Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a merry christmas and a happy new year!

A start in 0 gauge...plus a blue parcels van

The last few months have involved a lot of travelling for work - needless to say that this has left little time for modelling.  However, good news is on the horizon as we are finally looking to buy a new house somewhere in the southwest....so this will at least provide some space for my new layout!  For a while now I have been musing about construction of a small shunting plank in 7mm.  This project would of course run alongside construction of my other layout - Pottington Quay in 4mm, which is now unfortunately in storage.

 

A start on 0 gauge - Parkside Grampus wagon

So in little snatches of time in-between the hottish Mediterranean sun and the even hotter African sun, I have ordered a couple of 7mm Parskide Kits. Last week I made a start on a Grampus wagon.  The kit is going together smoothly - although a couple of bits were bent these have been straightened out and construction has been straightforward so far, providing a lovely free running wagon.  I have the underframe detail left to finish but all in all it is going together well.  I intend to build this and few other engineering and freight wagons and build a handful of JLTRT diesels...we shall see how that turns out!  However, I am very much enjoying working in a larger scale and it is possible I might just become converted to 7mm....a GWR toad for the engineering department is to be ordered over xmas...

Blue parcels van - ready for the paint shop

On other fronts I have built a parcels wagon from the blue spot fish van Parkside kit in OO gauge.  As per normal for Parkside kits it went together smoothly and is another wagon to go alongside the CCTs and PMVs in a parcel train for Pottington Quay.  This wagon will run next to the Hornby offering of the same van - I will be interested to see how these compare.  The air brush is still not up and running...so I am building a series of kits and leaving them in a box ready for painting next year.  I am very much missing having a dedicated modelling space and am hoping that buying a new house will allow the space (and time!) to start building the new 7mm shunting plank and get Pottington Quay finally running.

Comparison in scale between my normal 4mm and 7mm

CCT and sturgeon progress

I am slowly getting back into the swing of modelling and have made a little progress on a couple of wagon kits.  The first of these is a the Parkside CCT parcels van, which will eventually be used on a short parcels train, together with a couple of yet unbuilt kits.  Other than swapping the buffers for some Lanarkshire Models CCT ones and adding some wire handrails this wagon is built as per the instructions.  The wagon needs some 3 link couplings (I forgot to do this when building it)  and then it is ready for the paint shop....although painting it will realistically be a post xmas activity.

CCT nearing the paintshop.  This one will definitely be in grubby, faded BR blue.

The second wagon is a Cambrian sturgeon wagon kit.  The majority of the kit is built but I just need a few hours to sit down with the instructions and work out where all the fiddly little bits go.  Again I am hoping to get this one built before xmas and ready for a post xmas batch of painting.

The sturgeon wagon build slowly plods on

Although I have retrieved my air brush, all the paints, thinners, etc are still in storage.  Rather than rebuying everything, I hope to recover some of this equipment in the not too distant future and then set about batch painting a group of kits.  My 0 gauge grampus kit should be delivered tomorrow and after finishing building these kits I intend to build the Grampus kit  I also hope to finally getting around to detailing a lima class 37, which I have a replacement Vitrains chassis for.  Grand plans, but not much time.  However, I am glad to be back in the swing of things and the modelling bug has ceryainly bitten again.

and we are off again...CCT and sturgeon to start

After a long absence I am starting to model again.  Life has settled down a little and some models have come out of storage.  A new job, house move and spending c. 4 months out of the UK in the last 12 months has seriously curtailed my modelling activities.  Whilst travelling won't stop in the foreseeable  future - there is some time at my new temporary home.  It is over a year now until I can get back to Devon - which I am missing hugely.  However, I am taking the positives and am now set up so I can do some modelling in the evenings.

A start.....

So I have rescued the air brush and found some model kits to build.  I have no paints, but I once I get a model or two built I can start painting.  Half of my modelling stuff is packed away in storage - all the useful bits that you accumulate over time - are sealed up in removal boxes.  However, picking up a couple of random boxes out of storage last week, I found my old lima class 37, as well as some new 31s and 50s.  These can form the basis of detailing projects over the next few months.  Also, since I have been away Heljan have brought out a new class 33 and a class 128; this could be an expensive few months.

A very simple plank test track is in the offing (with obligatory small halt of course!!).  And currently stood on the modelling mat is a CCT and a sturgeon - both started well over a year ago....how time flies.  My plan is to finish off some of these old projects and not buy too much....did I mention I that an 0 gauge grampus wagon is on its way.......

Getting the bug again and some old favourites

This was the first locomotive I fitted with sound myself.  It was also one of my better attempts at weathering I think.

 

It has been ages since I have done any modelling or have felt the inclination to.  However, recently the bug has bitten again and I find myself doodling some track plans in quiet moments.  At the moment all of models/modelling stuff is in storage, so doing any modelling is not feasible, although I am looking forward to life settling down in a few months and I can start a new layout.  I have decided to have a dabble in a modern image 0 gauge layout, as well as continuing with 4mm modelling.  The promise of a Dapol 08 in 0 gauge for £160 seems likes a bargain and I have always fancied building a class 33, so this is an idea for the future a very small 0 gauge layout.

Other than this, I will build a more complex 00 Gauge layout or finish Pottington Quay.  Both of my older layouts, Amberleigh and Georgeham, were disposed of, so I no longer have anywhere to run any stock.  The baseboards for Potting Quay are still in storage, so I have no working layout at the moment.  However, I did retrieve some old photographs and videos of these layouts and have posted a selection of them. These layouts were my first attempts.  They are far from perfect, but they gave me immense satisfaction and a lot of fun.  Enjoy - and I hope my next post will feature some real modelling!

My first attempt at detailing and weathering a locomotive.  A class 33/1 on Amberleigh with an engineers train.

Class 47 emerging from Amberleigh Halt.

 Class 45 at Georgeham Halt.

 

Class 09 trundling a 12t van through Georgeham.

The start of Pottington Quay with a class 50 pulling an engineers train.  All of the wagons are kit built, except the Shark (Hornby).

 

Class 08 running through Georgeham.

Railways, photography, modelling and moving

I originally started writing thiis post in October, but suddenly it is 2014!! How on earth has so much time elapsed??? A happy new year to everyone. Time is literally flying by, with many aspects of life getting in the way of doing any modelling. Recent working trips have involved Africa and Europe and a move of house is on the cards. Life is full on and fantastic and I am enjoying much travel, great work and new experiences.

Finished whale wagon

My updates have been sporadic at best for the last few months and throughout the life of my blog one thing I have always struggled with is photography. I am rubbish at taking photos and my working knowledge of cameras is non-existent. However, a recent work acquisition has been a new Ipad, and recently when home I took a photograph of my finished whale wagon. The photograph quality I think is much better than my normal. So hopefully in February next year, when life finally settles down again I can produce some better photographs!! Until then - updates will be sporadic at best.

Other side of the finished whale wagon

So here are a couple of photographs of the kit built whale wagon, it looks ok (I think), although the canopies are an area I was never quite satisfied with...and a couple of trains from my travels. Other than this all normal modelling has stopped, until life settles down. In the meantime I am looking forward to the release of class 101 DMU from Bachmann and also fancy a new class 24 as well. I might take a few wagon kits away witth me and do a little bit of kit building while life is fluid and transient.  Hopefully a house move will allow me to start working a new layout before long.....

Some trains in Africa!!