“I do a lot of kit bashing and detailing, I especially enjoy taking an Athearn blue box car or locomotive (or something similar) and making it into a quality model.
This is not an earthshaking revelation, but I find 91% alcohol usually works well for stripping most paint. Just soak the body shell, scrub with a tooth brush and then scrub with soap and water.
Sometimes I have let it soak for several days, but it usually works. The alcohol can be bought at CVS or Walgreens at a reasonable price.
Jack Monette”
“Dear Al,
Firstly just wanted to thank you for hosting this fabulous site and service you provide to the model railroad community.
I look forward to each and every post that is sent in. It is great to see others enjoying this hobby and there is something to be learned from all contributers.
I was thrilled with the feedback from your site on my last video about Buster and the Black Lamb so I have created yet another short clip following the same theme.
The idea for this story line came from my wife who who knows I enjoy fixing and restoring things.
This one took some time to make as it features a Schools Class Locomotive in various states of repair.
Each verson required a different model, all made from Dapol kits. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to spoil what there is of a plot. Please enjoy the movie.
Don’t forget to have look-see at the latest ebay cheat sheet. It’s here.
Keep ’em coming.
Best
Al
Cameron’s sequel, absolutely brilliant
And thanks for the site Al!!!
Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the adventure of Buster and the Back Shop. It is so nice to see a model railroad ‘being used’ so well to develop a complete railroad oriented story line. The character, the dog and the mobile vehicles all add so much to the production. Hope to see more such adventures. I am now more motivated to develop my own scenario.
Great video and really nice work work on the layout. Keep ’em comming.
Wow! That was really good. Sound effects ie. track joints, chuffs and music was top notch. It had my fill attention. Wanted to see what was going to happen next. Very well done!
All in a days work for Buster. Wish I could get so much done and go to as many places in a day as he does. Now that’s what model railroading is about. Not just setting them up and running them in a loop or back and forth but putting a story to them. Makes me feel like a kid again. Excited to see the next clip coming to a theater near you. Much appreciated.
That is one fantastic layout. The scenery work is just stunning! I was amazed to see it is all contained on a 4 x 8. I have a question though. With all of that work going on all over the place, how come the guy with the dog always has his hands in his pockets????
And Allister, thank you for all of the work you do. I, as everyone else in model railroading, really appreciate it. It is just fantastic.
Well done Allister, both this and your last film are an inspiration to us all.
Peter
Fantastic and well done on all accounts. A great story about model railroading and the enjoyment we all get from it. .
Look forward to future videos.
Brilliant. Bravo maestro. Hollywood would be justifiably envious. It’s simply amazing how many motion picture disciplines you have managed to master in this one filmic effort. You Write, Produce, Direct, Art Direct, Light and Photograph, and your trains and figures act in your production. Truly a work of art. Thank you.
Great. I really enjoyed your layout and the film, well done very good and entertaining. Andrew
What a great video and all on an 8×4 board
It`s an unbelievably fantastic film! It `s one of the most interesting and fantastic layouts I`ve ever seen lately. Thank you very much.
Fantastic layout. A layout that’s not static but a working model. What a great concept to overhaul a loco and show in a great video.
simply amazing i sure wish i knew how to that al that music added to it was very nice and lifelike i envy you very nice y grandson watched it 3 times thnaks
Thank you Cameron for featuring Buster in your latest production. Buster now sets alongside Rin-Tin-Tin, Lassie, Mr. BoBo, and Felix the cat. An interesting story line and great acting by all. Production value, right up there with the works from Dangerous Dave. Keep those cameras rolling .
Cameron, ( somewhere in the Land of Oz ) Absolutely one of the finest layouts I have ever seen!!!!
Brilliant, a credit to Cameron and his layout.
Thank you Al, your missives are always eagerly anticipated.
that is just amazing it is something you can watch over and over and still have missed something. i hope you have more to come it sits up high in my train videos. my nephews have asked can you do that on your layout i dont know what they mean or are aplying.thanks Ian in Australia.
Great show, but I would love to see the plan of the layout.
Brilliant layout, so much detail with a great story as well. A layout to be proud of, well done.
Brilliant layout, outstanding story line, the music is great. Yes I can safely say without fear of contradiction that is one fantastic video. Thanks Cameron, more please!
Any chance of showing us your track plan? Very Impessive layout video.
Great film! And wonderful layout. Hard to believe it’s all on a 4X8 board.
Thoroughly enjoyed this video and Buster the dog! Great stuff and entertaining! Thank you!
Cameron What can I say? a fantastic film, love the music, but above all an amazing layout.
You should be very proud of yourself WELL DONE
The type of inspiration we need to keep modelling. As it is a layout only 8×4 it would be great to see the track plan to show how to fit so munch in a small space. Also details of the turnouts (points) and radius of the curves. I am a beginner, having retired and live in Sydney Australia.
Excellent!
Great video! I really enjoyed it. Could you please make another one shoping more of the the actual track layout. Your story line was really good too, Well done!! Rossco
Hi Cameron. A Fantastic film and lay out great story on film Best Regards Stan from Sydney ex pat Otley West Yorkshire.
Really interesting! The story line was fantastic. It kept my attention for sure. Seeing an engine go from rust to beautiful was inspiring.
