David Holman

Not sure anything exists in the larger scales, unless custom built. The nearest to 'off the shelf' I can think of are the Alphagraphix Tyrconnel range. They do a good selection of 7mm scale, etched brass, six wheel coaches, plus several ex MGWR locos such as a J26, J18/9 and G2 2-4-0. However, Alphagraphix also do card kits, which are really cheap [less than £5], of the 6w coaches, plus one or two locos as well. An online search will take you to the website.

True, though a back scene should work just as well, if you have the space.

Not bad at all, JB! However... Below are two of my three cameras. The Coolpix is what I use for general 'proof reading' photos of models and for this forum, where minimising the megapixels makes for easier uploading. Equally, with a 6x zoom and 16megapixels, it dwarfs my first digital camera for little cost. Pretty much automatic though, so for more detail work [and holiday snaps], I use the Panasonic Lumix. 20x zoom and 15 megapixels, it still fits in the palm of your hand - unlike my beloved Canon SLR 'film' camera which sadly lies unused in the drawer. Note the magic word 'Leica' on the Lumix though - a proper piece of glass for the lens. Do mobile phones have such things? The third picture is of the control on the Lumix - a dial which allows you to stick with the all too good automatic settings, or be more creative by varying aperture and speed settings. An SLR it ain't, but am almost ashamed to say it will nevertheless do pretty much all I ask of it, though it did cost me £200. One more thought - given that a one megapixel photo will still look ok blown up to A4, you have to wonder about the other 15 million AND how on earth do they fit them all [and hundreds more] on a memory card little bigger than a postage stamp? Amazing....

At a show a few years ago, someone asked if they could leave one of those little cube video cameras on my layout. It was placed at the end of the platform and filmed several trains over about 15 minutes. As for cameras, the ones in mobile phones seem to get ever more clever. However, though the processor can make up for a multitude of sins, ultimately, a piece of glass (ie the lens) is crucial. Would have thought a proper camera, even a cheap one, will have a better lens than most phones. My Nikon Coolpix cost me £50, while mobile phones with decent cameras cost ten or twenty times that and can't help thinking that choosing a dedicated tool for the job will always bring better results.

All the more remarkable!

Impressive! When were these models built?

Yep, that's a Wow alright.

Thanks JB, though your layout also has much to be proud of, while for me, the story telling adds another layer. Lighting does make a difference though and LED strip is very effective. Cool white seems to work best for cloudy days and warm white for sunny ones. Get the maximum number of LEDs per metre, because that minimises shadows. Ideally, you want a strip about 5-10cm in front of the front edge of the baseboard and another along the middle. The one along the front edge stops shadows from the middle strip forming. With my own photos, two LED strips like this mean I can use at least 1/60th of a second exposure and avoid using flash. Where you place the camera can be important too. Getting it down to natural eye level can be very effective -often, just placing it on the baseboard surface is all that is needed. Ultimately, a camera with manual overide, so you can set a small apertures and a long exposure (five seconds or more), seems to work best.

When I've had the privilege of my layouts being photographed for magazine articles, the likes of Tony Wright and Andrew Burnham both prefer using natural light, small apertures and long exposures, for maximum depth of field. Proper cameras of course, with big lenses and lots of megapixels. For photos on this forum, I have a little Nikon Coolpix, set to just 2 mega pixels and rely on cropping on the laptop to get the scene I want. Needless to say, the expert's photos are exponentially better....

A full review is in this month's RM, where it says the A hauled 25 (!) Pullmans around the Peco loft layout, which includes gradients of 1 in 40. Probably a fair bit more that the prototype...

A little stunner.

He does indeed. Roger's Alphagraphix J26 is a lovely kit. My first Irish loco, it was built and painted in just 40 hours and was a treat to make.

Suspect that a Leinster kit that has been breathed on by Eoin will be a bit special. Also noticeable how complete the kit shown was, including chimney dome and other bits. They real!y were good value if you were prepared to put the work in and back in the day, that was indeed what we had to do, learning a lot in the process.

Far from sure about that chimney! However, Leinster kits didn't come with any fittings or castings. Really cheap too and some decent models resulted.

Interesting! My thoughts too...

Saw a GWR 0-6-0 in a local junk shop only this morning. However, can only echo Mayner's comments. Chassis building may sound scary, but is one of those things that are really worth having a go at. However an interim step may be to replace the wheels on the Terrier chassis. Remember though, the axle diameter may not be the same on your replacements, while the crank pins on the coupling rods could have the same issue. You've then got to find a way of fixing the doner chassis to the kit's bodywork. Which is why that, ultimately we end up making up the chassis as well, because it is actually less fuss.

