Mark,

Thanks for the complement, but you are much too kind to put me in with that group. They are the experts in this hobby, while I am just a "learner". I am sorry to hear about Mario, but is good he got to visit you several times while he could. Regarding your building ways, we certainly have similar approaches. One thing we both do is flag the examples we see/like, so we have references for future use. We all lost many of those "flags" when this RR-Line forum moved to the new software package several years back. I am sure you and others are as just as frustrated with trying to find things as I am. FYI, I spent some time updating many of the links to several of my past threads (once I found them). You will find my previous layout postings here https://railroad-line.com/node/11970. The updated links to many of my previous builds can be found listed near the top of page one of that layout thread, so they are now easy to find. Perhaps that will be of some use to you.

As I stated earlier, you are doing a great job on your layout and I will enjoy watching it "grow".

Thanks again for your kind words.

Gregg

Thanks, Mike.

Now that they are done, I'm pleased I did them!

Cheers, Mark.

Mark,

The trestle is coming along well. NBW's add a lot to the look of a model like this. Excellent.

Mike

Thanks so much, Jerry.

I'm hoping to get back to it soon.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi Gregg. Great to hear from you.

You'll be pleased to know that I listed you in my recent clinic at our convention as one of my biggest influences. Three that you might expect - John Allen. George Sellios and Malcolm Furlow, and you, James Powell and Troels Kirk. I loved watching the way you would chop up and remake anew a great craftsman kit or collection of kits. It is certainly something I strive to do.

Yes - mock ups are a big part of the design process for me. I get super excited being able to visualise the finished project at the very beginning.

Mario came over to visit four times I believe. That particular time I spent his nap time (about four hours if I remember correctly!!!) mocking up the benchwork for the peninsula in Tellynott. I could see he was having trouble visualising what I was talking about so it was a way of explaining as well as letting me check out what the idea in my head would really look like. We spent a good few hours that evening discussing the possibilities. Sadly, Mario passed away late last year. He was due for another visit but never made it.

The more I have modelled the more scratchbuilding I have done. Its just such a fun process designing your own kit and then building it.

Our two older dogs love cuddly toys. We buy them from our local Salvation army shop for $1 a bag. Whenever we have visitors the first thing they do is run off and get a cuddly toy. I remember that doll being a real favourite of Cornelius. Mario did love the dogs, so it may have been him, the doll and Cornelius napping together!

The benchwork has been a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to finishing it off. I have the end of our winter this year as a goal. I have to finish the second room off first - including building a dummy wall in front of the roller door, and pour a slab and erect a shed outside for the zero turn mower and tractor implements. Then I will be back into the benchwork - along with some trackwork and wiring. I do enjoy making the benchwork nice a curvy. I think it displays the model well, softens the edges and opens up different views.

I'm very lucky to be married to such an understanding wife as Michelle. She doesn't share in my hobby at all (any of her spare time is usually spent either out in the flower gardens or, if the weather is inclement, reading) but she does realise it is what makes me tick. The space has been acquired slowly. The 'creep' is less noticeable.

When I opened up my layout for the layout tours at our recent convention I got a number of very positive comments, one even saying it was the most complete layout they had ever seen. That is the power of mock ups! It was a great reinforcement that even though I still have a long, long way to go, I have also come a long, long way. Sometimes when you are in amongst the forest it is hard to see the trees.

Insurance - yes indeed.

I hope to see you in the following pages and will be looking out for a new creation from you soon!

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks, John.

It wasn't too bad - maybe 20? There was lots of trying to 'regrip'. I did get a pretty good technique going eventually. The biggest problem was getting the nbw castings started in those tiny holes! If there were any burrs sticking out where they had been cut off the sprue then things got tricky.

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks, Karl.

Its been a fun build so far. Of course, like always, there have been other goings on getting in the way!

Here is one of those other things - this one model related. This is the second room for my layout and 3/4's of the home of Shadowlands. You can see I have stopped and painted most of the ceiling and reinstated the lights. There are a few touchups on the remaining plasterwork to do, a bit of trim and then painting. I'm hoping to get this done by the end of January.


