A new scale...

A lot of people who stopped by to chat with me at ExpoNG were commenting on how small my 006.5 models were, and they would find them too fiddly, well as it happens I enjoy working in 4mm scale, and it's allowing me to have an estate railway of my own without moving to a country house - but it's not quite the same as being outdoors...

Those of you who have followed my blog for a long time may remember my old Garden Railway. This was built at my childhood home before being dismantled a few years ago when Mum downsized and moved to South Wales. It was Eastern European based, and featured almost exclusively LGB models, often detailed and weathered. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed working in a larger scale, and certainly the extra dimension of real materials, real life, wild life and day light!

For a while I've been toying with the idea of a new garden railway at my home in North Wales. Perhaps using 32mm track this time... I've been selling unsused items around the home and raised enough cash to start this project in earnest - and as a result, have made a rather unusual decision to work in 7/8ths, and not just that, but work to build my own 18" gauge tramway (rather than 2ft!). I've got a few wagons (a Swift Sixteen flat, to build a Dalmunzie style open coach and several from Si at Model Earth, a flat, a barrel carrier and a van) and some parts and plans to build a Simplex - opting for a 1950s 40S model.

The opportunity to work in such a large scale is exciting and a little daunting - but I'm looking forward to creating models with real presence, and as a diversion from my day to day model making. More soon I'm sure... and possibly a seperate blog... we'll see!