Scalefour Forum

I had been looking forward to attending the show with both the CSP Models and Cumbria Railways Association (CRA) stands for the first time this year! CRA - if you are looking for reading material or plans/photographs, several thousand thumbnails have recently been uploaded, to help with your modelli...

Martin
Many thanks for your wonderful response. Furness red has always been a bone of contention and I've always said it depended on what day of the week the paint was mixed as to the end colour.
You've given an excellent answer and your model is very good as well.
Do you do commissions?
Philip

What is really needed is a chemist who knows how to make a black paint! When I worked in a factory, in another life, we dyed man made materials black but, there is always a but, there was no such thing as a black dye. We had to mix different colours to make black and one of the main ones was red. No...

Richard Knew the area well in my younger years when I was a volunteer on Ratty! It looks pretty good for what you need and is still in Cumberland so that is a plus. Have you got the model article about Boot station, think it was S scale? Regarding baseboards - a number of years ago I built some larg...

Richard Very sad news, but I'm also trying to bring an old layout back to life. I know exactly how you felt with Ulpha, more steps backwards at times. I know I offered Ulpha a home of last resort rather than see it scrapped but needs must. Make the most of what you have. You may be pleasantly surpri...

Andrew Sorry I've come to this late on. Lots of other things that need doing, as well as a family bereavement! Hopefully I've managed to attach a copy of the current build instructions. They are very brief and are from the 7mm ones with altered sizes. Nothing was added by Roger Slater during his ten...

Tim Not been on the forum as my email inbox has been bursting with lots of different subjects that have kept me busym Cumbrian Railways Association being the biggest. My observation is that even the lightest (blonde) mix still results in a golden coating? You are correct but a light dusting of colou...

Shellac - many years ago, after a disaatr0us exhibition with an EM layout that refused to work, having worked perfectly at home, I tried to rescue some track that had been ballasted with granite chips and PVA glue. Nothing doing so the whole lot went in the bin. At the time money was tight and I cou...

Andrew I fully understand where you are coming from and as you say, better to get out when you 'want to' rather than 'have to'. Hope it works out for you. As an exhibition manager for a provincial show (Workington) where 90% of those through the door are locals, talking to the traders is very import...

Why not CCTV? Cheap dash cam and a small monitor will let you see the actual train rather than just an indication that 'something' has tripped a switch/beam.
Philip (thinking outside the box!)

Well, we do have our problems in this group. The plan, yes we do try to have one, was to go to Ron's so that others could see the progress that he has made with his layout over the last winter. He had to go into hospital for laser treatment on his retina and when he came out he found he couldn't see...

Back to Askrigg again this month, after all the problems encountered last time when we met in Swaledale, well some of us did. Ian and David did not waste their time with an enforced stay in Askrigg following a puncture. Lots of work on the layout was carried out, as we were to discover! Before that ...

After the problems of last month we decided to try again to visit Ron in Swaledale. Due to a variety of factors numbers intending to visit were smaller than normal. As it turned out things did not get any better. Having picked up Ron and Patsy we made our way down the valley to the Farmers Arms in M...

Well the best laid plans of men and mice conspired to make things difficult for us this month. Normally we meet on the second Thursday of the month and this is the fourth! Originally we were to meet up in the heights of Swaldale on our usual day but Ron's car was having power issues and was due into...

Back to Askrigg for this months meeting. We do like to try and 'play trains', sorry, operate a layout whenever we can. As usual we went to one of the local pubs for our lunch. Ian is spoiled as he has three watering holes within a five minute walk, all of which serve locally brewed Real Ale, oh, the...

Back in Cumbria for this meeting and Glasson on the Solway coast was our destination. A bit of a squeeze getting everybody from the station to Chris's in my car, but we made it! Starting with a pub meal in the Highland Laddie (sadly now closed). Following lots of substanence including Real Ale with ...

Following a very successful meeting last month, in Cumbria, we crossed the border to Askrigg in Yorkshire and visited Ian again. He had continued working away on Bradford North Western but needed a bit a maintenance work before lunch in one of his locals then returning to operations. Ian has a full ...

A new year and a new venue for our first meeting. My house in Carlisle. Until now it had not been feasible to hold it here due to a very active little one but as she is at school and we can put her into an after school club until six pm we gave it a go. Lunch was at the Crown Inn in Stanwix and from...

Our Christmas meeting saw us cross the border, again! This time it was back to Ian's at Askrigg. Lunch was at the local pub, as usual, with a pint or two of Real Ale having a festive taste. Crackers and hats were optional.

If you look behind the hammer resting on the track you will see s somewhat overgrown locomotive and chauldron wagons! These are O gauge and the wagons are the first of my ready to run models to go on the market. They are Maryport & Carlisle ones so I don't expect a rush of orders. I needed 40 or...

Before getting snowed in for the winter we ventured into the wilds of Swaldale, to visit Ron in his purpose built authentic, Yorkshire Dale barn. It was amazing to think back to our first visit when there were just bare boards to look at with a piece of test track. June 2013 to be precise. Looking a...

A Saturday saw us travel down the M6, or by other routes for our, what seems to be, annual visit to operate, well try to, Mike Norris's layout, Preston. It is amazing the changes that have taken place since our first visit many years ago now. Signal box plans have appeared as have lots of block inst...

A bright sunny day saw six CRAGies venture out to the North West tip of Cumbria, Skinburness, to visit Bob Hetherington. Having grouped together we went into Silloth to visit the Golf Club for a light lunch, or not so light in some cases! The club was founded by the North British Railway so there is...

Sorry the tanks etc have not been rolled. I chickened out when I looked at the thickness of the half etch bits and the rivet detail. Didn't want to spoil them and felt if I was building the model I'd be able to put enough bend into them without using the rolling bars, which I find can be easily over...

1361 etches have been delivered along with the correct chassis for Medina, which has taken FIVE months to get sorted! First kits posted. Sods law then kicked in. Gibson wheels were delivered but I had more orders than expected and am now awaiting more stocks to complete a couple of orders. Majority ...