Hello from the Far North

Ben Alder

Ben Alder

Western Thunderer
Finally managed to get myself organised enough to sort out membership here- a problem with emails meant I never finalised the process, but now I've made the final step.My interests lie in the Highland section in an alternative nineteen fifties, and current layout is based on Thurso and Helmsdale stations, with the usual compression that affects most modellers. Up to now my main exposure has been on RMweb, where there is a layout thread, but once I find my feet I will post up something on it here. Although a long way from GW territory there is a connection- two 16xx's are shedded at Helmsdale for the nearbyDornoch branch....
 
adrian

adrian

Flying Squad
Welcome aboard Ben, I seem to remember some pretty impressive kit bashing on RMWeb.

We like plenty of photo's so it'd be great to see what you are currently working on.
 
Overseer

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Welcome, does your alternate reality have Ben Alder preserved and running in the far north? That would have been a sight to see. Pity it ended up being scrapped just because it had a Caledonian replacement boiler so wasn't original enough for BR to preserve, even though it didn't look very different to its original Highland Railway form.
 
Simon

Simon

Flying Squad
A brilliant picture. I have enjoyed your thread over on RMweb, you seem to have used your space very effectively and your photographs all seem to me to have that elusive look of "reality".

A lovely part of the world to be depicting too.

Simon
 
Ben Alder

Ben Alder

Western Thunderer
Thanks for the welcomes. Managed to get mug shot up, and saw I joined almost two years ago but never finished the job! Anyway, now done and aboard.... I am actually at a modelling hiatus at the moment- in the happy position of having layout built and operational, with all stock needed likewise, so nothing in progress to show, but I can go over some of the things I have done in the last three years or so, when a lot of work, by my usual rate of progress, was done. I'll start a layout thread, which is probably the most suitable home for it.
 
adrian

adrian

Flying Squad
Ben Alder said:
I am actually at a modelling hiatus at the moment- in the happy position of having layout built and operational, with all stock needed likewise, so nothing in progress to show
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It sounds like you need the Western Thunder Scatter-gun : what about something in gauge 1 or gauge 3?
 
Ben Alder

Ben Alder

Western Thunderer
I do have some O gauge stuff hidden, under lock and key to prevent distraction, and there are several Highland-ish things to do when I get around to it. I'm trying to keep focused in my modelling now, having spent too many years as a butterfly, and eventually you run out of decades to fritter away.....
 
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Dog Star said:
A very nice photo, I do hope Jordan comes along and offers his pithy comment on posting prototype photos and passing them off as models... if not then I shall.
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Jordan said:
You can do the honours, this time...
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Thanks!

The photo in the original post is a classic case of "prototype passed off as model" - everything about the picture says "Far North, late 1950s", the sky and trees are key to that view. I would like to know if that tree is still just the other side of the fence 60 years later.

Only when I enlarge the screen image by four or five times do I find anything which says "model". Really inspiring work. Thank you for sharing.
 
Ben Alder

Ben Alder

Western Thunderer
Cheers, the photographic side of things has become quite an integral part of my enjoyment of the hobby over the last few years, and was one of the deciding factors in me replacing Kylesku and The Mound. Both new stations were designed to take advantage of natural daylight, and now most of my shots are taken in it. It should add to the atmosphere as it is Thurso light, and the model is housed about a half mile from the actual station itself.....The other important aspect for me was in working from the backscene forward, and this has helped create a "complete" picture, I think. I am not at all keen on the current trend for dropping in fake skies in magazines and forums, something that rarely manages to blend in with the model itself, and usually distracts from the subject itself, to my mind.
 
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