A Grampus wagon ready for service

My apologies for the lack of updates recently - sometimes life just gets too busy for modelling.  Anyhow, a very hectic month has passed, where I managed to find precious little time to sit down and get on with some modelling tasks.  I find that momentum is key with projects and when it is lost, it can be difficult to get started again.

Recently finished Grampus wagon posed on the Charlton layout.

However, I finished off a couple of wagons about a month ago, but did not manage to get around to writing about them on this blog.  The first of these is a Grampus wagon, built from the Parkside kit.  It is built per the instructions, but is fitted with white metal buffers (Lanarkshire Modelling Supplies) and 3 link couplings.  As per usual I painted this with an airbrush and transfers are from the Modelmaster range.  This kit is one of a number I built in 2016 and has languished around until a few months ago for painting.  I am slowly working my way through painting this stack of built kits and it is very satisfying to see some of them finally finished and working on the layout.....speaking of which....

Another shot of the finished Grampus.

The Charlton microlayout has seen precious little development in the last month.  This is a shame because I am at the point when things really start to take off.  A few bits of scenery have been added here and there, but generally there has been little progress.  However, I have ripped up the original fiddle yard, as I was not satisfied with its capacity to hold trains to run into the station.  I have ordered another 3ft by 1ft baseboard, so the whole layout with fiddleyard now comes to 12ft!  I am not sure this really counts as a microlayout anymore!!  I plan to wire up a new fiddle yard this week, so hopefully a layout update to follow soon.