Friday Update: Twenty-three Nine Twenty-two…

Two kits and a few customs on the bench this week, so grab yourself a drink and let me talk you through developments here in North Wales…

A few months ago I first shared the CAD artwork for this Motor Rail standard gauge 14T shunter designed to fit over a Hornby Ruston chassis. The prototype is almost finished, the production pairs are being boxed up and I’ve just got the instructions to write and she’ll be ready for release. This diminutive example has been finished with classic industrial wasp striping, red hi lights including buffers and axle boxes and a pre shaded faded blue with Planet Industrials decals.

The second kit nearing completion is this narrow gauge underground mine loco based upon a Huwood Hudswell but using the wonderfully slow running and relatively cheap Bachmann N gauge Percy. Although missing the jackshaft drive I hope I’ve managed to capture the feel of the prototype in the low slung body, a usual mix of 3D print and etched overlay. A few modifications to the print design will be required before I push the go button, but hopefully ready pre-Warley. You’ll also notice a pair of ‘modern’ mine tubs, which will be released in 3 packs at the same time. Based upon some rough dimensions taken of a similar prototype but designed with the examples at Ledstone Luck in mind, hopefully it will pair well with the Huwood and allow surface, or underground examples to be modelled.

I’ve been lucky enough to manage a ‘day off’ this week too and a walk in the Berwyns with my partner, Janey. Some real wilderness almost on the doorstep reminding me very much of the Highlands, strange, that in all my years here I’ve never ventured up this far into them, just east of Llandrillo. Definitely worth taking a bike next time, the tracks and bridleways would be good fun, and allow us to get a bit further in the time we had. The headspace a walk in the open air allowed was wonderful. I love my job, but I am very much trapped within these four walls a lot of the time, green space all around but not inside. I’m glad we made time for it, and will be doing again over the winter.

A quick design and prototype commission was these flycranks to my customers design, sprewed up and printed though Shapeways to take advantage of their dimensionally stable acrylic material. If you have a small part you need, let me know, I may be able to help.

The ‘narrow gauge’ Ruston 165DE is very close to completion now, painted in its lovely dark blue with wasp striped buffer beam and white cab lettering (from Planet Industrials transfers again). On test on Beaverbrook to confirm it’s DCC sound operation I note I’ve got the locomotive operating in reverse! The chassis is in backwards, as Hornby intended, so I’ll look and see how to swap that, either mechanically by wiring or in the decoder, which as a Zimo I’m less familiar with, next up though, weathering.  

Whilst Beaverbrook was on it would have been rude not to run a train, so out came my U18B a very early purchase in the Canadian adventure, and one that still runs, looks and sounds great. This week I’ve ordered a few cheap second hand books on eBay this week, so hoping they come today to give me something to settle down and read this weekend. Sleep is not coming easily and when it does it’s not deep so I’m worn out, but find that a quiet moment with my own projects calms my otherwise racing mind. Until next time, more soon…

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