Friday Update: Twenty-six One Twenty-four…

Fine, dry, clear and cool this morning. Brighter skies make for a brighter mood and a good way to end a productive if slightly single minded week of commission work. Grab a drink and let me take you on a tour of this week’s bench…

A personal project is the first this week, this quartet of Farish 16t mineral wagons were a mix of pristine and factory weathered. In addition they featured two body styles and two chassis styles, great tool making - these are a lovely model that responds well to weathering and by prototype number, we all should have at least a couple! I wasn’t entirely sure what finish I wanted other than to tone things down for now, so was planning a simple wash, things were looking good on the chassis and then on the first side I realised I’d mixed the wash to thick. However, when brushing this off and removing it, as I had always planned, I noticed the thicker wash combined with the factory paint was causing a lovely collection of dirt in all the right places and some subtle streaking… accidental and then on purpose the other three were similarly finished and will look great on Paxton Road… I think they deserve their own post so will write up the process in more detail another time.

More Ffestiniog commissions on the bench, a pair of diesels and another coach. These are working through the paint shop now, with cream/ivory in the carriage and Conwy, next up the pale green for Conwy and the mid body stripe on Upnor in its previous livery. If you’ve some 009 kits you’d like me to assemble, paint and breathe life into then get in touch, I’ve got a good range of prices to allow me to give you a fixed price that matches your scope and budget.

The big job this week has been Leatown which saw the track and wiring completed, the panel and electronics added behind the left hand wing, all sleepers and rails painted and ballasting completed. The next step with this is to add the lighting pelmet and back scene, then we can begin work on the scenic ground cover and begin to rough in the platform and other elements. Expect this project to dominate for another few weeks yet!

Eagle eyed readers will note Gerald Road underneath (still available for £200) and a new project above, more on that in detail another time, but it has led to further tree trials…

I had found the method I use for 00 and N (with foliage) tree armatures wasn’t delivering for the sort of fine, straggly winter trees I wanted for my estuary setting. Talking with James I pondered a few other methods and decided I would try to use 13A ‘household’ flex, thinking it would be fine enough but perhaps too bendy. Now the results here look perfect, but more surprising it is isn’t quite as prone to damage as I feared and I hope a small forest of these can be assembled quickly and then used to silhouette against a moody winter sky. Watch this space!

Still to break cover is this latest 009 meandering adventure, here a pair of wagons with their eventual motive power show signs of the proposed scheme itself. Those in the know will recognise HW, others might guess quite easily if they know much about my narrow gauge modelling history and collaborations with Narrow Planet… for now thought they look promisingly at me encouraging me not to slow down to stop on what promised to be quite a wonderful little exhibition scheme.

Last week saw my Christmas loco project look ‘complete’ with weathering to come and this week it’s wonderful to show more progress. The model has had the first stages of weathering applied and it has really brought the model together, making the body and chassis feel part of the whole. Whilst a Scottish layout is perhaps a year or so away further progress with the arrival of a Mk1 buffet car - which basically rounds out the stock I proposed for the small layout.

Finally a chance to own your own part of my Halifax South Western story - I have for sale two items from my H0 scale layout, replaced not for any fault of their own, just my one in one out policy! The cylindrical car is a Walthers Mainline model, detailed with brake hoses, ‘scale’ couplers and code 88 wheels. The box car a Branchline model patched out for the HSWR. I am looking for offers around £30 each including postage, a deal can be done on both for £50. Get in touch if either or both is of interest.

As my own weekend approaches the book that should have arrived last Friday came on Monday, so there is that to peruse. I’ve also got plenty of variety on my own bench - and I hope to share more on some new projects in the coming week. Thank you once again for reading the blog, it is wonderful that so many come here daily, I will continue to write and content will remain ad free and unrestricted. Until next time though, more soon…

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