[Brian Considine]

I have posted some new photos, taken yesterday in my blog. They are general & as photo's go not very good - I'm terrible with a camera. Must try & get some done by a competent photographer !

Comments would be welcome - even negative ones. Any questions then ask away.

Thanks in advance for looking.

 

[Kimbo]

I wouldn't shoot myself on photo quality - they look absolutely fabulous!

Clearly some of those engines are a tad bit out of place in the Ardennes... hehe, but nah, the layout looks awesome and is a real source of inspiration lads.

I noticed we might need to give you a new police car

it doesn't have that Police / Politie thing going for it!

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (Kimbo @ 15 Jun 2008, 08:24) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Clearly some of those engines are a tad bit out of place in the Ardennes... hehe, but nah, the layout looks awesome and is a real source of inspiration lads.

I noticed we might need to give you a new police car

it doesn't have that Police / Politie thing going for it!
I have to admit to using a fair amount of modellers licence with the rolling stock which gives a little more variety (we are still trying to obtain more SNCB/CFL stock) & AFAIK all just possible (even if maybe unlikely) - but the ICE3 (it is the multi- voltage version) that we run for shows really is out of it's normal territory, but it does give the public a variety of different trains (& after all it's the paying public that pays the money on the door to pay for the exhibitors to be there - a fact that some exhibitors seem to forget). The OGEG 01 with it's CIWL set is a tribute to my late mother.

Yes, the Police car is incorrect but it's the nearest we could get at the time - if you can get us a better one we will happily pay for it & the postage. The scene actually portrays my stepdaughter Cleo who managed to do that to her Clio !

Also on the layout is Dave (AKA BRITHO), my good lady Maggie & myself & Pam the young lady who looks after the admin & helps at the shows.

Oh - & there are also 4 peguins & a tiger !

 

[dwb]

I think the quality of the photos is fine. I particularly like the last (upload) one of the green steam loco heading for the tunnel. Gill saw it over my shoulder and said it looked "very realistic". If that was your objective, then you have achieved it. There's lots of detail to absorb in the pictures. Modern street scenes can have so much more in them than green fields, and yours are definitely full of incident.

So are the penguins and the tiger in the photos? Maybe we could have a competition to spot them?

I think the track work and catenary looks great too.

Thanks so much for going to the trouble of posting them.
David

 

[Basil]

QUOTE (Brian Considine @ 15 Jun 2008, 10:14) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I have to admit to using a fair amount of modellers licence with the rolling stock which gives a little more variety (we are still trying to obtain more SNCB/CFL stock) & AFAIK all just possible (even if maybe unlikely) - but the ICE3 (it is the multi- voltage version) that we run for shows really is out of it's normal territory, but it does give the public a variety of different trains (& after all it's the paying public that pays the money on the door to pay for the exhibitors to be there - a fact that some exhibitors seem to forget). The OGEG 01 with it's CIWL set is a tribute to my late mother.

Yes, the Police car is incorrect but it's the nearest we could get at the time - if you can get us a better one we will happily pay for it & the postage. The scene actually portrays my stepdaughter Cleo who managed to do that to her Clio !

Also on the layout is Dave (AKA BRITHO), my good lady Maggie & myself & Pam the young lady who looks after the admin & helps at the shows.

Oh - & there are also 4 peguins & a tiger !

excellent blog and gallery

It's always good to use a bit of modellers(artistic) licence and personally accuracy is not everything. I tend to collect all sorts of locos and acrriages and within reaon the styles and eras can be mixed (not a purist but a personal view)

I like the cat beingrescued and must look into the set up of the dioramas

I will enjoy checking this blog out

many thanks

 

[Richard Johnson]

***Lovely stuff Brian & crew... we are just now planning to add an EU layout to my Focus Modelling Groups layout area and if I hadn't already firmly intended to make sure it was "under the wire", your layout would have made me do so!

