Friday Update: Fourteen Eight Twenty-six…

Welcome to Friday, and a hot one but we’ve broken the back of the heat wave and today promises to be cooler with a fresh weekend and week ahead. If you’re comfortable let’s take a look at what has been happening here in the past seven days…

Last weekend was pleasant, blue skies and comfortable mid twenties heat… my partner and I took a walk up near Arenig, and heading back is this view of Llyn Celyn. You’ll spot the former Bala to Blaenau branch track bed crossing the photo - it is a beautiful spot and we had a lovely walk but this place still has a sense of sadness at the loss of the village of Capel Celyn and the treatment of a tiny Welsh community by the Liverpool Corporation. 

Back home this week has been all about two projects - the 009 layout and the 16mm Railbus. Focus on each and balancing time whilst waiting for one thing to dry has worked well despite their very different form and the methods in use!

The layout has made a massive leap forwards with the back scene fitted and a great start on ground textures. The lid still isn’t made so the lighting here is from the window hence the ripples on the backscene which won’t be visible when lit properly. I’m really very excited with how this one is progressing and the sense of open space already created in such a compact cameo.

The 16mm Railbus has been in development for too long - definitely over six months so it is great to be making steady progress now. It is a work of fiction and whimsy but I hope with a sense of realism. I’ve been sanding and filling the bodywork and have made a start on the roof. The end domes are made from layers of styrene and filler and will be blended with the destination boards. The centre of the roof will get a subtle curve (as if the inside of the roof) and a roof rack. Lots more to do but feeling good.

It hasn’t been quiet on the personal bench either despite the hot weather. My pair of British Industrial Sands wagons are coming along and nearly finished (and ready for part 3). The third (left) PGA will probably see a more involved rebuild to become a Tullis Russell PAA, relegating my old Poole Farish tooling to the ‘for sale’ shelf at some point.

The Lifelike GP38-2 is great fun. It is like being back twenty five years ago and working on Athearn blue box models, carving off handrails and grab irons and adding Canadian detail, scratch-build from parts found in the bits box! I’ve gone nearly as far as I can now without the CP Rail style pilots - and these are on order from Kaslo shops - so it’s back on the shelf for a bit now.

The railway is continuing to run steam when others are not - risk assessed I’m sure. I will be hoping to grab my first ride of the summer on tomorrow’s diesel service behind 5310. If you’re passing or visiting do let me know and I’ll say hello! Otherwise a quiet weekend as the girls away in Pembrokeshire for a few days so it’s just me and the dogs, my books and my models. 

Have a great weekend, until next time more soon…

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