Coalbridge Street: Settling in…

Four long years ago I created this noodled 40ft boxcar from an old MDC kit in my childhood collection. It was the dawn of my interest in the Claremont and Concord, and I liked how it echoed the tooling age of the projects original 44t and created a link back through time…

Coalbridge Street hasn’t progressed any further in recent weeks, but despite that I’ve enjoyed shuffling a car or two about - proving this simple track plan has enduring appeal. The layout is full with four items of rolling stock so I swapped the tank car for a third 40ft box and found this one at the back of the box. Despite its apparent lack of finesse, at least in in terms of detail I found the subtle faded paintwork suited the colours and shades of this slice of wintry New England beautifully.

It’s also interesting and quite pleasing to find so many ways to enjoy photography in this small box. From stepped back wide angles to up close as you’d expect, but the 3/4 view down the layout works surprisingly well too, a wonderful accident. The longer I spend with her, the more I wonder how I would manage without her… I am settling in, she has already settled.

Whilst a British version of such a scheme could fit the shelf better with its shorter wagons, I’m happy with the New England setting. A home for 40ft cars and those Claremont and Concord day dreams, a smattering of Hilton and Mears with the Ballard and Wantage and a dash of Rice in the East Suffolk. I notice too there are parallels to Pontydulais where the trilogy started… the second 44t, a repainted Rapido model, wears the familiar wasp striping of a British diesel shunter… as you see it potter about the scene there is something that feels familiar. Small diesel, light weight tracks, meaningful work, far removed from the glamour of the mainline. 

Some may consider my myriad of scale/gauge/prototypes to be distracting - but for me they have the common thread of run down, weed strewn and charming. Perhaps as if I’m practicing my voice in different accents, painting with different brushes or applying filters in photoshop. The creativity is the connection. I am the artist. These models are mine, they tell you about me. 

Until next time, more soon…

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