David Holman

Assume.by the 8x4 you want a tail chaser. However would question whether this.is a good size for either operation or visual effect. Key problem with 8x4 is that you are looking at 18inch curves, 21 at best and unless short wheelbase stock is used then stuff will not look right with big overhangs on the corners. You will also be pushed to fit in siding and storage space because the longest straight will be four feet six at best. At least consider a terminus fiddle yard before doing a tail chaser. You can avoid sharp curved and build a station that can run to a proper timetable or sequence. Equally, if a tail chaser is really your thing, then go for it, but as others have suggested, keep the track work simple and maybe try to find space for additional storage sidings to increase the number of trains you can run. Iain Rice's Mainlines in Small Spaces has some good ideas, though nothing under 8x6. Check out Cyril Freezers layout plan booklets too (Peco), which do cover your available space and some of his ideas are very clever.

Not bad at all! Trying to build up that sort of gunk on a tanker is not easy. How did you set about doing it? Humbrol gunmetal [53] is a good colour, as is Metalcote gunmetal, as this has a bluish sheen useful for oily bits anywhere

A mixture of fibres and/or ground foam [crumb] works well for grassy track. Goes without saying that anything too long will get in the way of wheels, pickups etc, though battery power could obviate that perhaps. Have used 6mm fibres & a static grass machine without problems, but 2mm also works in smaller scales. Remember to mix the colours and build up layers. Once PVA has set, a light smear of glue across the top of fibres enables fine crumb to be sprinkled on to give weed/leaves type texture. A puffer bottle works just as well but takes a little longer. One trick I have developed is to not be too careful when ballasting in the first place, so that there are random bare patches in the ballast. These then get the weed treatment, so it all looks quite natural. There again, for some parts of Bord na Mona, you could miss the ballast altogether! The building is already looking impressive, Phil. Will look forward to seeing it finished.

Though 50 years old, the Ahern books still do all the basic techniques well. Guy Williams built much of Pendon's stock - 'nuff said. Check out the late Geoff Holts recent books on loco construction too. He built much of Pete Waterman's collection and though the absolute master craftsman writes and illustrates in a way that makes you believe you can go a fair way to emulating him. Could well become the new 'bible' for such work.

Consider doing an open frame type of baseboard Sean. That way you are only taking strip wood and narrow strips of materials up the spiral stairs, rather than large sheets. Check out Iain Rice's book Finescal in Small Spaces for ideas - there is a wealth of good stuff there. Alternatively browse the magazine racks [no need to buy them all!] as bound to be some tips there too re layout/baseboard design.

Two little gems. Given the size of the photo compared to the model, that is very sharp work indeed!

Been there, done it, Phil. Gordon Gravett a serial user for brickwork and random stone, though when I tried, it drove nuts! this is the bloke who happily painted Howard Scenics embossed card bricks one at a time for a while... Do use it a lot for infill, which doesn't say much about some of my measuring... On Arigna town, it was used for the capping stones on the station walls, along with chimney flashings etc. Works best if a layer of PVA is put on first, but am sure you know that.

Little if any of my work is original Phil and I've been inspired and helped by many over the years. For layout design and all things constructional, you can't go far wrong with Iain Rice. 'Finescale in Small Spaces' has lots of layout plans, but also goes into detail on layout composition, sight lines, view blockers and the like. We are creating a 3D picture, so getting composition right is a bit part. Any of Iain's other stuff is also worth reading too and it is all fairly simple and just good common sense. Barry Norman's 'Landscape modelling' has been out a while now but dealt with the basics of scenic work and is still relevant today. Even older are John Ahern's books on buildings & locos. written first in the early 1950s, I nevertheless still refer to them as they deal with basic skills such as how to do building shells, make simple chassis etc. The books that currently get most use are Martyn Welch's The Art of Weathering and Gordon Gravetts ones on Trees and [just out] Grass. The weathering book does buildings and track as well as locos and stock and is just invaluable because he takes you step by step through the process and tells you exactly what colour paints to use. Gordon's books use the same method and add in materials, where to get them and even how long a model might take. Very readable and believable too. While I'm reasonable confident with scenic work these days [& have the key tools such as the static Grasstech machine], waited for Gordon's new book on grass before doing that phase on Arigna town because having seen his work numerous times, wanted to get that step by step approach. If you can afford 3 books, I'd go for these last ones mentioned. If only one, get the Gravett 'grass' book. Magazines are also a good source of ideas and don't just stick to mainstream 'British/Irish' ones. the US Model Railroader has lots of good ideas, while Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette is also fab if you can find it. Model Railway Journal is a regular source of ideas, though can get a bit technical at times. Also been very fortunate over the years to meet some wonderful people at my local club & various shows. If you have a local club, it is always worth joining. Mine has most of the mags on subscription too, plus a range of more expensive tools like lathe, grass tech etc. Most of all, never be frightened to experiment. A small diorama or little cameo scene can bring quick results and build confidence.

