Friday Update: Twenty-two Nine Twenty-three...

It is definitely full speed ahead here with the workshop almost at capacity. A quiet moment to reflect before another busy day on commissions large and small…

Whilst the diesel gala and exhibition seems an eternity ago now Paxton Road has seen continued operation with both the blue 08 and the Hilton Mears example. The opportunity to flick a switch and run some trains continues to delight, indeed a pleasure I enjoy sharing with you all through the odd photo or video, even better to help you create your own layout design. Get in touch for a conversation about how that might work with prices from £175.

Monday morning and the come down… a day riding trains with James on Sunday was great, a real wonderful way to spend the day and soak up he atmosphere, I’ll write about it soon, I promise, but that and the day on my feet on Saturday meant it was a slow start to the week.

However, new exciting ‘small jobs’ are always good fuel for my soul and a pair of 009 Ffestiniog coaches have strangely not only kickstarted my week, but also my narrow gauge mojo - thanks Ben - and so a Kato Prince is finally calling my home it’s own and a plan is emerging for a late 1950s era micro - more on that another time. These coaches above are in for a paint and assembly. The Fourdees kits aren’t cheap but the detail is crisp and all the prep is done for you! I think if you factor in that it is Dan doing that for you they feel much better value. These will have only a basic ‘layout’ finish, but crisp painting is the order of the day here.

A quiet interlude as Beaverbrook has been rejuvenated with some recent tinkering on my Athearn GP38, here the expanse of space belies the fact that things are on a knife edge with being grid lock. The addition of the rogue chemical tank car makes things trickier to sort out, but we’re working through! The joy of a layout available at a flick of the switch is that it’s also where you left it when you walk away and return later.

Another small commission this week is a European model, a NS (Dutch) shunter based upon the Farish 08. My customer has done the conversion but I’ll be tidying up the finish and painting her along with some custom decals. Small jobs like this are a delight and fit about the bit stuff nicely, keeping me sane and the cash flow ticking along. Talking of big jobs…

…another one has broken out! A one off Hudson Hunslet is under way here and the chassis is now assembled ready for wiring up (but I’ll obviously be putting that off as usual!). I built the production batch of these models 3 and 4 years ago, I think, and it’s strange to be revisiting the parts. I’d do things differently now, but it still is a joy to watch the model emerge from the collection of 3D printed and laser cut plastic parts. 

The Rustons are not forgotten either - they are moving slowly through the paint shop, not aided by the rather inclement weather we’ve had in the valley this week. However, all the green is on, and the chassis just need a freshen up before detail painting. They’ll receive a gloss lacquer before being knocked back through weathering to a used appearance, I can’t wait for them to find their new homes, it’s always nice when these large models work over the finish line, the differences in their character become more apparent and despite a family resemblance the beauty of hand crafted models and the artist that goes into them is more distinct. 

So the weekend beckons and I’m ready to welcome it here! I hope you all have a good and rewarding relax, at the very least I’ve got some books to read here but hopefully I’ll get out to see the Llangollen’s return of 7754 and possibly a trip to Ffestiniog again. Until next time, more soon…

FOR SALE update

I still have two items that are for sale…

The prototype Ruston LBU - Up for £950 but I’d take a sensible offer on this…

A book on a little known branch of the Welsh Highland - £13 including postage 

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