Well, what can I say? (note question mark!) It has been a long time since I`ve even thought about updating this site, but I decided to spend at least a short while checking my mail, and sorting out all that SPAM that gets posted on my site! Yes, there sure was lots and lots of junk in my guestbook, which was duly deleted, but I did find the above comment which was, not only unnecessarily rude, but extremely ironical!!
As Mr.Stevens was trying to make a point, I thought I`d do the kind thing and post it here so that more people are likely to read it here than in my guestbook.

Inane drivel? Boring? Well, this site may not have been updated in a long time, but at least there is SOMETHING here!!! If you really can`t sleep at night, maybe you should check out the above site, which has to be one of the most 'empty' and 'boring' site`s I`ve ever had the misfortune to click on! That truly IS a pathetic attempt!

Ok, onto a more serious subject, e-mail. This site was linked to a Lycos e-mail account, but that is now no more. Sorry to anyone who may have sent a mail in the last few months, as I simply would not have received it. However, a new contact e-mail is here although obviously the spam filter has already been set for a certain individual!

Rightio, that`s about it for this year! Well actually, more frequent updates are set to return, and hopefully very soon, which is great news for many of the websites regular viewers. Oh yes, so much more inane drivel and boring updates! What more could you want?

On my Stereo: Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

Unfortunately, it`s been another long period of inactivity on both the layout, and the upgrading of this website. The 'handyman' who promised to help out with various jobs in the loft has gone AWOL (leaving most of his tools,) and decorating the lounge (which seemed neverending,) has taken up a lot of weekends recently.

The redesigning of this website (and a hoped return to regular updates) has also suffered, but the good news is that we`ve at least found the time to move and upgrade our forum.

Click on the image above to pay a visit. It`s free to register, and is updated a lot more regularly than this site!!!! Don`t forget to add to or alter your bookmarks! Have fun............

On my Stereo: Pink Floyd - Meddle

I haven`t updated this site for a while, but I had a few spare moments earlier today, and thought I`d check my Guest Book for comments, and of course, that dreaded SPAM. Needless to say, several SPAM entries had to be deleted. Unfortunately, due to an error on my own part, several genuine entries were deleted in error...... A shame, as It`s always nice to hear from fellow modellers, whether there comments are of praise, or even (as is often the case) wondering when the next update will be!!

Of course, running this web-site isn`t essential, infact, it often detracts from getting on with the actual modelling! And it also costs me money to run, and all for your benefit! So for those reasons, it`s always nice to get any feedback, good or bad! Please feel free to sign the guestbook if you haven`t already done so (or even if you already have!) You never know, it may encourage me to get on with projects and maybe even update this site more often!

Now why did I pop to the shop and waste money on this tin of Spam for this photo!!?? Offers anyone?

.............Don`t worry, I`m still alive and well! Feels like I`ve been here before!!! No prizes to anyone who may have guessed that I`ve not got upto much lately. Well, I have at least got some gardening done in my spare time........

.....And earlier in the month managed a trip to Long Marston where recently preserved 87002 looked absolutely smashing!!! I`m looking forward to seeing her back on the mainline soon!!! (Fingers crossed!) Other pictures I took at the event can be found on my fotopic site.

I also took the opportunity to take photographs of some of the wagons which were stored there, included these PGA hoppers. I have several dozen of these model wagons, and the extra photos I took will no doubt come in handy when I get round to finalising the rake!

Next on the agenda..... I Really must get round to renewing my DEMU membership, and sending off for those class 84 bogie frames!!!! And yes, I will get round to my Hurst Pantograph production run..... one of these days........... Poor Lord President is still wearing it`s Lima springy-thing!

On my Stereo: Crystal Castles

Saturday afternoon - 7th June 2008

Kicked the bucket???

.............Don`t worry, I`m still alive and well! It`s just the usual case of not finding anytime to do any modelling as usual! Back in April, whilst in Whitstable, I did at least manage to pop into East Kent models, and picked up a few bits. Nothing exciting, but something to report is perhaps more exciting than nothing at all, even though that was over a month ago and I`ve done nothing with them since!!!!

Some little trees (to be used as bushes and some foliage to be used on the secret side-project!! Now, I did say it wasn`t very exciting!!

Despite being totally out of the time-zones for the layout, I couldn`t resist purchasing this little co-op van! I`m not quite sure where (or how) to use it yet though! Maybe it can simply sit on my shelf!

I also picked up another Hornby class 86 bodyshell. The use of this may seem obvious, but I`m pretty sure no-one out there would be able to guess correctly. (And no, the fact that`s it`s hanging on the washing line is no clue!!!) All may be revealed probably sometime during 2012!

On my Stereo: Eddy Grant - Killer on the Rampage

Sunday afternoon - 6th April 2008

Press any key to continue.............

.............But where`s the 'ANY' key???? It would be nice to skip the rest of the ballasting, but there`s no point rushing, so I may as well take my time and do what I can, when I can! (Would you expect anything else????) But surely I must have got upto something slightly more interesting than ballasting over the last week or so.....??

