Friday Update: Twelve Seven Twenty-four…

What month is it? July you say? Mid teens and rain all day? Gosh, not what we hoped at all! Dreadful weather here in the Dee Valley this week, dismal, especially yesterday. Inside though, escapes aplenty and first of all to Lochdubh…

I have succumbed. Dapol make some lovely models, their 22 especially is very nice in N. The 26 isn’t bad either, although the colour of this blue one left a lot to be desired. As daydreams of my Scottish empire continue I could live with it no longer. Rubbing down the old markings, removing the raised window frames on the body windows and masking the yellow ends I have resprayed her in Precision ‘rail blue’. What an improvement! I’m now waiting for some Fox decals, as I’d forgotten that the Scottish region used a larger font on its loco numbers for 26 and 27s. Longer term, I am considering replacing my 37/4 with another 37/0 as I am settled now on July 1984 as the setting which gives me 26, 27, 37/0 all in blue and 37/0 also in large logo - all pre RETB. Day dreams… but if you fancy 37418 it can be yours for £180.

Mosslanda everywhere this week too - this new commission, above, will become ‘Fancy Another Beer’ out of the first book. Work progresses on the casework and I will be adding the distinctive viewing window next. The N scale stock is my customers and will be weathered to match in due course. It is excited to be asked to build one of my own plans, not something that happens in this way very often.

The Mosslanda OO gauge display shelf I put together a few weekends ago is now finished and is for sale. This slots into a Mosslanda and has space for a plain card background to be fitted. The track is OO gauge, Peco Code 75 bull-head ballasted in cinders. A small occupation crossing adds some interest as does a scratchbuilt posr and wire fence. Static grass in various shades and lengths has been added to suggest an unkempt line side.

This display is for sale, £125 to my blog readers including UK postage, perfect for displaying your OO gauge models on or perhaps a photo prop, get in touch if you’d like to give it a new home. If you have something similar in mind, but this isn’t quite right, I can offer custom built examples from £150. 

Locomotive and Mosslanda not included.

 

Back on commissions, the next larger layout is taking shape. I shared progress on the baseboard last week and excited to say it has continued with pace. The track is now laid, wired and tested. Although it will be DCC I have used DC to check continuity and smooth running, here with my new Bachmann Class 24 (its second appearance in the blog today!). Rather interestingly this scene is framed, as per the prototype inspiration, by two rail bridges, the foundations of which will be next.

Over a coffee this week, whilst reading the latest Railway Modeller, I was excited to see Kinross in print again, albeit in advert form. Peco often use layout photography in their promotional material, but not often someone else’s layout, so I was honoured. Did you spot it?

Last weekend saw the Classic Transport event on the railway and that meant the bar was open on Friday and Saturday down at the village station. The team have done a great job on the new patio, and I enjoyed a few beers with some volunteers on Saturday evening. What could be better? Well perhaps a little warmth, but watching the last train of the evening slide back to Llangollen with some well oiled passengers was a lovely way to end a train filled day. This weekend it’s just normal service, but 31271 is about so I’ll make sure I wander down or cycle to Carrog for some photos.

I haven’t done much industrial modelling since the end of the Victory project, if I’m honest, but the new Dapol Hawthorn Leslie looked pretty good and so I took a punt and ordered one. It’s a sweet little thing but can you spot the problem?

Mine arrived, and ran well but I noticed the cross head was on backwards and I couldn’t just turn it over as the coupling rod has oil ways and then they’d be upside down! It looks as if someone in the factory has put a drivers side one on this fireman’s side! I’ve sent it back and hopefully it won’t be long before a replacement arrives as I hope to model a specific example - but more on that when the time comes!

It’s been a varied and hectic week here - along with all this I can share that the third book has gone to print and I’ve written three magazine articles and started the fourth book! When I find some inspiration things just seem to happen and that’s the case this week. There are some other exciting projects I hope to share soon and thoughts have also turned to starting to prepare a second Compendium for later in the year. All this to keep me in the black and you in reading material! I hope that wherever you are this weekend you enjoy some relaxation and perhaps some modelling - or at least a good book. In the meantime, I’ll get back to it and say, until next time, more soon…

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