “best side”, something I hadn’t appreciated before. You’re very kind with your comments, David, but if you put my bodges in front of a well lit studio camera like these Manors have been, the howls of derision would be many.

The firebox does taper, sides and top, but the top looks as if it has a pronounced slant backwards, more pronounced than the real item, which isn’t too far off being flat. Is the front too high or the back too low, or some of both? I’m sure the model must have been made from the correct drawings, but the photos give an unfortunate appearance.

The firebox top don’t look right in those pictures

Everything looks so much better in colour, but I still love the last shot. Three brilliant shots there.

How many AA size do you need to get to Sligo?

Good luck with the venture, thanks for your willingness to make your craftsmanship available in this way. Like Schwarzenegger says, “I’ll be back”.

And someone is asking after information on a GNR “J” class, now where did they go?

Agree fully with you, really good articles across quite a range of subjects and scales, then there’s questions such as why good layouts are being sold and what’s being planned, questions, questions?

If you’re joining two pieces together they need to be both at around the same temperature before they will join, so always have a bit of solder on the end of your iron which will help the heat to flow where it’s wanted. No solder and the heat won’t flow as well, besides the need to have some flowing into the join and filling the gaps. Another thing is if you’re having a long session, more than a few joins, switch the iron off for a while. The iron can get too hot and you’ll have more trouble getting a decent joint.

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/one-way-to-deal-with-asbestos-lined-carriages.32900/

I think it will look better with the shorter crane track. Your benchwork is so neat looking.

Just looking at your new trackplan set me thinking of Ruyton Road, an old layout at present getting a face lift. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/154530-ruyton-road-revisited-what-to-do-with-an-old-classic/#comment-3964744

The brass tanks look promising, what tools are you missing? All you’re short of is a small halfround file, it seems to me, which is cheap to get. Then you can fit the lower edge of the tank to go round the “bumps”.

true enough. It wasn’t always like that.

You’re on your way to a J18/19 if you shorten the back end of a GWR 2251 0-6-0, which will give you the right chassis, as near as dammit.

Wonder if the prints would be do-able in 7mm?

The paint finish is great, how you’ve managed to get a totally run down appearance is marvellous.

I’m with Ernie on this. Here’s a video clip of Pempoul, a model done by the Gravetts, who are total masters of scenery. Just watch how the train exits at the right hand end, small insignificant trees in front and behind.

Here’s the track plan given in Volume one of R.M.Arnold’s book “The Golden Years of the GNR”:

Very nice idea, I’d be tempted to pinch a bit more on the width if possible. I think you’re right about turntables, they’re a set size for a small tender loco, and you need quite a bit of space round them, they become too dominant for the small sized layout. One thing that I found attractive about Castle Rackrent was how the design flowed with a reverse curve following the road, and another following the main railway line, most designs have the exit square across the tracks. Will be a very interesting build to follow, getting the popcorn out.

Iain Rice did do Westport Quay for a model plan in his booklet “Model Railway Layout Design” (Wild Swan 1990)