.......Well, I have been experimenting with different flocks and grasses........... At least it breaks the monotony of dripping diluted glue between the sleepers and all that! It`s actually quite suprising how much greenery is needed for the layout, especially when you consider that much of it represent 'built-up' areas! It`s also important to remember that different types of grass can be found in different places, so a variety of correct looking grass is essential.
Much more experimenting is to take place though before any grass sets its seed on the layout itself!

On my Stereo: Magazine - Secondhand Daylight

Wednesday afternoon - 26th March 2008

Truncated Trunking

So far on my layout, I have used the Cable trunking packs which are available from TEN COMMANDMENTS. These packs contain just under 4 feet of cable trunking (also known as troughing) and also includes a few corner and 'T' sections. I have found this product extremely useful, but I have fallen somewhat short and only have one packet left. However good these pieces are, I still need a large quantity of packs, so I thought I may as well look for cheaper alternatives.
I thought I`d have a go at constructing my own.

In the above picture, you can see some of the plastic section which I will be using to make lots of trunking! Thes are: Evergreen square section - (186 0.125" / 3.2mm) Evergreen square tube section - (252 0.125" / 3.2mm)
Evergreen strip - (136 0.030 X 0.12) I will be using a lot more than pictured, but this will be enough to make a test run! I will also be using some Milliput and some sections of brass wire............

For quick and simply trunking, simply mark with pencil about every 8mm down the solid square section. Then, using a razor saw, make a shallow cut down each pencil mark. These solid sections can of course be cut to smaller lengths if required, but I need planty at the full 14" length of the plastic section!

Trunking with covers missing can be modelled using the square tube section. Using a craft knife, carefully remove one side of the section to the required length. Small sections of these, (or even long sections!) can be incorporated amongst the solid sections to suit. To model long sections with covers missing, it may be easier to simply use the equivalent sized 'U' sections.....

Cables are represented by some copper wire, and small sections of plastic strip can be used as covers, and can of course, be posed to suit! The next stage would be to spray with primer, then painted and weathered accordingly.......

The corner and 'T' sections can simply be made from milliput. Roll some milliput out (like pastry) until it is just over 3mm thick. Allow this to go quite hard, before cutting out the individual shapes. Allow to go completely hard, before filing to a satisfactory finish. The ones pictured are still at the crude unfinished stage, but it shouldn`t take too long to get these looking the part!

On my Stereo: R.E.M. - Out of Time

Tuesday lunchtime - 25th March 2008

Industrial Revelations!

I should really have repaired / produced new industrial units to replace the water-damaged ones from the St.Johns end of the layout, but our printer is currently out of use, so I will have to leave this task for another day.
Although I hate the look of 'modern' industrial units, and warehouses, they are an ever increasing part of todays scenery, so should therefore not be overlooked. Infact, I have started to scratchbuild an industrial unit for another side-project.......... This, as can be seen, is still at an early stage!

On my Stereo: Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase

Monday evening - 17th March 2008

Ticking the right boxes...........

The loco fleet menu has been undergoing some major changes, and to be honest, it`s going to take a while until it`s all up and running as I`d like. This is mainly down to the fact that most of the stock has been packed away and is largely unaccesible at the moment. This makes taking new photos difficult! Also, many items of stock will be departing Rugby-Parkway over the next few months, but I`m sure their places will be filled with a few 'new-faces!'

To save any of you clicking away pointlessly, I`ve made it slightly easier to navigate this section. If there is a photo of an item of stock, then there will be a specific page for that loco. If the box says 'NO IMAGE JUST YET' but also has a green INFO in the box, then you will be linked to a seperate page that will have some information, albeit without a photo at this stage. if you click on a box that says 'NO IMAGE JUST YET' and also says NO INFO in red typeface, then you`ll be wasting your time! However, I plan to update these individual pages a few at a time, so please bear with me, and keep checking back regularly.....

On my Stereo: Crystal Castles - Air War

Sunday evening - 16th March 2008

SPLASH-back!!!

We have had a lot of rain recently, and it appears that the roof has acquired a small leak. This does not appear to be too serious, but it has already resulted in some irrepairable damage. Pictured above are some damaged back-scene items that feature at the St.Johns end of the layout. If you look at the above photo, you will see part of a factory unit (unfinished) to the rear. On the layout itself, this low relief structure sits in front of the thin card units (which can be seen to the fore in the above picture), and behind these is the painted back-scene. However, the trespassing water has splashed over some of these particular sections, and as you can see, has ruined the thin card units. The damage reminds me of those nasty tie-dye T-shirts that were supposedly fashionable many moons ago! This has highlighted the disadvantage of scenery printed from an ink-jet printer - it doesn`t like water!
The problem I have is that these are just a small part of a complex scene, and I have no spares, or even any back-ups. It seems that I am going to have to scan some of the other parts and print those out!!!

It never rains - it pours............. Quite literally!!!!

Oh well, moving on...... What`s all this then? Could this be another one of my crazy projects underway? Possibly some strange DCC rain-water repelling device? Maybe all isn`t as it seems........ But what could be going on? Answers on the back of a postcard! Ok, I`ll save you the price of a stamp, and let you know in due course........