The Bandon tanks had 5'2" drivers ( two and a half to be precise), with an even spacing. The suggestion has always been to choose model wheels slightly smaller than that, to cope with the fact that flanges are larger than scale, unless modelling in P4 of course. Hence that probably means locos with 5' or 5'1 driving wheels. A trawl through my 1960 edition of the Observer's Book of Railway Locomotives reveals the following: GWR 22xx ' 5'2 SR Q, Q1 LSWR 700 SECR C 5'2 SECR 01 5'2 LBSCR C2x, E4, LMS Ivatt 2-6-2T, 2-6-0 LNER J6, J11, J35, J39, J21, J36 BR standard 2-6-0, 2-6-2T Quite a few of these are/have been available as rtr, so fingers crossed you can find one without paying a fortune. Good hunting!

With the body working out well, it would be a shame to get the chassis so out of proportion. If the wheelbase for the bogie is right, can you substitute correct sized wheels? Romford or Alan Gibson will no doubt have the right size, though guess the real problem will be axle diameter. At least the bogie wheels don't need quartering. Does the kit not come with a chassis? Probably the most daunting aspect of loco building, but also the most satisfying because once you've got over that hurdle your options immediately become wider for everything else. Easy for me to say, having built dozens, but at least it is a simple 0-6-0. Alternatively, if the wheel spacing is right, can you substitute larger drivers? Gibson ones don't need quartering, so might be an option of the chassis can take their 1/8" diameter axles. Most of all though, I just applaud you for having a go at something that isn't straight out of the box ( however good these are) and expanding your modelling skills along the way. Wish my first loco body kit looked as good, so all power to your efforts!

The standard RCH tank wagon is one of very few common to both sides of the water and lasted from the early 1900s into the 1960s.

Following the muse One of the many nice things about our hobby is that you don't have to follow convention, or even your own plans. Thus it has been over the last week or so, when after doing the ballasting & in particular working on the baseboard joint, it felt like it was time to do something different. So, I split the boards to gain a bit of space and have been focussing on the right hand one, in particular the right hand end of this. There are two main structures here, the travelling crane [more of which anon] and the warehouse. The first and third pictures show that this has grown a bit, with the gable end section gaining an extra storey as I felt more height would balance the scene better. This was then rendered with DAS clay, like the rest of the model and, once dry, the process of scribing in the stonework started. Inspiration comes from the rather splendid set of buildings on Ramelton Quay, not far from Letterkenny, photos of which I found via an internet search. They appear to be built from random stone & then cement rendered, only for some of the latter to crumble away. DAS is ideal for this sort of work. I don't worry much about applying it flat or smooth, for though I do sand it back, I also leave humps and hollows which help create variety. The hollows in particular are where I've scribed the stonework, plus along the base of the building, as per the prototype. The tools required are minimal, just a scribe and an old toothbrush - the latter essential to see where you are going. The building [a warehouse on my layout], also has some very nice looking doors, which have clearly seen better days. The ground floor one is both patched and very worn at the base, while the upper ones appear to have been repaired with corrugated iron. All fairly easy to do with plastic sheet and strip and certainly a lot simpler than making windows. As for the crane, I had this in mind as a way to hide the square corner at this end of the layout. A full scratch build was a possibility, but then I remembered the Dapol [ex Airfix kit]. This must be at least 50 years old, probably more, but represents the sort of thing I am interested in, standing high on long legs and running on rails set about 4-5 metres apart. Thus far, I've used the wheel units, along with the the cabin base and boom. The two legs have been made from 60thou plastic sheet, with the crane cabin from 40thou. A lot more detailing is required, but it seems to fit the scene, though the corner of the back scene will need some sanding to make a small radius curve. As things stand, I've got four structures of different kinds under way [crane, warehouse, platform store and the Puffer], so plenty of variety if/when I get bored with more mundane things!

Hardly a distraction when you now have a fine scene to display models against. Something for others to emulate, methinks.

Was going to suggest the same thing. Great work and turning into a fine looking model.

Sort of, but there is the usual issue in that it seven planks to the Irish wagon's six. Seems to a rule that Irish open wagons have an even number of planks, whereas GB ones tend to be odd.

We ask our stock to go round ridiculously tight curves. Bogie and four wheelers are usually fine, but six wheels, and indeed longer wheel bases cause problems. Some sort of flexible chassis is therefore essential. In 7mm scale, the Alphagraphix 'Cleminson' type works a treat. Flangeless centre wheels may go some way to solving the problem, but one of the outer axles may need to rock and/or pivot to go round tighter curves.

Looking at that photo shows how far N Gauge has come in the last few years, particularly in terms of wheels and chassis. Below the footplate, that Black Five isn't pretty....