Just because…
I was Pannier-less for about a week. Perhaps not even 7 days - no sooner has 1659 left I felt strange not owning one in any scale, so as a placeholder, a sort of emotional commitment to a future James, 6412 from Graham Farish now calls my little corner of North Wales home…
I don’t have space for the layout I want to build - as lamented the other week - but I do have space for a circle of Kato Uni-trak… that is due in the post from Japan. I also have a selection of old Peco wagons from my Grandpa - so I can run a branch-line of sorts…
The sort we all started out with…
Last weekend I was in a funk. I have a wonderful life, making models for a living and living next to a preserved railway - but it doesn’t always correlate to good headspace. I’ve been tired for weeks too, so it’s ok to be kind to yourself. I wanted to make something and I had been lost in branch-lines for a week.
In the meantime a circle of Kato track, a collection of old family models and a good imagination are a tonic worth savouring. Until next time, more soon…
‘Lost in branch-lines’ - that doesn’t sound too bad does it, and whilst my heart said “build Watlington station” my head said “let’s walk first”… I don’t need this anyway, it was rather to exercise that creative pursuit, to marry up my desire to create, my current rabbit hole of GWR branches with the reality of my physical condition…
This tiny signal box is the magical result.
Two observations. It is characterful, but perhaps too chunky. The roof worked well (the steps and windows too) but the planking whilst ‘scale’ is too crude. But this isn’t a model for a traditional layout, rather it’s a cameo for a table top trainset. A placeholder, as I mentioned, a promise to myself that I will build one, one day…
A branch-line of my very own.
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A lovely little signal box James. I think Kato uni track is great, I find it useful for track planning too. I just connect up my plan and I can run a train straight away as it's all plug and play. It's a bit chunky but functional. I find the gentle curves and the short sections really useful. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom. I’ve gone for the compact stuff, perfect for the table…
DeleteI remember some comment that even the most dedicated finescalers secretly yearn for a trainset, and I’m certainly feeling that at the moment. I do sometimes wonder when did modelling become so serious?
ReplyDeleteI don’t really take it seriously though, do you Will? I don’t like trainsets. That said, I appreciate the opportunity to run a train… and will enjoy it. It’s a stop gap, perhaps a frustrating one, we’ll see! This is not the first time a branch line yearning has been discussed and attempts to mediate that through other means.
DeleteI sometimes wonder if perhaps I do… not from a rivet counting perspective, but more the standards I hold myself to. I’m not a fan of sprawling trainset empires, but more the simple loop of track. I set one up for testing purposes last weekend, for what must be the first time in years. I found it strangely mesmerising…
DeleteThank you for another honest and heartfelt post James. It is certainly OK to be kind to yourself. The world is a tough place at the moment, for a wide variety of reasons, so it is important to give ourselves time and space to enjoy things.
ReplyDeleteTake care and thank you so much for continuing to knit together this disparate online community you have fostered.
Thank you David. Enjoyed running trains on the oval for hours yesterday in the end!
DeleteHave you seen the Kato diorama system? Tiny little vignettes using their 183mm curves. That signal box would look great on one, with appropriate hifi scenery of course. Connect up the rest of the circle as plain track and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteYes, I’m aware they use the same track. This takes up less space and uses my imagination more not to bother though - plus for me the track is the thing. There is no way of overlooking solid plastic ballast on a Hifi circus.
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