Friday Update: Twenty-four Eleven Twenty-three...

A week of contrasts here focused upon locomotive construction, but let’s kick things off with a photo from a regular reader, Chris, who bought my ‘prototype’ kit of the Hibberd Planet last year…

Planet Industrials ‘Hibberd Planet with shunter step’, model built by me, Chris Gore photo.

Chris has made sure to include the matching Planet Industrials / Accurascale MDO wagons, his small shunting layout is looking lovely. Thanks for sending these in Chris, it’s always lovely to see my models in their new homes.

Meanwhile on the bench we’ve have scratch building in 7/8ths in plastic and kit backing in 1/76 with etched metal. Both industrial and chain driven prototypes but quite different! Manufacturer, propulsion let alone gauge! Above, the Hudson Hut is taking shape from a mixture of string acrylic and 3-D printed parts. It’s been nice to revisit this model. The production run and of years ago was great fun too, and it’s making me itchy to push on with my ROF examples.

Below, this RT models, kit of the 100hp sentinel has been modified to represent an example that worked at Par docks. The biggest visible alteration is the height, I’ve taken nearly 5 mm out of the bonnet and cab, based upon scale, drawings of the bodywork and photographic evidence. This isn’t an exact model, the restriction of using the RT models kit as the basis has meant the water tank in particular is too wide, and the roof is still a touch too high as the cab reveal is taller than on the prototype at Par. That being said I’m really happy with how much of the character we’ve captured in this 1/76th scale representation. Smaller details like the step down foot plate in the cab area, reversed axle box orientation, timber buffer beams and revised cylinder cover/dome all land supporting role in defining the character. Primer next!

Meanwhile, on my own bench are cameo layouts! Whilst Lochdubh needs no introduction (here you can see a Cambrian 24 masquerading as an Inverness based example!) the Pannier is crossing a bridge in my latest box of escapism. I’m really enjoying this new project and have posted some teaser photos on Instagram and my Facebook page but I’m not quite ready to share the project in its entirety yet, enjoying the lack of pressure by keeping this anonymous! All will be revealed soon enough, I promise!

 

It’s been a cold damp week here too so the chance to get out and blow the cobwebs away on Tuesday was a welcome distraction. A wonderful sky above the Berwyns, but the colours were muted. Black and white brought out the contrast beautifully, I am so lucky to have all this near as damn it on the door step. On the walk I even stumbled upon what I believe may be two lengths if contractor narrow gauge track rails, certainly they had the feel of light weight track with sleepers removed. Who knows if they are, and if they are how they got there, but it was fun thinking about the possibilities of a forestry commission narrow gauge extraction tramway 009 scheme based in the vicinity.

 

Although I don’t ‘need’ them I am finding myself drawn back, again and again, to the day dream of a second ‘Lochdubh’ branch layout. If I had time I’d talk about why I think that is, as I suspect you might find that more interesting ant what follows… anyhow I used the proceeds of some recent locomotive sales to collect some suitable Farish stock ‘for Christmas’. The 37 in particular is lovely in this lovely but I’ll be repainting it BR blue, as I wanted a split headcode example with cut away beams and plated headcodes, Farish have, as yet, not made one. Thoughts of how to construct an exhibitable layout based on these ideas frequently occupy my mind and talk of joint projects with friends old and new.

This weekend will see me off to Warley on Sunday, A solo trip has flourished into a multitude of faces old and new and I’m looking forward to seeing what the big boys have on offer (especially the Revolution 66), and somewhat smug that I’ve left mainstream OO behind me after the otherwise very tempting announcements of recent weeks! If you see me do say hello, but in the meantime, until next time, more soon…

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