Ron’s been in touch with his N scale model railway:

“hi Al,

My name is Ron, from manchester.

First of all i would like to thank you for al the hard work you must put in to keep us up to date with all the latest, etc, some really great layouts and tips from your subscribers, well done.

I hope you like my modest little n gauge layout, this is my first attempt, all the buildings etc are card kits as you will probably know.

I am a pensioner so got to keep the cost down lol, the location is of nowhere in particular, i just made it up as i went along, most of the other constructions are made from cornflake boxes, its not finished yet, a bit of weathering and a few more vehicles, but the main thing is i have really enjoyed it , after all that’s what this or any hobby is all about.

anyway Al thanks once again , and keep em coming.

Ron”

A big thanks to Ron – it reminded me of Peter’s layout:

Model railway village.

“Another tip for retreving small parts – or other small items.

Have the wife donate an old pair of pantyhose. Wrap pantyhose tightly over the opening at the end of your vacuum cleaner hose – a rubber band or something similar should do it.
When the vacuum is turned on, the suction will drawn the part but the pantyhose will hold the part in place at the hose opening for retrival.

Jim”

“Dear Al

A great way to make pipe loads is to use drinking straws. Cut them required length and paint a grey/ silver.

Regards

Luke”

“SECTOR PLATE MADE FROM A CD DISK

This is how I made a sector plate from a CD disk.

1st I cut a length of track to fit on to the centre of the disk then glued it on with super glue.

2nd I modified the bottom of the cover, I used as the base by cutting away the outside leaving just the middle part.

3rd I soldered 2 wires on to the track to provide power for the track on the disk, the 2 wires were soldered on to both rails.

4th I soldered the other ends of the 2 wires on to the track leading to the sector plate,

when I soldered the wires on I made sure that the left wire was soldered on to the left rail and the right was soldered on to right rail. If you mix up the wires you get a short.

5th I then soldered 2 wires to the track leading off the sector plate into the loco shed, then soldered the other ends to the track leading to the sector plate.

As you can see I used part of an Atlas grade crossing tower kit to make the cabin for the operator. I then made a handle out of wood and painted it black.

I used modelling clay to make the scenery around it, it is not finnished as you can see from the photos.

I used black crushed stones to make a ashphalt road and carpark.

The loco shed was donated to me, I am not sure who made it, but I had to repair before I put it on the layout. I also put a light in the shed.

The reason this sector plate was made was if a normal siding was made, the loco shed would have been too close to the mainline. Also the track leading to the sector plate also serves as a back shunt. The sector plate was completed by gluing black cardboard onto the disk to look like a steel deck.

Paul”

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if you want to your start, on your very own layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.