Friday Update: Fourteen Three Twenty-five…

I’m not quite sure how we are here again but you can’t argue with the calendar, it is Friday, it is nearly 8am, this is ‘The Friday Update’…

I’m sat looking out the lounger window at a grey but bright morning here in the Dee Valley, a hot coffee and sleepy dog for company, and ready to take a bit of a meander through the variety of things that have been taking up my time this week.

Whilst the weeks bench has been entirely focused upon 7/8ths scale Ruston work (more on that later) there has been some tangible and swift progress on some Canadian N scale potentially destined for ‘Trees, lakes and multimarks’. The Atlas GP7 that was decorated in a rather natty yellow and black ‘Rio Grande’ livery now sports action red (well, more on that later too) and some N scale Micro-scale decals. Whilst these went on relatively easily, I did struggle to get the multi-marks to settle over the grills. In the end I cut out the centre of the radiator screens at the top of the hood and painted these a dirty grey, dry brushing the ‘mesh’ with white which has worked well, certainly from normal distances. Where next for this project? Time will tell…

I mentioned the Ruston 44/48 being the large focus this week - this has been on and off the bench. I’ve been ordering parts for the fourth additional model as well as sourcing batteries. On the bench I’ve finished off the cabs adding the rear light, conduit (to hide the real wiring too), some more detail most visibly the roofs. Under the hood I’ve been adding the wiring looms and putting the control systems and DCC decoders into place. I’ve not got a high enough voltage battery in stock to test these yet, but we’re on the brink of running trials now - and more, the brink of the paint shop!

In the storms that blew through the valley earlier in the winter I lost 3 panes of glass in the greenhouse. You not believe how much if a palaver it has been to source some replacement - I prefer tempered glass as we have dogs and everywhere I went wanted to sell me thin, scratchy polycarbonate. Anyhow, I went back to the manufacturer in the end who was able to supply 3 panes plus a bag of the spring clips and an hour or so of careful work and it’s weatherproof once more! Dog proof now too, so on with some cultivation for this yeaes summer veg - more Janey’s thing than mine but it’s nice to get involved. Especially when the sun is shining.

I had a rather lovely package from my good friend Chris yesterday… initially it was just to be a favour, a chance to collect the Allagash copies of RMC, but then I sourced some Microtrains N scale stock in the US and it was cheaper to ship to Chris than myself… and then Chris offered to help out with my Delrin drive component quandary and share some of his stock of components. It arrived and beyond that, Chris had sent me his prototype 16mm Lister ‘because it was easier to put in complete than strip it for parts’! I’ll write about this seperately at some point - suffice to say it’s very special to hold something made of his hands, on his work bench, here with mine, in mine.

The many shades of action red - I suspect the Atlas Alco S4 is closest here, as I know I’ve made my repainted GP7 to dark (and before anyone says, I know 8605 was a H16-44 but the numbers were next to one another on the sheet!) but the the gondola and boxcar are so different yet both rolled off the Microtrains production line! I need to wander out to a model shop in the coming weeks to pick up some N scale track for this project, as I only need a couple of yards of a code 55. I’m anxious and excited about building a larger N scale cameo again - there is only one way to see how that goes…

Denton Road has seen little tangible progress for a few weeks - I wasn’t sure how to progress the station so kept putting things off - last week saw the development of a concept for this signal/powerbox/office and finally I put knife to cutting mat last night and knocked this up in an hour. At this end of the layout there is one final decision to make - how to address the deliberate bulk of the station… I want this to be a structure rather than a canopy, offices or a car park perhaps? Anyone have any suitable ‘northern’ inspiration for me? 

The weekend is almost upon us but another day at the bench beckons - and I think it will be one wielding soldering iron as I begin on the last etched kit of the winter, a 4mm industrial - more on that next time. I’m not sure how much Dad taxi is required but perhaps I’ll get that trip to a model shop or if not, some time to get on with more structure building - plenty required here! I hope you’ve enjoyed the round up today - and perhaps if you have you might consider buying me a coffee. This is a very kind and personal way to show gratitude for the hours of content I continue to (and will always) provide free of adverts and subscriptions. I love writing, I love creating and I love sharing this with you all. Until next time, more soon…

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