Friday Update: Thirteen Three Twenty-six...

Somehow it is that time of the week again! I’m sat typing in weak sunshine soaking through the rain and wondering how the day will evolve. It has been a relatively quiet week, but there is a little to share so worth topping up that brew and reaching for a second biscuit…

Starting with the biggest thing on the bench at the moment, the scratch-built 16mm/ft Ruston 30DL. The paintwork looks a little dull here, and it is - the shade is right but the lustre isn’t - once the detail painting is complete I’ll give the whole thing a coat of gloss lacquer, then knock it back a touch with satin nefore weathering. This really gives the bronze green a boost and adds real depth to the final finish, not long now with this one - if you’d like to commission your own I’m pondering doing a batch of these, £1200, painted weathered and with battery radio control.

The pair of Listers is in primer and almost ready to go home - these are being painted by my customer. A few tweaks and a bit of running in and the rather beautifully designed Hesketh kits have been a pleasure to work with - a new scale for me, but it works well with the small size of these prototypes.

On my own bench the latest Class 37 project is moving through preparatory steps. Fill, smooth, repeat. This is the result of three cycles and the headlights and boiler panel and steps are now adequately disguised ready for the application of the iconic Railfreight Distribution livery. I’ve also taken to modify the chassis, lowering how the body sits on this and already, even in primer, she has the presence of a much larger example.

My pair of early Alco diesels for various HO scale projects are also moving forwards with the delivery of some transfers to finish off their decoration. This weekend should see both reassembled. Whilst the smaller black S1 is destined for a late 70s setting on Coalbridge Street (basically a back up loco for the two exhibitions this year) the orange RS1 tells a later part of the story. Hilton Mears did lease the Ballard and Wantage a locomotive for a number of years, allowing the aging GE 45t to be semi-retired. As traffic evolved and heavier loads became more normal, the B&W bought an ex-New Haven RS1. This was later the first locomotive in the HMLX lease fleet - and is decorated with those three layers of heritage… models become pages in a book and story tellers in their own right…

A page in a book becoming a model is this Farish SR pill box brake van, not quite the right prototype but close enough for me, repainted in Dutch and lettered (on this side) as the Isle of Wight 19t van (the decals are very small, and the one on the other side when in crooked and then disintegrated when I tried to reposition it so this has a more generic black patch with some white text in). This should mean I can weather it and add some DG couplings. Whilst the wind has blown out of my Isle of Wight layout scheming sails, the little 03179 remains here, safe for the moment.

Unpictured, another Sutton Rat has crossed the bench and the big news is that I’ve finished Cameos - more on that tomorrow. I’ve also been slowly stepping forwards with my ‘Night Shift’ Mosslanda - so perhaps with a prevailing wind this weekend I can get that to a point that warrants a blog post of its own?! I hope you have had a good week, and a relaxing weekend beckons. Until next time, as always, more soon…

Support my work

I love writing and creating material for the blog. If you enjoy what you read and engage with I would be appreciative of any donation, large or small, to help me keep it advert and restriction free. Alternatively, feel free to buy me a coffee, where regular memberships start from just £1.