Just Playing Trains

 No posts here for a while, but that doesn’t reflect the progress that's been going on: Johnson’s Wharf has been out on its first public outing, albeit to a mate’s house for a trial run. This was educational for me and proved that the cake box idea works in practice. Numerous details, building, figures, and wagons are being worked on, and I'm pleased to say that I think that I have solved the problem of the left-hand edge of the scene. I was much inspired by James Hilton’s Inside Out diorama, and thought about aping it in 4mm, but then I thought I could incorporate something similar into the left-hand end of Johnson’s, using the lovely little Vincent model I have waiting, to replicate another, similar shot from another Gifford/Gamble book: Here’s a very rough mockup of what it might look like. The view for my version of Inside Out. Not sure what will happen in the foreground yet More progress in the next blog.

 Not much is happening, even though there is much to be done. Sometimes, just to see the track disappear into the distance, with the ever-present possibility of a train, is enough.

 Lots to report here despite the lack of posts. An as-yet unnamed 009 loco is now being painted in the new house livery of anthracite grey with yellow stripe. This is a Fourdees “Peveril” loco and I’m very pleased with the quality of the print, and how it’s progressing. The 009 stock that is slowly accumulating will possibly run on a variation of the Shell Island layout, tentatively named “Old Quay”. I want to do a muddy estuary layout and this is the smallest way I can see it happening.  Johnstone’s Wharf is becoming a reality. I’ve continued my 2mm scale idea of using plasticard facing with embossed brickwork and stones instead of brick papers to give the textures. So the Wharf will be a ScaleScenes box file canal scene, mirrored and extended with just 3 sidings, 1 turnout (ordered) and probably a fiddle stick. This will give me somewhere to play with the Peckett and anything else that happens along in OO. Coales Mill Yard is also progressing. The corrugated iron problem h...

Well, no, not yet. But we do at least have some idea about where we are going for once. After spending far too much time dreaming up schemes that have no immediate hope of being realised, and after having a bit of a chat with Gilly, who cut straight through all the crap as usual, we're back on notch 8 - or whatever the diesel equivalent of full steam ahead is - on 2mm finescale. So, Coales Mill Yard was extracted from the filing system, stock and progress to date were appraised, and work restarted in earnest. One thing I've found very helpful is that I now keep a worksheet for the layout, which is divided into strips from back to front, A to G, I think it is, and each feature has numbers, 1 up, from left to right. So the building I’m working on tonight is B2, while the structure started yesterday is D5. I'm generally working from the back forward, because that's where the Mill is. The worksheet lists each feature and then there is a section for each feature with notes a...

 A change of scale - The Ness Garden Railway is a sixteen millimetres to the foot scale (SM32) railway that runs around our garden. https://youtu.be/0GFtCt4naYU?si=JMTFqj-lgSMnhLIX

 So my birthday turned up a fine surprise in the shape of a Hornby Peckett W4. What a beauty she is. I’d seen one at Rob’s Christmas bash and just couldn’t resist it when the price dropped again. Here’s Clipboard Charlie making another list as she gets another once over (twice over?) Below, a view of the workshop siding with three old Parkside kits being run up into something usable. New wheels, buffers, and couplings. Improved brake gear when possible. Nothing too complex, just improving these old kits.