Friday Update: Seven Four Twenty-three…

Much of this weeks output isn’t easily shown as I’ve been finishing off the layout commissions and they are now both ready for ‘completed’ posts and possibly even a video or two. So what else has been happening here?

A few weeks ago I picked up another Graham Farish Class 08, this third example in the BR general livery which seemed to become nearly as omnipresent as blue in the 1990s. It certainly kindles memories for me, and is one I wanted in the collection to help sign post the era of the layout. Thank you to Dan at De-rails who tested all his examples and sent me the best as I need absolutely precision running on the layouts using pure DC. Earlier in the week I added the buffer beam pipework and some DG couplings, as well as the bar across between the front steps. The marker lights at each end were also carefully modified and the paintwork touched in. The weathering has now been started and as you can see this is a wash of the usual on the footplate and body, and the use of a wide flat brush too remove most of it before it’s dry. The enamel means you need to be careful around windows as they can frost, but does mean you can adjust marks that aren’t quite right for a few hours. The photo above was a good test as I found a few spots that needed adjustment after zooming right in and taking a look up close.

Lochdubh has also progressed, and the building is nearly finished. Having studied prototype photos I’m somewhat confused about guttering. In some photos Kyle doesn’t seem to have any, and early photos of Dornoch also show a distinct lack of any down pipes. The poster board needs finalising and fixing in place carefully. The small white Police Land Rover deserves its own post, so I’ll make sure I write something, suffice to say it’s creation was important for the project, but incredibly fiddly.

As we head in to the Easter weekend I’m afraid I need to work today and a growing collection of weathering jobs has amassed over the previous few weeks, from industrials to mainline and across the Atlantic there will be plenty to share in the coming weeks as these models are completed. That said there are trains aplenty here and lovely weather forecast so I shall try and have a day off, perhaps start the baseboard for Paxton Road 3? I hope that wherever you are, at home or on holiday you’ve either got a new railway themed book to read or can manage some time riding, watching or exploring an old railway. Take it easy and enjoy yourselves. I’ll make sure there is something here to read as well, until next time though, more soon…