I had warm fuzzy feelings watching it. 🙂
Just brilliant. The work put into the layout as well as the video is just staggering. Well worth the effort I am sure. Just fantastic how he gets all the right shots to tell the storyline without words. A true work of art. I, like many others look forward to seeing the next episode……….please.
nice looking scenery.
Love the music and sounds that you have with the fun video. A joy to watch!
That was an excellent production on bringing back a life of an locomotive. I used to do that type of work here in Florida, GP40 locomotive type. Agen, very nice film. I will have my 0 gauge and HO gauge table set up in a few years. Getting ready to sale the house and get other one. Great job on everyone how has set there train table’s up and enjoying them. I will be there soon. S.G.
That’s one great flick and a great use of a 4×8 space! Fantastic!
And the music at the beginning; isn’t it the theme from the movie “The Longest Day”?
Regards,
Bob
Fantastic video. Love seeing the locomotive going from a rusty relic to restored running condition. Much better than to see one cut up for scrap.
Great video and a cool story.
I agree with everyone else. I can’t say more. Great work!
I really enjoyed the story and all the work that went in it. The music of The Corrnel Bogie March was a good pick.
Great job Cameron both on the video and your layout. It was very enjoyable and hopefully we’ll see more in the future. Thank you. Mike
just a wonderful layout and a beautiful presentation….
Absolutely awesome! I have watched it 4 times and see more every time. Thank you for your inspiration!
It’s fantastic I thought I saw this yesterday and here it is again.
Awesome layout nice job on the rebuilding of the engine very very cool!!!! Looking forward to see more videos. Thanks for sharing
Wow Cameron, a really well put together video, excellent modelling of scenery, weathering of locos and rolling stock. Just brilliant! Loved it.
Brian, Wokingham (Orient Express/Poirot video)
mesmerizing, could not stop watching , did not want it to end,
Absolutely fantastic!! Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to put this altogether. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!
Such a wonderful layout! You did well with everything !! Great movie and fun to watch 😀
Was completely blown away that this is a 8×4 layout. Well Done. Beautiful layout and amazing film production. Thanks for brightening a quarantine day!
MAGIC!!!!!
Just shows what can be done with an 8×4, brill.
Loved the video. It was awesome. the layout is amazing.
Superb film thank you.
Fabulous layout ,Stunning video ,many thanks for sharing ,Cameron ,well done
What a great video and I oved the dog in all the different location. I was waiting for the two guys to jump off the hand car. Excellent just excellent!!!!!
Loved the video. Fantastic.
Cameron, Your video blew me away! Wow! Amazing work and I loved the story line of Buster. Hard to believe you got all that into an 8 x 4 layout, though I don’t know if you mentioned your units, so maybe it was 8 x 4 meters? 🙂 Thank you for all the obvious hard work that must have gone into your production. Thomas the Tank Engine look out! You’ve got competition from Buster.
Al, could you possibly repost the link to Cameron’s earlier video? I think I must have missed it.
Brilliant!! The story flows so well and is gripping.
Great video! Catchy music and nice accompanying sound effects. Good compact plot. Nice touch by putting video together has a film. Certainly feels like it. Especially since it has a German touch.
This beats most layouts I have yet seen. There are plenty of brilliant layouts, some tell a story, but this tale is the work of craftsman of ideas. Fantasy at its best, because it is gripping. I hadn’t seen the black lamb one, so after watching the back shop I felt compelled to see that, too. It was just as good.
Excellent video and what a super layout you have!
Thanks for sharing!
Did anyone else notice at the 3:23 mark, when the train is crossing the bridge, that the leading truck was off the rails?
What a fantastic layout interesting and well done,
Wonderful video Cameron, Buster is the hit of the film. Tell him my Wire Fox Terrier Chaucer was most interested in his adventures.
Rob & Chaucer, St.. Goar & Murren Scenic Railway, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Great layout and video.
That was absolutely fantastic! Good story, good music and superlative editing. Great layout! Thank you very much for your efforts.
Wow!
Great fun to watch, impressed you can do so many views and scenes. Truly magnificent !
Loved that video!
Amazing realism!
Thanks
Nice flick, that Buster pup might be off spring to The Littlest Hobo, he had a knack of finding folks who were in need.
Thank you Al for the Buster video. I couldn’t imagine so much could be contained in a 4×8 foot space. The video production was fantastic and showed a “working” railroad. Most model railroads tend to be “static” except for the trains themselves when running. The sounds alone are worth it.
Great video–very creative as well as entertaining – had my full attention. Love to see a track plan and how you get so much railroading in such a small space. Your scenery work is outstanding as well. And the railroad itself appears to run like a well oiled machine. You could undoubtedly write one or more articles on how you accomplished it and get it published if you had a mind to. Nice work!
Wow. Thank you. You made my day.
Bravo, Cameron! Well done indeed! You are a true artist. Love your structures, scenery and of course the trains!! Buster is a true rail fan!!
Thank you, thank you!
Michael
FANTASTIC!! BRAVO!!! This has to be the absolute best I have ever seen!!! I REALLY did enjoy all the collaboration of video and music, and how objects were moved slightly as would really be. And can you believe, I’m just getting acquainted with model railroads. Thank you for the wonderful and delightful image of this great hobby.
Simply Outstanding!
All I can say is loved it. You made it look so real I can’t wait to show it to my grandkids.
this was a very excelent video with a great story and purpose.
Simply Outstanding!
First rate! A Master class in model making and theatre. Thank you for the inspiration.