No prizes for guessing who I have been shopping with.
Their usual impeccable service means I got a box full of goodies that are key to progress on the various N gauge projects. Nothing major, but those things that would be hard to source or build without their range. Various types of fencing, a backscene, and scenic textures that are a perfect match for what I need.
It is just one of those small family businesses I love dealing with.
I'm not one for the social side of model railways. I follow a few blogs, and I see a few individuals I say hello to at shows. I've never been in a club, though that is about to change, and although I'm in societies, it is purely for knowledge and access to products.
I do engage with some Facebook groups linked to model and miniature railways. Most are very good, and nice places to spend some time. There is the occasional person who lets a nasty mix of far right politics, prejudice and conspiracy theories intrude, but they are easily blocked.
But many of you will be aware that in the last week the YouTube aspect of model railways has got poisonous.
Now, I'm several steps removed from it. With one exception, I don't know any of the people involved. But at the same time I've noticed an increase in a certain kind of SocMed comment.
I try to be honest about my skill level, that my aspirations don't always match my capabilities, but i admire those who can achieve incredible results.
But there seem to be a bunch of people out there who not only don't aspire to much beyond playing trains, but actively and vocally denigrate those who do. Any sensible advice or information about real railways is attacked, The mythical Rule One is constantly invoked, but it only seems to apply to them, not to others,. Sadly this seems to be happening most often in groups aimed at beginners. People have begun to delete pictures of their work and posts asking legitimate questions because of the nasty comments they receive.
It is as if some people want to keep everybody at their level, perhaps so their own shortcomings can be presented as strengths, and all this comes with a whiff of that toxic mix I mentioned earlier.
It isn't healthy, and it isn't good for the hobby. Yes, it is just a hobby, and why should we care what other people think? Because it harms people, with real world consequences.
The first train rolls into my newly completed Dark Hall shelf layout.
Not really, of course. It remains bare foamboard, despite being planned as a quick and dirty project before embarking on Gerralt Rd. This was a quick assemblage of bits to help me work out some decisions.
So, why has it taken so long?
Two reasons, I suppose.
The first is because it was also always intended to be a learning exercise to get me used to working in 2mm again. Part of that learning has been building things and then being dissatisfied with them. That station shelter is still in the purgatory between either being finally finished or dumped in the WPB.
As I've gone along, I've changed my ideas on what materials to use, which has been very valuable and will, hopefully, benefit both layouts.
The other reason is the road bridge that spanned the middle of the platform at Park Hall.
I was going to use the LCUT version, which is a nice little kit in its own right. But the more I looked at it the more differences I spotted compared to Park Hall. OK, you could say it is only a scenic break, so does it matter, but the way the composition works, I think it does. As on APA, it will appear in most photos I take, and the composition means I'll find myself looking at it more than if it were at the non-station end of the board. Again, this isn't a criticism of the LCUT product.
So what needs to be altered?
The list is quite long, I'm going to have to scratch-build the abutments with their varied materials, and reduce the loading gauge so it doesn't tower over the tracks.
Perhaps the biggest change, though, is to give the road a decent amount of depth. On the real thing, the deck is approximately five or six brick courses deep. I also want to model a representation of the underside of the bridge, more for photographic purposes than for the normal viewer.
The question of the normal viewpoint for N is something I've been thinking about. If I didn't take photos, and the baseboard was eighteen inches wide, I would probably be quite happy with the standard of my modelling. But the camera shows up every fault.
...is the sign of a broken computer.
At least that is what the sign Issy bought me many years ago says.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't the computer that broke. The pole supporting the telephone and power lines to the house had to be replaced yesterday. The guys who did it were incredibly quick and also very helpful, ensuring we could still get the car in and out.
Whilst we had no power, I made a start on reorganising my office studio again. For once, the dogs were a great help—they were locked in the kitchen to avoid me tripping over them.
As well as tidying a few things up, I've changed which side I sit at my main modelling desk, and moved my tool storage units onto it. Part of the reason is so my modelling isn't visible when I'm on video calls, but I also like having tools close to hand. It should also reduce how often I trip over the dogs, and give me room to display the latest idea for the East Coast-based 4mm micro.
Whilst pondering decisions about the 7/8ths line, I decided to remind myself what it looks like with some stock on it. I think this is the first time in 2025.
Many years ago, when I was a lecturer in a management school, I always recommended this book.
Simplicity is powerful, but not always easy. Some of you might know Moravec's Paradox that powerful AI tools cannot accomplish some tasks that a three-year-old can master. I spent four hours this week trying to record a simple fifteen-minute video on agenetic AI that will be edited down by the client to simple soundbites.
To save you watching it, I was being paid to say it was a good thing.
I've never built anything but simple layouts. I sometimes thing I would make more progress if I built a Big Project. I had one in mind at the old cottage, where I had the space for permanent benchwork. There is something appealing about a layout you can work on as and when, without having to clear space and dig out boxes. which is what I've been doing to recover from the podcast stress.
First of all though, we've had an Autumn clean up in the garden. After eighteen months we are slowly working out what works, what doesn't, what is too old to be saved, and what needs to be showcased.
I've never been happy with the putative 7/8ths line. I took the radical step this week of removing the siding.
I'm happier with this, but not "Happy." It may be different when I replace the LGB track with the planned hand-built track, and it is ballasted and sceniced. I'm not convinced, though, and for now it will remain a test track. Two other options I've considered for this space are using it for a more complex E2E 16mm line, or even as a scenic 5" gauge line, continuing on a bridge across the steps into the flower bed.The track to do that is already sat in the garden. The bridge would need to be a hefty but removable structure, and it would mean finding the right loco and rolling stock - vintage first-generation Maxitrak being ideal.
So where would the 7/8ths go? It would have to be a simple oval and a siding in one of the flowerbeds. Not the end of the world, because I could just watch the trains go by and not worry about them flying off at one end or hitting a concrete wall at the other.
Meanwhile, back in the office/studio/workshop...
Two things struck me this week. The first is that I have more 4mm "stuff" in here than I realised, especially taking into account what is in the display unit on my wall. The second is that the brackets currently holding up a long Mosslanda shelf could equally hold up one of the other old, shorter but wider shelf units I've got. More to the point, I've got two of them. So one could be a fiddle stick/yard and the other could be the scenic module on display.
James Hilton recently posted a layout idea that has struck a chord with many people.
The simplicity reminded me of a section of my old OO9 layout, which was essentially a scene inspired by a panoramic painting of the Talyllyn Railway on a postcard, combined with an Airfix turntable featuring 9mm gauge track, allowing it to turn a whole train.
I'm thinking now I could do something like that now, but using a boxfile, with most of the long side cut out, to frame the view a bit like a letterbox. Getting the Cadeby layout out for a quick photo today reminded me how satisfying a very simple scene can be.