It is Code 100 copperclad, scahalane. Normal 0 gauge is code 124, so the smaller section really helps with the lightweight track image and also enhances the proper track gauge of 36.75mm [or thereabouts!] Points were built by Marcway of Sheffield, have used them before and well worth it for me as though can do such things, they are not my favourite. Plain track much easier. If you are doing 7mm scale Irish, then broad gauge has few problems, other than the usual lack of anything RTR. Slaters do an extended loco axle, albeit a fiver a go, while their wagon wheels can be eased out without compromising W irons etc.

Just list all the other superlatives - beautiful models. Hated DMUs when they replaced steam, but they make such attractive models now...

They come as a stainless steel etch, Broithe. Ten pieces in all, they go together in pairs either side of the whitemetal tyre casting. The wheel centre is a brass turning that slots neatly into the middle. All very neat and accurate. the rest of the kit is whitemetal. Little if any flash and for 20 quid, good value. Not a quick build though as what to paint & when needs thinking about & the instructions are limited to general advice and a clear exploded diagram. Southeastern Finecast do an interesting range of vehicles, including larger scale stuff too. Worth looking up.

This little cameo has been a long time in the making and it never ceases to amaze me how long the little details can take. The petrol pumps have had their 'heads' removed because I wasn't able to get the lettering right, though transfers may become available again one day I hear. The pumps are scratchbuilt in plasticard, though very similar in outline to the former Classic Commercials Kits. The hose is layout wire and the handles bits I found in the scrapbox. The Austin 7 is a Southeastern Finecast kit. Very nice, but time-consuming to build because of waiting for paint to dry between so many of the stages. The wire wheels are etched stainless steel and rather nice. A neat trick for those who haven't come across it before is to file/sand the bottom of the tyres so the model 'sits' in the way a real car would - ie depressing the tyres slightly. A 2 min job, but very effective. Added windscreen wiper and [local] number plates, but not much else needed. The Humber in the workshop is an old Dinky toy. Much battered from my childhood and [scarily] over 50 years old, I committed heresy by stripping the paint and removing the wheels. A quick respray, then raised on blocks over the inspection pit and Robert is your father's brother' as the saying goes. Various bits & pieces from the scrapbox complete the scene. Figures [which are one of my least favourite jobs] come from a variety of sources. Omen and Phoenix are definitely the best, but in the larger scale you get some lovely little sculptures from other folk too, such as Dart Castings, ABS etc

A case of trying to practice what I preach over the last 2 weeks & am pleasantly surprised at how 'little and often' has resulted in some new cameos, with things coming together across the layout. First up is the garage, though have put a few notes in Workbench on this. Baseboard 3, next to the fiddle yard, has also seen work done around the cottage, with the signalman's wife now out doing the washing on her [Langley models] mangle. The new pig seems to have escaped - wonder how long it will be before she notices? Haven't been able to much ground cover, as ran out of fibres, but thought it would be nice to view the station through foliage installed thus far, so we have pictures of the railbus and Small Tank arriving/departing.

I got my SLNCR large tank GA drawing from Manchester. Paid 20 quid for a CD instead and then did my own simplified drawing. Good way of getting to know the subject. Am sure what ever you pay will be worth it. 21mm gauge and inside motion always deserves to succeed.

