Noel

Yes it's was a bit mad. But even up here in the mountains the roads were quite usable yesterday with many treated. Today will be different but being snowed in for 24 or 48 hours is not life threatening nor worthy of the media and govt 'end of the world' hysteria. Hope to get lots done on the layout.

When I find the correct size and similar colour, seeds on PVA to a flat plastic base sprayed with matt varnish to seal.

I stumbled upon these old photos from 1970s by accident of Kingsbridge mk1. My first layout started construction when I was about 12 and finished or as finished as I could get it when I was about 16. Not sure what date these were taken in but I guess mid 70s. What is remarkable is that they were in colour and I think I took them with my well traveled uncles colour Polaroid camera. Layout was built in converted attic space of old farm house. Mainline through station with branch line diverting off into tunnel on inside platform. In background over bridge of raised single track branch line. In those days every once of track was precious and layouts were planned around the bit of track you had Branch station with loop, engine shed, goods shed and small bay platform for GWR autocoach. Bachmann mk1 CIE livery coaches hauled by Bachmann CIE 215 (supposedly A class) on platform 1. Lima CIE vans in siding with Lima CIE (BR) brake van. The station lights used to work. CIE 215 hauling 2 x Lima mk1 and 1 Tri-ang hand repainted coach (still have the lot), on lifting panel of raised branch line. The telephone posts all had fine wires between them. Anybody old enough will remember the mass of telephone cables along all rail lines and the hypnotic effect they had when staring out the window of a laminate coach looking at the lush green country side then alive with live stock, hay cocks and humans at work on a living landscape. Can't remember what the foliage was but the bank was the usual paper mache covered in plaster mix, painted and scatter applied when paint was wet. I had a sort of OCD thing for telephone poles and cables along the railways. The layout was left behind after my father died a few years later we sold the farm, but I managed to save all the rolling stock, most buildings, signals, etc, and people figures. I still have some of these buildings since adapted on my current layout, along with all the figures. You can just about make out the red Tri-ang breakdown crane in the siding behind.The Lima stuff nowadays is gastly but back then I considered it razor edge fantastic - I had Irish trains to run and that was enough for a kid.

Just arrived on Kingsbridge a rake of 10 sugar beet wagons. The cargo is more 7mm scale so will source replacement seed.

Excellent. What is the anticipated delivery date?

Lovely paint job. Your results have inspired me to have a go. I have a few on those maroon LMS coaches and never realised the potential for GS&WR use. Thanks for forging the way!

Anything is possible - both? Or even a beat wagon for musicians

Somehow I missed this thread. Wow they are stunning master pieces George. I'm sure their new home will enjoy running them.

26 layouts - thats seriously impressive. Promises to be a superb exhibition in a great venue using the large open hall space instead of numerous pokey classrooms.

Ha ! Like the idea certainly future proofing! and along with the wagons a good seller - trainset stuff I think. Yea a low end turbo roller skate yo-yo for santa's stocking. Our grand children would love racing them back and forth. I think though a snow plough attachment or wagon might be more of an appropriate seasonal item. The taras should prove popular though.

My cunning plan is working perfectly then But only if the seats are prototypically hard

Robert it is indeed a classic conundrum.

The specs sound amazing. What is really nice is the buffers look the right scale length for compressed mode when coupled up close with another wagon (i.e. rather than fully extended like a standalone uncoupled wagon). This may allow scale distances between the wagons in a rake when coupled (i.e. similar to Bachmann's coupling distances and adapted buffer lengths).

Looking forward to it. I'm sure it will be a class event.

Sheep herd panic? Its not the end of the world, when it does eventually snow folks will be able to get to the shops in within a few days!!! These met office alerts amplified by a hysterical media just worry people unnecessarily.

I nearly fainted looking at those layout scenes.

Get your end of the world shop done tomorrow! Ever since the met office introduced 'alerts' the media seem to hype up routine winter weather events be it storms, frost, snow, etc (e.g. Teresa Mannion, storm ophelia, etc). The prophets of doom are predicting varying levels of snow later this week, ranging from 1cm of snow to worse than 1982 and 2010? Continentals nearly die laughing at how the least amount of snow brings Ireland to a stand still. Photo Irish Rail website

Excellent work. Really precise and neat.

Hi Dave. Most folks use AddressPal or ParcelMotel from UK rather than eBay'ers ripoff postage to Ireland. €62.50+ €8.20 p&p = €70.70 (via AddressPal) Expensive but well less than the insane prices some EGVs have achieved on eBay over the past few years. Rare as hens teeth. Noel

Spotted an IE/IR Mk2 EGV on eBay for not mad money, easy to paint roof orange for anybody who wants an all orange tippex EGV. https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Murphy-Models-IE-InterCity-Mk-2-Generator-Van-MM5602-Black-Roof/162915508129?hash=item25ee855fa1:g:YbkAAOSwY19akDMM

Congrats. Stunning achievement for a new and foreign entrant to the vast UK market to effectively get 10% of the vote, especially when the cement wagons only became visible to that market in the latter part of the year. Well done Stephen, Richie, Patrick and Fran.

So you dared to actually handle the coach without using gloxing boves for protection, prized the bogies off, fitted the washers, and put it away again without even playing with it?

Enjoyed watching your project evolve. That rake of double beets looks fabulous. Very professional video too. Respect.

Dave have you had a chance to test run MM1509? Does it wobble like the RPSI cravens? I understand they were made in the same factory.

Attempt using washer to remove RPSI Craven Wobble failed. I made 120 plastic card shim washers and fitted them, perhaps 115 might have been better. Unfortunately they did not improve the wobble one iota. Will try MMs washers when they become available but not optimistic based on my experiment with a plastic washer. Yes the RPSI craven bogies are harder to remove, as somebody suggested it must be a harder plastic, flat screwdriver underneath helped prise them off by hand. Shim washer cut from 120 plastic sheet - perhaps 115 might have been better, but I filed it a bit thinner anyway. This had no effect whatsoever on the RPSI Craven Wobble.