Welcome to my Web site. My name is Raymond (NB: NOT Ray!), and I hope you find it interesting, useful, thought provoking, contentious even.

I am a retired psychometric analyst who now spend much time modelling, gardening and doing a bit for the Guild, among other things.  (However, if you would like to know more about psychometrics, go to Success Dynamic's home page.)

I have been a modeller, of one description or another, for as long as I can remember and got back into serious railway modelling in about 1994, deciding then to move up to 0 Gauge from EM.  The physical size and mass of the models is satisfying plus the fact that one can - indeed must - put greater levels of detail into each individual model.

You will see that I am a dyed in wool fan of the Grub Water & Relief but that does not stop me building all sorts of other stuff too.  Most of what I build I review and you can find those reviews on the relevant pages on the navigation bar above.

In addition to the Guild, I am also a member of the Epsom & Ewell MRC and the East Sussex 0 Gauge Group.

I originally dabbled in radio control but found it too limiting for the type of small tank engines I want mainly to run.  The control gear requires quite a lot of space as well as overhead in terms of battery power.  So, then I tried infrared and found it better in that there was less control gear required and a much lower overhead of power requirement.  The GWR 517 class 0-4-2 I used for the experiment would run for about four hours on one charge.  Now though, I have decided to go for DCC using the ZTC equipment but this is still at an early stage of implementation.

TRACK
My preference is for 31.2mm or 31.5mm gauge track using a mixture of Exactoscale and C&L components.  This, to get soldered construction for the crossing Vees, check rails and switches, while the rest is glued to wooden timbering.     Back to top

Unfortunately Bernard Weller died before he could produce the necessary jigs in 31.2mm gauge for me and the new owners have refused to produce them, concentrating on S4 & S7.  However, there is no possibility that I will be tempted to go S7, much as I admire the efforts of S7 adherents, too much would need to be converted at this late stage.

The intention is to operate turnouts and signals using C&L point rodding components linked to a 29 lever, manual frame, which one day will be mechanically interlocked.  It is one inch to the foot from Scale Signal Supply and has been partially built and reviewed here.

My preference is for etched brass and nickel silver and so far, most of my output has been in those mediums.  However, some prototypes are not available in brass so other kits get built from time to time or scratch built for me in plasticard.  I will however, go to great lengths to avoid white metal - filthy stuff in my view.
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SCRATCH BUILDING
Something I am moving into slowly (See GWR 28' Passenger Brake Van Diagram V5 and GWR Dreadnought Diagram E77 Composite) and have a few other projects that require a great deal of scratch building.  The recent (2009) addition of a milling machine to the workshop will help promote scratch building and the results will appear on the Work in Progress pages.

Do drop me a line if you have any questions or comments, I will be happy to respond.

And now for a bit of showing off, these pictures are of my new workshop.

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