Testing testing on Coalbridge Street…

It is always the fall of 1973 in my workshop. Coalbridge Street, a 3D interactive painting that comes to life at a the flick of a switch - inviting you in to interact, enjoy spending some time waiting for a train - or perhaps joining the crew for a run up from the junction…

A shelf layout, purely developed for home enjoyment out on the road? Yes, Coalbridge Street is out at Larkrail rubbing shoulders with other cameo layouts in July - and almost a world tour, Uckfield in Kent at the end of the year. In an attempt to begin to smooth out a few foibles I’ve embarked on some coupling standardisation - which of course required further testing.

Watching the 45t roll across the crossing is hardly troubling though - its coupling rods animated wildly accentuated by small wheels and its diminutive size. 

Coupling standardisation might sound peculiar, don’t they all use knuckle couplers?

Well yes - but with single car trains I find that different brands, and worse, different size heads (standard or semi-scale) don’t play nicely. I’ve got the most old Kadee number 5 style heads - so have ensured everything will be fitted with the various variants of these…(for anyone wondering, I’ve found the whisker fitted 5s (#148) fit in the Kadee rolling stock coupling boxes without modification).

In the background a ‘back story’ and location are slowly evolving - very slowly - which may help place the layouts geography and better inform some of the traffic and trucks that appear - rather than just my whim and colour choices at present…

So railway modelling as it should be - relaxing and slow paced, moving forwards and enjoying myself. Until next time, more soon…

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