Some nice pictures of Stoner

 I haven't been doing much modelling recently as it has been too cold to go into the garage and Bont is virtually finished. I've also lost my modelling mojo a bit too although I can feel the urge the urge to get going again bubbling up. Port Lucy needs building to give the IoSR another end and I've got stacks of kits to build too.

In the meantime I thought it would be nice to publish some of the excellent pictures of the layout that Chris Nevard took last year. They were published in Model Rail magazine which was very flattering.

In no particular order here are some. Theses are he posh edited ones.

What follows are some that didn't get used or edited so you can see how tatty the sky is really.

I wasn't expecting to photographed myself, the pics were taken in January so it was a bit chilly, hence the hat.

009 Allsorts

 I haven't had a huge amount of time to get on with Port Lucy but I have purchased timber and track so in actual fact real progress has been made even if it seems it hasn't.

I join these two Scenecraft low relief buildings together and added a pavement and some details. The bay window has got a big grey face looking out if you look closely. I don't know why, it just seemed like a good idea at the time. This will be a part of the town above the station in Port Lucy.

A while ago I bought a couple of 'not working' locos from Tootaly Thomas as they were cheap and I figured they probably didn't have much wrong with them. Skarloey needs a motor and is another story abandoned in a small box for now, however Percy needed the quartering sorting out and one of the pins which hold the rods on had too big a hole in it so it kept falling to bits; I actually think this might have been what put the quartering out. Anyway, a new pin and a bit of a fiddle and it seems to be fine, it's still not quite smooth but it is certainly good enough to say that it works... now what to do with it?

My boss has aked me to make a diorama for the shop window with the new Scenecraft Harbour Station buildings so I've go this far so far. Some paint, ballast and tiny amount of greenery and it can go to the real Harbour Station. I did wonder if I should make a small model of the model to go inside in the style of Russian dolls.

This is 'Ned' the finished Fourdees Kerr Stuart on a Bachmann Peter Sam. I like the look of the loco and might add some lining at some point, unfortunately the chassis is slightly lumpy, not bad at line speed but a reluctant slow runner. Can't work it out at the moment, running in may make it better.

Passing 'Ned' and his train is 'Alice' the inevitable |Bachmann Hunslet. This runs very well and was having a trip out on the IoSR by way of a test. Very nice.

Next loco on the to be painted list is a delightful 3D print from Nigel Brooks. The GVT van in the train is also one of his prints which among the best I've seen. It is currently in the paint shop.

This is a world exclusive, The F&WHR were the first to commision special livery wagons from PECO and they have always been a great success so here is JGF4 which should be available in the next few weeks. Design by Dave Malton and I think it's a goody, in the vein of traditional FR wooden wagon liveries. We've only ordered fifty so I think they won't hang about long.

By way of a diversion from all the other things I have to do, I've decided to make a small diorama to feature the legendary but never built Portmeirion branch of the FR. This would have turned right at Pen Cob and run round the back of Boston Lodge out along the headland, through a tunnel and back left into a station on the foreshore near the hotel in Portmeirion. Who knows how the history of the FR would have turned out had it been built? I've painted and FR van in a nice pale blue which goes very nicely with the now static remains of 'Nadine' MK1. Also in the paint shop are a couple of four wheel coaches from the Colin Ashby stable, nearly small Birminghams but not quite. When I get around to it I'll build a diorama with the Portmeirion platform and room for a few coaches and the loco.

Another Hunslet and that

 Christmas was rather a modelling hiatus so thankfully all that jollity has been packed away and the lap tray has been restored to the lap.

'Nadine' above and 'Veronica' below are both now complete and attached to their chassis. 'Veronica' is next to have her crew painted and installed.

Another marvellous Fourdees print has had some attention including a bit of a rub down here and there and the replacement of the printed couplings with brass ones. I also managed to break the printed smokebox door handles so replaced them with a brass one I had in the box of bits. It had a trip to the ultrasonic bath this evening to remove any loose smoothing bits and hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get some primer on it.

'Alice' my Bachmann quarry Hunslet is now detailed, weathered and has mini me at the controls.

The weathering is just a light coat of a black wash with a little bit of rust added here and there. I added some real coal to this one and the two locos mentioned above.

'Charles' has also joined the fleet. It was a thank you gift from Bachmann for which I'm very grateful. In my usual way I've changed the couplings and added a few details like the bucket on the buffer beam; strictly speaking it should have a lid but I can live with it. I made some fire irons too, the loco has prominent brackets to hold them so they seemed obvious things to add. It is a beautiful model and I don't intend to do much else except add a crew.

Loadsa locos

 I had been so busy with buildings that the large pile of locomotives waiting to be finished had stalled however with the long evenings of winter and now the Xmas holidays upon us I’ve got my finger out and the results can be seen here. 

First to be finished (again) was Nadine mk2. The first version got spoiled by a cat based incident, Dan very kindly sent me another print and I’ve finished it off in the same livery etc of the first one. I think I’ve done a better job this time too. 

Next in the paint shop was ‘Veronica’, the younger sibling of ‘Nadine’ also from Fourdees and on. KATO England chassis. This one also got bounced by the cat but the only damage was the handrails which I replaced with brass ones. I’ve also changed both locos to have my standard RT models couplers. ‘Veronica’ needs a couple of touch ups here and there and the crew from Modelu which needs painting. 

Talking of Modelu figures here is mini me driving my new Bachmann ‘Alice’. 

I had a visit from these three this week and ‘Alice’ is definitely staying. I’ve done a few little additions but haven’t had the heart to weather it into quarry condition. All four of these tiny locomotives are absolutely gorgeous and I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Nesta’ comes home too. 

‘Dorothea’ with my kit built one.  

Last but not least is Corris No4, I decided I could do a better job on the paint finish and that I wanted to change the couplings. I’ve also ordered some number plates from LRS. 

At the Warley MRC show I was nattering to those lovely Hastie chaps on the Dundas stand when the Minitrains Schneider loco caught my attention. We had them at work and I even got as far as bringing one home but decided I couldn’t justify it at the time; having subsequently regretted this decision I relieved Dundas Models of one. It goes very well with my other maroon ics and here it is with glazing, a crew and some weathering. A nice loco and in my opinion one of the best Minitrains have made. It adds a little more Gallic charm to my channel island too. 

It will be named ‘Speedy’ after a sadly deceased French cat. 

Meanwhile PECO have released their Mk3 quarryman’s coach and the two vans in a rather fetching grey livery. It would make a good undercoat for freelance liveries but it occurred to me that there are pictures of the quarrymen’s train in a very tatty state and that this would be a good place to start attempting this from. 

So far I’ve only done the coach so you can see the grey van here, next to the painted coach alongside two factory finish vehicles. 

I painted individual planks starting with a brown that is close to the ‘proper’ colour and then painted most of the rest of the planks in three shades of grey and beige. The finishing touch was to dry brush the ‘proper’ brown on top to simulate tired and peeling paint. The genuine articles spent their lives either by the sea in Portmadoc or in a siding in Blaenau so no wonder they didn’t fare well. Anyway I think it looks the part and when I get round to it the vans will get the same treatment. 

More to come next year, hopefully Port Lucy will be in action by this time in 2023. Have a happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or whatever. See you next year.