5 times longer in coming than Brunel took making the real thing!

Kaiser,
Love Gremble and Honey,but they're not much help with the layout building!
What's the origin of Gremble"s name??

Cheers,John.B.:thumbs

Hi John - Gremble was named by the breeder's daughter - the name comes from a character in a virtual playground called '"Pet Pet Park".  Seems kids don't go to the park anymore - they have a "virtual" one on their computer!  Can't say it would have been my first choice (Gremble was 5 months already when we got him) but at least when I call his name in a real park he's the only dog that comes!

Mal

Is he still young enough to learn the value of Scalescenes building Mal ?  They say you're never too old to learn. ;-)

Love the latest photos.   It looks "cosy" - just as a sleepy GWR branch should look. :thumbs

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

I hope you have more luck than I with the Dean Goods…………I hate tender drive with a passion and despite installing a Lenz Gold Chip and stay alive (cost far more than the loco) its running is still not really acceptable.

 

John, the Dean is a lovely model and I completely agree with you on tender drive.  Many years ago I installed Perserverance chassis kits (no longer available but I think Comet do them) under my Dean Goods loco and tender and the running was excellent (you can't get much weight in but it looked smart pulling a rake of 5 Ratio 4 wheelers).  Being able to see daylight under the tender frames was marvelous.  Sadly I sold the model but I still have fond memories.

I am currently refurbishing my Airfix 4F.  It has a Kemilway chassis.  I just got a sound decoder for it.


I must also add that the layout is delightful - congratulations Mal.


John

Hi Mal, thanks to Bob's pictures at the side of the forum, I just took a wander through your layout thread and read the trials and tribulations that have surrounded the development of Ottersford Junction. I love this layout and the attention to detail, which are a result of your superb modelling skills. I sense that like me you prefer the scenic side of layout building to tracklaying and ballasting, but I do look forward to seeing more of the other areas of the layout as it develops.

Thanks for the kind comments Novice & you are quite right about track laying & ballasting!  There have been no developments since my last post worth reporting.  I did have a thought one day as I was making yet another pot of coffee - 2 things I have in abundance - coffee grounds & sunshine - & I thought of combining the two!  Our coffee is course ground for a plunger & is very similar in size to '00' ballast so we set to & dried our used grounds.  It only took a couple of days to get a fair amount so I tried it out on a length of track - ignoring the caution of using a length of 'test' track I did the one length of double track already laid & wired (big mistake)!  It looked fine (& smelt nice) & I used the usual diluted PVA from a spray bottle to fix.  Left it overnight & it was just as loose as ever.  Gave another soaking (in fact 3 or 4, each time with more glue) with the same results.  I think the coffee grounds are too absorbent & just keep soaking up the solution.  So hope this saves any one else from wasting time!  Vacced it all up & called it a day!  Hope to be able to post some positive news soon, but in the meantime compliments of the season to all on YMR & I hope 2012 will be a better year for us all.

Mal

I love your layout Mal I am doing somthing similer on my layout Oakley. I really like your engine shed and coal stage. Did you build them yourself? :doublethumb:Happy

 

Regards Connor

 

Hi Connor - thanks for your interest.  The engine shed is a Wills kit & the coal stage a Ratio.  I find the kits of such good quality that if you take a bit of care when assembling, unless you are up to Doug or Stubby's standard of scratch building, they take some beating.

I always seem to be posting apologies for the lack of progress at Ottersford, but fate continues to conspire against me.  Followers of the thread may remember that I referred to a run-in I had with a con man last year.  Well, I managed to retrieve my BMW with some body damage to rectify but still driveable.  I gave it to a guy to repair, & on his way to the auto electricians (damn Xenon headlights) he put the car in a ditch, destroyed the off-side suspension (even broke the alloy wheel in half) & damaged the new front wing just fitted!  By November, 12 months after first buying the thing & having spent R60,000 on repairs (about £5,000) it was ready for sale & looked like this:




Story is he was out on a 'test drive' & a guy jumped the lights!  Not much of an excuse as green here means go like hell, amber means go & red means go on, another 2 or 3 can make it.

So the nightmare continues.  Like walking across a muddy field & you think "Yes, I can make this!" but the mud just gets wetter & deeper, & then your wellies come off.

