Kevin Hodges

Hi Maniwaki, I have glued a trackmat to ply with excellent results. Use a good quality PVA (not wallpaper glue). Roll the mat into a tube and let it sit for a few days. Then lay it flat on your base board for another day or two, just to help get the creases out. Paint the entire board with a good coating of PVA and carefully apply the mat starting at one end rolling. flattening as you go. A large cardboard poster tube is great if you have one. Get all the wrinkles and air bubbles out. The PVA won't dry instantly so you have a bit of time. Be careful not to tear it. Good luck, Kev.

Thanks Jimmy, Yes, nice to change things around. I only have 2 loops, but now I can have long trains running blissfully through some nice countryside ! : ) Kev.

Hi M. Matthews Yes, just go for it. You are on the right track now. (pardon the pun). : ) Pick up a Hornby train set when you can. They are great value and good starting point. Cheers mate. Good luck. Kev.grinning

I'll post some photos as it progresses. Not a big deal to some of you, but for me it is great to finally have those few extra feet of track and workable space for scenery etc.

Hi guys, I had to share this. Finally, I have found the space in my shed to extend my modest 8x4 to a 12x4. Now I can really give my HST's room to motor. ! Lots more room for some cool scenery too ! Yippee!!!! Kev : )

It would be fantastic. Let's hope & pray. I'd love to pick up a loco (or any Hornby product) to once again read on the bottom, Made In England.

Great suggestions. Thanks everyone.

Hi all, I just got a Hornby Mallard. (Motor in engine, not tender). I'm not sure of it's Hornby R**** number. It keeps stalling over one point. I have 7 points on my layout and it just plays up one this one. Its fine at speed, but anything slower than half it stalls. All my other locos run fine over it. I've cleaned it thoroughly. She runs super smooth otherwise. Any suggestions ? It's standard Hornby track with the plastic, isolated frogs. I think that might be the issue right there. Cheers Kev.

Thanks for the suggestions and replies guys. I'm not really a steam buff as you might have gathered ! : )blush My Mallard is the blue, LNER. I wasn't sure if there were any boxed sets available of decent quality/detail and true to what Mallard hauled. I'll do a search in the Hornby shop too. Thanks. Kev.

Hi. I am looking for a box set of coaches to run with my Mallard loco. Prefer Hornby. Any suggestions please ? Kev.

I finally got my login to work. Took a bit of stuffing around. Great to be back, I was going mad without it. Kev : )

I just setup a Subbuteo table in my railways layout room/man cave. I could see straight away that the scale was the same. Might have to extend the layout to service the footy stadium!

I agree with Rob. Grab the R920 plastic fishplate with pliers or similar tool. Hold it as close to the end as you push it gently home. That will prevent them snapping in half. Kev.

It still looks like something from the 1980s. As bug ridden as many DOS and C64 programs were too I've heard. Why do people still bother with this ? Kev.

@Atom3624, Sorry, I see what your saying. In those instances, I just find a nice display shelf or cabinet and place the box with the item sitting on said box when not in use. If you ever need to sell, you can still sell the model/item with it's box. Kev.

Hi Atom, I am a terrible horder. I keep every box for almost everything I buy. Especially model trains. I think that one day, I might need some cash, and stuff sells better if it's in it's original box. My latest, (Stevenson's Rocket) is a prime example. No wonder I have a problem with spiders ! Kev.

The driver, guard and passengers of the Pullman are under seige as Ms Mouse spider goes scampering around the layout ! I haven't the heart to kill or hurt her. I spent a fortune on having this shed (it's a timber job), lined and insulated as well as you would a house. Seems they still find a way in. Little devils. If I see her, I'll take a pic.

Looking pretty damn good so far Nick. Nice work, thanks for sharing. Kev.

A dangerous, Australian one. Not a Huntsman or Rain spider. Not a Funnel Web. My guess is a large Mouse Spider. They always have a mate not far away too. I'm in the process of moving my layout back in the house so I might have disturbed her while I've been fiddling around. My Scalextric will have to go now sadly ☹️

Definately a lady Rob, I swear she almost gave me a look as much to say; this is my toy now mate! All Gods creatures eh ? Bless her.

Hah! Imagine what horror the scale driver and his passengers would experience with this monster crawling all over the layout ! 😀 @Jane, Thanks. I never knew that trick. @Raf, Yes, that's another reason why I'm moving everything back in the house!!!!

Hi all, I was out in the shed last night, enoying running some locos, when my new Station Master arrived and booted me out. The biggest mouse spider I have ever seen. I gave her the controls and said nighty nite! Last time I dared to venture out, she had my Blue Pullman running round at full pelt. Arrrghhh! Kev.

Thanks John, I shall experiment. I want to relocate (and modify) my current layout, but it is so heavy to lift and deal with. Whilst I'm at it, I thought re-basing everything on lighter material would make life easier. Kev.

Hi Raf, I hadn't thought about noise. I might try a small 4x2 panel as a test

I just had an idea for a super lightweight, easy to cut baseboard material. 5mm plastic Coreflute. The stuff they use for outdoor advertising board. Has anyone tried this ? I think laid over a traditional timber frame it would be pretty strong and rigid. I'm tired of heavy, unweildly ply. Thoughts ? Kev.