Friday Update: Thirty Ten Twenty-six…

Yes, somehow it is Friday again already! Lots to get through today, so I’d suggest pop the kettle on now and come back with a hot drink and make yourself comfortable…

Something rather delightful and fun from the top left corner of Wales appeared this week on its way to a customer (remember you can pre-order anything from Rapido from me and I try to match the big shops discounts) - Ivor is a lovely thing… even better the sound is incredibly fun. I suspect we’ll see plenty of this little model over the coming weeks, I felt lucky to see one and was glad to have done so…

The Manning Wardle fest continues here - with another cab conversion in progress (after this there is only one left to do - at the moment). This one will be painted to match the bodywork and weathered lightly. Meanwhile whilst Ringing Rock landed at its new home, Newcastle left yesterday - more on that perhaps on Monday… 

Another new commission, reworking a Bachmann 37034 into 37035 as it appeared in the very early 1980s. I’ve retrofitted a ‘car headlight’ to the Bachmann wiring and lighting pad with some lucky judicious testing and the fibre optic will have a RT models white metal casting added, once it’s trimmed down. The headcode boxes have some custom etched panels too, which if they work I’ll add as a product to my Light Railway Stores range. The finishing touch will be renumbering, for which I’ve drawn up my own decals - one piece, to make things much easier… 

Personal projects this week start with something of an experiment - I have built this Bachmann Quarry Hunslet chassis from spares off their website for the princely sum of £91 plus my time! With the new models not available yet, but even then with discount about £135, this seemed a worthwhile experiment. She runs well, and is destined for a new 009 distraction - but more on that another time - it will be fun making the models even if a layout doesn’t materialise!

Yesterday I mentioned decal design for the Northern Alberta GP9, and above the 37 - I’ve also drawn up some markings for an East Suffolk liveried 44tonner - I wonder who from my operating team at Uckfield has caved? I’ll leave them to announce in due course! Using my own model for measurements gave me a chance to tick off a few small jobs on this that I remembered after the show, hopefully the couplings won’t be so frustrating next time I play with it!

I received this rather lovely photo of an old friend this week… 6 of these N scale Timber P wagons were purchased from Will at Coventry Railworks some time ago and sent off to James of the Hockley and Western. He has a soft spot for timber wagons but these have certainly tested his eye sight. The funny thing is, it has acted as a catalyst for the project again and both he and I, plus a few others have been discussing the possibility of building a joint exhibition project depicting somewhere on the Lochdubh branch… what a day dream… I won’t mention the Farish 108 I have purchased with thoughts of creating Test Coach Iris…

A milestone was passed on YouTube this week - 5000 subscribers. This has been a slow burn, and somewhat pales into insignificance with the number who stop by here every month to read my daily ramblings but the advertising revenue is a welcome top up to the modelling fund! Thank you all for your support wherever and however you show it.

The weekend is upon us once more and the half term holiday is nearly done. I hope to spend sometime with Defiance, it would be nice to have the backscene in and the road paved this weekend… that said, any modelling is welcome and I will take things at my bench as I find them. I suggest you might find the same and hope you’re all able to enjoy something of this hobby for yourself. Until next time, more soon…

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