Cheers, Mark.

Thanks very much, Tom.

The magnuson kitbash has a lot of negative and positive detail in the brickwork which holds the chalk well. I think I may have also used expensive chalk on it. I find the more expensive chalks stick better and so more grout remains on the structure. Yes, I did well persevering with the nbw castings! I have a great picture in the 2011 narrow gauge annual which I am using for inspiration. The nbw castings really look great on it. Two different sizes were used and I liked that look.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

A quick question before I respond to all this great response. What track spikes would you recommend for spiking code 75 track to my bridge and where would you buy it? I had thought I would paint up my code 75 peco flextrack to look like the timber on my bridge and just glue it in place. But, the code 75 track is hollow - meaning it looks wrong when viewed from underneath. Also, I really do like the look of the wooden ties. Of course, none of our hobby shops have anything and the one that might hasn't been able to get any for some time. From what I have read either Micro Engineering micro spikes or proto 87 spikes are the best? Obviously they will need to ship internationally.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark just getting caught up here. Perfect bents and trestle!!
Keep up the fine work.

Hi Mark. How are you my friend? Stopped by to see what's happening on the RR-Line forum and stumbled across your layout build thread. Then spent several hours catching up on 10-years of your fine efforts. Wow!!! You have been busy!! Some of the things I noted from my first pass review are:

• Clearly, you enjoy making and using layout planning sketches and mock-ups as much as I do. Is really fun to see your ideas develop, then become reality. Great job Mark!! (And thanks for taking all the photos needed to share your efforts with us.)
• During your early build time, Mario paid you a visit and you worked him so hard he had to take a nap under the layout bench-work!! (while probably still holding a saw and glue gun)
• You have a knack for scratch building. My wife tells me that I have a unique gift of taking something new and quickly making it look very old. Seems you have a similar gift, (and I mean that as a compliment of your modeling skills , whereas I am not sure my wife meant it as a compliment for me ).
• Your companionship while building is so exciting it even put your dog to sleep, while holding a doll!! (Or maybe it was Mario holding the doll while sleeping? I forget which.)
• Your bench-work is superb!! Really well done Mark!!

I also noted a few key takeaways:

• You are a much better negotiator for space than I am or most/all of our RR-Line friends!! Clearly I need to learn from you.
• The workmanship and results of your efforts to date are simply fantastic!! Your layout may soon be labeled as the G&D of NZ!!!
• You need to spend some time with your insurance agent and make sure you have enough coverage to protect your wonderful investment. We all seem to forget to do that.
• Your wife's plan for a gardener that you mentioned needs to be expanded to include a housekeeper to help clean this creation of yours.

I will enjoy every moment as I continue to revisit the many pages of this wonderful build. Great job Mark!!

Gregg

Mark

The trestle bents and bridge look great. How many of the nut and bolt castings flew out of the tweezers on their way into the trestle bents?

Great progress Mark on a wonderful project.

Karl. A

Mark, Cheers,

Great job on the Magnuson build - old and worn -great weathering. The timber bents and the timber deck bridge are wonderful. My hat is off to you getting all the NBW on everything. Fantastic detail on them, really brings it all to life.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing it all in place.

Tom

OK - time for an update.

The nbw castings are all in for the horizontal supports and the diagonal braces. I went cross eyed and swore lots. there were a few 'pings' as nbw casting flew around the room. the smaller ones were definitely worse. by my calculations that's 1340 nbw castings so far. Still more to go.

The photos below show the deck timber bridge. After I thought I had finished I found one of the inside double cross braces had been left off. This was a bit of a process to retrofit, especially as I had checked out the thicker timber brace going the other way on the others to keep things flush. I persevered and with the help of reversible tweezers, two small reversible clamps and a couple of spaces I was able to get the job done - including checking out the beam. For the tie rods I drilled holes in the horizontal supports top and bottom, glued in one tie rod casting end, cut the rod to length, threaded it through and then glued in the second tie rod end casting. This made what I thought might be a nasty job a breeze. I used photos of a Campbell deck timber bridge as a rough guide. I'm hoping to get a bit more done today.




More soon, cheers, Mark.