Lined Out

The lining out went remarkably well. I'd not been looking forward to it, but the Modelmaster waterslide transfers turned out to be one of the best fivers I've spent in a long while. I found it surprisingly easy to get a good finish and an accurate register at the joins. Once dry I wafted over with a blast of Testors Dulcote, and fixed the builders plates in place with Araldite. Job done I think, though I will have to provide a crew so that it doesn't look weird when circling round Chwarel Bach.

Colour

"...  and the winner in the most bilious livery category goes to ...."

It won't look quite so green when I've finished, well I hope it won't. 

I found that the hardest decision was what colour paint to slap on. With my so called finescale EM models it's easy as I just copy photos of the real thing, but what do I do when confronted with a fictitious loco that will run on a fictitious line purporting to be owned by a fictitious company? As I have a notion that the new layout will be set before the war to end all wars, I sought for something that would hint at Victorian opulence or Edwardian sophistication. My late father in law came to the rescue, one of his old books contained a selection of colour paintings of British locomotives, the majority showing the glory of pre-grouping colour. In the end it was the North Eastern livery that appealed to me most, hence the vibrant green. Once  the lining is applied I'll tone down the loco, trying for a cared for but hard worked look. 

Bashing the Pug

I'd like to think of myself as having a calm and rational head, even when provoked. Sometimes this image doesn't reflect reality. I hugely enjoy the internet forum ngrm-online it's an absolute goldmine for anyone interested in modelling narrow gauge railways, and I can not recommend it too highly. A few weeks ago the pros and cons of 'pugbashing' became the focus of debate; pugbashing being models hacked out of the old Kitmaster/Airfix/Dapol kit.Amongst all the comments were a couple of rather negative posts that questioned the value of this particular strand of model making. Having done a few bashes in my youth I thought the best response was to give it a go again and see if something worthwhile could result.

Having two and a half pug kits and three Kato mechanisms I took the tram loco route. So far I have the basic loco pretty well finished and in primer, I leave you to judge whether it's thumbs up or down for the model, but I'm happy with it. Loads of fun has been had, the mechanism runs like a dream and I'm planning a small layout that will use this loco and some other items I've got on the stocks.

Journey Through the Past.

Thanks to my good friend Martin, I've finally got hold of a copy of Model Railway News featuring the gorgeous Ynys Gwyntog. Though built more than forty five years ago I reckon it could still hold it's own in the company of some of today's top models. Though the models in themselves are crisp and tidy rather than outstanding (there's a debate to be had that show stopping excellence could get in the way of reality) I've not seen the composition bettered to this day. The creator of this slice of loveliness is Cyril Burch, a nom de plume I believe for Jack Shortland, the editor of MRN.

If you fancy a first hand look at Ynys Gwyntog, and I urge you to do so, then it's the September '64 edition to look out for. The article refers to others in the series, March and May '63 for coaches with July '63 for signals; it also alludes to planning and track laying also being covered previously, but without specific dates. I will be keeping my eyes peeled.

Morfa Moving Again

Progress on Morfa comes in fits and starts. As the plain track is handbuilt from individual components these fits and starts happen in slow motion, however thinking that little has been achieved ignores the power of small increments gradually stacking up. A milestone has been reached now that the head of steel has progressed of the original 17x8 board and onto the extension. There's two more yards, in actual lengths that's four half yards, to go before I need to build the remaining section of baseboard to close the gap and allow the circuit to be completed.

With each fresh half yard of track, I celebrate by running a train up to the end. Though there's a worthy reason, to test my work, it's really just for the fun of it. Though the achievement is small, the motivation I get is disproportionately large.

Size Matters?

 

Recently I've been on an e-bay facilitated nostalgia trip. Outgunned by those willing to pay silly money for Egger Bahn, I turned my attentions to the Airfix kit. Here are three of the objects of my desire, all rather mundane and still on the market thanks to Dapol. I set myself a spending limit of a fiver for each piece including postage, and though I could buy Dapol for about that price, I get the benefit of the glorious box art. What surprised me was the way the packaging grew over the years. Whether it's for the psychological effect of getting more for your money or to increase shelf presence I don't know; but it does show that the seeds of over packaging were sown a long while ago. I may not be typical, but looking at the three examples here it's the earliest and smallest that I find most attractive.

Not just the trains.

Sometimes life brings surprises, occasionally that's a very good thing. Most of the railway books I enjoy tend to be at the more specialised end of the market zeroing in on a particular line, station, locomotive class or aspect of model making. Earlier this week at the library I found a publication that well and truly bucks this trend.

Though it looks like one of those books aimed at the casual interest, the sort that misguided but well meaning aunts buy for birthdays, I've found it to be hugely inspiring. Though it's scope is broad the quality of the photos is stunning, each one bristling with interest and atmosphere, some happen to be beautiful works of art too. The straight record shot that most of us modellers are used to is all well and good; clarity, correct focus and exposure help define details which we can incorporate in search of greater realism. Looking through the book it shows us what all too often is still missing, that intangible atmosphere that railways have. How do we get hold of it, and reduce it to a form we can render to scale in 3-D. I'm not sure I know the answer, but the first step must be to recognise its prescence.

The book's by Paul Atterbury, publisher David and Charles, ISBN 13 978-0-7153-2876-7. Do try to find a copy.