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.