Friday Update: Eighteen Ten Twenty-four…

There are some exciting and fulfilling projects to share this week. Not only is the second Compendium finished (if you’ve not requested a copy you’ve the weekend until I finalise the order) but great progress on large scale commissions as well as personal models in HO and N! Join me for a wander through an illustrated update and take a few moments for yourself away from the bench, from work or other distractions…

With the last layout builds of 2024 behind me I’ve thrown myself into large scale models! Above, and below left, the Ruston 44/48s are at ‘detailed chassis completion’ stage. These models are huge, much larger than my usual 7/8ths projects. The bonnets are the new focus, etches ordered for the side covers, I need to draw up the other parts including cabs for laser cutting next week. I’m hoping to use the Model-earth casting for the gearbox cover, and am looking forward to receiving some custom SLR models headlights for these models. I currently have one 45mm example ‘unclaimed’. It was commissioned sometime ago and whilst the customer paid the deposit he no longer wants to take the finished model. This is a rare opportunity to ‘skip the queue’ on my commissions, get in touch to discuss specification and pricing.

 

Above right you can see a trio of much smaller models, these three are 32mm gauge and the drives to go underneath a Hudson GoGo tractor. The laser cut box contains the Wi-Fi controller and drive and much if the wiring loom. The Lipo battery will hide in the toolbox within the cab body later in the build! Last week you’ll have spotted the diecast tractor engine being cut up for this project. I wonder if we’ll see those parts mated with these in next weeks update?

More 009 and something a little different! Next week I’ll share the trio of plantation locomotives I was working on a few weeks ago, these wagons and loads are part of the same project. Two different patterns of sugar ‘comtainer’, the tan coloured smaller boxes are resin castings that needed just a little tidying up whereas the larger white boxes were 3D printed flat kits. The wagons themselves are a combination of various Minitrains flats of different types and vintages but all will need tidying up and repainting. Even with ‘Joan’ up front, the white boxes will dwarf the train, but I’m told these are based on prototpe dimensions!

Jorge Cortes Gonzalez photo.

It’s always nice to see customer models back home, this is becoming a bit if a thing on Friday updates now! You might remember this orange 009 diesel from a few weeks ago - Alan kindly pointed out it was a Whitworth from St Kitts, either way, she looks at home on her new layout. 

I realised a lot of my North American crew were wearing jackets - perhaps a few in ‘summer’ uniform might be fun. This Modelu pair arrived in the week and I’ve painted them up - experimenting with both the shirts and jeans to get patterns and textures. I use Games Workshop acrylics on figures, their subdued tones and quick drying properties make them work well in this manner. Dry brushed and washes give hi-lights and shadows, they’ll look good in future posed stories, perhaps even on Coalbridge Street?

 

Other HO scale projects include backdating this late model Volvo 245 from Brekina. Work has included sanding off the plastic door sills, reshaping the grill and bumpers and swapping the wheels… why? My good friend Chris owned one of these, a 1979 245 DL. I want to recreate this on my layouts as if he is railfanning, so more on this as time permits. 

Earlier in the week I waxed lyrical about this Revolution Class 59. It’s a truly awesome machine that I’m still enjoying here on Paxton Road. It has ignited my passion for British N gauge and I’m eager to receive my own Class 66 - slated for Q3 delivery 2024, so I’m guessing it’s slipped again. Never mind it will be worth the wait! 

I mentioned how models like these don’t kill the hobby with their finesse, rather they challenge us to meet their dizzying levels of realism and finish, and to that mind I’m excited by renewed progress on my cut-down Class 08! These prototypes, 5 in total, were modified at Landore, Swansea for use on the Cwm-mawr coal disposal point to Coedbach washery that utilised the trackbed of part of the Buryport and Gwendraeth Railway - renowned for its low clearances due to part of the route being built as a canal! In N gauge it is possible because the new Next18 version of the Farish 08 has enough clearance to remove the scale foot from the bonnet and still clear the motor. I’ll detail the work involved at some point but seem here, with its custom etch roof fitted it holds a lot of promise and I can’t wait to bring it to life with paint! Now if only a modern high quality HEA wagon was available… luckily Will at Coventry Railworks and I are exploring options with this, we’ll have news soon…

I’ve been getting stuck into the next issue of Dee Valley Mail, the in house magazine of he Llangollen Railway with my new volunteer hat on - and equally continuing to enjoy the railway in the valley, a ride last Friday aboard the 104 was wonderful, and I’m hoping to repeat that today, all being well. Steam has nearly finished on the service trains now, but last weekend saw 7754 out and about and I caught these atmospheric photos later in the day as she was heading for home.

 

Finally, a late addition, the Rapido OAA wagons I had forgotten I ordered arrived! Since I never wanted theee anyway I’ve sold a pair of them leaving me with just this solitary example. It’s very nice, an equal to recent Revolution releases, nice and weighty too… alongside an N gauge society kit of an air braked Grampus conversion, the ‘Rudd’. This needs a few more details adding before paint, but the eagle eyed will notice I’ve deviated from the instructions by replacing the axle boxes with a representation of the roller bearing journal. This will be finished in the same ‘dutch’ Engineers colours, although there is no plan for a larger collection. These may well end up being sold once I’ve weathered and enjoyed them on Paxton Road.

This weekend looks fine after a week of torrential rain and dark skies so I’m hoping to be out and about and getting a top up of daylight. Well done for reaching the end of this weeks update, I did warn you it was a long one! A renewed enthusiasm for the hobby, thanks in no small part to that 59, are to blame for a lot of the content! Much of this will get its own dedicated posts in the coming weeks I’m sure, but I wanted to share the energy now, whilst it was fresh. I hope wherever you are you can find sometime to spend with your hobby, be it a book or magazine and a coffee or something more involved - or perhaps a trip to see real trains somewhere? Until next time though more soon…

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