Is Tolkien hobbit forming? I'm pink, therefore I'm spam Whither atrophy? Needed a dictionary for than one... Only dead fish go with the flow If you think you can or you think you can't - you are right. Henry Ford If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets

Thanks jhb. Will have a look. A further small conundrum is that the drawing by D Malone, above, has the driven bogie wheelbase as 8 ft 6 in, but the label says eight feet only. Am assuming the dimension in the drawing is correct, but await comments. In addition, my print of the drawing suggests the driven wheels are 3' diameter, though the note says 33"... Given that it looks unlikely I can get 2'4" wheels for the rear bogie, may go with 3' drivers and 2'6" trailers. Let me know folks!

Also have the Prodigy and very easy it is to use too. Previously had a Lenz 90, which though it works well enough is not very intuitive to use. Always had to have the handbook available & [a bit like the German language] things are not always in the order you expect them. Easy to fry the master unit too. I know, I did it twice, though repairs are free. Something very special brewing in the loft methinks, that loco shed is certainly a labour of love, but the whole thing has a very nice feel about it. Bodes well...

Fab picture - thank you!

Scenic work on hold at the moment, for the simple reason that I have run out of materials! Woodlands ground foam is readily available, but less so static grass fibres so am hoping there will be some at the Reading 0 gauge trade show on Saturday week. For those of you not aware of this event, it is truly an Aladdin's cave of everything the modeller could need , a positive bottomless pit of 'wants'. Spending 50 grand or more [assuming you had the funds] would easily be possible. Go for RTR and professionally built stuff and 7 figures is perfectly possible. More important though is the wonderful range of smaller traders plying their wares & it is the one place where you can generally find everything under one roof. Just hope somebody has some fibres! Anyway, to get back to the variety theme, found myself staring at a collection of figures [whitemetal] that I had been putting off painting, so decided to make a start. Soon realised why I procrastinated, as really don't get excited by figure painting. Perfectly capable of making a reasonable effort, but just doesn't float my boat. So, have been trying to do the little and often in the hope of getting the job done. Mixed in a South Eastern Finecast Austin 7 as well. Lovely little kit, but again, the amount of faffing about to produce a tiny model is along the lines of the number of tools needed to wire a 3 pin plug [about 47 in my case]. Yet I will happily punch rivets and find tiling roofs curiously satisfying. So easy to see why RTR is popular and why ready painted figures are expensive...

Not easy & beautifully done!

That's the one I have - but many thanks anyway. Also just found a picture of B in its current rather distressed state and the front wheels certainly appear to be disc not spoked, though am sure I can get round that. Seats looked brown, but will await further info.

Just found a copy of Neil Sprinks 1980 history of SLNCR at this online site. Just Google Buffers books and you will get there. They have a very wide list and a dedicated Irish section. Quick to respond to requests too.

Am in the early stages of planning to do a model of SLNCR's Railcar B, for my Arigna Town layout. I have the 4mm scale drawing [can re-scale to 7mm ok] and a range of pictures [colour too], but nothing that shows what type of wheels were used, so am hoping historians out there can help please. One thing which already stands out is the different wheel sizes on front & rear bogies. AND, they are pretty small too! Indeed, if the drawing is correct, then the unpowered bogie wheels are just 2' 4" in diameter, but the smallest Slaters do is 2' 6"... The drawing suggests only 2' 9" for the driven bogie, again, very small. Slaters do at least have a set at this size, they are 9 spoke, but at the moment I have no idea if Railcar B's were spoked or plain, front or back either. Certainly looks like it will be an interesting challenge, though I did build a 7mm model of one of the Wagon und Maschinbau 4 wheel railbuses for my BR layout a couple of years ago, so have some ideas about how to make the complex ends. Am expecting problems with the articulation though, not least because want to keep the cap between the trailer and the tractor as small as possible. Have the nice colour pic of one of the Donegal units, minus its trailer, which should help. Interiors are always a pain too with railcars and DMUs in the larger scales - you have to include all the seats and inside panels because the prototypes were so well glazed. So if anyone knows what colour the seats, floor, inside panels etc were, that too would be much appreciated. Pic of the W&M below...

And congrats in order for the birthday boy I hear! hope its been a good 'un.

Coming on nicely, 'twill be a thing of great beauty when finished, as was the prototype. 21mm gauge too - well done sir! One day I could be very tempted by a 7mm scale one