Robin Whittles’ Bristol Barrow Road
Scalefour North at Wakefield was a good one overall and three layouts caught my particular interest. Bristol Barrow Road, seen above and shown as work in progress. Already there are a good amount of features that are possibly going to make this model one of the best motive power depot models built so far. The above image and view reminds me of John Dormans 7mm shed diorama in MRJ a good few years ago. That model captured the often elusive atmosphere of a steam shed and I think Barrow Road is on that same pathway too.
Knutsford, above, is one of those layouts that seems to capture a time and place, its a layout that always brings me back to look at it again, even if there’s nothing moving and there are no trains on the scenic section. One of the key elements between this and Lower Exbury below is the use of colour and lighting on the layout. Despite having two very different styles of presentation the lighting and use of colour on the models and scenery themselves bring a consistency in appearance that isn’t there in many layouts.
Lower Exbury is a small layout and of the light railway genre. It does show how well S4/P4 track looks and is a good advert for P4/S4 in a small space. This element struck me as one project I have underway is a small space layout with a footprint of 4ft x 1ft. Lower Exbury has a dimensions and pretty much encapsulates the feeling and use of space and quality that I want to capture, but for me it’ll be in OO in an urban environment.
My shopping bag this weelend was a bit of an odd mix, a Comet BR Mk1 57ft underframe for detailing a Bachmann Suburban coach. Assorted Shawplan bits and pieces for a 31/4 based on the current Hornby model, decals for some hoppers for Roy Jacksons Retford, paint for an aircraft project and a photo of Welwyn Garden City in 1961 with a view into the station I’ve not seen before. Also on the board are components for a 2FS Great Western lower quadrant signal I’ve agreed to have a go at for another friends project. I anticipate making heavy use of the Wild Swan Scratchbuilders Guide to Semaphore Signal Construction (ISBN 978 1 905184 68 2). I now have to find the stiffest and thinnest wire possible, I’ll let you know what I find!
Not Everyone
Works For Peanuts …
Albion Yard 
Thinnest and stiffest wire you can find will be guitar wire. When you are at about 12 to 14 guage is is plenty stiff enough for signals.
Thanks Mark, by coincidence today a Rotosound 008 arrived in the post, I’d forgotten all about them, despite the axe in the corner being strung with them! :0)
It certainly was a good show Paul and it was good to meet you in person at last. Looks like your shopping bag was as varied as mine.
I didn’t think of using a Comet underframe for the Mk1 sub. I might look into that if you show us how you get on with it!
Likewise Dave still got that pint to do though! The Underframe etch will be robbed rather than used in its entirety I want to be able to keep as much as possible of the Bachmann coach as I can. Additional bits will come from Comet and the Mk1 detail set from Masokits, with windows from Shawplan. I think that’ll get me a pretty good coach at a reasonable cost.