On my Stereo: Smashing Pumkins - Zeitgeist

Sunday evening - 9th March 2008

2 sides to the story.........

Here are the sides of the new class 83. You will notice that each side comes in 2 parts, and of differing lengths! One thing I have now discovered is that one of these sections is about 1.5mm too long!!! A good job I checked before construction commenced! The excess has now been removed with a razor saw. Before construction takes place, I must tackle those bodyside windows and grills...... watch this space!

On my Stereo: Editors - An End Has a Start

Saturday evening - 8th March 2008

Another 83 makes perfect sense?!?

A good few months ago (Probably closer to a year) I picked up an ex MTK kit which had been re-released ny No-nonsense kits on a limited production basis. I did not intend to put the kit together straight away, but I didn`t want to miss the opportunity to acquire one of these kits. The time has now come to make a further delve into the box!

The first problem I came across (although I was aware of this some time ago) was that the bodyside windows and grills are slightly too small, and aren`t quite where they should be. Parts of the kit can be seen compared to various drawings here......... The image above shows the diagram which came with the kit, while the two pictures below show the differences compared to 2 different sets of drawings.

The 'A' side fares slightly better, as can be seen below, although the kits comes with the original grill arrangement. During refurbishemt, the 2nd grill from the left received vertical louvres, while the other remaining three retained their horizantal slats. This shouldn`t be too difficult to rectify.

Apart from altering one of the grills, I think I`m going to leave this side as it is. Afterall, who says that drawings are always correct. If in doubt, look at the original, or at least a photograph! Below is a photograph I took many years ago at Longsight. Both 83`s in this picture clearly show the spacing between the grills on their 'A' sides......

While the picture below shows the 'B' side to good effect. It is clearly evident that the size and spacing of the windows is somewhat out! I`m in two minds wether to ignore these discrepancies, or to make some major alterations! I think I already know what I`m going to do though!! Oh yes, bring on the fun!

The middle window on the 'B'side was later altered to a bodyside grill, a feature which this kit incorporates, quite suprising considering the kits other side is in pre-refurbished condition!

Above, we can see the other parts that come with the kit. The bits to the left are actually other spare parts I picked up. These will be used when my existing scratchbuilt model of 83009 undergoes a little cosmetic surgery, but more on that later! Right, it`s time to start putting some of these bits together..... Wish me luck!!!!

On my Stereo: Editors - The Back Room

Monday Lunchtime - 25th February 2008

Shunting the HTML

I`ve not been happy with many parts of the website for some time now. One such part is the 'locofleet' section, simply because it looks boring! This section will gradually be transformed so it looks better, conatins more pictures, and will give deatails of each individual loco. A new menu system will be incorporated in time, but I have at least mad a start, and where better to start than with the layouts Class 08`s. However, please not that the pictures used here are old, and many models have been put into safe storage, so please be patient! The old menu system will remain in place until the new menu is complete.

Some of the locos listed are now surplus to requirements, and may be looking for a new home, or maybe some paint stripper!!!! I`ve always fancied a model of 08692 myself, in the guises as photographed above. Another project for another day!

On my Stereo: The Cult - Born Into This

Saturday evening - 23rd February 2008

Safe to proceed........

The first update of the year, and absolutley nothing to report! This is mainly due to work commitments, and generally less spare time on my hands. Much of my spare time over the last year or so has been spent recording what`s left of the current railway scene, rather than modelling.

An example of which is travelling over to the East Coast Mainline at weekends to photograph 86101. This is on hire to Hull trains, but it won`t be for ever, so I`m taking any opportunity to savour this while I can. Modelling can wait until another day - I don`t plan on going anywhere just yet!

Issue numer 115 of Model Rail arrived on my door-mat this morning. I couldn`t agree more with Chris Leighs opening comments. What with more and more better quality Ready-to-run products becoming available, less of us are having to kit-bash, or scratchbuild items which were previously unavailable. Although I have been guilty of putting-off certain projects because a manufacturer has announced a forthcoming model (super-detailing my fleet of Class 56`s for example!), I can`t see myself giving up detailing and adapting existing models, or constructing various kits for a considerable amount of time. I`ve still got an unbelievebale amount of Catenary masts to construct, and the other AC EMU`s I need aren`t going to appear in any model shops in a hurry! And I somehow doubt that ANY R-T-R models of classes 81-85 will ever appear on the shelves, but what with Bachmanns prototype Deltic, and Heljans recent Falcon, who knows what may be lurking around the corner??

Finally, a few months ago I started to streamline the web-site, and as a result, certain sections have been deleted or disabled. Unfortunately, I have since got side-tracked, and never actaully finished what I had started. This has resulted in some areas of the site looking messy and incomplete. However, I`m thinking of a newer fresher look for the site, so I`m going to leave things as they are for a while until I`ve decided on how the new look is going to go. Maybe you`ll find out sometime in 2010, but I certainly hope I`ll have lots of things to report on before then!!! In the meantime, if you have any comments about the site, or any ideas or suggestions for a newer look, simply drop us an email. Thanks for looking, and more importantly, thanks for your patience!

On my Stereo: Reyn Ouwehand - Galway remixed

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