Technically as I'm temporarily 400 miles from the layouts not a lot.
But, soon...

Tiree (N) at the MRC , is waiting for me to do interboard wiring, and add one non scenic track.

Heigham Furlgate (N), I've been designing a support system for the layout, once that's made, it's dropper installation time, plus river bank scenery. The boards are too short for fold up legs... Other solutions are required.

DeCoville (009) work temporarily suspended as HF has a higher priority till the weather gets cold. HF is in the mobile home and I won't be heating it just for a couple of hours in the winter, DC is in the house..

Ludgershall ( EM) has been in long term suspension due to rats eating through the floor of the shed and the sheds back door. Hopefully this has been solved, but there is a lot of clearing up to do before work can restart next summer.

When I was exhibiting at TINGS, I spotted a very nice-looking 3D-printed lattice footbridge by MDN Designs - but they'd sold out on Saturday, so I ordered a couple of kits on 20 Sept; they arrived today and I've been hacking them into something resembling the footbridge at Pelsall on the South Staffs line. I've managed to extend the deck, joined 2 lots of steps together and also joined 2 of the 'piers' together - it looks ok so far... the painted bit is just a test...
In the event I found I've only used the 'double arch' kit (the double kit is 2 'single arch' kits as far as I can tell). Single kit was £15, double £20.

What am I doing on my layout right now? Which one? I have 4 layouts(all N gauge) in various levels of progress. My Christmas tree layout has been put away until next season. I had got some scenery work done on it over December in to January. The main American layout seems to be gathering dust. I staged some photos for Dat's Virtual Traffic Exchange but that is as far as I got. My Japanese layout is under going a re-think in regards to the space available. Finally, my British layout has taken the spot formerly occupied by the Christmas layout, on top of a bookshelf in my living room. My most recent work was a Metcalfe Crofter's Cottage which is going to be a roadside inn. I just need to find some appropriate signs. I glued sandpaper down for the Inn parking lot but it still needs to be blended in to the scenery. I finished the crossing gates, put some grass down and some fencing for the sheep and glued a stonewall around the Inn. I finished painting the rails and most importantly, I purchased a track cleaning eraser from my local hobby shop to keep the rails shiny.

It's a lovely sunny winter Saturday morning. A quick trip to the dark side (my other train set) was in order.




I think I feel an Inglenook coming on. Will have to swap those 'ahem' couplers.

Mark

Oh dear!

- - - - Hoping I drill the holes in the correct place for the Dapol signals! Does anyone else bother with the positioning relative to the track?
I've researched the dimensions for sizes and clearances from the track centre to the signal post 'face' and arrived at a net value of 10mm from the adjacent rail. The base of the older pattern Dapol signal is quite wide and to place the signal that close to the track would necessitate removing part of the base - not a problem but is it worth the effort?
I seem to be chasing more and more 'modelling' conundrums in an effort to get the railway looking like a railway! Given the compromises that accompany turning a 'train set' into a model railway on a restricted area I'm wondering if there's an artistic dilemma ahead, where one is never quite satisfied with the 'canvas' and never know when to stop?

Well after all that procrastination about placing the signals i discovered that one of the positions was unobtainable and so have opted for a 'best line of sight' get out clause. You can see it - the inner home junction RJ54 the DMU has just passed. Fortunately its position on right of track corresponds with the prototype see second picture!
Will next connect wiring, test actuation then disguise the bases with ballast and earth plus a few weeds

Nothing at this moment but tomorrow afternoon I will be glueing the sand in the Bus and Coach Yard and the lane leading to it .
Stonehouse now has an official Bus Museum .
Bob

Quote from: Greygreaser on August 14, 2025, 06:54:11 PM

Good grief. Is that a Poole 3 car class 101 still going?

Exactly what I was thinking - I have three of them, all knackered.

Refinished my little GWR setup earlier this year and just got around to taking some photos. A nice little patch of countryside to gaze at, could always be expanded in the future. Might add a blue sky backdrop later on.

Sorry this is a bit late regarding the 101s.

I've still got two running, a two car and a three car.

The two car is a bit like grandad's axe. It started off as a motor bogie only drive, which was next to useless. It was rebuilt with a bo bo chassis when they became available, and now has a coreless motor and is chipped. Runs well, but still noisy. The three car came as a bo bo drive, and is chipped. Both units have had replacement wheels and gears to a varying degree due to usual split gear problems.

Both still in noisy service! But not so much now, as I also have the latest design of 101s and 108 in service.

The original motor bogie wasn't wasted,  it's the power unit for my J70 tram.

Martyn

I've 101's in various states of dis-repair or repair - choose! The 3 car in the picture works ok inc noise? I've another 3 that needs a chassis which I've got ready to fit and a 2 which needs an 'inside' coupling - these are listed alongside rockinghorse poo in rarity classifications?. I've also got 90% of a brass geared motor-bogie, a spare body and a couple of body ends all Poole 101's.
I'm looking at eBay etc for damaged ones but so are other folk and scrap goes for serious money sometimes.
I'm wondering if someone has discovered a conversion say to a Kato or Tramfabriek powered bogie? Suspect the tower arrangement would be harder to convert in the replacement of the whole bogie?

Layout build so far this year https://youtu.be/sUPt4KTIHuU?si=RU9G1f-AKK8xLch3

Welcome aboard.
That's a great little video of progress to date.
The layout is looking good.