It photographs larger than life too - I was quite surprised at the dimensions when I read the blog after looking at the photographs as I'd gained the impression from the pictures that it was actually larger than it is.... and to me thats a mark of a well planned and executed layout!

I look forward to seeing more as time progresses

Richard

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (Basil @ 15 Jun 2008, 11:19) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I like the cat being rescued and must look into the set up of the dioramas
Actually the cat is penguin no.1 !

I will endevour to take some more pictures showing the other penguins (there are another three + one more to add.)

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (Richard Johnson @ 15 Jun 2008, 14:14) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>***Lovely stuff Brian & crew... we are just now planning to add an EU layout to my Focus Modelling Groups layout area and if I hadn't already firmly intended to make sure it was "under the wire", your layout would have made me do so!

It photographs larger than life too - I was quite surprised at the dimensions when I read the blog after looking at the photographs as I'd gained the impression from the pictures that it was actually larger than it is.... and to me thats a mark of a well planned and executed layout!

I look forward to seeing more as time progresses

Richard
Thanks for the comments Richard & also to the other members who took the time to check out the pics - makes me feel a tad guilty in not getting into gear before & sorting the pics.

We cannot take all the praise for SL - it was originally built by "Belgium" Bill Roberts who passed it on to us nearly three years ago. It was due to be dismantled but Dave (AKA BRITHO) & myself took it on, refurbished it & are continuing the process.

The OHL equipment represents the SNCB style (it's DC BTW, hence the heavy construction) & was all hand built & soldered by Bill. We do run with the panto's up although the OHL is just cosmetic.

It can be hard work (especially when we have the trade stand as well), although we have got the set up/take down times to around an hour with just two of us (not including the actual rolling stock). Well worth it though !

 

[ebaykal]

Finally we got to see the famous St. L.A

Thanks Brian & Dave.

A very neat and well documented Blog&gallery of photos of a well presented layout that we often heard alot abt in this forum.

Thanks again for sharing it with us.

Baykal

 

[adecoaches26point4]

Good Blog, well illustrated

Enjoyed the slide show

Layout is very professional and a good show piece to fly the HO Banner

.
Keep up the good work.

David

 

[dwb]

QUOTE Finally we got to see the famous St. L.A

I think that's a good excuse for a "plug". We saw St. L.A. at Ashford last year and it was well worth the trip. There's plenty to see on the layout and they do have trains passing through the station regularly. In case some readers here have missed it, Brian has posted a notice for St. L.A.'s next outing in Bromley. Check it out via this link.

David

 

[neil_s_wood]

Very nice Brian and Dave. Lovely layout with plenty going on.

Nice to see all then recent photos. Very inspirational for those of us still battling away to finish our layouts.

 

[pedromorgan]

congratulations to both of you. its looking great.

does the fiddleyard run directly behind the backscene or is there standing room between the 2?

there is something about a continental layout that just shouts continental. i am not quite sure what it is, but even without the masts and the stock i think it would be obvious that its a continental layout. mabye its just that it looks busy but i dont think so. mabye its just that its such a contrast from the tin pot branchines that we are used to seeing in the UK.

There seems to have been a trend in the UK recently to either build a tin pot broanch or to fill the whole scene with track. perhaps the continentals have found the middle ground.

One little request, next time please can you take a picture of the whole layout not just the scenic part. dont worry, we will ignore the old vacuum cleaner in the corner and the poster on the wall of that tennis player scratching her bum!

Peter

 

[Brian Considine]

Hi Peter,

Just off to work - I'll take a full pic tonight when I get back & post it (& reply in detail).

 

[7113]

QUOTE (Kimbo @ 15 Jun 2008, 08:24) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I noticed we might need to give you a new police car

it doesn't have that Police / Politie thing going for it!