On the bright side, Gremble & Honey continue to grow & have both just graduated puppy training class.  Here they are waiting to open their presents on Christmas day:



We are also now having to seriously consider leaving SA.  Sandra's medication & our medical aid here is now costing £500 a month.  If we returned to within the EEC, that would be covered, & in addition Sandra would be eligible for a number of benefits.  We've argued that we've saved the NHS thousands by Sandra having major corrective surgery done here, but that kind of logic doesn't compete with 'rules is rules'!  Also, although we will be able to claim our pensions here, they will be 'frozen' & not eligible for any increases.

Ottersford was never designed to be portable & it's unlikely that we would be able to afford any where that would give me as much space as I have here, so there's not much incentive just now to put more effort into the project.

Sorry this is all un-railway related & off topic but there it is! Very frustrating!

Tempting fate, I'll say things could be worse . . . . . . . . . .

That's a horrendous tale of woe Mal.

Can you get the car re-repaired under the car lot insurance ?  It would be incredible if he didn't have any.

Re the potential move to the northern hemisphere, we also have friends who don't get any increase in their pension (state) levels because they live " outside" the designated areas.  You pay it for years then they try to get out of their responsibilities when it comes to paying it back - but don't get me started on that kind of thing …………..:twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted:

I don't know how long you've lived in S.A. - if it's a long time, you may have to move back to UK to get the benefits rather than just the EU but I'm sure you've been into that in depth.

From my own experience, whilst there's a lot wrong with Europe, it does have advantages - for "Brits" at least - in that most things are reciprocal with UK.  Liz recently had a new knee here in France and, whilst we had to lay out some of the costs, particularly post operative care, the insurance and NHS will ultimately pick up the tab.  Certainly the several thousand euro hospital bill - the op itself, consultant and anaesthetist fees landed us with a bill of only 33 euros before we could leave the hospital !!!!   I'd expected 3 or 4 thousand.

The major problem is, we have winters here …………………….:roll::roll::roll:

Incredible but true Peter!  Car insurance is not mandatory here (not even 3rd party).  There is the RAF (Road Accident Fund) that is paid for by a subsidy on fuel but it takes years for claims to be settled.  The other driver involved in the incident was insured & apparently there were witnesses so we hope that we'll be paid out if blame can be ascribed, but I'm not holding my breath!

Hope Liz gets on fine with the knee - Sandra had to have a new elbow a couple of years ago but it's been fine since.  Interesting what you said about costs - Sandra's elbow was R80,000 (about £7,000) but even with the medical aid our co-payment was R5,000.

Mal

It's not all bad Mal - at least the dogs look fabulous. :cheers

I trust Sandra's elbow is powerful enough to raise a glass ……………………

I am very sorry for you and wish you all the best!

Thomas

'Buy-One-Get-One-Free' shouldn't apply to kicks in the fork, Mal! I'm very sorry to hear of your woeful times and wish you every cahnce of an improvement in fortunes, soon.

 

Doug

I'm sorry to hear about your woes, Mal.  Have you thought about replacing SA with SA?  (South Australia)

There are lots of ex-pats here - and similar weather.  ;-)

Thanks for all the kind thoughts guys, but as Peter says things could be worse.  I remind myself that it's only a car & there are folks with far more serious problems but jeepers I could do without the aggro.  Ultimately, I'm just annoyed with myself for allowing myself to get into this situation.  I'm astounded I was so taken in but fate just wants to keep reminding me!

Max - I don't think Oz would want a couple of old reprobates like us - oh, wait a minute, that's how you started :roll:

Peter - Sandra can still raise a glass as long as it doesn't exceed 5 Kgs & we have Winters here too - last year I had to wear a jumper on at least 3 days!

Mal

Your dogs would be more than welcome!  ;-)

Keep your "pecker" up Mal lets hope your run of bad luck has finally changed !

Have just finished reading this thread.  Some very nice modelling going on, but i have tp put things in perspective re winter.  SHMBO and i will be going down to the local bar tonight as we tend to do most Saturdays, the Weather Man is calling for -23C but we are grateful in that there is no wind so it should be quiet pleasant.

Good Lord, Mal!
I've just caught up.
What a truck load of grief!
Hope things improve for you soon.
Best Wishes.

That really has to be the most unlucky car on the face of the Earth Mal.

Those dogs look fabulous though and will certainly be far less trouble than the car has been.