Friday Update: Two Six Twenty-three…
Holidays! Mind I did work last weekend in anticipation of a few days out of the workshop. It’s been a lovely week of trains though, and almost lie-ins too, a good opportunity to rest and reflect…
This weekend sees the Llangollen opening to Corwen with a busy 6 trains a day which I hope to get along and witness at both Glyndyfrdwy and Carrog. I hope you all manage some opportunity to relax and recharge and until next week, more soon…
I’ve had my son visiting, and at the same time Janey and the girls have been away. That has meant the chance to fit in train stuff every day. From rides on the Ffestiniog to train spotting in Chester we’ve managed to pack a lot into just a few a days.
As well as those two destinations we also managed to take on the last day of Carrog trains on the Llangollen with a bike ride to the present terminus. Wonderful weather and a surprise 4 car DMU set up, as the penultimate train left and calm returned it reminded me of why the station is the most quintessential of them all on the railway and just how beautiful our valley can be…
Finally we finished his 009 layout which he’s been able to take home with him - this has been a year long project and one where we’ve had a chance to practice a lot of different layout building skills. It’s lovely to see it all pulled together and how proud he was of what we’ve achieved together. The hobby is far from dead, but it does require us to put the work in teaching the ‘next generation’ the basics.
Did I mention I was working last weekend? This was the result, a push on with Falk #2 which now sports plenty of its various pipework runs and awaits construction of the steam winch to fit on the front. A petit locomotive of real character it’s been a lot of fun taking inspiration from another modellers work and reinventing it to recreate a similar work yet in my own hand.
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Lovely update, James, and good to see you got some quality time with your son - his OO9 layout looks great! Enjoy your weekend on/at/by the railway, I'm happy to see that Llangollen seems to be enjoying a decent amount on limelight at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThank you James, it is nice the railway seems to have settled in to being preserved rather than a business, and all the better for it. The volunteers seem to really feel it’s theirs again.
DeleteHi James
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a great week with your son. Seems to be enjoying taking photos and getting involved in the hobby.
Unfortunately my children never showed too much interest in railways. I guess being dragged to photograph trains in steelworks or cement works was not a great pull!!!
However in spite of this my son took up photography and is now a professional photographer apparently in demand as a food photographer in the publishing world.
Hope you have a relaxing weekend and can recharge you batteries for the projects ahead
Best regards
Alan
I’m sure you’re children enjoyed those visits, but you can’t force the attraction to railways, you either have it or you don’t… both Alex and I are more interested in model railways first, prototype second, but it’s a shared interest, passion even which is a real gift.
DeleteJames, that's a fantastic 009 layout your son has right there. I might have to have a try at building one myself, for ages I couldn't quite get the composition of all the elements I wanted to sit right, but they all appear there. Out of interest, what are its dimensions?
ReplyDeleteHi Rob, 34cm x 26cm. Track formed with a KB scale rail bender and then sleepers threaded back on. Rail joints soldered for strength… if you consider the centre of the layout needs to be a view block to all other views you can cut a typical small layout like this into four (each side). A look through the blog you’ll find similar work in ‘Kirsten Torfwerk’, ‘Canal Street Wharf’, ‘Vowchurch/Slate Railway to Churchwater’ and ‘Creech Grange’.
DeleteThanks for the reply James, much appreciated! Long time lurker though first time commenter I'm afraid, so certainly familiar with the other layout mentioned. Very much looking forward to the next books release. Keep up the good work!
DeleteMy pleasure Rob, thank you.
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