In actual fact the police car is a French liveried one - Belgian road vehicles are hard to get hold of in the UK. Mind you the small bus going up the hill on the right is a TEC one, and the Transit by the farm is also Belgian

QUOTE (dwb @ 15 Jun 2008, 10:50) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>So are the penguins and the tiger in the photos? Maybe we could have a competition to spot them?

I spotted all the penguins and claim a prize! Waddya mean I can't enter as I glued them down?

In all seriousness three of them do appear in the photos posted so far, and Brian has told you the location of one of them!

Regards

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (pedromorgan @ 16 Jun 2008, 18:38) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>There seems to have been a trend in the UK recently to either build a tin pot broanch or to fill the whole scene with track. perhaps the continentals have found the middle ground.
Peter

I find both these types of layouts a bit annoying. The first one because people call it a layout when it is really a diorama. The second because it is so unrealistic.

I do like the idea of having a small well detailed diorama as a display area but don't pretend it's a layout, you can't run trains on it. Call it what it is.

I have to say Peter that the Continentals are guilty of some of the same sins. Some of their layouts can be of the embelished train set variety. Main reason is that there is so much off the shelf stuff available you don't have to come up with original ideas if you don't want to.

There are some very good ones too. I don't know if you've seen Tim Hales layout or Jacq Damens. Also the guy who originally built St Laurent has another one which I found very inspirational; it was in Continental Modeller last year I think.

 

[ben1]

Hi
I've only just noticed this thread and I have a comment on the picture with the ruin, shouldn't the rafters be slightly blacker or darker?
Regards,
Ben

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (neil_s_wood @ 16 Jun 2008, 22:51) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Also the guy who originally built St Laurent has another one which I found very inspirational; it was in Continental Modeller last year I think.
Hi Neil,
"Belgium" Bill Roberts (the original builder of SL) layout "St.Claire ******** (I cannot remember the rest of the name) was in fact in CM last year. It unfortunatly suffered some damage during a show when being set up & AFAIK requires some work before being shown again.

Bill's layouts are usually named after the ladies of his houshold - currently, he is working on & showing an N-gauge DB layout which I have yet to see, although I did see it during construction.

 

[ebaykal]

QUOTE (neil_s_wood @ 16 Jun 2008, 23:51) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>There are some very good ones too. I don't know if you've seen Tim Hales layout or Jacq Damens. Also the guy who originally built St Laurent has another one which I found very inspirational; it was in Continental Modeller last year I think.

Both Tİm's (which I have seen personally in Dortmund this year) and Jacqs layouts are very very inspirational indeed.

Jacq to me is the master of all master railroders.You simply cannot take your eyes off his work. A true genius in creating a very realistic layout.

Baykal

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (pedromorgan @ 16 Jun 2008, 08:38) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>does the fiddleyard run directly behind the backscene or is there standing room between the 2?

there is something about a continental layout that just shouts continental. i am not quite sure what it is, but even without the masts and the stock i think it would be obvious that its a continental layout. mabye its just that it looks busy but i dont think so. mabye its just that its such a contrast from the tin pot branchines that we are used to seeing in the UK.

There seems to have been a trend in the UK recently to either build a tin pot broanch or to fill the whole scene with track. perhaps the continentals have found the middle ground.

One little request, next time please can you take a picture of the whole layout not just the scenic part. dont worry, we will ignore the old vacuum cleaner in the corner and the poster on the wall of that tennis player scratching her bum!

Peter
Hi Peter,

Thanks for the compliments - there is a 3' wide area between the layout & fiddle yard.

I take your point about continental layouts looking "busy". There is just so much stuff in the accessory line available which makes it easier. There is probably far more going on with SL than strictly prototypical to be honest but we are putting on a show for the public & most of the paying public like to be entertained.

The posted pics will give you an idea of the complete layout - I'll try & get some better ones taken this weekend at the ODMRS show - be great if you could make too especially as I have a project to talk to you about (I'll send you a PM).

BTW - Henry lives under the board & we never had the tennis player ! - still, theres plenty more clutter in the background.