Jim Barrett

Yes I'm sure there's what I needed buried in there somewhere! I think it's come out looking okay - not a finescale model but hopefully onto that stands up against some of my RTR stock. I have a couple more builds in the pipeline, so will hopefully improve the fine detail with practice.

I scaled it off photographs of the Amtrak hoppers as, although they're converted PS2 covered hoppers, I couldn't find full drawings, just some basic dimensions. This is a model of one of the two recently purchased by the Morristown and Erie Railway.

Thank you!

My scratchbuilt ballast hopper build is close to completion, and I'm very happy with the results. Aside from trucks and couplers, the brake wheel is the only commercial part. #hoscale #bsmrguk #modeltrains #modelrailway #modelrailroad #modelrailways #tmrguk #scratchbuilt #scalemodelling #scalemodel

Well, that map proves it.

I'm here most. I was sad to move away from Twitter because the tmrguk group was very active and a strong community, but everything else there was a disaster. I'm still posting here, but most engagement comes from the US. I sometimes cross-post if I remember to.

That looks great, and worth all the work. What varnish did you use?

Is it some species of small bush-cricket?

Mine arrived today, thank you very much - just settled in to make a start.

Many thanks to anyone who chooses to share this. These are the last of the 53000+ books I bought from my ex-publisher Unbound earlier this year, after they stopped paying me and I took my rights back. We have 200-300 left and Jim would love to clear a bit of space in his room (he is very large).

I was going to suggest The Peacemaker, but in practical terms it's probably the worst, given it's slightly indiscriminate action and effect.

They drive on the left in Japan. Which US car company is going to start making small cars exclusively for the already well served JPN/UK/AUS/NZ markets?

Or the Ark

I'm just listing some of my father's excess rolling stock on Ebay - brass kits from the 90s and earlier that stand up to modern finescale standards.

To be fair, UK O was for years almost exclusively served by kit and scratchbuilding, and was not a scale you could model in without the necessary skills, though there were (and still are) a lot a of high quality plastic kits available for rolling stock.

I must admit, I don't understand the appeal of three rail O gauge at all. In the UK it went out with the Arc. For a scale so suited to finescale modelling it always seems odd to me to stick down an extra rail, then pay finescale prices.

I'd miss the ability to get information on pretty much anything - I would never have been able to be in the UK and decently model US railroads pre-internet. That, and the ability to feel part of a community, despite being spread all over the world.

Result!

Very frustrating for you. Hopefully it'll be sorted when you find the dodgy joint. I have a point that I thought I'd sorted, but which intermittently goes dead, but only when I'm filming something.

To be fair, that was quite an explicable cause! I wonder if it was just close enough to draw but not quite touching. I blew a brand new decoder exactly the same way when I put a screwdriver on the track and didn't realise until it was too late.

By done, I mean made. Not sure how I let that one through.

YouTube video by Jim Barrett Rail Simple Boxcar Weathering

I've done a video on how I weather my boxcars if anyone is interested. I've used mostly oils for this - they're easy to use and effective.

#BSMRGUK #bsrgusa #hoscalemodeltrains #187scale #hoscale #modeltrains #modelrailway #modelrailroad #hoscale #modelart #weathering

youtu.be/NzE5a-1UjAw?...

The layout's ongoing project trackwork.

#kato #modeltrains #nscale #tram

There's nothing worse than inexplicable dead spots.

It's progressing nicely.

I'd love one, but they don't ship to the UK (and I can't afford one anyway).

It's the Atlas centenary locomotive, so a direct model railway reference.

Scratchbuilt styrene end details for ballast hopper.

Building the details for the brake end and airline connectors.

Ballast hopper scratchbuilt in styrene, with styrene air line under construction using Evergreen 30 thou rod (210).

Styrene airline fitted in place on the underside of the hopper.

I'm really cracking on with this ballast hopper build now - the benefit of a few days off work. Air line under construction, and fitted. #hoscale #bsmrguk #modeltrains #modelrailway #modelrailroad #modelrailways #tmrguk #scratchbuilt #scalemodelling #scalemodel