David Holman

Gresley Beat apparently needs two seven ton lorries, so a way to go yet maybe. There's plenty of us that would love to see Barrow Street. Magazine articles at least, hopefully

Might need to book Pickford's too!

Love small projects like this. A chance to focus on fine detail and use/display all those fine models.

The knees of the bee, the mutt's nuts, the... Fab.

Chris Nevard is a scenic master in the Gordon Gravett class, with many cameo layouts and dioramas to his name. Using Das Clay looks ideal because what you want is a very fine surface, which even using N gauge cinders would be too coarse. Sifting in a bit of fine sand might be appropriate in a few places, while an electrostatic grass machine works wonders for foliage. Peco have a new Mini version out, which is good for tight corners and small areas, though the original Noch puffer bottles remain surprisingly effective. Beware bright shades of green though. However good Ireland's liquid sunshine is for the green stuff, I'd still err on the yellow/straw shade of things. And get the lady in your life to check the tones. Gentlemen beyond a certain age lose the ability to see shades of green, while our women folk would say we don't have much colour sense in the first place!

Organised Chaos Or wiring, in other words. Wiring for me is a necessary evil. Trains won't run without electrickery, but my knowledge is of the 'just enough and no more' variety. However, the biggest problem is my mild dyspraxia - or at least that is how I think of it. Clumsy, a bit, but the main problem is really struggling with anything 'handed'. If there are two ways to put something together, I will do it wrong first, no matter how many times I think about it, while anything with rotational symmetry is a nightmare! Assembling flatpack furniture always takes twice as long as it should do... Wiring a layout is an exquisite type of agony, because you have to reverse what is on top of the baseboard when you wire underneath and likewise plugs and sockets. So, am feeling rather pleased with myself today, because I've managed to rewire the Arigna boards and they work!! I should have taken pictures of the bird's nest of spaghetti that had grown under the original boards, but suffice to say what you can see below is a whole lot neater. Those who know about such things will no doubt have done the job differently, but it works for me. Changes from Arigna are as follows: There is now just a single controller socket on the front of the station board, instead of the four that were there previously. This profligacy was simply because firstly Arigna was operated from the rear at shows, but I needed a front socket for home use. Doubling up both was to accommodate my spare controller, which had a different plug on it. I am sure you are already wondering why I didn't fit the same plug to both controllers, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I have long realised my mind doesn't always work logically! A Tag strip with 72 loops [2 x 18 double strips] has been fitted under each board. All wiring goes to these first & this is then split and sent to track feeds and baseboard sockets. Staples help keep the wiring fairly neat. Wiring is now just red and black - one colour for each track, with a wiring diagram that tell me which tag strip goes to which feed, socket, etc. Under the Arigna boards, colours were rather mixed at random, using whatever I had to hand at the time. I know... While only 8 wires goes from Baseboard 1 to Baseboard 2 [and only 4 wires from 2 to 3], I have used 15 and 9 pin computer plugs and sockets to keep any stray wires away from touching each other. Baseboard 2's tag strips have leads going from them to the other two boards. In storage or transit, these leads are kept tidy by using clothes pegs hot glued to the underside of the boards. Point and signal control will be by servos, using Megapoints units and a custom made panel. This will be on Baseboard 3 at the fiddle yard end. The Fiddleyard operator will also be the signalman, with the driver at the station end, where all the uncoupling magnets will be too. Although I have no intention of using DCC, it would be nice to have a steam whistle/diesel horn unit, for the driver to call attention to the signalman. Better than shouting down the layout, methinks... Chances are, the signalman will also work the turntable, as it will be easier to align the tracks than from 10 feet away, where the driver will be. Anyway, the above has taken me much of the last week and a lot longer thinking about it. And yes, I did get everything back to front on the first board and had to redo it. Needless to say, a few rude words were uttered. More than a few, in fact. The photos show the undersides of the boards and the chaos that reigned all around me while I was doing it. It took rather a long time to tidy up!

With the addition of a fiddle yard, plenty of shunting layouts have been operated in less. Equally, methinks you are having plenty of fun with the modelling and that is what it is all about. Coming on beautifully.

Some lovely detail there.

Pure class.

Fabulous pictures. Especially like the one with a ground signal disc on the post.

Saxby and Farmer equipment used by some lines, not least SLNCR.

Splendid. Well done chaps

Lovely job.

Straight joints are easy enough, but as you've found, angled ones pose problems. One way around it is to solder the rails to screws, then add cosmetic sleepers in and around them. The main thing though is how nice and flush/tight the baseboard joins are and that is not easy either!

That's the idea, though compared to weathered black (which covers a multitude of sins), a pristine, lined finish requires a lot more effort. There again, it is all about challenging myself, so fingers crossed! Not much been happening with Belmullet recently. Am still waiting for my control components to arrive from Megapoints ( no point in doing scenery before wiring is completed), while four shows in quick succession for Fintonagh has taken up much of my spare time.

Suggest you use strong glue, like 5 min epoxy to join sleeper assembly to the baseboard. The alternative is to use small brass screws, in line with rails and make dummy sleepers to disguise them - three parts: middle and two outers.

Splendid stuff!

Never ceases to amaze me at the stuff that it out there. A 2mm 3D printed SLNCR railcar for goodness sake - and looks good too! Can the body be articulated I wonder? Don't know a lot about 2FS, but would think Code 40 rail should be fine, especially compared to Peco's Code 55 and the wider gauge would definitely set the scene.

Proper job!

Proper gauge is definitely alright by me! Would imagine 2mm broad gauge is a fairly exclusive club too, but am sure someone will know of others. One to watch for sure.

Wadebridge! First saw it 20 odd years ago and it is still going strong.

Fine work!

Trackwork in the yard has a nice, spacious look to it. Plenty of room for a motorised, fully working, radio controlled crane then (!)... Giles Flavell has mastered the technique in 7mm scale and there were half a dozen of his models wandering around the Tonbridge Club's layout The Yard, at Littlehampton on Saturday. Included a Commer van, Land rover, flatbed and articulated lorries, plus a working gantry crane. Different matter in 4mm scale methinks, but check out the latest Model Railway Journal for a couple of his models.

Probably said it before, but a classic case of less is more. It is very easy to over do things, but this captures rural Ireland really well.

That's good to know, John. As for black, I like it better than the grey, but MGW 4-4-0 Wolfdog is down to be my next engine and it will be in green!