Do as I say, not as I do .....

Oh dear, I believe I've been the victim of a 'good' idea I had a year ago. When putting Chwarel Bach together it seemed like a good idea to ballast with a polyfiller, sand and powder paint mix. It certainly gave a quick result. The first time I used the layout in anger at the Corris model railway show all worked remarkably well. Since then it's sat upstairs in my playroom, pressed into service from time to time as a test track or somewhere to let completed engines run in by lapping the circuit. A creeping and increasing deterioration in the running quality began to make itself felt. After spending a lot of time looking at both loco mechanisms and the track I came to the conclusion that the problem was caused by the ballast. It seems that as well as the usual amount of airborne dust, the pollyfiller is also contributing to a fine layer that inhibits efficient collection of current from the rails. There may be issues with a fine layer creeping into the gap between fishplate and rail further contributing to the embuggerment. I think cleaning followed by sealing the surface of the ballast with dilute PVA is the way to go; meantime have a pretty picture of my latest loco to emerge from the paintshop on the offending length.

The return of the chipboard monster

Thanks to a chance trip up the Cambrian Coast  a couple of weeks ago I find myself with renewed levels of enthusiasm for Morfa and have consequently been attacking pine and chipboard with vigour. I'm pleased to say that as of today the baseboard decks are complete, the box beam trackbed is in place and the backscene fixed where necessary.

Of course there's still a long way to go but I'm almost at the stage where the bits I like least, butchering wood, are over.

Custom Etched Plates

Sometimes it's the little details that make all the difference. My pugbash looked pleasant enough in plain green, but nothing special. Once the lining was applied it started to look a bit tastier, but the final icing on the cake was fitting a pair of works plates.

I'd sourced the plates (they come in sets of three) from a fellow member of Narrow Gauge Railway Modelling Online. I'm now hugely pleased to say that Narrow Planet custom etched nameplates are now available to all through their new website. You'll see that name as well as works plates are offered; it's a venture that deserves to do well.

Double Vision

I've not spent that much time at the workbench, sunshine and a full list of outdoor jobs has got in the way. However a spot of steady progress has brought both locos up to the state shown in the photo.

On my workbench.

Taking shape on my workbench is a Fowler 0-4-2. It's based on the drawings and photos in NG&IRMR issue 10. The prototype was an eighteen and seven eighths gauge loco built in 1891 for Figueros Co, Spain. My model assumes that a two foot three inch gauge example was built and fitted with tram plates for road side operation. This expedient fantasy means allows the use of 009 standards and yet another of the superb running yet stupefyingly cheap Kato mechanisms to be deployed. It's seen here in the company of my Pugbash just to give some idea of size and proportion.

 

 

Actually I'm building two, one for me and one (with an all weather cab) to sell on e-bay.

Ffesterbahn Ffollies

Here's a few quirky little numbers spotted at Harbour Station as part of the may bank holiday Ffestiniog ffestivities. Enjoy.

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.