Our world in miniature, hobbies

Hi all & Hi Dreamtime I enjoy the stage-act of our railway as much as anything, where my imagination puts various characters into the scene. Mayjan & Tricia have been on the railway for ages. Not just the characters sometimes, but the artefacts that I associate them with, like the D-Di ice cream van. Another artefact has arrived this Christmas, that our member JRL might recognise. The 30' static caravan is sited next to the Mason's Arms pub, which is being converted into a fish & chippy. Not an easy place for me to get a camera located, to record long exposure settings, but I do like the site. This is the part of the railway that is still being modelled. There is no railway at this location, quite a walk infact to Hounds Hill station or a bus ride to Burrow Hill station. I did wonder about a tramway but that is still in the think-tank. I am currently putting together some tree kits which arrived from China, which will go in some of the gardens.

Hi all My Pam, having a bit of knee gip, has kept me indoors as her home help, day & night nurse as well as home & shopping help. So, doing a bit to the railway has been fun. Pam is on the mend, hoping to pay me off by Monday. Some updated pictures of Hounds Hill old town, where a bit of natural daylight makes all of the difference to the long exposure photographs. Tree kits added too. They took some moving, mature oak & beech weighing in in full leaf. The angled mirror at the back shows the operating state of the fiddle yard so please ignore that. Pretend it is some kind of super solar energy futuristic blom-blom! Please compare the three pictures on this post, with the previous post, where the Masons Arms looks to have lights inside. No bulbs, no wires no electric or batteries. Just behind the mirror stands a flood-lamp, which illuminates the dead end of the fiddle yard, so by allowing some of the light to shine on reflective yellow sequins, that I have used on the signals & described previously, is just the job. Illuminated fish & chips. I have printed new signs for the chippy, but I like the quaintness of it still being called the Masons arms. We do odd things like that in Hall Brooks. I soon hope to add the fish & chip counters for inside the building, obviously sixties style. Another bit of cheating is the post office building in the background that was given as a gift. It is half the scale that it should be, but that doesn't need to be a problem. I carefully measured the "parallax" distance or disappearing sight line, so placing the post office in that spot. Obviously the illusion only works when viewed in relation to other objects in that direction, but it can only be viewed from this angle, unless from a helicopter, so I hope gives an impression of depth to the scene.

As 'the man' quotes - 'Brill'. It's looking better every time Philip.

Hi Dreamtime Our model for me is little different from reading a book, or a grown up version of being a child, having to use imagination. I am so envious of folk who can paint pictures, I struggle to draw a straight line, even though I have had some art & craft lessons, so I model instead. Some of those lessons like prospective have come in handy as with scaling & distance. A friend of mine on Facebook, shows her little girl, playing with her new dolls house, or mini-minx mouse house. I can identify with her delight. Our railway is little different, it just takes up a bit more room. Happy new year to you.

What a beautiful little face we see. I am sure if you were a dollshouse builder Philip you would be an expert in that field too. Many more Happy New Years to you and yours too.

Hi all Sorting the interior of the Masons Arms was easy, compared to a fifties outdoor sign. The ones that I have looked at & can best remember were metal boxes with a bulb behind glass lettering. I shall keep looking, as it isn't just the accuracy of the sign, it has to sit right in my memory. My memories of our local chippy in Torcross Ave, near to the Devon, didn't open until 6pm, Tuesdays to Thursdays, 5pm Fridays & Saturdays. It also opened Saturday lunch time & may have done so on Fridays. I have been told by folks who lived out in the sticks, that is was common on Fridays & Saturdays, for a mobile chip van to arrive at a pub & sometimes a fresh fish van too. This may have been the kickstart to pubs becomeing eating houses as well as selling drinks & packets of crisps. So, is our Masons Arms the evolutionary process in this, a small pub, struggling to cope with the drinking competition of the livelier Swann pub, in the town square, well liked for serving Cornish steam beers as a bonus? In our fiction Hall Brooks, we also have the out of town pub, the Wheatsheaf, with gardens, a train ride away in Longford. The Swann pub, behind which is the old barn & factory store, sometimes used for dances.

Afternoon all I have come across this photo of a small out in the sticks long gone railway station, Elmesthorpe, that was located not far from Hinckley. If ever there was a subject for someone to start modelling on, this has to be a candidate. It involves no open frame construction, as it is all on one level, the scenery all comes up, there are no valleys which makes it so much easier for a first time model. The position of the over-bridge makes it ideal for fiddle-yard operation. If I had room, it would be on my list to try. Everything there, the goods shed could be brought back into life. I can just imagine a 3F strolling along with the daily pickup goods, shunting the yard whilst in the distance a Bedford lorry is moving off the weighbridge ready to load up with coal. Only a thought. Wiki Link, Elmesthorpe Google Map. Current.

I was just thinking it was time for an instalment That photo does look perfect for a model railway. I know it's black and white but my mind fills in the colours.

Hi Helen It is still quite an undertaking to model, which would require a minimum of 14' in length for 00, 4ml to the foot scale. The sidings could be reduced in width, but would still need 3' minimum width so as not to lose the open effect. It's a good starter model because of all being level. Although I cannot remember visiting this site as a youngster, my fascination with real railways was these sleepy, slow, little happening places. I enjoyed a living railway where folk were involved. A high speed train whizzing by might have thrilled me a couple of times at some point, but lazy summer afternoons at Kenilworth Junc or Hatton station with its small yard I remember with great affection. ps. Like with your Coventry artwork, Helen, so much of the delight is researching. A visit to the Wentworth Arms, right next to the goods yard, would be a first port of call, maybe a chat with someone that might remember the station, might even be an ex-employee or whose dad ran the coal yard. All part of the delight.

Morning all I often make mention of the term fiddle-yard in context of railway modelling. Our railway has eleven, three of which are less than four feet long. I saw this whopper on Facebook just now. Never seen one this complex or big before. Remember, a fiddle-yard is off scene, it is out of sight or behind the curtain.

That's given me my naughty laugh for the afternoon. Frankie Howerd couldn't have put it better if he'd written Up The Railways.

"so much of the delight is researching". Indeed! I'm currently working on the Spon Gate and have delved deeply into castle mechanics. It's not obvious at first glance where to run a drawbridge chain or when to get off the spiral staircases. Warwick and Kenilworth castles are informing my design efforts.

Hi all In spite of the wet & cold, Spring is showing up on south facing landscapes for us all to see as we venture out. The south facing sides of some trees & bushes are also showing the fresh green. With so many wet days, I have at least enjoyed some extra art time on our railway, as I try & portray the freshness of spring time. The bright watercolours fade naturally, so if I catch the springtime on time, my next artwork task is autumn, when we add fruiting colours. The main town scenes still need my brush-strokes but the valley scenes I hope you like as they are more or less complete. I might get around to the town scenes at the weekend when the next wet period is forecast. The town scene still needs brightening up, from the faded flat colours that are twelve months old.

A bit of business news Hornby revenue down to just £17m. Whatever will they do! I know there is more to a balance sheet than a one line entry. I wish my revenue was just £17m.

Hi all Today being forecast as a dry proper spring like garden & outdoor day, I carried on late into last evening completing what I needed to with our railway. It included making good the jetty entrance to Hounds Hill platform 1. I hope you like. Compare this with the previous picture of this same view, post 679. Close-up. B17 waits to leave with the local goods to Water Orton.